Uncle's Chicken

We weren't planning to eat fried chicken for dinner. We were actually picking up take-out for my mom in a nearby restaurant when we spotted Uncle's Chicken and the son asked if we could pop in to see what was on the menu. Apparently Uncle's has been open for a couple of years but this was the first time we've noticed it!

The restaurant was empty when we arrived. It was only 4 pm in the afternoon, so maybe it's just a slow time for them (hopefully!). 

The restaurant was very clean and there were a few tables for customers who want to dine-in. 

The boys wanted to try the strawberry mango slush while we waited for our order. We would return just for the slush - it was very refreshing!!

We ordered the 10 piece original party wings. The chicken wings were piping hot when we got them! The outside was very crispy, and the inside .. very juicy.  We felt that the wings had a hint of spiciness to it (even though we ordered the original), and that could be the reason why my sons weren't going crazy over it.

While we wouldn't go out of our way for their chicken wings, we would definitely stop by for a slush if in the area. 

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UNCLE'S CHICKEN
1311 NORTH KING STREET
808-888-0918

 

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Soul Chicken

Our fried-chicken-loving family checked out Soul Chicken, one of three new KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) restaurants to join Oahu's dining scene recently.

Soul Chicken is located right on Dillingham Blvd., in the same parking lot as Monarch Lounge (which houses another fried chicken business), Hana Tea, and Yohei Sushi. The  menu consists primarily of crispy fried chicken sold as chicken wings or boneless chicken, flavored or plain fried. There are five different flavors to choose from - shoyu, honey, wasabi mayo, yang nyeom (sweet & spicy), and Hell's Gate (SPICY).  They also offer a crispy chicken sandwich (regular or spicy), and a host of sides including corn & mac salad, french fries, mandoo, and gimmari (deep fried glass noodles in seaweed).

Since everything is made to order, I checked the menu on Yelp ahead of time and called in our order on the way to Kalihi, so that we wouldn't have to wait for our order in the hot sun. When we arrived fifteen minutes later, our order was waiting for us.

We tried the gimmari, honey chicken wings, sweet & spicy chicken wings (mild), and the plain fried boneless chicken (for the kids).   The boneless chicken reminded me a lot of Raising Canes chicken strips - it was very moist and not too heavy on the batter.  The chicken wings were amazing! I loved the thickness of the batter and the taste of the sauces.  The chicken was very moist and very plump. The honey was my favorite of the two sauces - as it was a bit lighter than the sweet & spicy, and I have a preference for lighter sauces.  The hubby liked the sweet & spicy more than the honey.  The Gimmari was okay, but it didn't stand out, and I would not order it again. Maybe I will try the french fries next time, or I may just skip the sides altogether and order just the wings!

A word on the "Hell's Gate" flavor - on the menu it says "No Refunds, No Law Sue", which suggests that this flavor is a 10+ on the spiciness scale.  If you try it, let us know how spicy it is!

Gimmari

7 piece boneless

honey

Yang Nyeon (sweet & spicy - mild)

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SOUL CHICKEN
1095 Dillingham Blvd
(808) 800-6599

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Moa Wings

Attention wing lovers - there is a newish food truck in town serving up jumbo made-to-order chicken wings - it's called Moa Wings and it's worth checking out!

It's located in a parking lot on the corner of Kinau and Piikoi streets, next to Safeway.  The parking lot is limited in space, and there are some questionable characters in the area, therefore I highly suggest calling in your order ahead of time to minimize your wait time.

The food truck quite minimal, as is the menu.  Each order of jumbo wings comes with 6 plump, juicy wings, and area available in three flavors - buffalo, barbeque, and Hawaiian.

I tried the Hawaiian Wings which were tossed in a light shoyu/garlic sauce.  Since I ate them at home, 30 minutes after I picked them up, they weren't crispy, but they were delicious!

 Rice, celery sticks, carrot sticks, and dipping sauce (choice of ranch or bleu cheese) were included with my order. You have the option of adding fries & a drink for $1.50 more.

Call (808) 597-0797 to place your order!

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MOA WINGS

1221 Piikoi Street

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Shay's Smash Burgers

 

Nice owners, tasty burgers, makes Shay's Smash Burgers a welcome addition to the food truck scene in Hawaii. 

The menu is small, making decisions fairly easy to make - do you want something simple? If so, go for the classic for $5.  For a buck more, you get lettuce, tomato, and onions with your burger.  If you want a really savory burger with sautéed mushrooms, harvati cheese and summer truffles, order the Fun Guy for only $7.  

I usually opt for the basic burger whenever I try a new burger joint, but today I could not resist trying the fully loaded Fun Guy.  It was a great decision!

With the fries, this combo came out to $10 - super reasonable for what I received! The burger was delicious and very filling. 

The burgers are made with hand-ground prime brisket short rib, and buns from local bakery La Patisserie.  I love that she uses a local bakery for her buns.  This is a JUICY burger, therefore if you are planning to eat this in your car, bring lots of napkins and hand wipes.

Also on the menu are chicken wings which were also quite good. I ordered the naked wings (6 for $6) and they were very moist and nicely flavored with garlic powder and salt.  If you want some spice in your life, ask for it with buffalo sauce.

My friend ordered the kale pig tacos and she said they were good! 

Shay's is open daily starting at 11 am on weekdays, 12 pm on weekends. I will definitely be back when the next burger craving hits!

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Shay's Smash Burger

98-291 Kamehameha Highway

(808) 381-3219

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Vons Chicken Waimalu Takeout

One day I was looking through the different food delivery apps and saw Vons Chicken on Uber Eats.  My family loves their chicken wings so we decided to order for dinner.  We ordered full orders of the Crispy Shoyu and Crispy Snow chicken wings.  Through Uber Eats, we paid about $4.50 more for each order and also a service fee, delivery fee, and tip which totaled about $30. Pricey, but it was worth the convenience of having our impromptu meal delivered from Waimalu to Mililani Mauka.

The chicken wings arrived hot and fresh and were absolutely delicious!  I especially liked the Crispy Snow which is a cheese and onion powder seasoning.  We totally ordered too much, but the next day we popped them into the air fryer and they were made again excellent.

Vons Chicken Waimalu is located in Waimalu Shopping Center and open for takeout from 10am-8pm, Monday through Saturday.

Phone number

Vons Chicken Waimalu
(808) 367-1384

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