Waiāhole Poi Factory

Great service! Food is amazing!
I’ve been here more than a handful of times, best place for me to get Hawaiian food. I would drive from Wai’anae to Waiāhole.

Totally awesome Hawaiian lunch. The best Kalua Pig that we’ve had during our visit to Oahu. So moist and smokey. I only wish they had brown rice to go with it.

THE BEST HAUPIA ON THE ISLAND!
I have an endless search for great Haupia but I believe my search is over. The texture of the Haupia is not slimy or watery, which I dislike, it is made like a pudding/​jello. I can’t get over it. Every-​time I’m on the East side, I have to stop by and buy their dessert!
Not only is their dessert great but their Hawaiian food is the best on the island as well. If you’re a tourist or have family/​friends coming to visit and they want that «authentic» taste and feel of a Hawaiian restaurant then Waiahole Poi Factory is the BEST place to go.

Best Hawaiian food on the Island! To me at least. Why? Because everything is so fresh compared to the other Hawaiian joints.
Yes, I’ve tried Onos, Yamas, Youngs, Highway inn, and Helena. While each place has its own standout thing, overall I was most satisfied by Waiahole.
Lau Lau leaves and meat and kalua pork were moist and juicy. The smokiness of the kalua wasn’t that of liquid smoke but of genuine bbq smoke flavor. I loved it. Poi was fresh as can be along with the lomi salmon. Haupia was delicious as well.
Seriously have no complaints about the meal I had here and will make it my go to Hawaiian food place from now.
Parking is mostly street parking and there was enough of it right around the corner.

College child is home for the break so there are certain types of food she wants while here. Hawaiian is on the top of the list, so we came here!
Waiāhole Poi Factory is located on Kamehameha Highway. There are a few parking stalls to the left of the location (when facing it). I use street parking located to the right (again when facing the store front). There are umbrella covered benches in the front of the counter. The menu is on a large board to the left of the counter. There is also a smaller menu for you to look at near the register. Desserts are written on a large white board to the right of the counter.
The Waiāhole Poi Factory offers combo plates, regular plates, and mini plates. The food is made fresh and is onolicious! Today, we ordered 3 combos, #1 (kailua pig and laulau); two with rice and one with poi. The kailua pig is salted to perfection and is very juicy. The laulau leaves didn’t have too much of a taste today and was dry. We were disappointed because the laulau is usually very good.
Now, on to dessert. This is what we usually eat first before we receive our food orders. The Sweet Lady consists of a warm slice of kulolo and haupia ice cream; your choice of one or two scoops. We always get 2 scoops because why wouldn’t you? I am not sure my description can do this dessert justice. Let’s just say that it is good — really good. To the point that one of my children gets a second order to go.
If you are looking for Hawaiian food or are in the area, you should drop in and have some Hawaiian goodness for your belly!

I’ve came here various times. For a little spot on the side of the road its pretty cute, has a nostalgic feel of a country store. They promote ōlelo Hawaii but I’m not completely sure all of the workers are fluent yet alone can speak at all. They sell local products and art work as well, which is super cool. Locals supporting other local businesses is very commend worthy.
There’s limited parking, but you can always park on the side of the road. Every time I come I’m always slightly weary of leaving my car even though I’m like 20 feet from it, there’s an abundance of houseless people, which is fine, but most of them look like they might be on some kind of drug. They’ve never harmed me nor broke into my car, but that is something I’m always on the look out for when I come here to eat.
This business establishment does have plenty of seating inside and outside of the establishment. No air-​conditioning inside, but they have a bathroom inside. The menu is pretty good, just wish they had beef stew and offered a side of onions and paakai. (personal recommendation, lol) Their employees are always nice. They accept credit cards and debit cards.
For a poi factory, I’ve tasted better poi from pounding myself, but maybe they mill their kalo, so that could be a factor of it tasting that way. Normally, I don’t give such a low rating of three stars, but when it comes to my safety its kind of an issue for me.

Got the lau lau with kalua pork.
Kalua pork was a bit dry, had a hint of smokiness which I appreciated.
I didn’t see any fish in the lau lau?
Poi was best I’ve had, based on the fact that the only other poi I’ve had was from Paradise Cove Luau’s. It didn’t have the odd, sour funkiness that the luau’s had.
Huapia was really good, I could eat a whole plate of that.

Excellent Hawaiian food! Love their lau lau, poi, lomi lomi salmon, haupia, etc. Can’t go wrong here!

