Kalapawai Market

Kalapawai Market has three locations to date. This blog post covers the spot on Kamokila Blvd in Kapolei, Hawaii.

It's October 2020, and unfortunately, the pandemic is still around. Food spots in Hawaii recently reopened for dine-in (they had reopened with restrictions a few months back, then dine-in got shut down for a few weeks in late summer after cases spiked). It is now five people max per table, and everyone would need to be from the same household.

Delivery and takeout have otherwise been the main options during this time. Mom and I stopped in for a takeout order on a Friday morning.

It's also unfortunate because Kalapawai looks great on the inside. A bar area for getting a cold beverage to the left of the main entrance, and the ordering counter straight ahead as you walk in.

Mon and I came for breakfast. It's a small menu, but includes a few of the basics that a bistro/deli might have. It includes muffins and breakfast versions of bagels, bentos, wraps, and burritos. Frankly, lunch and dinner has more flare, featuring bentos, sandwiches, and pizza.

I went with the Breakfast Burrito, which has egg, pepperjack, hash browns, black beans, and sauteed peppers in a flour tortilla. That goes for $8, but for $1.50 more, I'd recommend adding your choice of kalua pork, bacon, or avocado. I added the pork to mine.

The burrito was good, yet admittedly small. Lots of juicy, smoky pork, and otherwise a good ratio of protein to other components. It's definitely worth $1.50 more to add the pork.

Interestingly, they advertised Andy's Bueno Salsa as part of the meal but they unfortunately did not have any on this visit. Not sure if it was pandemic-related or simply out of product, but the salsa would have brought that refreshing relief from all the heavy burrito ingredients.

The burrito came with choice of hash browns or tossed greens. I got the greens more for the photo than anything else, and there were already hash browns in the burrito. The greens come with a creamy balsamic dressing. I'm not a big balsamic fan but it was a good dressing.

My mom enjoyed the Breakfast Wrap ($8.50), which pretty much has the same components except it highlights veggies a bit more than the burrito. The wrap has bacon, pepperjack, egg, lettuce, onion, and tomato in a flour tortilla. Since mom doesn't eat meat, she put the bacon on the side and saved it for my dad. Again, Andy's Bueno Salsa was in the description, but no salsa.

All things considered, it was a decent breakfast from Kalapawai Market. Perhaps a bit pricey for the amount of food received, but we enjoyed it. It was also great to not eat the same food we've otherwise had at home during the pandemic.

Since they advertise themselves as a market, you can get some other local products here. Uncle's ice cream sandwiches caught my eye. An array of flavors, many of them with tropical/local flavors. I'll have to eventually try this.

Their two other locations are in Kailua, so if you're on the west side of Oahu or the windward side, Kalapawai Market is a nice stop for good eats. 7.5/10