Keneke’s Grill
53-138 Kamehameha Hwy, Punalu'u, HI, 96717
Keneke’s Grill Menu
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Address :
53-138 Kamehameha Hwy
Punalu'u, HI, 96717 - Phone
- Website https://www.kenekes.net/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :9:00 am - 8:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : No
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Jocelyn R.
Reasonably priced and good food, worth a stop if you're in the area. I liked my burger and fries and my husband enjoyed his terriyaki chicken plate lunch. I can't give this place four stars because our food took a lot longer than it should have to come out, and I was a little taken aback by all the Bible verses on the walls, but that may be just because I am a heathen :)
(3)Bonny G.
If anyone is on this side of the island it's a must to stop and Grindz some Ono Foods ... Aloha p.s. After you order your breakfast/lunch or dinner plate don't sit down just go in the backyard you will be amazed of a Beautiful Site of our Mountains and etc..
(4)Angela B.
I had a chance to dine here and camp on the property so I'll keep the two reviews in separate paragraphs. Restaurant: I was a little wierded out by all the bible scripts on the wall, but found it interesting. It helped pass the time reading them while I waited for the food, which is slow coming out when there are several orders. Food is delicious, large portions, and inexpensive. I always get the teri-beef & garlic shrimp, comes with rice & mac salad. My bf raves about their kalua pig sandwich but it's kinda small buns, even though they pile on the meat. They also sell Dave's Ice-cream from Waimanalo. Camp ground: We camped here Fri-Sun with a group of friends. The property is large. The owner usually opens it up for surf competition campers. There are two parts of the property, in front is a wide grassy area, fenced in. The back part is also grassy but has a huge fire pit. Not much shading. It's a good thing we brought our pop-up tent. Plenty of firewood, but when we were there, it was a bit damp from rain. There are also cows & chicken on the property and usually stay behind the gate/shrubs but a couple usually wander out to the camp ground. At night, be careful when walking to the bathroom. There are LARGE snails and frogs all over. Overall: My experience was awesome. There are bathrooms with electricity all night, showers, garbage bins for trash, right across from the beach, yummy & cheap breakfast-lunch-dinner 100 ft away (they close at 8p). Best of all, Keith, the owner, was super friendly...don't let his biker appearance scare you!
(4)Vanessa Y.
I'm actually really conflicted about this vendor. The food wasn't as good at the wedding as it was at the tasting. The coordinator said they were quite difficult to work with as most of the plates and glasses had to be cleaned. They didn't have enough place settings and it took them four hours to go back to the warehouse and get more, but at that point dinner was over. However, their pricing was the best I received, half of what other vendors were charging for full service catering (including real place settings not paper, passed appetizers with servers, and plenty of vegetarian options.) I was just googling caterers when I found this place. Their pricing is very transparant. Most places I would have to email to get a quote, food would be around $40, then had to include cost of chef, servers, place settings. Many quotes I got were in the $6,000-$9000 range and we wanted to spend under $5,000. We almost went with a vendor that was just gonna drop the food off and we were going to get "fancy" disposable products. So finding Keneke's was a dream come true. Keith customized the menu to include plenty of vegetarian options (I'm a vegetarian) and offered us a great price! Remember to bring bug spray when you go to his restaurant for tasting. Keith wasn't there the day of our wedding, so I'm not sure if things would have ran smoother if he was there. They did some cooking at the venue, but a lot of the food just didn't taste fresh (like at the tasting). The servers were also really good about making sure my husband and I had food. My brother got scolded when I gave him my leftover plate of appetizers (I had no appetite). They were also really nice about helping to clean up. not just the food, but generally. Even with all the mishaps, I would still reccommend Keneke's. Their pricing can't be beat!
(4)Jamie S.
Stayed in Punalu'u for 5 days. We ate there 3 of those days, each time trying something new. Everything was great. Grilled white fish, garlic shrimp, BBQ chicken, teriyaki steak, and adobo pork! Hawaii style. Oahu country style.
(4)Victoria M.
This place was gross. Visiting from the mainland and decided to randomly drive out to Laie with my sister. On the way back we stopped by this place for lunch. I guess you can say I like to be adventurous when trying out diff eateries in random places. Don't let the cheap specials fool you. If sitting waiting for your food and you look around and observe the Dingyness and second guess whether you made the right decision to eat here, do yourself a favor after reading this review, jump in your car and burn rubber! It felt suspect for a reason! From the bland cashier with the personality of a wall to the outdated layout to the discolored walls with bible scriptures hand painted on them and other fixtures decorating that had rhyme/reason/theme - it was all just off putting - including the food, which was served to us by the cashier - no, not on a platter but straight up holding the to go containers - no dressing for the salad + a side of TACKY! She looked like she hated her life...Will never come back here again. I agree with a previous reviewer where instead of "Bless this kitchen" it should have said "Lord Save us" lmboooooo
(1)Anthony C.
Well our first red flag was the lizard that ran across the wall but we figured we would give the place a chance. We ordered two chicken entrées and we were really confused how it was made served in 3 minutes after we ordered. The chicken was slimey and didn't really resemble chicken definitely recommend finding another spot to eat.
(1)Mike P.
Very creepy. Not sure if it's a grill or some weird evangelical cult. Bible verses and little Jesus fish painted all over every flat surface. Reminds me of tent revivals in the Deep South. The lady who took my order - two milk shakes - was nice, and this is hawaii-style service, so she started off with what she couldn't do for me, in this case "no plain vanilla, no malt." No malt: first experience ever of no malt in a place that made shakes. OK, macadamia something ice cream then. The shake tasted like the ice cream she used, however, down the road it became very evident she'd "cut" the ice cream with plain ice cubes, ground up, and not ground very well. Ripped off by religionists? Who'd have thought. They'd better get some of that quick, daily forgiveness from Jesus. They won't get it from me the customer.
(1)Joann T.
Excellent breakfast and service lived as well the history and surrounding loved talking to our waitress a and asked about all the scriptures on walls she told us the owner is a minister who we met after. Great experience
(5)Areanne D.
I love this place! I was on vacation with my family and just stumbled upon this place along the road and my parents decided to eat here. I was a bit sketchy because it was at night and no one was there but turns out the food was great and the people that work there are really nice! My parents decided to come back the next day as well! Hahah
(5)Tim W.
Beautiful outdoor eating area in the back up against the cliffs! Shave Ice is $3 but pretty below average! Boring flavors! The place just seems a little dingy to me. The bathrooms are gross! I hope the kitchen is cleaner!! This place has a WEIRD vibe!! I don't understand the mix of 'I don't care' attitude of the lady who owns the place and the Bible verses written all over the wall. I'm a friendly sinner and not a mean preacher........... so I don't feel welcomed in this place! no Aloha here.
(2)dave j.
I had a two meat plate with teriyaki New York steak and fried chicken comes with two sides went with salad greens and rice. My steak was down right tasty and chicken was nice and crispy. G.F had garlic shrimp and Kahlua pig with potatoe salad and Mac and cheese. She enjoyed it a well. Portions ate huge for ten bucks. Best Value the whole trip. Ambience is a bit suspect we ate outside with the chickens. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Food and value superb.
(4)Scott H.
Terrible food, tasted like they deep fried everything that should be pan fried. Ultra greasy port sausage and bacon because they are deep fried. I am just about positive the fryer grease hadn't been changed in a while, all the fried food had a weird sour taste. Don't recommend it! Go anywhere else!
(1)Fer R.
Man, do I really want to write a bad review?? No, I really don't but we really had a bad experience here at Kenekes. Our rental house landlord gave us a highly talked up review of the place and so we went to check them out for lunch one day. Kenekes is about the only place to grab a bite to eat in the area. Before I get to the worst part, let me butter up the place a little bit first. The grounds are very beautiful and with the lush green mountains right behind you, how can you go wrong by sitting out back and soaking in the sights. Also out back there are a few goats fenced in and on occasion you'll hear them voice their opinion lol. You'll see roaming hens, their babies and Mr Rooster. Parking right out front on the pot holed gravel/dirt is fine however if you get a sudden down poor and you've parked right over a pothole....well your screwed! So we walked on in and noticed plenty of folks eating and their food looked simple and good. We placed our order. Very pleasant service and very friendly lady at register. Once we filled up our drinks we told lady at register that we'd be sitting out back on patio. I had to grab the waitress to have her wipe off the outside table or if she could give me a towel, I'd do it. No worries. So after about 20 minutes I noticed a few others coming to sit outside as well. They got their food before us! WTF?! I was a bit concerned and got up and said something to the lady that was waiting tables and bringing the other patrons their meals. I mentioned we'd been there for 35 minuted at this point and asked about our food. She had said 'oh its coming up, and I'll bring it right out to you'. Ooookay..... literally 50 minutes later and seeing countless folks come, eat and go, my Hubby and I went up to the order window and asked about our food. They couldn't find our tag and they thought they had found it but it was another "Doug", not us. They had said that they'd retake our order and make it right then. They apologized and stuff and they tried to blame it on the new cook or something. Either way, we asked for our money back, which they gladly refunded. I was a little shocked with the feeling that this happened quite often as the waitress lady seemed to be a bit rude when she came to see what the problem was. She almost immediately offered our money back and not to make our order. Its like they just wanted to get us out and not make us happy. If this place could concentrate on more of a professional ticket service, maybe they wouldn't misplace the food ticket?? Oh and maybe another waitress too. Oh and if you don't mind seeing the different Bible criptures written all over the inside walls then do walk in and order.
(1)Annabel D.
My husband and I got married in Oahu in August 2013. We knew we wanted to serve our guests our favorite Hawaiian dishes. After doing some research we found KENEKES. I emailed them to inquire about their catering and Keith answered all my questions promptly and efficiently. The day of the wedding Keith and his staff were amazing. The food was delicious. We had a Loco Moco station, Beef teriyaki, Chicken Katsu, macaroni/potato salad, rice, noodles and salad. Not to mention yummy appetizers which included spam musubi. We loved our wedding dinner and all our guests tummies appreciated the delicious food as well :) Overall the food was great and the staff was attentive and very professional. If you are looking to get your wedding or event catered look no further! Sincerely, "Loco Moco Girl"
(5)David H.
Oh my...what can I say about Keneke's that hasnt been said before? Do you want your diner free of pesky, nanny-state government regulations such as, having to have clean tables and running water in the bathrooms? Do you wish your food was served with a side of Biblical wisdom taken wildly out of context? Maybe you need your fix of Fox News while visiting President Obama's home town? Then Keneke's is the place for you!! Now, the food is actually not that bad; typical of what I expect from roadside greasy spoons. Decent portions, a bit greasy, definitely unhealthy but filling. I do have to say, I was pretty shocked by the Bible quotes all over the walls, the Fox News blaring on the TV and the Christian t-shirt the proprietor was wearing. What put it all over the top was the use of the NIV version of Ecclesiastes 10:2 instead of the KJV and wrote the words "left" and right" in big block letters. Does the owner really think Dems & Repubs were going at it in the Holy Land thousands of years ago? I think 10:1 would have fit the place better, as it was in serious need of cleaning. It's really as if the owner said "screw the guvment tryin to tell me I need to wipe off ma tables! I do wha I want!" Cmon, invest a couple of quarters into a soapy rag at least. Swiffer-mop that floor at least once a week too. I was VERY shocked by the fact the bathrooms were little more than outhouses with not water to wash your hands with. Yech. Nope wont be back. I probably would have given it a 3 for the food, but the heavy side order of righteousness left me feeling queasy.