Family and I visited the islands a few weeks ago. Haven’t been back home in years. We were craving some good olé Hawaiian food. This place hit the spot. We wanted Helena’s, but it was too out of our way and we were hungry.
The presentation was clean and portions hearty. Everything had it’s own place or separate container.
It’s a little bit pricey, but you get some of everything. I liked the haupia, just wished there was more. Several folks stopped by to grab the haupia ice cream. Didn’t have room left to try it, but would recommend for the novelty and uniqueness.
Ono!

Amazingly authentic food, delivered quickly, at an affordable price, with that view.
The only thing that detracts from the score is that it’s located just off a busy road, which tends to break the atmosphere.
I got the pork and the beef. The pork was well seasoned and juicy, the beef was incredible. Sides rocked as well!

Hands down, Hawaiian food doesn’t get any better than this. Whenever I’m on this side of the island, it’s a must to eat here! Cheap reasonable prices with big portions. Our usual includes:
–beef luau
–lau lau
–kalua pig
–mamake tea
(Regular plates come with lomi salmon, rice, and haupia. Mini plates come with lomi salmon and rice)
— You can’t forgot the poi!
Staff are real friendly and treat you like family, which I appreciate. Definitely the aloha spirit. Their beef luau… No words can describe how amazing it is. I haven’t found a place like it! Regular plates are huge portions and the mini is perfect for one sitting. Oh and there’s chickens walking around who aren’t afraid of you. It doesn’t get better than this. You just got to check it out!

best hawaiian food!
side street & a few stalls past bldg 4 prkg! hubby’s 1^st time! spotted waiwī, lilikoi, avacado & guava tree’s surrounding the side of the bldg. no chicken’s joined us 4lunch, like when i was here, last month, with my Sister, but they had live music!
best, squid luau which i had w/​my laulau & hubby had the kalua pig w/​laulau. then we ordered the ho’io salad. haven’t eaten rice in a year, but gotta have dat w/​my squid luau.
he loved the haupia sooo much, he bought more & dropped a tip b4 we left…
beautiful day mixed with ono kine comfort food from the ‘aina. last but never least, the glue that holds all hawaiian plates 2gether, the poi. it was off the chain… i’ll take the drive from aiea any day 2 Waiahole, even in the rain!

This is such the perfect pit stop on your cruise around the island… especially if you start from town or Kailua/​Kaneohe. They open at 11 and the staff is always super friendly and nice.
What I really love about Waihole is that they have beef luau… soooooooo yummy!!! I am not a squid luau fan, but their beef luau is to die for!!! Not as much coconut milk and many, many chunks of beef. The chicken long rice is very flavorful, love the fresh ginger!!! Poi is super fresh, lomi salmon is not too salty, kalua pig is smoky and tender, and their fresh limeade is quite refreshing!!!
This is my MUST stop at place whenever I’m on that side of the island. They have a few benches with umbrella covering if you want to eat your food as soon as you get it, but everything also is packed so that you can easily take it to your next stop on your small road trip on the island.

Be careful! Chickens might join you for lunch if you stop by. And by join you I mean try to eat your food. The poi factory offers typical authentic Hawaiian food plates and you can choose from an assortment of combinations or order items ala carte – very similar to Helenas and highway Inn.
I enjoyed the food and the local atmosphere but I wish the squid luau had more coconut milk. I LOOOOOOOVEEEEE sweet squid luau. Other than that, if you’re willing to make the drive, it’s a nice place to chill out and eat.

I grew up just up the street from here when it was actually a poi factory. It was a nice trip down memory lane visiting the old place and trying to remember where the original equipment had been placed. No matter… it’s a Hawaiian food restaurant now. A good one.
The traditional dishes are quite possibly the best I’ve had outside of my own kitchen. Savory lomi salmon, beef luau with lots of delicious luau leaf, and heavenly haupia. I just wished I had 3 stomachs like a cow to eat more!
The bottle of chili pepper water was just the right condiment to top off the delicious dishes here. I will definitely be back to try out the laulau and kalua pig.

Best Authentic Hawaiian Food!
I love taking my tours here after taking them to the taro fields at the Heiau in Kailua.
Their Kanaka Nui (Big Hawaiian) plate is a good sampling of all the staples: Laulau, beef luau, lomi lomi salmon, chicken long rice, choice of poi or rice, and haupia. At $ 17 it feeds 2 or 3 people. Also I love the Mamaki Tea. Staff is super friendly.

