Kalapawai Market and Deli – Kailua Town Shopping Center

Kalapawai Market and Deli in Kailua Town Shopping Center is a casual, counter-service eatery that has been serving the Kailua area for decades. What started out as a market selling vegetables and other needs evolved into what it is today: a restaurant reminiscent of simpler times and gatherings with loved ones. Kalapawai Market and Deli features a menu that is “designed to fuel every local lifestyle” while treating each customer as if they’re coming into their home.

Once you walk in, you’re greeted by the smell of coffee. Immediately to the left, you’ll see a register where customers order food and get a table number to bring to their desired seat. From this register area, you can order everything off the menu: coffee, cocktails, and their food menu. I love the cute handwritten coffee menu!

During this visit, I decided on getting the Fresh Catch Bento and an Iced Dirty Chai with Soy Milk. My friend chose the French Dip sandwich and a Lilikoi Mimosa. After ordering, we took our order number and found a spot in the back corner of the restaurant.

The overall vibe of the restaurant is just as they intended: comforting and as if you’re at a home barbecue. It was a nice place for my friend and I to catch up on our week while waiting for our food, which still came out pretty quickly even though the place was noticeably busy.

The bento was tasty–I loved the crust in combination with the soft fish. I would totally bring this to the beach! My friend enjoyed his French dip sandwich saying that he liked how hefty it was without being messy. It was wrapped well and packed up nicely as leftovers.

We will be back to try more of their menu!