(2)B L.
If you can get past the most obnoxious posting of scriptures ever, which yes, they are painted over every wall. And to make matters worse, they are really weird scriptures, that I feel are taken out of context.... But they have a good priced menu, with a local style menu as well as a good burger menu. They have extremely reasonable lunch options. However, even though I order their at least once a week (and I order the same thing every time) it is like pulling teeth to get them to add a n egg to my hamburger. I've also noticed they have charged me for fries when I have asked for them not to, and I didn't realize it until I got home, when I order take out.,.. But I do frequent there a lot, they use pretty fresh ingredients and the cashier is always very personable.
(3)Luv M.
We drive by every day see the 5.99 breakfast special decided to come for breakfast....swimsuit casual...walk to the window place yur order, givem your name get yur drink then find a seat...check out the seating outback...TV in back dining area...its 9:00 am sunday they are open. 5.99 breakfast 2/3 eggs Link Sausage/bacon/ spam/porgese sausage Rice/stk fries Toast Drink French tst offered too! Yes the walls are covered in scriptures, sit outside...order ta go...da! The meal is cheep and filling....stop by...have a great day!
(5)Jennifer S.
Keith Keneke and his fabulous staff did the catering to our wedding at Tiki Moon Villas. The food was outrageously good and he and his staff were awesome. We are not religious folks but we asked Keith to say the blessing which he did with humor and grace! The pupus were awesome and all our guests raved about the food! Would use them again in a heart beat!
(5)Tami R.
I am glad we found this place and stopped. Great food, portions and prices. My husband and I ordered a 2 meat plate and it was so much food we didn't finish it. And my kids ordered a one meat and didn't finish either. This is the first place where I didn't feel ripped off after eating. For less than $10 we got a HUGE portion of kalua pig, chicken katsu, macaroni salad and french fries. If we end up there again, we will just get a 1 meat plate and that will be more than enough to fill us up. We ate inside and it was pretty hot/humid but once we went out back to find the bathrooms I didn't realize there was a lot more room outside and it was pretty. I would eat out there next time.
(4)Tracy F.
I found Keneke's when looking for vendors that had previously catered our venue. We were planning our wedding remotely so I felt more comfortable booking vendors who had experience with our venue. I reached out to Keith and knew that I wanted to book his services based on our conversation. The prices were reasonable and Keith allowed us to make a few changes to the package we chose (Hawaiian Wedding Special #7). Two days before the wedding, Keith and MJ came to the venue to walk us through how things would go the day of the event. This put me at ease since I knew he was very comfortable with our venue. On the day of, everything went smoothly. The servers were great and made sure I got some food while we were taking photos. And then we were first in line at the buffet for dinner. All of the food was delicious and authentic. I have been getting rave reviews from everyone. I can't wait to go back to Hawaii next year on our anniversary and we will be sure to pop into Keneke's to eat.
(5)Denise K.
I am torn. Do I give two stars or three? I want to give 3 stars because the food is great, they serve large portions, and it's relatively cheap for a plate lunch. I love the BBQ chicken, mochiko chicken and chicken katsu. But I kind of think this Keneke's deserves 2 stars because it smells like rotting fruit outside and inside there are fruit flies galore! Kinda nasty if you ask me! I'm gunna stick with the OG Keneke's in Waimanalo. It's so much cleaner and they serve Kalbi.
(2)Kawena K.
I'm pretty surprised this place has no Yelp page yet but maybe because people don't know it's there. I got the address from Google Maps so I'm not even sure if that's accurate but if you're coming from Ka'a'awa side, it's a little past Kahana Bay on the left side of the highway. If you're coming from the Hale'iwa side, it's past Punalu'u beach park on the right. It's a little blue and white building that looks like a house with a gravel parking lot. I think there used to be some kind of touristy shrimp shack here before. Although the menu is pretty much the same as the Waimanalo one (standard local food - hamburger steak, mochiko chicken, shave ice, etc.), this location is really pretty. There's a large yard/garden area, surrounded by lush green landscape, where you can hold events like a birthday party or a wedding, catered by Keneke's. Like Waimanalo, the inside is decorated with Bible verses but there's also a TV and plenty of room to sit. When we came, there were only four other people in the place so we had the choicest options for seating. Overall, I'm super stoked there's a new food option opened in Punalu'u so I don't have to resort to the Ka'a'awa 7-11 on beach days. Yay, Keneke's!
(4)Hannah C.
We went here on a whim, just looking for a quick place to eat. We weren't expecting much.However, one thing that really bothered me is the amount of the flies. I've eaten in outdoor/open wind places and the amount of flies is gross. I was fighting off 4-5 flies from my food constantly. The tables and seating were also very dirty. I wouldn't go here again.
(3)Robert R.
Meal was last minute and they closed in 10 minutes. Had both of the pork dishes with tossed salad and ate them in the car in the parking lot. A little salty, added the BBQ sauce for flavor. Nice decent meal
(3)Jena M.
Keneke's catered my best friend's wedding in August 2013 and the food was amazing! That coupled with their prices and friendly service has made them my go to caterer for events. I recommended them to my hula sister for her wedding the following December (Who can beat those prices?! Comes with not only delicious food but also INCLUDES all serving ware and servers!) and the happy couple loved them! I also had them cater my daughter's 1st birthday and everyone raved about the food (they also came all the way to Haleiwa for NO EXTRA CHARGE to deliver! One less thing I had to worry about that day!). Amazing food and people, go with them and you will not be disappointed. PS: I recommend the garlic shrimp, kalua pig with kale and shoyu chicken!!!
(5)Loocha L.
loco moco w/ greens instead of mac. very convenient to get to, friendly staff, decor is definitely not boring. check out back patio tables for lush outdoor setting. dude, their paper cups say parties, weddings, funerals. i'd love my funeral reception to be here.
(4)Jeremy H.
I love Kenekes Panaluu Grill! Eat there every time I'm on the island. Love the mountains and the wait staff are super friendly. I've never had a problem and recommend Kenekes to my friends visiting the island. Try the Loco Moco or Teriyaki Chicken Plate!
(5)John F.
A relative had raved about this place so my wife and I stopped in. She had teriyaki chicken, I had the smoked K pig- what a dive and not worth the (inexpensive) $7.50 per plate. Wife's chicken was stringy dark meat, rice was merely 2 ice cream scoops of generic white rice. She couldn't eat the chicken it was so flavorless and stringy. My smoked pork had no smoke flavor, had to pour BBQ sauce on it to taste it. Both served in paper taken home style containers that are usually styrofoam elsewhere, so it started dissolving as tiny salad and pork liquid settled. Throw in the 'I don't care' attitude of the lady who owns the place- like she was just going thru the motions, and the weed smelling clientele mixed with scripture all over the walls, and we can't see why anyone would go here to eat- unless you've been smoking something and just crave bland food served by ill mannered people.
(1)Jessica T.
We used Keneke's catering for our destination wedding in April 2014, and the food was so good that I had to write a review (we are picky eaters too!). All of our guests were impressed with the food that we had at the wedding. We chose Wedding Special #4 and it was more than enough food for everyone -- Shrimp Cocktail, Mango Chicken Skewers, Fruit Skewers, Shoyu Pork, Kalua pig, Mahi Mahi, and Lemon Grass Chicken. Everyone told me the Kalua pig with Kale was realllly good (I had a few bites myself, but of course it's tough to finish your plate when it's your own wedding). The staff was really accommodating and made sure everyone's face was stuffed. Thanks Keneke's!
(5)Kimberly W.
Had gluten free option of chicken for our son. The loco moco, bacon cheeseburger, blt, fried chicken and grilled chicken were all tasty. The staff was great even with strange requests like rice from loco moco in separate container for our picky lil one. We loved reading the scriptues on the walls too.
(4)Sandra B.
It's rundown, but not in the good hole-in-the-wall type of place rundown. I think a sharpie was used to write all the scriptures on the wall. The scriptures certainly added character, but the kind of creepy, foreboding character you don't necessarily want to run into. My family were the only diners, and I felt like we were making the wrong turn kind of mistake you see people make in horror/thriller flicks. You know the kind where you end up in a long abandon place where no one can hear your screams or care if they do. The only other outstanding decor was what appeared to be a dead goldfish in a plastic bag filled with water (like those you win at carnivals) hung up near our table. I normally would ask questions, but the stare I got from the cashier/waitress made me think better of it. The food is cheap and you get a lot of it. When I went, five dollars bought you two hamburgers-- one of the specials. I got those for the kids. I opted for the teriyaki beef plate. My husband just ordered garlic fries because he isn't as adventurous as me or maybe he has better instincts. With the drinks, a family meal came to around 20 bucks. That almost made up for the ants taking nice long drinks at the refill soda fountain. I tried waiting in line, but there were just too many. I left with a full, slightly achy belly.
(2)Dover G.
Sign said OPEN. Sign on Building said Open. Sign on door said open. 10:15, with opening at 10:00, denied. Wasn't open. Too bad we, and the car behind us, couldn't have had breakfast.
(1)Ervin S.
Great food and service. Nice backyard! Definitely a place to visit if you are near the Northshore area of Oahu.
(5)Whit N.
This place is scarifying. I just coined that. The walls are covered in scripture. Fox News is blasting on the TV. Me and my liberal commie friends walked in and the owner stared daggers at us. Also, the food was greazy. Avoid this place. Unless you wanna get deliveranced.
(1)R R.
2.5 stars. I ordered the hamburger steak plate, which was about $7.50 and comes with a drink. The hambuger was pretty tasteless. The gravy was what really gave any flavor to it. Would not recommend this or ever order it again. A friend of mine got some garlic fish. That was REALLY ONO. If I ever find myself back here, I'd def. get that. If I had that, this place probably would have gotten more stars. Portion sizes are huge, btw.
(2)Lindsay P.
I think this was our favorite meal on the island. It was the cheapest, most satisfying meal too. When you first walk into Keneke's, it really is kind of like a scene from any horror movie; there is scripture all over the walls and the lights all have a weird neon look to them that makes you think they're going to start flickering any moment. However, the woman who took our order was very nice and didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that we were most certainly tourists. (I'm so white, there is no doubt of it.) I ordered the Kalua pork meal, which came with your choice of two sides. I had rice and toss salad. This had to have been the most flavorful, tender, and moist Kalua pig we had anywhere on the island, and we tried it in quite a few places. The only bummer was that the salad was served in the same box as the pork and rice, and therefore it got warm. Cam had the Kalua pork sandwich and said it was equally good. Also, free refills on the drinks! If you make a trip up to the north shore, this is a must stop place! Don't let the look scare you off!
(4)Jocelyn R.
Reasonably priced and good food, worth a stop if you're in the area. I liked my burger and fries and my husband enjoyed his terriyaki chicken plate lunch. I can't give this place four stars because our food took a lot longer than it should have to come out, and I was a little taken aback by all the Bible verses on the walls, but that may be just because I am a heathen :)
(3)Kristine M.
