Since first opening eight years ago, not much has changed about Shaka Bowls Hawaii. The biz, helmed by owners and husband-and-wife team Kawai and Ilene Stanich, still carries its delicious açaí bowls and poke bowls, and sticks to the same tried-and-true route. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
One thing that has changed, however, is that it now collaborates with Laakea Fish & Co. to incorporate auction-fresh fish in the poke bowls. Its bestselling one is the spicy ahi poke bowl ($15), which boasts the auction-fresh ahi, sweet and spicy mayo, tobiko, unagi drizzle, sesame seeds and Mari’s Gardens micro greens.
“That’s new for sure, for us. Quality is up. It’s definitely local,” says Kawai. “That was a big jump we took this past year.”
The biz makes it a priority to source local ingredients as much as possible. Its granola (from Anahola Granola) and açaí brand (from Tambor) is shipped over weekly from Kauai.
“We blend up our own açaí,” says Kawai. “I don’t like to brag about it but that’s definitely a thing that makes our bowls special.”
The food truck’s most popular açaí bowls are the Shaka bowl ($13) — açaí, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, honey, bee pollen and granola — and Hapa bowl ($14). The latter is topped with bananas, strawberries, Greek yogurt, housemade lilikoi butter drizzle, almonds, chia seeds, honey and granola.
As for their favorite items on the menu, Kawai says he always ends up eating the spicy ahi bowl with taegu (dried shredded cuttlefish) with a ton of unagi sauce. Ilene’s favorite poke bowl is the Cali-style, and for açaí bowls, she enjoys the Hapa with a lot of lilikoi butter.
“We greatly appreciate (our customers) for supporting us and our dogs and our family,” say Ilene and Kawai. “Watching us grow, and watching them grow, seeing their kids grow up, too.
“We’re thankful for their support. It’s amazing we’ve been doing this for eight years now. That’s a big feat.”
Shaka Bowls Hawaii
Various locations
(check social media for updates)
Call: 808-269-6428
Instagram: @shakabowlshawaii
Facebook: @shakabowlshi
How to order: In person, text phone number or message on Instagram
How to pay: Cash, major credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay
