Unko’s Kitchen

My friend and I came here after our friend’s wedding, which means we came here hungover. We were in dire need of food and lots and lots of water. And our server did a great job of providing just that. She constantly filled our water glasses and may have known we were hungover, as she said, «Maybe you should order the saimin… it helps.» Haha! Great sense of humor.
Although the saimin was tempting the weather was too warm for some soup, so I instead went with the fried rice with two fried eggs over it and ordered a side of fried chicken. And when I was about to order the waffle a la mode, she stopped me and said that maybe I should eat the fried rice and fried chicken first before I ordered the waffle because it would be too much food. And she had my back because it really was. Despite how hungover I was because I am tellin’ ya, I can throw down some food after a night of partying, the portions here are huge. My friend ordered the Kalua Pork Loco Moco and substituted white rice with fried rice. Her dish was awesome! I wish I had ordered it, but she was nice enough to let me have some. The Kalua Pork and gravy were so, so good, and really hit the spot of us hungover fools. My fried rice was good, with the mix of Portuguese Sausage and Spam, and liked that the eggs weren’t overcooked, which allowed for the runny yolk. The fried chicken were wings, which was unexpected, but it was good. It takes longer for the chicken to make, but comes out piping hot and is yummy. We ended up taking more than half of our dishes with us, and did feel a lot better after eating some much-​needed home-​cooked food from here.
The staff is incredibly friendly and the food is solid. There were too many items to choose from, but based off of what my friend and I ordered I recommend the Loco Moco with the Kalua Pork. It’s a winner.

Typical hole in the wall place… great fried rice and a great selection of meats. Only thing that was sort of bad was the service… they were hustling but it took awhile to get everything ordered and done… I will go again because I know it was busy and the food was great.

Great place! You from out of town and want local flavor? This is it. Great food. Great service. «Indoor» seating is in a big screened in room with lovely breezes. Hunter’s breakfast special is pretty legit. And the fried chx is unreal. Remember, Spam is Amarion treasure here. Soak in the authentic vibes! The only haoles in the room. That way you Know it’s good!

Me and my wife ate here on our way to waimea canyon. Great food!!! Friendly service!!! Parking is a little small and you might pass it the first time. Overall will be back

Looked amazing by reviews but we arrived on Sunday morning for one of the two days they claimed to be open. No one showed up

This is the place to be! Great eats and great customer service! Gina was super sweet and informative! Loved their Loco Moco and the beef stew! The BEST!

Oh my GOSH people, it’s all about the Beef Stew!!!
I managed to sneak in before they closed for the day and saw the stew on the specials board. When I ordered I had no idea how life changing it would be. What was put before me was a huge bowl of the best damn stew I have ever had in my life! Tender and flavorful meat, perfectly cooked veg and the most wonderful gravy I’ve ever experienced. Served with rice, that stew was very difficult to finish because there was sooo much of it. Truth be told, I didn’t quite manage it.
Again, it’s all about the STEW!

I decided to take my dad to get some spam and eggs on the way to Waimea Canyon. Before we got off the cruise ship, I looked up on Unilocal to see if there were some mom and pop type diners on the way. I was lucky enough to find Unko’s Kitchen. It is very conveniently located with a laid back, comfortable atmosphere. The restaurant is sort of open air, with a screened in porch type feel to it. We decided to get the pancake breakfast, which came with three pancakes, eggs, and meat. He chose sausage, I chose bacon and we got the spam to split. (I love spam and eggs but I also love bacon hehe). I am one of those weird people that likes peanut butter on my pancakes and they were able to provide that for me as well (If you’ve never tried it — seriously you should). Everything was excellent and the price was not bad either. I HIGHLY recommend the coffee. It is local Kauai coffee and they have French vanilla creamer also. I thought the coffee was great all by itself though!
Anyway, I would definitely come back. If you’re gonna be around the south side of Kauai — this is the place to go for breakfast. Overall, excellent food, great service, casual atmosphere. A real winner.

Crazy slow.
We waited for about 10 minutes for someone to take our order and another 35 to get our food.
Food was fine, service was fine. But oh my god it took so long!

I can see why this place is rated five stars. For one this place is super easy to find. It’s alright off of the highway and plenty of parking behind. We came during the mid morning and got seated right away. All of the staff are super friendly and welcoming even though they didn’t all provide us service. Our food came exceptionally fast being that it was on a Sunday morning too. I got the fried rice with eggs. The rice wasn’t too oily, which I was a little skeptical about. But it was just right. Not a lot of ‘stuff’ mixed inside which I also liked because I’m a picky meat eater and usually end up picking all the little pieces out. I also got to try the gravy that was on the loco moco. It was so creamy and buttery that I could just eat that with rice as my meal. Lol. Prices are very reasonable. I would come back here again when visiting Kauai. They also have a lunch menu if you are not a fan of breakfast food!

Hey guys:)
I’m not a regular reviewer, but being on vacation has motivated me to start:)
So,
Service: very friendly. We were with toddler and the staff was very nice and helpful.
Food: delicious. Simple menu and very tasty. Me and my husband have enjoyed the lunch.
Ambience: nice and simple.
I would recommend this place to be tried. Number of reviews doesn’t always show the quality:)))

Very friendly staff, very homey-​Hawaiian feel. This is your standard breakfast spot that if you’re just looking to grab a bite and be on your way, is a nice spot to go. Honestly, the only problem was what I ordered. Don;t get the Loco Moco. And this goes for all restaurants!
I did it after hearing so much about how it’s a local favorite and I love doing that, trying new stuff out. But don’t!
My wife had some french toast that looked amazing.
Prices are very reasonable. There is a TV (or two?) which always annoys me but thats just a personal choice.

Huge portions, great food, friendly service. My mother in law, originally from Hawaii, said it was the best meal we had here. I agree! The Hawaiian plate with a huge serving of khalua pork, chicken long rice, Mac salad, rice and salmon lomi was so good. It can feed two. Husband had hamburger with gravy, he couldn’t finish it. Mom loved the beef stew. I asked they create a vegetable and chicken katsu dish for my two year old, they did with no problem.
Service was great. I would definitely come back. It’s a little hard to find so look across from the building that says Yamaha, near the Shell Station. Open Friday night to Sunday night.
My mother in law snickered as we left, Unko in Hawaiian does not have the same meaning in Japanese. It’s naughty.

Ate dinner here on Mother’s day. Cool little place right off the side of the road. I’m one to try and avoid most touristy stuff and from what I could tell that morning Unko’s Kitchen was all locals (other than myself and my friend).
The servers were super nice, food was great and the prices were super reasonable. If you are visiting Kauai and wanting a good filling breakfast I highly recommend eating here.

One word: amazing. If you are on the south side on Saturday or Sunday from 7am to 1pm… DONT DRIVE BY.
The Place, price, portion, people is what makes this restaurant amazing. Food on the island is expensive, here is normal priced food and large portions. The people serve food with true «aloha». It will be your favorite place in the Southside, if not the entire island.
I had the Kalua pork Scramble, my gf had the veggie omelette. Al local, all fresh. I’ll be back tomorrow to try the Lau Lau Pork!

Definately, a local hole in the wall. And that’s just how I like it!
Everything on the menu was super resonable in pricing. I just wish they had more fish or veggie items on the menu… The boyfriend was more than satisfied with his options, and said the ‘smoke meat’ was ono. (Smoke meat didn’t say what kind of smoke meat it was… But he said it was deer.)
Fast and friendly, and just like you are ordering something up at your Hawaiian grandmother’s house.

This restaurant is very family oriented. I like coming here because the service is fast, friendly, and very affordable. We came here for dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday. They’re open only on the weekends.
The first time we actually came to eat here was when I made a surprise birthday party for my mom & nephew. Unko ‘s is not only a restaurant on the weekends, but a catering service as well. Also know as Pupu’s etc. They’re food is real local home style cooking.
I’m great full that uncle Manuel Cabral and his family has brought this old restaurant come back to life. A long time ago this place was know as «The Green Garden» where they had the best lilikoi chiffon pie. Although it’s no longer here, unko’s has made it better by showing their customers what FAMILY is all about!

My girlfriend loves eating at this place and why wouldn’t you? Where else on the island can you have ice cream on a waffle??? Sounds kinda weird but it’s pretty awesome. When we first had it, we were kind of skeptical, but now it’s a main stay every time we come.
This time I ordered the katsu chicken burger and it was pretty delicious. They cut the chicken into smaller pieces and it makes them nice and crispy.
Service is friendly and quick. If you’re looking for good family breakfast on the weekends stop by.

I’ve went with a colleague there for breakfast/brunch…I ordered the Saimin and side of smoked meats…& jus couldn’t stop there and also ordered the fried chicken.
The smoked meats had a wonderful flavor and richness to the roast pork and sausage… so anyone who goes has to TRY this dish! Then the Saimin followed and the broth was amazing. then the Fried Chicken was my dessert and the chicken was cooked to perfection (as good if not better than southern comfort food of fried chicken in the southeastern part of the mainland. The sweet and sour chili sauce was lift yet flavorful.
It’s great to know that you can get home cooking even when your visiting Kauai. The family owned Unko’ Kitchen made us feel just like we were at home.
Even though this is a local place, I’m sure all tourists and visitors will soon find this amazing gem soon enough.
Chef Manno (aka Unko Manno)‘s creations and home cooking is awesome!

This place is great! Ono food at reasonable prices. Everything is tasty. The staff is some of the nicest people on the west side. Service is fast and courteous. They make sure your food is good and your water and coffee is full all the time. I’ve had the laulau plate– moist and flavorful. I’ve had the Ono fish sandwich– it’s big and tasty, comes with garlic salt steak fries. I keep coming back for their saimin and smoke meat– they are really good together, better than hamura saimin & BBQ stick for sure.
They are open Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday only. They also do catering as pupus etc.