I used Kenekes to cater my wedding of 240 people at Sea Life Park (NEVER use them as a venue - ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!). Anyhoo, Keith was great to work with from the food tasting at the Punaluu Kenekes (fabulous and friendly) to the menu he created and the service he provided. I would recommend him to anyone planning a party who would like delicious, affordable, professional catering... They passed pupus to guests (breaded coconut shrimp, Teri beef skewers, ahi poke, guava BBQ chicken skewers).. Then we chose a buffet dinner of kalua pig and kale, mango BBQ chicken , grilled mahi mahi, hapa rice, sweet potato mash, greens salad, sautéed vegetables... All of this for $26/head!!! (plus tax and tip)... They wore all black and provided water goblets and glass 9" square plates... I can't thank Keith enough for being the most stress-free vendor to work with while planning my wedding... So flexible and relaxed in ever aspect. Kenekes is a hidden gem in the catering world! Thank you Keith for everything! Aloha, Kristine
(5)Mary P.
Absolutely LOVE this place! My husband and I stayed in Waikiki for 7 days and made two trips across the island just to eat here. The BBQ is amazing and the meat is very tender. The portion sizes are perfect and service is great. Im so happy we spent our last day of vacation here. Would highly recommend!
(5)Christina Y.
Visited this place for the first time in December and it was delicious! Keneke's is a small hole-in-the-wall that serves really good local food that's fresh! The only downer is it's a little bit pricey, but I guess that's the cost of shipping good, fresh food all the way to that side of the island. In addition to the delicious food, they their decor is quite memorable. Inside the dining room, there are dozens of scriptures painted on the wall, along with small pictures and other unique quotes. We will definitely visit this place again!
(4)Abby W.
Service was lousy. Lady had a bad attitude. Don't get the burgers.
(2)C W.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE: OUTSIDE: Inviting. Lots of parking. INSIDE: I like the rustic ambiance. Scriptural passages handwritten with a marker on the white walls. There's a television in the mauka side dining room. The best way I can describe it is that it's COUNTRY. It's set up like a drive-in except that it's indoors. There's a take out window where you order and pick up your food. FOOD SELECTION: Average local selection from katsu to loco moco, burgers and fries, shave ice, and smoothies. They have an interesting range. I ordered the Garlic Steak plate with all tossed salad. I was expecting a Steak seasoned with salt and garlic. It was more like a teriyaki steak with some garlic. Actually, I think it's the May's brand teriyaki sauce. Based on the texture, the meat seemed like it was previously frozen and not fresh. A friend of mine ordered the burger combo. I didn't get to take a look at what the burger looked like but I did get some fries. I was disappointed with the fries. It, too, is previously frozen. Does anybody cut their own fries? VALUE: The value's are EXCELLENT. $6.99 for a meal and drink. That's unheard of. The portion size is decent - just the right amount! $5 for two burgers. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Excellent!
(2)Kimberly V.
We hired Kenekes to cater our wedding and the food was AMAZING. Also Keith is very funny and awesome to work with. Also all of the servers and helpers were amazing and very polite. They filled our water glasses frequently and made sure if anyone needed anything. AMAZING.
(5)Eileen S.
Keneke's in Punalu'u definately made up for Waimanalo's short comings yesterday. The staff at Punalu'u took care of us and the food was great. The only reason it's not a 5-star is that they ran out of Kalbi. Lol. Thank you Keith for our new fave place!
(4)S K.
Oh so NOT ONO!! Greasy food served on take out boxes. Walls are filled with quotes from bible and Fox news on!! Not the Hawaiin experience we thought we were going to get. It is cheap food and you get what you pay for.
(2)Joanne C.
We had our destination wedding in the North Shore of Oahu, Loulu Palm Estate. We wanted to find catering with good local Hawaiian food at a reasonable price. After doing some research online, we found Keneke's. When we emailed our inquiries, Keith answered all our questions quickly and was very helpful . We choose Wedding Special #1, $39/person. He was flexible and let us change a few things from the wedding special menu. This package includes delivery, staff for onsite cooking, to hand pass appetizers, and help serve at the buffet. This package helped us save a lot of money w/ our party rentals since our package also included china, flatware, water goblets, stainless steel warmers (otherwise we would have to pay per item). My coordinator mentioned they only charged 50% for kids & for vendors we fed. On the wedding day, Keith and the entire staff were very helpful and provided great service. I loved how the servers made sure I had appetizers before and after running off to take pictures. They even set some aside & put on our table. More importantly, the food was delicious. For appetizers we had shoyu ahi poke, maki sushi, teriyaki beef, mochiko chicken, and grilled pineapple skewers. For dinner we had nalo green salad, mixed veggie medley, garlic prawns, garlic mash potatoes, hapa rice, hibachi chicken, kalua pig, and the prime rib carving station. Nothing but compliments from our guests, everybody loved the food. We didn't get enough time to sit and eat for long. They were kind enough to wrap our food to go and labled it "Mr. & Mrs". They also packed all of our leftovers for us. If you're looking for catering with attentive service and delicious island-style food for a reasonable price, we definitely recommend Keneke's. Thanks again to Keith and his staff!! You guys are awesome!! We will stop by next time were on the island for sure. Joanne & Patrick #JoandPatsHalloWedding...
(5)B. S.
You can only imagine my delight when I'm driving to north shore and SEE THIS PLACE! KENEKESSSS!!! IN PUNALUU!!!! Pork Adobo is still just as good. No one was really here, so you know most people don't know it exist yet. You know what I like about this one over the other? You refill your own drinks. Unlimited Drinks!
(5)Mary W.
Relaxed friendly atmosphere. Food comes in generous portions and is pretty good. We stumbled upon this place after spending the day at the ranch near by and we were starving. Not bad if you are in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
(3)jamie l.
The food here is delicious! I can eat their food everyday. affordable down to earth real local cooking. better than the places in the city.
(5)Francine W.
I would drive from my house in Waialae-Kahala, all the way to Punalu'u, to eat a Keneke's Ter-burger special each time I'm ono for a great burger! What a deal too!!! You get two(2) 1/4 lb teriburgers w/cheese.. choose deluxe- it's generous and fresh! Huge steak-cut fries and a drink..for $5.00 !!! Enough for a super hungry appetitte or a deal for two people to share !!!
(5)Susan T.
This place is awesome! We have been here a few times and it is consistently good and affordable. This is a grill type restaurant. It has a country/homey feel to it. That is some of what appeals to me about it. I did read reviews prior to coming here and read something about a grease pit??? I looked for it and never saw one. We went outside, walked around the Lanai area, and even to the right where to goats were and didn't see anything offensive. My kiddos enjoyed being able to walk around and see the all the green and watch the animals while we were waiting for our food. We ordered several salads with our meals and got dressing for each and every one of them. We did not have to ask for anything we needed. The cashier was bright and friendly. Even stopping to say hello to the little ones. She even brought us a dish rag when one of the kiddos spilled a drink with no fuss. This is definitely a must eat place! I've never had a bad experience here and honestly don't understand the mean, biting comments in other reviews. (Oh, BTW, signs on the door say they open at 8AM). Perfect for their delicious breakfasts which gives you mounds of food and bacon!! :D
(5)Janine L.
You walk in the front door and read the charming hanging sign that says 'bless this kitchen' - what it should say is 'god save us' We ordered a 'special' coconut shrimp plate- came with 2 sides and a drink. 6 frozen prepackaged bread shrimp coconut added later; fries and a salad served with no fork. A regular burger- literally a bun and a patty. A 'hand crafted' bacon cheeseburger- deluxe. Two orders of garlic fries. We had to go and ask for a napkin! We couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with the burger- but since it was the only option, it had to be the meat- terrible taste. Period. We couldn't eat so we left. The very unpersonable lady behind the counter shouts at us- hey, there is a trash can right there. We all felt that it must have been in the kitchen. Now 20 minutes later at home, a beer won't even get the bad taste out. Pray for another place to eat!
(1)Bernadette M.
We had our wedding on 4/9/15 at loulu palms at the northshore. We wanted an authentic Hawaiian buffet and came upon Kenekes.. Not only were they reasonably priced but their wedding package came with chinaware and servers! We went with the Hawaiian Lua buffet and all of our guests loved loved the food! It was amazing! It was all gone. Good thing we ordered extra just in case.. Kenekes also helped with the cake cutting and passed out cake to our guests. At first it was really hard to get ahold Of Keith, our cater point of contact, but as it gets closer to the wedding date, he was very helpful and responsive. I loved Keneke's! Will use them again for any other upcoming event! Bernadette + Albert Gamayo
(5)Wendy S.
Went her starving for breakfast and it was a bit of a let down. There are two breakfast items on the menu; pineapple pancakes & "the breakfast special" no description! lol My husband and daughter got the pancakes (whopping size for very little money) & I got the "breakfast special", which consisted of two very well cooked over medium eggs, a few slices of Portuguese sausage, white rice and two pieces of over cooked dry toast. Three small containers of butter came along with our items, but the butter was near frozen making it hard to have buttered toast, it was more like crumbled toast with shards of frozen butter! lol The pancake plate was HUGE & only cost $3, but the flavor wasn't there-it was almost kinda of bland. The breakfast special had good eggs (they know how to cook eggs here) and the Portuguese sausage was okay, but the meal really wasn't anything I'd want to eat again. I'd give them 2.5 stars for the food, but due to the state of the place I wanted to give them only one star. I have to honest and say that the place is quite dirty. The walls are sticky, the tables are sticky, the floor is sticky, it was hot and sweaty in there at like 8:30am and the bathroom...ugh don't even get me started, gross. All in all it was a big disappointment for us since I wanted to like the place and the woman who took our order was so, so nice, but the food and the cleanliness factor killed it.
(2)Christina C.
Is there an option for zero stars? First off the food was terrible. Whatever. We weren't expecting much. Don't order anything special; the staff is easily confused. We had a few little kids playing outside in the back seating area while we were waiting for our food. One of the younger kids came in crying, because she accidentally fell into an open pit of grease and oil--which apparently they had just poured drain cleaner into. The pit was just outside the pavilion area--no fence, no sign, no lid. Just 2-3 feet of filthy oil mixed with dangerous chemicals. Nice. We did the best we could to clean her up. We asked for a towel, and the snippy cashier offered us a dirty dishrag, saying she couldn't offer us anything else because she still had to wipe down the tables. As we were walking out the door, another employee (maybe the manager?) came out and joked that we'd be expected to mop the floors. Classy. No regard for food safety or your physical safety here. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.
(1)Kristen M.
Great portions, food is pretty good, I got the teriyaki chicken plate and couldn't finish it all. The ambience of the plce is what the charm is all about. Love the bible verses on the walls and the outside seating! Definitely going back soon!
(5)Rachel R.
I read some of the complaints before posting. I do not know what people expect from a tiny wooden restaurant on the side of the road, practically in the middle of nowhere - it is not a Chili's or TGIFridays. For this reason, I enjoyed it very much. Despite the decor which was hand written bible verses on every inch of the walls, I enjoyed going to the back and taking in the lush scenery and animals. They also have tables set up in the back to eat in. The Luau Pork was delicious!! Pricing was a little confusing. Cashier a little dry. Bathroom not so clean. All of these things did not take from how delicious my sandwich was or how reasonable the pricing was. I would def go there again.
(4)Jessica M.
We love Kenekes! I know it's not the best food or even the cleanest of establishments! But it's quaintness gets me every time. They have a great of menu items and portions are very generous. Prices are just right. It's this cool old restaurant tucked away on the north shore drive. If you take a few minutes to explore the scenery, it's Absolutely beautiful! My boyfriend and I have been coming here for years and love it.
(4)Michael A.
Eh, stopped by here while out riding today, figured why not. Got the bacon cheeseburger and garlic steak fries. Both tasted like straight ass. Place was also dirty as hell. "You get what you pay for"
(1)Amy N.
