Rainbow Drive-In, an island institution since 1961, gave birth in 2014 to Hawaii’s Favorite Kitchens, taking over a neighboring building with a marketplace concept designed to merge local grinds with nostalgia.

HFK, as it’s known, extends the Rainbow brand without taking away from the beloved plate lunches served right next door.

The idea is to bring together well- established vendors operating in other parts of the island. So at HFK you can get Poke Stop poke bowls without going to Waipahu or Mililani, Shimazu Store shave ice without going to North School Street, or a KC Drive-In Ono Ono Shake without going back in time.

What to order: Each outlet has its own set of menu items, such as Poke Stop bowls ($8.95 to $12.95), Hoku BBQ Chicken plates with rice and steamed vegetables ($7 for a quarter chicken, $8 for a half), and KC Drive Inn Waffle Dogs ($3.95, $4.95 with chili).

Rainbow Drive-In is represented with a few specialties (barbecued pork or beef, chicken and gravy, chili) served over rice as Rainbowls, or traditional plate-lunch style ($5.75 to $8.75).

The best deal is the HFK Mix Plate ($10.95) with two pieces of Hoku chicken, white or brown rice topped by your choice of Rainbow specialty, a scoop of poke and choice of macaroni salad (Rainbow style) or steamed veggies. It’s enough for two.

If you’re eating lighter, go for the tofu salad, based on the old homestyle tofu dish made with watercress and canned salmon. Here it’s kicked up to include Sumida watercress, Mrs. Cheng’s soft tofu, a topping of smoked salmon, fried garlic chips and a tasty soy sauce dressing. It’s crisp, fresh, delicious and just $6.50 for a hearty mound.

Sweet afterthoughts: Don’t forget the Ono Ono Shake ($4 to $5.50) in several flavors combined with peanut butter (I always get coffee flavor). And, of course, shave ice, in 80 flavors plus a range of toppings and fillings.

How to order: It’s one-stop ordering at a single counter, except for the shave ice, which you order directly from the maker, often owner and expert ice shaver Kendall Shimazu himself.

Grab and go: The sunny restaurant has a few tables and there’s outside seating (popular with shave ice eaters). But most of the meals are purchased to go. Parking is right out front.

“Grab and Go” focuses on takeout food, convenience meals and other quick bites. Email ideas to crave@staradvertiser.com.