There are some foods that perfectly check all the comfort food boxes and the Hawaiian plate lunch is
one of those. We’ve probably all had some variation of the plate lunch before and, if not, I highly
suggest seeking one out. I briefly lived in Hawaii many years ago and became instantly and permanently
hooked.


The idea of the plate lunch is simple: meat, macaroni salad, white rice. That’s it. It is perfect in its
simplicity. The Hawaiian plate lunch started back in the late 1800’s when immigrants from various parts
of the world came to Hawaii to work on the pineapple and sugar plantations. The various cultures are
still reflected in plate lunch options today: the protein may be katsu chicken, kalbi short ribs, Portuguese
sausage, shrimp, kalua pork, teriyaki salmon, loco moco, spam musubi, and so on. The idea was that the
plantation workers would bring a bento box for lunch containing whatever protein was available to
them, likely leftover from dinner the night before, bulked up with the addition of a large side of rice.
In the 1930’s, lunch wagons (a pre-cursor to today’s food trucks) would make these foods available,
often serving them on paper plates with dividers to keep the various elements separate – hence the
term “plate lunch.” At some point, they added macaroni salad as a common side. This plate lunch
regional specialty became firmly entrenched in Hawaii’s food culture.

Today, plate lunches are available throughout the Hawaiian Islands and are fairly common on the
mainland as well. When I saw the Hungry Hawaiian truck one chilly afternoon, my appetite immediately
perked up and I knew I had to make a stop.
The Hungry Hawaiian is a family-owned business that started in Hawaii in the late 70’s. Speaking to one
of the owners, who is fifth generation Lahaina Maui, I learned they had three restaurants on Maui. Rent
prices skyrocketed and, about five years ago, they decided to move to Utah and bring their delicious
food with them. Two former Frito-Lay trucks were transformed into tropical Hungry Hawaiian trucks.
They now have two trucks in Utah and brick-and-mortar locations in Provo and Woods Cross.

A quick perusal of the menu and I knew I was going to be leaving well fed and happy. The first decision is
to go with a bowl or a plate. The only difference is the amount of meat – 4 ounces in a bowl, 8 in a plate.
It should be no surprise that I went with the plate. I stuck with the traditional sides of rice and macaroni
salad (no sense trying to go low-cal with vegetables) and then chose both the meats – teriyaki chicken
and kalua pork. I decided to top the meal off with a gargantuan slice of guava cake.

On a table outside the truck was a large squeeze bottle of house made teriyaki sauce, which I applied
liberally to my rice and chicken. Digging in, I was in heaven! The kalua pork was to die for – perfectly
seasoned, moist, and salty in a way that it enhanced the flavors of anything else I chose to eat with it.
The teriyaki sauce was absolutely delicious, and the chicken was the perfect vehicle for it. The rice was a
little gummier than ideal, but still a very good accompaniment to everything else. And the macaroni
salad was creamy and a nice option when I needed a break from the meats. It also had a few vegetables
mixed in which, in my opinion, is not needed but at least I got my vegetables in for the day. The guava
cake was surprisingly moist, drenched in a liberal amount of guava syrup, and topped with a whipped
frosting that all worked perfectly together.

Know Before You Go: From what I see online, their brick-and-mortar locations offer a wider selection of
proteins than the trucks. Hungry Hawaiian caters, and I think they’d do a great job with a large crowd.
This type of slow-cooked food seems like it could be scaled pretty easily. Their catering menu contains
an extensive list of Hawaiian luau food options. In Hawaii, they catered for the film industry, and they’re
interested in doing the same in Utah so if you’re in that business and you’re reading this, hit them up.
My plate with kalua pork, teriyaki chicken, white rice, and macaroni salad and a massive slice of guava
cake came to $18 even. I highly recommend giving them a try.