My hubby took me for the first time this past Sunday and I wanted to back the very next day!
The drive to get there is beautiful and the food, is OFF THE HOOK yummy!!! There was just enough food not too much and not too little. The menu offered everything you want when you think of Hawaiian food… The poi was so fresh and they even had fresh hand pounded poi!
They offered mini plates and reg, plates so something for everyone! The price is right too…
Just a few steps away they have a gift shop with shirts, books and other crafts to buy! Check it out before you leave!
We were able to sit outside and enjoy~ If you want Hawaiian Food eat here! Waiahole Poi Factory is the best!

I came all the way down here today to try this place out. I been hearing great things about this place. Parking is plentiful on the street and the workers here are friendly. The poi here taste different and in my opinion the best I’ve ever had. Kalua pork was tasty and not overly salty. Good Hawaiian food for good price! Def worth coming to check out when you are on this side of the island!

As work requires me to come out on Kaneohe side every Tuesday, I can’t complain given the fact of this little gem located on the windward side of Oahu.
Whether you’re like me stopping by for a quick lunch between work or a tourist looking for a bite to eat, this local and truly humble Poi Factory is THE place to go for some awesome Hawaiian food.
If my memory serves me right, were looking at combo plates priced about $ 10.50 (2 entrée choice, rice or poi, lomi salmon and haupia) and mini’s plates for a bout $ 6.50 (which still includes 1 entrée choice, rice or poi and lomi salmon!) or ala carte which may be the same price as a mini, minus the sides but bigger portions.
Whatever your heart desires, its all deliciously affordable! The squid luau is not too sweet with just enough warm coconut milk. The chicken long rice is not overly salty but goes well paired with the kalua pig! and lastly, who can forget the POI?!
Freshly made poi. I was never much of a poi fan, but I’ve heard about the health benefits and knew I had to at least get on that poi grind.
What is poi you ask?
Poi is a pasty starch cooked from the mashed taro plant. The taste? Usually its sour, but for some reason I felt that their Poi was never the case (I find it to be subtly sweet). It is, however, an acquired taste, but you have to AT LEAST try it once in your life.
So whats the hold up? Friendly staff, ample side street parking, and outdoor bench seating to enjoy the cool weather of the windward side of Oahu… what better way to eat like a local in our beautiful Hawaii nei!

This is one of my favorite spots for laulau and kalua pork on Oahu. Their haupia is also really fresh and yummy. I look forward to that morsel of haupia at the end of my meal, like I look forward to Fridays on Monday mornings.
The laulau is really good and has plenty of meat inside. The leaves are just the right amount of bitter and the meat is salted well. So good! The kalua pork is moist and plentiful. They’re not sheisty with their portions. The chicken long rice is also good. I’ve gotten it on a few occasions. While they make their own poi, I can’t eat poi, so I just skip that part of the meal. If you do like poi, I’ve heard theirs is dope.
You can grab your food to go or choose to eat it on their outdoor tables. I’m usually with my pup, so my hubby and I will grab a table outside with our dog, so we can take in the beautiful views, and sometimes chat with the passersby when traffic gets bad.
This place closes at about 6pm, so make sure you time your activities right if you are going to make this a part of your day. I really like this place because it is literally a shack on the side of the road, making good Hawaiian food. The staff is really sweet too. One of the guys that works there is always singing and smiling. It puts you in a good mood. He’s a pretty good singer too!

Since moving to the windward side, I’ve been coming here without fail 1 – 2 times a week.
What got me hooked was the taste of the chicken long rice broth. It’s flavored beautifully with just the right amount of salt and ginger.
While the kalua pig has been a little on the dry side a couple times for my liking, everything else has been great — beef luau, squid luau, lomi salmon (AMAZE!), fresh pounded poi, lau lau etc. And if you haven’t tried the fern salad, you’re missing out.
The plates have your choice of poi or rice and come with lomi salmon, haupia, and chili pepper water on the side.
People there are really nice and accommodating too customizing a combo if you don’t see the match you want there. Single choice plates are $ 8.50. Combos are $ 10.50. There’s also ala carte if you choose. And if you need a platter or pan of something for a party, they just need a 1 – 3 days in advance depending on the amount.
What I really appreciate is credit and debit cards are welcomed here. Tips are welcomed too! :)

