Famous Kahuku Shrimp Wagon

Was in Kahuku for work around lunch... in the absence of food options, I thought I would try one of these Shrimp trucks that are everywhere on the North Shore...

Remembering back to that time in 2004 when I was here as a tourist and being VERY underwhelmed by the experience at Giovanni's, (the most popular shrimp truck on the NS... maybe because of it's name?) I thought- let's try this one... it has civilized parking and what looks like civilized sitting area.

Was I to be surprised and delighted?  Nope.

Don't get me wrong... the ladies are nice enough that make your food... (aside from the fact that they need a PA to get your attention after 20 minutes of waiting for them to make your food- but they don't have one)

But I just don't get the allure of these shrimp trucks... sort of like I don't get the allure of Hawaii plate lunches... sacrilige I know... but egads I said it!

Yes... I don't enjoy this type of eating experience... a decrepit old panel truck with some messy shrimp that I have to peel... sitting in the hot Hawaiian sun... seriously... keep driving.  Maybe stop for a photo opp.  But no need to eat here or any other shrimp truck for that matter.  Haleiwa Joe's is just up the road... where you can get table service and good food... and air conditioning.

Call me a downer if you want... but the food just doesn't make up for the lack of civilized eating experience.  Seriously it doesn't... sucking my fingers to get the garlic off the shrimp... and shelling them... and these didn't even have the veins removed.  No thanks.  I'd rather eat Subway thank you.

So if you feel the need to jump on the 'Shrimp Truck' wagon... by all means don't let me stop you... but do understand you will be met with an austere environment at best, flies buzzing around you... cars zooming by... hot weather... shade if you are lucky... over priced food... and still have a messy, messy experience that you will by no means find memorable other than to say... 'I ate lunch at a North Shore Shrimp Truck...'  I just don't get it.  I guess there is a reason when I asked a whole family of locals why none of them eat at these places.

Some guide book 20 years ago made the myth popular and it's just perpetuated itself ever since.

Stop for a photo-op.  Don't waste your time on the food.

We have been to a few shrimp wagons around Oahu and Kauai.  This one was good.  It had a lot of different kinds of shrimp to sample.  We tried garlic, spicey, coconut, tempura, and fried.  All were good and large.  The plates came with two scoops of rice or once scoop of rice and once scoop of salad.  The shrimp was served on a bed of plain cabbage.

Good stuff:
- The shrimp tasted pretty good.
- They peeled the shrimp for my kids without charging extra.
- Service was pretty quick.

Not so good stuff:
- The area could have been a lot cleaner.
- The coconut and tempura shrimp only came with about 5 pieces compared to 10 for the other plates.
- A little too much sauce for my taste.
- Rice was a little dry and had no toppings, which may not be bad, but it always helps.

Bottom line: good food, $11 a plate, not a bad place to stop and eat, but there might be something better out there.  I have not yet been to Giovanni's.

TL;DR: I think this place is better than Giovani's. Hot/spicy is a delicious party in your mouth. Make sure to get it.

My family has been a patron of the more famous Giovani's for a long time but we decided to try 'Famouse Kahuku Shrimp Truck' because it had a slightly higher rating on Yelp. Luckily for us we made the mistake of... mistaking the 'Famouse Kahuku Shrimp WAGON' for the 'Famouse Kahuku Shrimp TRUCK'. And we are all really good we did!

A super friendly Korean lady greeted us and took our orders. We ordered two orders of the garlic/butter and 2 orders of the hot and spicy. At first glance, it looked pretty much like what you would get at Giovani's but I dare say that I think it tasted better.

Sorry to keep comparing but the first difference I noticed is that they peel a lot of the skin off for you. I think Giovani's just leaves the whole shell on. Having some of the shell off really made the eating experience much more enjoyable and less tedious. And for some reason, I felt that the shells were a lot softer. I ended up eating most of the shells because they were so soft and tasty.

OK, now I'm going to rave about the hot and spicy. Holy cow was the hot and spicy shrimp delicious. It's pretty much the garlic and butter shrimp with some magical sweet hot sauce that starts a party in your mouth. It's not too hot so don't worry about being overwhelmed by the heat.

My family and I will definitely be coming to Famous Kahuku Shrimp Wagon!