Ate here 3 times while visiting. Their food is fresh and delicious with a fun ground to roam around to check out the local flowers, animals and beautiful scenery . It's not a fancy place but a good place for lunch and casual times .
(4)Sayre M.
I have to be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of Keneke's Grill as a restaurant, so when my wedding coordinator suggested we check them out as a caterer for my upcoming wedding, I was skeptical. However, their great prices made me think that we really couldn't go wrong just to check them out. We were blown away by how delicious it was at the taste test! We also tried some much higher priced caterers with "fancier" food and at the end of the day without even needing to take price into consideration, we chose Keneke's. We chose the following amazing menu: Passed Appetizers - Island Fruit - Shoyu Poke - Garlic Shrimp Skewers - Guava Chicken Skewers Salad - Punalu'u Green Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing Entrees - Filet Mignon - Teriyaki Chicken - Blackened Ahi Carving Station Sides - Garlic Red Potatoes - Hawaiian Sweet Bread - Grilled Asparagus & Butter Nut Squash We also added a custom sushi station from another vendor although I have heard that Keneke's does sushi as well. Everything was just perfect. Keneke's didn't constantly nickle & dime us throughout the process and were accommodating about serving a sparkling cider toast, cake, and coffee after the meal. They happily brought plated food to the head table as we requested and checked in frequently to see if we needed any drinks or more food. We definitely saved money using their glass dishware instead of renting. There was so much food that my parents took some home and are probably STILL enjoying it! I did have a wedding coordinator organizing everything, but as far as I could tell, they arrived on time, looked professional, and served everything promptly. We got rave reviews from the guests as far as the food. Definitely recommend using them as caterers!
(5)Annabelle P.
SHAVED ICE. This spot was right across from our beach house. Fairly clean. The shaved ice was sooo good. Except I think the lady was a bit frazzled. She forgot that we ordered shaved ice and didn't get to us till we went up to the window to ask what was taking so long.
(3)Deano G.
I'm glad I just had an ice cream. The place is a little dirty and the scripture written on the walls are cool, but also a little freaky. I will drive by next time and head to a different spot.... you should as well. The ice cream was good tho.
(2)Seuss B.
The Bible versus were heavenly. Eating outside was paradise. Prices are a bargain for a full plate of onolicious Kailua pig. We are going back for sure! We highly recommend this place for local food with a local ambience.
(5)Lexus C.
Horrible customer service. I ordered my food and been waiting for at least 40 minutes and the people after me got their food first. Like really?? I was here first. And when we asked the lady where our food was, she acted like a little b****. Never coming here again. I was waiting way longer than the other people, yet I got my food last. Smh..
(1)Terry S.
Three stars for food, +1 for price and ambiance. The outdoor seating in the back has a fantastic mountain view, even if there are flies and ants everywhere. The $7.50 daily specials include a drink and are way more food than I have business eating in a single meal. It's not fancy or gourmet, but it's tasty and a great value.
(4)Ling W.
If I could give zero stars, I would. A total dive, trash and garbage on the outside, disgusting and dirty on the inside. We waited over 5 mins to place our order and barring the fries, everything else--fried chicken, kalua pork, fried shrimp--was inedible due to horrible consistency and taste. The Mac salad was like a scoop of mayonnaise with some pasta thrown in. Absolutely disgusting. My husband had been to another location 5 years ago and was looking forward to trying this one. We walked out with 90% of our lunches left. Do not eat here.
(1)Azzi E.
There is a reason for 5 stars: plenty food (really a big portion) for a cheap price, so if you are big and hungry guy, you will find your lucky place. Free soft drink with the meal. Plenty street parking, the shack itself (with bible verses on walls) is airy and cooled with a shade and breeze. And reason for less stars: The food is typical Hawaiian - greasy, heavy and too salty. First few bites are tasty, but then, you have a problem finishing it (I always take leftovers - not just because it's too much but always too heavy). There is a restroom next to the restaurant but it's "very" simple, I can imagine some ladies and guys will be disgusted. And for some reason, I always had stomach problems after eating here :(
(3)Victoria G.
My husband and I were driving and looking for food. Keneke's has a beautiful outdoor seating area. I had the Adobo Pork which was absolutely amazing. Definitely recommend it.
(5)Jericca F.
We went to this restaurant while on vacation and just loved it! We are from small town Arizona where we work on lots of different farms so the farm animals (chickens and goats) were a huge plus for us! They were just so cute and added to he beautiful scenery of the mountains! Plus the food was pretty good! We had the coconut shrimp with mac salad and rice and I liked it all! My husband had the Kalua pork with rice and fries and wished that he had bbq sauce for the pork but nonetheless it was still pretty good! I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a hole in the wall shack to have some great local food!
(5)Rob C.
Good food especially for a roadside diner. Keep in mind this is not some ritzy Waikiki restaurant. It's a true dinner in the country. I've been to places in the southern part of the mainland and it's the same kind of place. The food is local food, great prices, with nice people. Enough said, don't complain about a roadside diner, move on if you want McDonald's.
(5)Krista S.
Not good, dont waste your money! Cheap prices because it's bad food. The only good thing was the fries and even those were only okay. The worst part was the cashier who took our order. She was very rude and immediately snapped at us for asking a simple question about the menu. We will never recommend this place to our worse enemy.
(1)Geoff D.
Typical plate lunch at Keneke's. Tasty teri chicken, juicy and tender kalua pig, moist mac salad and a generous helping of rice. But from the lackluster reception to the recently manured fields out back (which I guess drove the flies inside), I would say Keneke's a good place to miss, unless like us, it was the only game in town for a late lunch.
(3)Seuss B.
The Bible versus were heavenly. Eating outside was paradise. Prices are a bargain for a full plate of onolicious Kailua pig. We are going back for sure! We highly recommend this place for local food with a local ambience.
(5)Angela B.
I had a chance to dine here and camp on the property so I'll keep the two reviews in separate paragraphs. Restaurant: I was a little wierded out by all the bible scripts on the wall, but found it interesting. It helped pass the time reading them while I waited for the food, which is slow coming out when there are several orders. Food is delicious, large portions, and inexpensive. I always get the teri-beef & garlic shrimp, comes with rice & mac salad. My bf raves about their kalua pig sandwich but it's kinda small buns, even though they pile on the meat. They also sell Dave's Ice-cream from Waimanalo. Camp ground: We camped here Fri-Sun with a group of friends. The property is large. The owner usually opens it up for surf competition campers. There are two parts of the property, in front is a wide grassy area, fenced in. The back part is also grassy but has a huge fire pit. Not much shading. It's a good thing we brought our pop-up tent. Plenty of firewood, but when we were there, it was a bit damp from rain. There are also cows & chicken on the property and usually stay behind the gate/shrubs but a couple usually wander out to the camp ground. At night, be careful when walking to the bathroom. There are LARGE snails and frogs all over. Overall: My experience was awesome. There are bathrooms with electricity all night, showers, garbage bins for trash, right across from the beach, yummy & cheap breakfast-lunch-dinner 100 ft away (they close at 8p). Best of all, Keith, the owner, was super friendly...don't let his biker appearance scare you!
(4)John F.
A relative had raved about this place so my wife and I stopped in. She had teriyaki chicken, I had the smoked K pig- what a dive and not worth the (inexpensive) $7.50 per plate. Wife's chicken was stringy dark meat, rice was merely 2 ice cream scoops of generic white rice. She couldn't eat the chicken it was so flavorless and stringy. My smoked pork had no smoke flavor, had to pour BBQ sauce on it to taste it. Both served in paper taken home style containers that are usually styrofoam elsewhere, so it started dissolving as tiny salad and pork liquid settled. Throw in the 'I don't care' attitude of the lady who owns the place- like she was just going thru the motions, and the weed smelling clientele mixed with scripture all over the walls, and we can't see why anyone would go here to eat- unless you've been smoking something and just crave bland food served by ill mannered people.
(1)Jessica T.
We used Keneke's catering for our destination wedding in April 2014, and the food was so good that I had to write a review (we are picky eaters too!). All of our guests were impressed with the food that we had at the wedding. We chose Wedding Special #4 and it was more than enough food for everyone -- Shrimp Cocktail, Mango Chicken Skewers, Fruit Skewers, Shoyu Pork, Kalua pig, Mahi Mahi, and Lemon Grass Chicken. Everyone told me the Kalua pig with Kale was realllly good (I had a few bites myself, but of course it's tough to finish your plate when it's your own wedding). The staff was really accommodating and made sure everyone's face was stuffed. Thanks Keneke's!
(5)Victoria M.
This place was gross. Visiting from the mainland and decided to randomly drive out to Laie with my sister. On the way back we stopped by this place for lunch. I guess you can say I like to be adventurous when trying out diff eateries in random places. Don't let the cheap specials fool you. If sitting waiting for your food and you look around and observe the Dingyness and second guess whether you made the right decision to eat here, do yourself a favor after reading this review, jump in your car and burn rubber! It felt suspect for a reason! From the bland cashier with the personality of a wall to the outdated layout to the discolored walls with bible scriptures hand painted on them and other fixtures decorating that had rhyme/reason/theme - it was all just off putting - including the food, which was served to us by the cashier - no, not on a platter but straight up holding the to go containers - no dressing for the salad + a side of TACKY! She looked like she hated her life...Will never come back here again. I agree with a previous reviewer where instead of "Bless this kitchen" it should have said "Lord Save us" lmboooooo
(1)Anthony C.
Well our first red flag was the lizard that ran across the wall but we figured we would give the place a chance. We ordered two chicken entrées and we were really confused how it was made served in 3 minutes after we ordered. The chicken was slimey and didn't really resemble chicken definitely recommend finding another spot to eat.
(1)Krista S.
Not good, dont waste your money! Cheap prices because it's bad food. The only good thing was the fries and even those were only okay. The worst part was the cashier who took our order. She was very rude and immediately snapped at us for asking a simple question about the menu. We will never recommend this place to our worse enemy.
(1)Joanne C.
We had our destination wedding in the North Shore of Oahu, Loulu Palm Estate. We wanted to find catering with good local Hawaiian food at a reasonable price. After doing some research online, we found Keneke's. When we emailed our inquiries, Keith answered all our questions quickly and was very helpful . We choose Wedding Special #1, $39/person. He was flexible and let us change a few things from the wedding special menu. This package includes delivery, staff for onsite cooking, to hand pass appetizers, and help serve at the buffet. This package helped us save a lot of money w/ our party rentals since our package also included china, flatware, water goblets, stainless steel warmers (otherwise we would have to pay per item). My coordinator mentioned they only charged 50% for kids & for vendors we fed. On the wedding day, Keith and the entire staff were very helpful and provided great service. I loved how the servers made sure I had appetizers before and after running off to take pictures. They even set some aside & put on our table. More importantly, the food was delicious. For appetizers we had shoyu ahi poke, maki sushi, teriyaki beef, mochiko chicken, and grilled pineapple skewers. For dinner we had nalo green salad, mixed veggie medley, garlic prawns, garlic mash potatoes, hapa rice, hibachi chicken, kalua pig, and the prime rib carving station. Nothing but compliments from our guests, everybody loved the food. We didn't get enough time to sit and eat for long. They were kind enough to wrap our food to go and labled it "Mr. & Mrs". They also packed all of our leftovers for us. If you're looking for catering with attentive service and delicious island-style food for a reasonable price, we definitely recommend Keneke's. Thanks again to Keith and his staff!! You guys are awesome!! We will stop by next time were on the island for sure. Joanne & Patrick #JoandPatsHalloWedding...
