Hula Dog Kuhio - Honolulu

Delicious and very unique! Get the taro bun, that’s their jam. My daughter loves it. It’s a must get for our family every time we come to Oahu.Vegetarian options: Veggie dogKid-friendliness: Kids love the sweet taro bread

Hula Dog is a spin-off of the original hot dog stand, Puka Dog, located on Kauai. After returning from Kauai, we were eager to try another Puka Dog and were excited to discover Hula Dog. However, despite having similar branding and menu items, we were disappointed with Hula Dog in comparison. The main issue was the ratio of bread to hot dog. While I enjoy bread, there was an excessive amount at Hula Dog. This was especially noticeable with the Taro bread or Hawaiian roll, as the sweetness and quantity of bread overwhelmed the flavor of the sausage. Although the tropical relish was tasty, the additional sweetness from the bread hindered the other ingredients from standing out.

I was told that this lovely little place was closing down, but I wanted to leave a review regardless. During our first night in Waikiki, my daughter and I stopped by because she was craving a hot dog and the food trucks were close to our hotel. I had a conversation with the owner and decided to try one of their amazingly unique hot dogs, specifically the one that Anthony Bordain had tried. It was absolutely incredible. Despite the fact that I am a 250-pound man and a hot dog is usually just a snack for me, it filled me up completely. If it hadn't, I would have ordered more until I couldn't eat anymore. The owner was extremely kind and made me feel right at home. I ended up going back for lunch the next day, even though I wanted to try other local spots, because I just couldn't resist. I hope that this review reaches the exceptional owner and lets him know that his food truck became one of my favorite memories of my time in Hawaii. It immediately showed me how warm, welcoming, and amazing the people of Hawaii are. I'm happy that I bought a shirt to help me remember not only the delicious food, but the wonderful people as well. In my opinion, food is the best way to experience a culture and through their incredibly unique puka dog, they not only gave me a fantastic meal, but also shared the incredibly warm heart of Hawaii with me.

I remember the first time we tried a hula dog many years ago. It was a stroke of genius to heat the bun on the inside and then fill it with delicious sauces. We returned to this same restaurant in April and ordered the original Polish dog in a taro bun with papaya relish and Hawaiian mustard. We also enjoyed a tropical mixed lemonade to go along with it.

The person taking my order was not very patient and left a weird impression on me. Bad service can be overlooked but the food itself was nothing special and made me feel kind of nauseous after. I did like the taro bun a lot, but the ratio of bun to dog was too much. I don't think I'd recommend this place, though the ambience was nice.