When you visit Kansas City, make sure you stop here for lunch!
You know, for someone who has lived half of their life eating "plain cheeseburgers," plain nuggets, no sauce, no veggies... my eating patterns have definitely taken a turn. Once I graduated high school I began to explore new foods and tried things I had never had before. I continued to expand my palate and oddly enough, consider myself to be a bit of a foodie now-a-days. Weird.
So if you know anything about me, know that I love food. I love cooking, baking, experimenting
and going out to new restaurants as often as possible.
I'm definitely not someone who wants to eat the same food day in and day out, or go out to the same restaurant every time we go out to eat. In fact, my husband and I try to go to new places as much as possible, especially when we are out of town. We like to explore "local favorites" and experience things we don't have "at home." But this got me thinking... since I've created this blog to share things I love, why not share the experiences we have?! Who knows, maybe this will grow and become a reference to others who visit the KC area, looking for local eats. They can explore my top favorite local finds and know exactly what they need to do and where they need to go on their next trip. Maybe it will be you! And I hope it is... I hope you enjoy the things I share and love.
I love to support small businesses and local brands; I try to do so whenever I can. Hawaiian Bros is no exception! I stumbled upon this restaurant and immediately fell in love. It is extremely delicious and is local to Kansas City! However, they are quickly expanding and growing across the nation. If you get a Hawaiian Bros near you, GO TRY IT! If you don't have one near you, make sure you make a special trip, the next time you're in Kansas City.
The day I took my pictures for this blog, I happened to be at the North Kansas City location. (Excuse the blurry truck window picture... it was an after thought.) There are more locations spread out across the metro, and I've been to three of their locations. They are all equally delicious, consistent, affordable and unique. I've found that each location has their own kind of Hawaiian flair. The décor is definitely very island inspired, there are Hawaiian tunes playing, cool lighting structures, and almost graffiti-like murals on the walls.
It is such a pretty environment and feels very welcoming and bright.
Most locations offer dine-in, curb-side, and order ahead; a few also have drive through service. A few of the locations I went to also had self-serve kiosks to "skip the line" and they also have an app for easy ordering and tracking your rewards. I tell ya, I love a good rewards program. I have already received multiple offers, dollar amount credits and/or complimentary items based on my visits and birthday month. I have no problem coming back for more, any time. In fact, funny story... there was a new construction being built near our house and my husband and I were DEAD CERTAIN it was going to be a Hawaiian Bros because it had the same look and appeal as the other locations. We were so ready to have a Hawaiian Bros within walking distance of our house, but alas... it turned into a Starbucks. Major bummer! And I am a Starbucks LOVER, so that is saying a lot about the quality of food this restaurant has to offer. Seriously, so good!
When you visit you HAVE to try the dole whip; it is out of this world! The first time I tried one I think I craved (and met that craving) about three more times in the same week. The classic is the yellow pineapple dole whip, but I recently discovered they have a swirl option that combines their pineapple & strawberry mango dole whips into one. I hate the flavor of mango, but you can't even taste it in this frozen treat. It's similar to sherbet but it is unlike anything I've had before.
I've been so many times, I decided to try something new this visit and went with the Pacific salad. But my go to is the Honolulu chicken, a blend of garlic and sesame chicken. The plate lunches come with rice and macaroni salad, but I swap the macaroni for their fresh cut pineapple. I've also swapped for the vegetables before and they are also very, very good. The point is, you really can't go wrong with what you order. I also love that they have so many Hawaiian inspired items, like their spam musubi, fresh pineapple, and Hawaiian juices and sodas. I hope you get to try this restaurant out for yourself... if you do, make sure you let me know which food you tried!
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