(5)Vanessa Y.
I'm actually really conflicted about this vendor. The food wasn't as good at the wedding as it was at the tasting. The coordinator said they were quite difficult to work with as most of the plates and glasses had to be cleaned. They didn't have enough place settings and it took them four hours to go back to the warehouse and get more, but at that point dinner was over. However, their pricing was the best I received, half of what other vendors were charging for full service catering (including real place settings not paper, passed appetizers with servers, and plenty of vegetarian options.) I was just googling caterers when I found this place. Their pricing is very transparant. Most places I would have to email to get a quote, food would be around $40, then had to include cost of chef, servers, place settings. Many quotes I got were in the $6,000-$9000 range and we wanted to spend under $5,000. We almost went with a vendor that was just gonna drop the food off and we were going to get "fancy" disposable products. So finding Keneke's was a dream come true. Keith customized the menu to include plenty of vegetarian options (I'm a vegetarian) and offered us a great price! Remember to bring bug spray when you go to his restaurant for tasting. Keith wasn't there the day of our wedding, so I'm not sure if things would have ran smoother if he was there. They did some cooking at the venue, but a lot of the food just didn't taste fresh (like at the tasting). The servers were also really good about making sure my husband and I had food. My brother got scolded when I gave him my leftover plate of appetizers (I had no appetite). They were also really nice about helping to clean up. not just the food, but generally. Even with all the mishaps, I would still reccommend Keneke's. Their pricing can't be beat!
(4)Sayre M.
I have to be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of Keneke's Grill as a restaurant, so when my wedding coordinator suggested we check them out as a caterer for my upcoming wedding, I was skeptical. However, their great prices made me think that we really couldn't go wrong just to check them out. We were blown away by how delicious it was at the taste test! We also tried some much higher priced caterers with "fancier" food and at the end of the day without even needing to take price into consideration, we chose Keneke's. We chose the following amazing menu: Passed Appetizers - Island Fruit - Shoyu Poke - Garlic Shrimp Skewers - Guava Chicken Skewers Salad - Punalu'u Green Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing Entrees - Filet Mignon - Teriyaki Chicken - Blackened Ahi Carving Station Sides - Garlic Red Potatoes - Hawaiian Sweet Bread - Grilled Asparagus & Butter Nut Squash We also added a custom sushi station from another vendor although I have heard that Keneke's does sushi as well. Everything was just perfect. Keneke's didn't constantly nickle & dime us throughout the process and were accommodating about serving a sparkling cider toast, cake, and coffee after the meal. They happily brought plated food to the head table as we requested and checked in frequently to see if we needed any drinks or more food. We definitely saved money using their glass dishware instead of renting. There was so much food that my parents took some home and are probably STILL enjoying it! I did have a wedding coordinator organizing everything, but as far as I could tell, they arrived on time, looked professional, and served everything promptly. We got rave reviews from the guests as far as the food. Definitely recommend using them as caterers!
(5)Kimberly W.
Had gluten free option of chicken for our son. The loco moco, bacon cheeseburger, blt, fried chicken and grilled chicken were all tasty. The staff was great even with strange requests like rice from loco moco in separate container for our picky lil one. We loved reading the scriptues on the walls too.
(4)Sandra B.
It's rundown, but not in the good hole-in-the-wall type of place rundown. I think a sharpie was used to write all the scriptures on the wall. The scriptures certainly added character, but the kind of creepy, foreboding character you don't necessarily want to run into. My family were the only diners, and I felt like we were making the wrong turn kind of mistake you see people make in horror/thriller flicks. You know the kind where you end up in a long abandon place where no one can hear your screams or care if they do. The only other outstanding decor was what appeared to be a dead goldfish in a plastic bag filled with water (like those you win at carnivals) hung up near our table. I normally would ask questions, but the stare I got from the cashier/waitress made me think better of it. The food is cheap and you get a lot of it. When I went, five dollars bought you two hamburgers-- one of the specials. I got those for the kids. I opted for the teriyaki beef plate. My husband just ordered garlic fries because he isn't as adventurous as me or maybe he has better instincts. With the drinks, a family meal came to around 20 bucks. That almost made up for the ants taking nice long drinks at the refill soda fountain. I tried waiting in line, but there were just too many. I left with a full, slightly achy belly.
(2)Loocha L.
loco moco w/ greens instead of mac. very convenient to get to, friendly staff, decor is definitely not boring. check out back patio tables for lush outdoor setting. dude, their paper cups say parties, weddings, funerals. i'd love my funeral reception to be here.
(4)Jeremy H.
I love Kenekes Panaluu Grill! Eat there every time I'm on the island. Love the mountains and the wait staff are super friendly. I've never had a problem and recommend Kenekes to my friends visiting the island. Try the Loco Moco or Teriyaki Chicken Plate!
(5)Dover G.
Sign said OPEN. Sign on Building said Open. Sign on door said open. 10:15, with opening at 10:00, denied. Wasn't open. Too bad we, and the car behind us, couldn't have had breakfast.
(1)Ervin S.
Great food and service. Nice backyard! Definitely a place to visit if you are near the Northshore area of Oahu.
(5)Whit N.
This place is scarifying. I just coined that. The walls are covered in scripture. Fox News is blasting on the TV. Me and my liberal commie friends walked in and the owner stared daggers at us. Also, the food was greazy. Avoid this place. Unless you wanna get deliveranced.
(1)Lindsay P.
I think this was our favorite meal on the island. It was the cheapest, most satisfying meal too. When you first walk into Keneke's, it really is kind of like a scene from any horror movie; there is scripture all over the walls and the lights all have a weird neon look to them that makes you think they're going to start flickering any moment. However, the woman who took our order was very nice and didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that we were most certainly tourists. (I'm so white, there is no doubt of it.) I ordered the Kalua pork meal, which came with your choice of two sides. I had rice and toss salad. This had to have been the most flavorful, tender, and moist Kalua pig we had anywhere on the island, and we tried it in quite a few places. The only bummer was that the salad was served in the same box as the pork and rice, and therefore it got warm. Cam had the Kalua pork sandwich and said it was equally good. Also, free refills on the drinks! If you make a trip up to the north shore, this is a must stop place! Don't let the look scare you off!
(4)Bernadette M.
We had our wedding on 4/9/15 at loulu palms at the northshore. We wanted an authentic Hawaiian buffet and came upon Kenekes.. Not only were they reasonably priced but their wedding package came with chinaware and servers! We went with the Hawaiian Lua buffet and all of our guests loved loved the food! It was amazing! It was all gone. Good thing we ordered extra just in case.. Kenekes also helped with the cake cutting and passed out cake to our guests. At first it was really hard to get ahold Of Keith, our cater point of contact, but as it gets closer to the wedding date, he was very helpful and responsive. I loved Keneke's! Will use them again for any other upcoming event! Bernadette + Albert Gamayo
(5)Jessica M.
We love Kenekes! I know it's not the best food or even the cleanest of establishments! But it's quaintness gets me every time. They have a great of menu items and portions are very generous. Prices are just right. It's this cool old restaurant tucked away on the north shore drive. If you take a few minutes to explore the scenery, it's Absolutely beautiful! My boyfriend and I have been coming here for years and love it.
(4)Michael A.
Eh, stopped by here while out riding today, figured why not. Got the bacon cheeseburger and garlic steak fries. Both tasted like straight ass. Place was also dirty as hell. "You get what you pay for"
(1)Wendy S.
Went her starving for breakfast and it was a bit of a let down. There are two breakfast items on the menu; pineapple pancakes & "the breakfast special" no description! lol My husband and daughter got the pancakes (whopping size for very little money) & I got the "breakfast special", which consisted of two very well cooked over medium eggs, a few slices of Portuguese sausage, white rice and two pieces of over cooked dry toast. Three small containers of butter came along with our items, but the butter was near frozen making it hard to have buttered toast, it was more like crumbled toast with shards of frozen butter! lol The pancake plate was HUGE & only cost $3, but the flavor wasn't there-it was almost kinda of bland. The breakfast special had good eggs (they know how to cook eggs here) and the Portuguese sausage was okay, but the meal really wasn't anything I'd want to eat again. I'd give them 2.5 stars for the food, but due to the state of the place I wanted to give them only one star. I have to honest and say that the place is quite dirty. The walls are sticky, the tables are sticky, the floor is sticky, it was hot and sweaty in there at like 8:30am and the bathroom...ugh don't even get me started, gross. All in all it was a big disappointment for us since I wanted to like the place and the woman who took our order was so, so nice, but the food and the cleanliness factor killed it.
(2)Christina C.
Is there an option for zero stars? First off the food was terrible. Whatever. We weren't expecting much. Don't order anything special; the staff is easily confused. We had a few little kids playing outside in the back seating area while we were waiting for our food. One of the younger kids came in crying, because she accidentally fell into an open pit of grease and oil--which apparently they had just poured drain cleaner into. The pit was just outside the pavilion area--no fence, no sign, no lid. Just 2-3 feet of filthy oil mixed with dangerous chemicals. Nice. We did the best we could to clean her up. We asked for a towel, and the snippy cashier offered us a dirty dishrag, saying she couldn't offer us anything else because she still had to wipe down the tables. As we were walking out the door, another employee (maybe the manager?) came out and joked that we'd be expected to mop the floors. Classy. No regard for food safety or your physical safety here. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.
(1)Kristen M.
Great portions, food is pretty good, I got the teriyaki chicken plate and couldn't finish it all. The ambience of the plce is what the charm is all about. Love the bible verses on the walls and the outside seating! Definitely going back soon!
(5)Rachel R.
I read some of the complaints before posting. I do not know what people expect from a tiny wooden restaurant on the side of the road, practically in the middle of nowhere - it is not a Chili's or TGIFridays. For this reason, I enjoyed it very much. Despite the decor which was hand written bible verses on every inch of the walls, I enjoyed going to the back and taking in the lush scenery and animals. They also have tables set up in the back to eat in. The Luau Pork was delicious!! Pricing was a little confusing. Cashier a little dry. Bathroom not so clean. All of these things did not take from how delicious my sandwich was or how reasonable the pricing was. I would def go there again.
(4)Amy N.
Ate here 3 times while visiting. Their food is fresh and delicious with a fun ground to roam around to check out the local flowers, animals and beautiful scenery . It's not a fancy place but a good place for lunch and casual times .
(4)Annabelle P.
SHAVED ICE. This spot was right across from our beach house. Fairly clean. The shaved ice was sooo good. Except I think the lady was a bit frazzled. She forgot that we ordered shaved ice and didn't get to us till we went up to the window to ask what was taking so long.
(3)Deano G.
I'm glad I just had an ice cream. The place is a little dirty and the scripture written on the walls are cool, but also a little freaky. I will drive by next time and head to a different spot.... you should as well. The ice cream was good tho.
(2)Jamie S.
Stayed in Punalu'u for 5 days. We ate there 3 of those days, each time trying something new. Everything was great. Grilled white fish, garlic shrimp, BBQ chicken, teriyaki steak, and adobo pork! Hawaii style. Oahu country style.
(4)Tim W.