When I saw Rod U.‘s Review of the Day, I knew that I would be going there for lunch and I told him my plan. After reading Nelson Q.‘s review, I broke out the GPS and imagined driving there… Rod messaged me: «You won’t be sorry…» Wow — how’s that for motivation?!
Waiahole sounds like a far away place, yet it’s only 12 minutes from Windward Mall in Kaneohe. The drive is beautiful, calming and peaceful! It’s a great introduction to «local food» — with the ocean on your right and lush, tropical greenery to your left… ah… it’s Mother Nature at her best!
My GPS advised me to turn right, but wait… the ocean is on my right! Hey! I made a quick left onto Waiahole Valley Road. There it was on the corner: Waiahole Poi Factory! I had never heard of it before, but according to Rod, it has been here for 110 years!
There were some tourists at the window, so they gave me some time to decide on what I wanted. I got a chance to look around and snap a few photos (yes, I’m a tourist, too)! Then I ordered the «Kanaka Nui» special for $ 17. It’s «the works» — EVERYTHING! It included:
1. Squid (or beef) luau — not too sweet, not too salty, not too coconutty, but just right!
2. Chicken Long Rice — with a little kick of ginger, it was perfect!
3. Lomi salmon — fresh chopped tomoatoes (not mushy) & onions (small enough to not offend). An adequate sprinkling of salmon — not too fishy!
4. Poi (or rice) — had tiny bits of taro in it — so that you know it’s hand-​pounded!
5. Kalua pig — nicely smoked. No fatty fillers, grease, or rubbery skin! Very lean and moist!
6. Lau lau — just 2 small chunks of pork fat to add flavor! A good ratio of luau leaves to pork!
7. Haupia — a dense, tasty, authentic style! YUM!
How do I know Hawaiian food?
During «small kid time», we had an imu in our backyard. Dad used to cook in it for fundraisers (Examples: Maryknoll School and St. Stephen Church). In those days, we were tired of Hawaiian food, but now,… once in a while,… I have a craving. for comfort food that reminds me of my childhood…
Thanks to Unilocal and trustworthy reviewers like Rod & Nelson, I know that Waiahole Poi Factory has more than just poi! It has the «Kanaka Nui special» aka THE WORKS and brings back those memories of simple, happy days…

Dare I say it? Yes, I will: this was the most satisfying lunch I’ve had in recent memory! And believe me, I look forward to lunch every day.
During my last trip to Oahu, driving back to town from Kualoa on an early Sunday afternoon, hunger struck me and the fam. We decided to give this place whirl based on its high ratings on Unilocal,plus we were gonna pass it on Kam Highway anyway – as we have on countless drives before (without stopping). We were SO glad we stopped this time!
Forgive my watering mouth as I recall the delicious details of our meal (we shared 3 combos plus one extra dish between 4 people). The lau lau was tasty and not overly salty the way most places make it. The kalua pig had a scrumptious smokiness to it that I’ve never tasted elsewhere. The squid luau was creamed to PERFECTION. The rice was half white/​half brown by default [hapa haole rice? :)]. And the poi was fresher than the Prince of Bel Air.
I guess it’s slightly healthier than most other places that make Hawaiian food. But you can’t even tell… it is SO ONO! And prices are on point.
I really haven’t been this impressed by Hawaiian food in years.
Eating roadside while going holo holo ’round the island has never been so good. I’m going to see if they cater :)

Unilocal 365 Challenge x 2 #285/​365
Unilocal 100 Review Challenge #30/​100
Once again, these are one of those places where you are reluctant to share because the price is right and the food is over the top as well as it being a «hole in the wall» but as a person who loves food and loves to share her experiences, I will graciously spread the aloha and shout it out that I love Waiahole Poi Factory because it’s right down the road from Kualoa Ranch!
If you are or ever become addicted to outdoor activities or you are traveling around the island and hungry for some Hawaiian food? Then, this is the place to stop.
My son’s girlfriend introduced this Waiahole Poi Factory to us back in May after the Makahiki Challenge because we were hungry and McDonald’s was not appealing to any of us.
It’s right on the side of the road in a old building that just adds appeal to it being on the side of the road and serving local eats.
Be aware that there is no set parking stalls and that it maybe crowded from other customers who decided to do a pit stop but the wait is worth it.
While my husband ordered the Kalua Pig and Beef lu’au, I ordered a mini kalua pig with rice (my stomach is growling as I write). Our order was fast and it was hot. My husband took my lomi salmon and combined it with his lomi salmon because he raved how fresh it was (mind you, it was lunchtime).
It’s a Hawaiian menu as well as having a little gift shop next door for you to stroll and impulse buy.
When it comes to buying and supporting local, Waiahole Poi Factory is one to support.