If you’re craving flavorful barbecue skewers, look no further than Waialua BBQ, a family-owned business that opened in June 2019.

“I started Waialua BBQ because I was tired of working long hours for a company where I never felt appreciated for my hard work,” says business owner Sharla Viernes. “We came up with the business name because I was born and raised in Waialua. My grandparents came to Hawaii to work for the Waialua sugar plantation in June 1946. They arrived on a boat from the Philippines. Waialua is my home and where my heart is.”

The biz is known for its variety of barbecue skewers, including pork, chicken, beef teriyaki and bacon-wrapped shrimp.

“Each skewer is marinated with a different sauce, including our shrimp,” Viernes says. “We are also known for our Waialua special ($9), which is marinated barbecue pork belly served with a scoop of rice and a tomato-and-onion blend.”

Popular dishes include pork with vegetable lumpia served with sweet-and-sour vinegar sauce (four for $7) and three-barbecue skewer plate ($18) with side shrimp and bacon ($6). The skewer plate comes with two scoops of rice and potato mac salad. Finish off your meal with a refreshing halo halo ($12) dessert.

“Our halo halo blend is served with fresh cantaloupe and bananas with ube ice cream; it’s topped with lychee jelly and drizzled with condensed milk,” Viernes says.

For updates on the business’s location, follow @waialuabbq808 on Instagram.

Waialua BBQ

Various locations
Call: 808-392-0558
Instagram: @waialuabbq808
How to order: In person only
How to pay: Cash and credit cards accepted