Beautiful outdoor eating area in the back up against the cliffs! Shave Ice is $3 but pretty below average! Boring flavors! The place just seems a little dingy to me. The bathrooms are gross! I hope the kitchen is cleaner!! This place has a WEIRD vibe!! I don't understand the mix of 'I don't care' attitude of the lady who owns the place and the Bible verses written all over the wall. I'm a friendly sinner and not a mean preacher........... so I don't feel welcomed in this place! no Aloha here.
(2)Joann T.
Excellent breakfast and service lived as well the history and surrounding loved talking to our waitress a and asked about all the scriptures on walls she told us the owner is a minister who we met after. Great experience
(5)Areanne D.
I love this place! I was on vacation with my family and just stumbled upon this place along the road and my parents decided to eat here. I was a bit sketchy because it was at night and no one was there but turns out the food was great and the people that work there are really nice! My parents decided to come back the next day as well! Hahah
(5)Mike P.
Very creepy. Not sure if it's a grill or some weird evangelical cult. Bible verses and little Jesus fish painted all over every flat surface. Reminds me of tent revivals in the Deep South. The lady who took my order - two milk shakes - was nice, and this is hawaii-style service, so she started off with what she couldn't do for me, in this case "no plain vanilla, no malt." No malt: first experience ever of no malt in a place that made shakes. OK, macadamia something ice cream then. The shake tasted like the ice cream she used, however, down the road it became very evident she'd "cut" the ice cream with plain ice cubes, ground up, and not ground very well. Ripped off by religionists? Who'd have thought. They'd better get some of that quick, daily forgiveness from Jesus. They won't get it from me the customer.
(1)Kristine M.
I used Kenekes to cater my wedding of 240 people at Sea Life Park (NEVER use them as a venue - ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!). Anyhoo, Keith was great to work with from the food tasting at the Punaluu Kenekes (fabulous and friendly) to the menu he created and the service he provided. I would recommend him to anyone planning a party who would like delicious, affordable, professional catering... They passed pupus to guests (breaded coconut shrimp, Teri beef skewers, ahi poke, guava BBQ chicken skewers).. Then we chose a buffet dinner of kalua pig and kale, mango BBQ chicken , grilled mahi mahi, hapa rice, sweet potato mash, greens salad, sautéed vegetables... All of this for $26/head!!! (plus tax and tip)... They wore all black and provided water goblets and glass 9" square plates... I can't thank Keith enough for being the most stress-free vendor to work with while planning my wedding... So flexible and relaxed in ever aspect. Kenekes is a hidden gem in the catering world! Thank you Keith for everything! Aloha, Kristine
(5)Mary P.
Absolutely LOVE this place! My husband and I stayed in Waikiki for 7 days and made two trips across the island just to eat here. The BBQ is amazing and the meat is very tender. The portion sizes are perfect and service is great. Im so happy we spent our last day of vacation here. Would highly recommend!
(5)R R.
2.5 stars. I ordered the hamburger steak plate, which was about $7.50 and comes with a drink. The hambuger was pretty tasteless. The gravy was what really gave any flavor to it. Would not recommend this or ever order it again. A friend of mine got some garlic fish. That was REALLY ONO. If I ever find myself back here, I'd def. get that. If I had that, this place probably would have gotten more stars. Portion sizes are huge, btw.
(2)Christina Y.
Visited this place for the first time in December and it was delicious! Keneke's is a small hole-in-the-wall that serves really good local food that's fresh! The only downer is it's a little bit pricey, but I guess that's the cost of shipping good, fresh food all the way to that side of the island. In addition to the delicious food, they their decor is quite memorable. Inside the dining room, there are dozens of scriptures painted on the wall, along with small pictures and other unique quotes. We will definitely visit this place again!
(4)Abby W.
Service was lousy. Lady had a bad attitude. Don't get the burgers.
(2)B. S.
You can only imagine my delight when I'm driving to north shore and SEE THIS PLACE! KENEKESSSS!!! IN PUNALUU!!!! Pork Adobo is still just as good. No one was really here, so you know most people don't know it exist yet. You know what I like about this one over the other? You refill your own drinks. Unlimited Drinks!
(5)Mary W.
Relaxed friendly atmosphere. Food comes in generous portions and is pretty good. We stumbled upon this place after spending the day at the ranch near by and we were starving. Not bad if you are in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
(3)Ling W.
If I could give zero stars, I would. A total dive, trash and garbage on the outside, disgusting and dirty on the inside. We waited over 5 mins to place our order and barring the fries, everything else--fried chicken, kalua pork, fried shrimp--was inedible due to horrible consistency and taste. The Mac salad was like a scoop of mayonnaise with some pasta thrown in. Absolutely disgusting. My husband had been to another location 5 years ago and was looking forward to trying this one. We walked out with 90% of our lunches left. Do not eat here.
(1)dave j.
I had a two meat plate with teriyaki New York steak and fried chicken comes with two sides went with salad greens and rice. My steak was down right tasty and chicken was nice and crispy. G.F had garlic shrimp and Kahlua pig with potatoe salad and Mac and cheese. She enjoyed it a well. Portions ate huge for ten bucks. Best Value the whole trip. Ambience is a bit suspect we ate outside with the chickens. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Food and value superb.
(4)Scott H.
Terrible food, tasted like they deep fried everything that should be pan fried. Ultra greasy port sausage and bacon because they are deep fried. I am just about positive the fryer grease hadn't been changed in a while, all the fried food had a weird sour taste. Don't recommend it! Go anywhere else!
(1)Susan T.
This place is awesome! We have been here a few times and it is consistently good and affordable. This is a grill type restaurant. It has a country/homey feel to it. That is some of what appeals to me about it. I did read reviews prior to coming here and read something about a grease pit??? I looked for it and never saw one. We went outside, walked around the Lanai area, and even to the right where to goats were and didn't see anything offensive. My kiddos enjoyed being able to walk around and see the all the green and watch the animals while we were waiting for our food. We ordered several salads with our meals and got dressing for each and every one of them. We did not have to ask for anything we needed. The cashier was bright and friendly. Even stopping to say hello to the little ones. She even brought us a dish rag when one of the kiddos spilled a drink with no fuss. This is definitely a must eat place! I've never had a bad experience here and honestly don't understand the mean, biting comments in other reviews. (Oh, BTW, signs on the door say they open at 8AM). Perfect for their delicious breakfasts which gives you mounds of food and bacon!! :D
(5)C W.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE: OUTSIDE: Inviting. Lots of parking. INSIDE: I like the rustic ambiance. Scriptural passages handwritten with a marker on the white walls. There's a television in the mauka side dining room. The best way I can describe it is that it's COUNTRY. It's set up like a drive-in except that it's indoors. There's a take out window where you order and pick up your food. FOOD SELECTION: Average local selection from katsu to loco moco, burgers and fries, shave ice, and smoothies. They have an interesting range. I ordered the Garlic Steak plate with all tossed salad. I was expecting a Steak seasoned with salt and garlic. It was more like a teriyaki steak with some garlic. Actually, I think it's the May's brand teriyaki sauce. Based on the texture, the meat seemed like it was previously frozen and not fresh. A friend of mine ordered the burger combo. I didn't get to take a look at what the burger looked like but I did get some fries. I was disappointed with the fries. It, too, is previously frozen. Does anybody cut their own fries? VALUE: The value's are EXCELLENT. $6.99 for a meal and drink. That's unheard of. The portion size is decent - just the right amount! $5 for two burgers. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Excellent!
(2)Azzi E.
There is a reason for 5 stars: plenty food (really a big portion) for a cheap price, so if you are big and hungry guy, you will find your lucky place. Free soft drink with the meal. Plenty street parking, the shack itself (with bible verses on walls) is airy and cooled with a shade and breeze. And reason for less stars: The food is typical Hawaiian - greasy, heavy and too salty. First few bites are tasty, but then, you have a problem finishing it (I always take leftovers - not just because it's too much but always too heavy). There is a restroom next to the restaurant but it's "very" simple, I can imagine some ladies and guys will be disgusted. And for some reason, I always had stomach problems after eating here :(
(3)Victoria G.
My husband and I were driving and looking for food. Keneke's has a beautiful outdoor seating area. I had the Adobo Pork which was absolutely amazing. Definitely recommend it.
(5)Kimberly V.
We hired Kenekes to cater our wedding and the food was AMAZING. Also Keith is very funny and awesome to work with. Also all of the servers and helpers were amazing and very polite. They filled our water glasses frequently and made sure if anyone needed anything. AMAZING.
(5)Eileen S.
Keneke's in Punalu'u definately made up for Waimanalo's short comings yesterday. The staff at Punalu'u took care of us and the food was great. The only reason it's not a 5-star is that they ran out of Kalbi. Lol. Thank you Keith for our new fave place!
(4)S K.
Oh so NOT ONO!! Greasy food served on take out boxes. Walls are filled with quotes from bible and Fox news on!! Not the Hawaiin experience we thought we were going to get. It is cheap food and you get what you pay for.
(2)jamie l.
The food here is delicious! I can eat their food everyday. affordable down to earth real local cooking. better than the places in the city.
(5)Francine W.
I would drive from my house in Waialae-Kahala, all the way to Punalu'u, to eat a Keneke's Ter-burger special each time I'm ono for a great burger! What a deal too!!! You get two(2) 1/4 lb teriburgers w/cheese.. choose deluxe- it's generous and fresh! Huge steak-cut fries and a drink..for $5.00 !!! Enough for a super hungry appetitte or a deal for two people to share !!!
(5)Fer R.
Man, do I really want to write a bad review?? No, I really don't but we really had a bad experience here at Kenekes. Our rental house landlord gave us a highly talked up review of the place and so we went to check them out for lunch one day. Kenekes is about the only place to grab a bite to eat in the area. Before I get to the worst part, let me butter up the place a little bit first. The grounds are very beautiful and with the lush green mountains right behind you, how can you go wrong by sitting out back and soaking in the sights. Also out back there are a few goats fenced in and on occasion you'll hear them voice their opinion lol. You'll see roaming hens, their babies and Mr Rooster. Parking right out front on the pot holed gravel/dirt is fine however if you get a sudden down poor and you've parked right over a pothole....well your screwed! So we walked on in and noticed plenty of folks eating and their food looked simple and good. We placed our order. Very pleasant service and very friendly lady at register. Once we filled up our drinks we told lady at register that we'd be sitting out back on patio. I had to grab the waitress to have her wipe off the outside table or if she could give me a towel, I'd do it. No worries. So after about 20 minutes I noticed a few others coming to sit outside as well. They got their food before us! WTF?! I was a bit concerned and got up and said something to the lady that was waiting tables and bringing the other patrons their meals. I mentioned we'd been there for 35 minuted at this point and asked about our food. She had said 'oh its coming up, and I'll bring it right out to you'. Ooookay..... literally 50 minutes later and seeing countless folks come, eat and go, my Hubby and I went up to the order window and asked about our food. They couldn't find our tag and they thought they had found it but it was another "Doug", not us. They had said that they'd retake our order and make it right then. They apologized and stuff and they tried to blame it on the new cook or something. Either way, we asked for our money back, which they gladly refunded. I was a little shocked with the feeling that this happened quite often as the waitress lady seemed to be a bit rude when she came to see what the problem was. She almost immediately offered our money back and not to make our order. Its like they just wanted to get us out and not make us happy. If this place could concentrate on more of a professional ticket service, maybe they wouldn't misplace the food ticket?? Oh and maybe another waitress too. Oh and if you don't mind seeing the different Bible criptures written all over the inside walls then do walk in and order.
