Why shrimp trucks rule the North Shore
In the 1970s, aquaculture farms took root in the old sugarcane lands around Kahuku, raising sweet white shrimp in brackish ponds. Someone eventually had the perfect idea of frying that shrimp in absurd amounts of garlic butter and serving it from a truck on the roadside, and a food culture was born.
Tanaka's is one of the legends of that scene. The signature plate is a dozen shrimp drowned in garlic butter, served with two scoops of rice to absorb every last drop. It is messy, unapologetic and one of the best plates of food on the island at any price.
Ordering like you have been here before
Lunch is at your own expense, and that is a feature, not a bug: you order exactly what you want. Bring $15 to $20. Garlic butter is the classic; spicy garlic rewards the brave, and there are vegetarian and non-shrimp options for anyone with allergies.
Eat at the shaded tables, trade bites with your group and save one shrimp's worth of appetite, because tropical fruit and a certain pineapple plantation are still ahead of you.
Two scoops of rice exist for one reason: the garlic butter left on the plate.
What you'll experience here
- Garlic butter shrimp plates from a Kahuku legend
- The story of the North Shore’s shrimp-farm boom
- Shaded picnic-table lunch with your group
- Vegetarian and non-shrimp options available
This is stop 6 of 9 on the Oahu Circle Island Tour itinerary. The full loop covers 120 miles of coastline in 9.5 hours for $59, with free pickup from Waikiki, free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, and four free perks on Sunday to Wednesday direct bookings.