(1)Hannah C.
We went here on a whim, just looking for a quick place to eat. We weren't expecting much.However, one thing that really bothered me is the amount of the flies. I've eaten in outdoor/open wind places and the amount of flies is gross. I was fighting off 4-5 flies from my food constantly. The tables and seating were also very dirty. I wouldn't go here again.
(3)Robert R.
Meal was last minute and they closed in 10 minutes. Had both of the pork dishes with tossed salad and ate them in the car in the parking lot. A little salty, added the BBQ sauce for flavor. Nice decent meal
(3)Jena M.
Keneke's catered my best friend's wedding in August 2013 and the food was amazing! That coupled with their prices and friendly service has made them my go to caterer for events. I recommended them to my hula sister for her wedding the following December (Who can beat those prices?! Comes with not only delicious food but also INCLUDES all serving ware and servers!) and the happy couple loved them! I also had them cater my daughter's 1st birthday and everyone raved about the food (they also came all the way to Haleiwa for NO EXTRA CHARGE to deliver! One less thing I had to worry about that day!). Amazing food and people, go with them and you will not be disappointed. PS: I recommend the garlic shrimp, kalua pig with kale and shoyu chicken!!!
(5)Janine L.
You walk in the front door and read the charming hanging sign that says 'bless this kitchen' - what it should say is 'god save us' We ordered a 'special' coconut shrimp plate- came with 2 sides and a drink. 6 frozen prepackaged bread shrimp coconut added later; fries and a salad served with no fork. A regular burger- literally a bun and a patty. A 'hand crafted' bacon cheeseburger- deluxe. Two orders of garlic fries. We had to go and ask for a napkin! We couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with the burger- but since it was the only option, it had to be the meat- terrible taste. Period. We couldn't eat so we left. The very unpersonable lady behind the counter shouts at us- hey, there is a trash can right there. We all felt that it must have been in the kitchen. Now 20 minutes later at home, a beer won't even get the bad taste out. Pray for another place to eat!
(1)Annabel D.
My husband and I got married in Oahu in August 2013. We knew we wanted to serve our guests our favorite Hawaiian dishes. After doing some research we found KENEKES. I emailed them to inquire about their catering and Keith answered all my questions promptly and efficiently. The day of the wedding Keith and his staff were amazing. The food was delicious. We had a Loco Moco station, Beef teriyaki, Chicken Katsu, macaroni/potato salad, rice, noodles and salad. Not to mention yummy appetizers which included spam musubi. We loved our wedding dinner and all our guests tummies appreciated the delicious food as well :) Overall the food was great and the staff was attentive and very professional. If you are looking to get your wedding or event catered look no further! Sincerely, "Loco Moco Girl"
(5)Jericca F.
We went to this restaurant while on vacation and just loved it! We are from small town Arizona where we work on lots of different farms so the farm animals (chickens and goats) were a huge plus for us! They were just so cute and added to he beautiful scenery of the mountains! Plus the food was pretty good! We had the coconut shrimp with mac salad and rice and I liked it all! My husband had the Kalua pork with rice and fries and wished that he had bbq sauce for the pork but nonetheless it was still pretty good! I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a hole in the wall shack to have some great local food!
(5)Rob C.
Good food especially for a roadside diner. Keep in mind this is not some ritzy Waikiki restaurant. It's a true dinner in the country. I've been to places in the southern part of the mainland and it's the same kind of place. The food is local food, great prices, with nice people. Enough said, don't complain about a roadside diner, move on if you want McDonald's.
(5)Tami R.
I am glad we found this place and stopped. Great food, portions and prices. My husband and I ordered a 2 meat plate and it was so much food we didn't finish it. And my kids ordered a one meat and didn't finish either. This is the first place where I didn't feel ripped off after eating. For less than $10 we got a HUGE portion of kalua pig, chicken katsu, macaroni salad and french fries. If we end up there again, we will just get a 1 meat plate and that will be more than enough to fill us up. We ate inside and it was pretty hot/humid but once we went out back to find the bathrooms I didn't realize there was a lot more room outside and it was pretty. I would eat out there next time.
(4)David H.
Oh my...what can I say about Keneke's that hasnt been said before? Do you want your diner free of pesky, nanny-state government regulations such as, having to have clean tables and running water in the bathrooms? Do you wish your food was served with a side of Biblical wisdom taken wildly out of context? Maybe you need your fix of Fox News while visiting President Obama's home town? Then Keneke's is the place for you!! Now, the food is actually not that bad; typical of what I expect from roadside greasy spoons. Decent portions, a bit greasy, definitely unhealthy but filling. I do have to say, I was pretty shocked by the Bible quotes all over the walls, the Fox News blaring on the TV and the Christian t-shirt the proprietor was wearing. What put it all over the top was the use of the NIV version of Ecclesiastes 10:2 instead of the KJV and wrote the words "left" and right" in big block letters. Does the owner really think Dems & Repubs were going at it in the Holy Land thousands of years ago? I think 10:1 would have fit the place better, as it was in serious need of cleaning. It's really as if the owner said "screw the guvment tryin to tell me I need to wipe off ma tables! I do wha I want!" Cmon, invest a couple of quarters into a soapy rag at least. Swiffer-mop that floor at least once a week too. I was VERY shocked by the fact the bathrooms were little more than outhouses with not water to wash your hands with. Yech. Nope wont be back. I probably would have given it a 3 for the food, but the heavy side order of righteousness left me feeling queasy.
(2)B L.
If you can get past the most obnoxious posting of scriptures ever, which yes, they are painted over every wall. And to make matters worse, they are really weird scriptures, that I feel are taken out of context.... But they have a good priced menu, with a local style menu as well as a good burger menu. They have extremely reasonable lunch options. However, even though I order their at least once a week (and I order the same thing every time) it is like pulling teeth to get them to add a n egg to my hamburger. I've also noticed they have charged me for fries when I have asked for them not to, and I didn't realize it until I got home, when I order take out.,.. But I do frequent there a lot, they use pretty fresh ingredients and the cashier is always very personable.
(3)Luv M.
We drive by every day see the 5.99 breakfast special decided to come for breakfast....swimsuit casual...walk to the window place yur order, givem your name get yur drink then find a seat...check out the seating outback...TV in back dining area...its 9:00 am sunday they are open. 5.99 breakfast 2/3 eggs Link Sausage/bacon/ spam/porgese sausage Rice/stk fries Toast Drink French tst offered too! Yes the walls are covered in scriptures, sit outside...order ta go...da! The meal is cheep and filling....stop by...have a great day!
(5)Jennifer S.
Keith Keneke and his fabulous staff did the catering to our wedding at Tiki Moon Villas. The food was outrageously good and he and his staff were awesome. We are not religious folks but we asked Keith to say the blessing which he did with humor and grace! The pupus were awesome and all our guests raved about the food! Would use them again in a heart beat!
(5)Denise K.
I am torn. Do I give two stars or three? I want to give 3 stars because the food is great, they serve large portions, and it's relatively cheap for a plate lunch. I love the BBQ chicken, mochiko chicken and chicken katsu. But I kind of think this Keneke's deserves 2 stars because it smells like rotting fruit outside and inside there are fruit flies galore! Kinda nasty if you ask me! I'm gunna stick with the OG Keneke's in Waimanalo. It's so much cleaner and they serve Kalbi.
(2)Kawena K.
I'm pretty surprised this place has no Yelp page yet but maybe because people don't know it's there. I got the address from Google Maps so I'm not even sure if that's accurate but if you're coming from Ka'a'awa side, it's a little past Kahana Bay on the left side of the highway. If you're coming from the Hale'iwa side, it's past Punalu'u beach park on the right. It's a little blue and white building that looks like a house with a gravel parking lot. I think there used to be some kind of touristy shrimp shack here before. Although the menu is pretty much the same as the Waimanalo one (standard local food - hamburger steak, mochiko chicken, shave ice, etc.), this location is really pretty. There's a large yard/garden area, surrounded by lush green landscape, where you can hold events like a birthday party or a wedding, catered by Keneke's. Like Waimanalo, the inside is decorated with Bible verses but there's also a TV and plenty of room to sit. When we came, there were only four other people in the place so we had the choicest options for seating. Overall, I'm super stoked there's a new food option opened in Punalu'u so I don't have to resort to the Ka'a'awa 7-11 on beach days. Yay, Keneke's!
(4)Tracy F.
I found Keneke's when looking for vendors that had previously catered our venue. We were planning our wedding remotely so I felt more comfortable booking vendors who had experience with our venue. I reached out to Keith and knew that I wanted to book his services based on our conversation. The prices were reasonable and Keith allowed us to make a few changes to the package we chose (Hawaiian Wedding Special #7). Two days before the wedding, Keith and MJ came to the venue to walk us through how things would go the day of the event. This put me at ease since I knew he was very comfortable with our venue. On the day of, everything went smoothly. The servers were great and made sure I got some food while we were taking photos. And then we were first in line at the buffet for dinner. All of the food was delicious and authentic. I have been getting rave reviews from everyone. I can't wait to go back to Hawaii next year on our anniversary and we will be sure to pop into Keneke's to eat.
(5)Lexus C.
Horrible customer service. I ordered my food and been waiting for at least 40 minutes and the people after me got their food first. Like really?? I was here first. And when we asked the lady where our food was, she acted like a little b****. Never coming here again. I was waiting way longer than the other people, yet I got my food last. Smh..
(1)Terry S.
Three stars for food, +1 for price and ambiance. The outdoor seating in the back has a fantastic mountain view, even if there are flies and ants everywhere. The $7.50 daily specials include a drink and are way more food than I have business eating in a single meal. It's not fancy or gourmet, but it's tasty and a great value.
(4)Geoff D.
Typical plate lunch at Keneke's. Tasty teri chicken, juicy and tender kalua pig, moist mac salad and a generous helping of rice. But from the lackluster reception to the recently manured fields out back (which I guess drove the flies inside), I would say Keneke's a good place to miss, unless like us, it was the only game in town for a late lunch.
(3)Bonny G.
If anyone is on this side of the island it's a must to stop and Grindz some Ono Foods ... Aloha p.s. After you order your breakfast/lunch or dinner plate don't sit down just go in the backyard you will be amazed of a Beautiful Site of our Mountains and etc..
(4)Abby W.
Service was lousy. Lady had a bad attitude. Don't get the burgers.
(2)R R.
2.5 stars. I ordered the hamburger steak plate, which was about $7.50 and comes with a drink. The hambuger was pretty tasteless. The gravy was what really gave any flavor to it. Would not recommend this or ever order it again. A friend of mine got some garlic fish. That was REALLY ONO. If I ever find myself back here, I'd def. get that. If I had that, this place probably would have gotten more stars. Portion sizes are huge, btw.
(2)Christina Y.
Visited this place for the first time in December and it was delicious! Keneke's is a small hole-in-the-wall that serves really good local food that's fresh! The only downer is it's a little bit pricey, but I guess that's the cost of shipping good, fresh food all the way to that side of the island. In addition to the delicious food, they their decor is quite memorable. Inside the dining room, there are dozens of scriptures painted on the wall, along with small pictures and other unique quotes. We will definitely visit this place again!
(4)C W.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE: OUTSIDE: Inviting. Lots of parking. INSIDE: I like the rustic ambiance. Scriptural passages handwritten with a marker on the white walls. There's a television in the mauka side dining room. The best way I can describe it is that it's COUNTRY. It's set up like a drive-in except that it's indoors. There's a take out window where you order and pick up your food. FOOD SELECTION: Average local selection from katsu to loco moco, burgers and fries, shave ice, and smoothies. They have an interesting range. I ordered the Garlic Steak plate with all tossed salad. I was expecting a Steak seasoned with salt and garlic. It was more like a teriyaki steak with some garlic. Actually, I think it's the May's brand teriyaki sauce. Based on the texture, the meat seemed like it was previously frozen and not fresh. A friend of mine ordered the burger combo. I didn't get to take a look at what the burger looked like but I did get some fries. I was disappointed with the fries. It, too, is previously frozen. Does anybody cut their own fries? VALUE: The value's are EXCELLENT. $6.99 for a meal and drink. That's unheard of. The portion size is decent - just the right amount! $5 for two burgers. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Excellent!
(2)Azzi E.
There is a reason for 5 stars: plenty food (really a big portion) for a cheap price, so if you are big and hungry guy, you will find your lucky place. Free soft drink with the meal. Plenty street parking, the shack itself (with bible verses on walls) is airy and cooled with a shade and breeze. And reason for less stars: The food is typical Hawaiian - greasy, heavy and too salty. First few bites are tasty, but then, you have a problem finishing it (I always take leftovers - not just because it's too much but always too heavy). There is a restroom next to the restaurant but it's "very" simple, I can imagine some ladies and guys will be disgusted. And for some reason, I always had stomach problems after eating here :(
(3)Victoria G.
My husband and I were driving and looking for food. Keneke's has a beautiful outdoor seating area. I had the Adobo Pork which was absolutely amazing. Definitely recommend it.
(5)Kimberly V.
We hired Kenekes to cater our wedding and the food was AMAZING. Also Keith is very funny and awesome to work with. Also all of the servers and helpers were amazing and very polite. They filled our water glasses frequently and made sure if anyone needed anything. AMAZING.
(5)Eileen S.
Keneke's in Punalu'u definately made up for Waimanalo's short comings yesterday. The staff at Punalu'u took care of us and the food was great. The only reason it's not a 5-star is that they ran out of Kalbi. Lol. Thank you Keith for our new fave place!
(4)S K.
Oh so NOT ONO!! Greasy food served on take out boxes. Walls are filled with quotes from bible and Fox news on!! Not the Hawaiin experience we thought we were going to get. It is cheap food and you get what you pay for.
(2)B. S.
You can only imagine my delight when I'm driving to north shore and SEE THIS PLACE! KENEKESSSS!!! IN PUNALUU!!!! Pork Adobo is still just as good. No one was really here, so you know most people don't know it exist yet. You know what I like about this one over the other? You refill your own drinks. Unlimited Drinks!
(5)Mary W.
Relaxed friendly atmosphere. Food comes in generous portions and is pretty good. We stumbled upon this place after spending the day at the ranch near by and we were starving. Not bad if you are in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
(3)jamie l.
The food here is delicious! I can eat their food everyday. affordable down to earth real local cooking. better than the places in the city.
(5)Francine W.
I would drive from my house in Waialae-Kahala, all the way to Punalu'u, to eat a Keneke's Ter-burger special each time I'm ono for a great burger! What a deal too!!! You get two(2) 1/4 lb teriburgers w/cheese.. choose deluxe- it's generous and fresh! Huge steak-cut fries and a drink..for $5.00 !!! Enough for a super hungry appetitte or a deal for two people to share !!!
(5)Bernadette M.
We had our wedding on 4/9/15 at loulu palms at the northshore. We wanted an authentic Hawaiian buffet and came upon Kenekes.. Not only were they reasonably priced but their wedding package came with chinaware and servers! We went with the Hawaiian Lua buffet and all of our guests loved loved the food! It was amazing! It was all gone. Good thing we ordered extra just in case.. Kenekes also helped with the cake cutting and passed out cake to our guests. At first it was really hard to get ahold Of Keith, our cater point of contact, but as it gets closer to the wedding date, he was very helpful and responsive. I loved Keneke's! Will use them again for any other upcoming event! Bernadette + Albert Gamayo
(5)Wendy S.
Went her starving for breakfast and it was a bit of a let down. There are two breakfast items on the menu; pineapple pancakes & "the breakfast special" no description! lol My husband and daughter got the pancakes (whopping size for very little money) & I got the "breakfast special", which consisted of two very well cooked over medium eggs, a few slices of Portuguese sausage, white rice and two pieces of over cooked dry toast. Three small containers of butter came along with our items, but the butter was near frozen making it hard to have buttered toast, it was more like crumbled toast with shards of frozen butter! lol The pancake plate was HUGE & only cost $3, but the flavor wasn't there-it was almost kinda of bland. The breakfast special had good eggs (they know how to cook eggs here) and the Portuguese sausage was okay, but the meal really wasn't anything I'd want to eat again. I'd give them 2.5 stars for the food, but due to the state of the place I wanted to give them only one star. I have to honest and say that the place is quite dirty. The walls are sticky, the tables are sticky, the floor is sticky, it was hot and sweaty in there at like 8:30am and the bathroom...ugh don't even get me started, gross. All in all it was a big disappointment for us since I wanted to like the place and the woman who took our order was so, so nice, but the food and the cleanliness factor killed it.
(2)Jamie S.
Stayed in Punalu'u for 5 days. We ate there 3 of those days, each time trying something new. Everything was great. Grilled white fish, garlic shrimp, BBQ chicken, teriyaki steak, and adobo pork! Hawaii style. Oahu country style.
(4)Christina C.
Is there an option for zero stars? First off the food was terrible. Whatever. We weren't expecting much. Don't order anything special; the staff is easily confused. We had a few little kids playing outside in the back seating area while we were waiting for our food. One of the younger kids came in crying, because she accidentally fell into an open pit of grease and oil--which apparently they had just poured drain cleaner into. The pit was just outside the pavilion area--no fence, no sign, no lid. Just 2-3 feet of filthy oil mixed with dangerous chemicals. Nice. We did the best we could to clean her up. We asked for a towel, and the snippy cashier offered us a dirty dishrag, saying she couldn't offer us anything else because she still had to wipe down the tables. As we were walking out the door, another employee (maybe the manager?) came out and joked that we'd be expected to mop the floors. Classy. No regard for food safety or your physical safety here. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.
(1)Kristen M.
Great portions, food is pretty good, I got the teriyaki chicken plate and couldn't finish it all. The ambience of the plce is what the charm is all about. Love the bible verses on the walls and the outside seating! Definitely going back soon!
(5)Rachel R.
I read some of the complaints before posting. I do not know what people expect from a tiny wooden restaurant on the side of the road, practically in the middle of nowhere - it is not a Chili's or TGIFridays. For this reason, I enjoyed it very much. Despite the decor which was hand written bible verses on every inch of the walls, I enjoyed going to the back and taking in the lush scenery and animals. They also have tables set up in the back to eat in. The Luau Pork was delicious!! Pricing was a little confusing. Cashier a little dry. Bathroom not so clean. All of these things did not take from how delicious my sandwich was or how reasonable the pricing was. I would def go there again.
(4)Jessica M.
We love Kenekes! I know it's not the best food or even the cleanest of establishments! But it's quaintness gets me every time. They have a great of menu items and portions are very generous. Prices are just right. It's this cool old restaurant tucked away on the north shore drive. If you take a few minutes to explore the scenery, it's Absolutely beautiful! My boyfriend and I have been coming here for years and love it.
(4)Michael A.
Eh, stopped by here while out riding today, figured why not. Got the bacon cheeseburger and garlic steak fries. Both tasted like straight ass. Place was also dirty as hell. "You get what you pay for"
(1)Amy N.
Ate here 3 times while visiting. Their food is fresh and delicious with a fun ground to roam around to check out the local flowers, animals and beautiful scenery . It's not a fancy place but a good place for lunch and casual times .
(4)Scott H.
Terrible food, tasted like they deep fried everything that should be pan fried. Ultra greasy port sausage and bacon because they are deep fried. I am just about positive the fryer grease hadn't been changed in a while, all the fried food had a weird sour taste. Don't recommend it! Go anywhere else!
(1)Tami R.
I am glad we found this place and stopped. Great food, portions and prices. My husband and I ordered a 2 meat plate and it was so much food we didn't finish it. And my kids ordered a one meat and didn't finish either. This is the first place where I didn't feel ripped off after eating. For less than $10 we got a HUGE portion of kalua pig, chicken katsu, macaroni salad and french fries. If we end up there again, we will just get a 1 meat plate and that will be more than enough to fill us up. We ate inside and it was pretty hot/humid but once we went out back to find the bathrooms I didn't realize there was a lot more room outside and it was pretty. I would eat out there next time.
(4)Sayre M.
I have to be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of Keneke's Grill as a restaurant, so when my wedding coordinator suggested we check them out as a caterer for my upcoming wedding, I was skeptical. However, their great prices made me think that we really couldn't go wrong just to check them out. We were blown away by how delicious it was at the taste test! We also tried some much higher priced caterers with "fancier" food and at the end of the day without even needing to take price into consideration, we chose Keneke's. We chose the following amazing menu: Passed Appetizers - Island Fruit - Shoyu Poke - Garlic Shrimp Skewers - Guava Chicken Skewers Salad - Punalu'u Green Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing Entrees - Filet Mignon - Teriyaki Chicken - Blackened Ahi Carving Station Sides - Garlic Red Potatoes - Hawaiian Sweet Bread - Grilled Asparagus & Butter Nut Squash We also added a custom sushi station from another vendor although I have heard that Keneke's does sushi as well. Everything was just perfect. Keneke's didn't constantly nickle & dime us throughout the process and were accommodating about serving a sparkling cider toast, cake, and coffee after the meal. They happily brought plated food to the head table as we requested and checked in frequently to see if we needed any drinks or more food. We definitely saved money using their glass dishware instead of renting. There was so much food that my parents took some home and are probably STILL enjoying it! I did have a wedding coordinator organizing everything, but as far as I could tell, they arrived on time, looked professional, and served everything promptly. We got rave reviews from the guests as far as the food. Definitely recommend using them as caterers!
(5)Annabelle P.
SHAVED ICE. This spot was right across from our beach house. Fairly clean. The shaved ice was sooo good. Except I think the lady was a bit frazzled. She forgot that we ordered shaved ice and didn't get to us till we went up to the window to ask what was taking so long.
(3)Deano G.
I'm glad I just had an ice cream. The place is a little dirty and the scripture written on the walls are cool, but also a little freaky. I will drive by next time and head to a different spot.... you should as well. The ice cream was good tho.
(2)Tim W.
Beautiful outdoor eating area in the back up against the cliffs! Shave Ice is $3 but pretty below average! Boring flavors! The place just seems a little dingy to me. The bathrooms are gross! I hope the kitchen is cleaner!! This place has a WEIRD vibe!! I don't understand the mix of 'I don't care' attitude of the lady who owns the place and the Bible verses written all over the wall. I'm a friendly sinner and not a mean preacher........... so I don't feel welcomed in this place! no Aloha here.
(2)dave j.
I had a two meat plate with teriyaki New York steak and fried chicken comes with two sides went with salad greens and rice. My steak was down right tasty and chicken was nice and crispy. G.F had garlic shrimp and Kahlua pig with potatoe salad and Mac and cheese. She enjoyed it a well. Portions ate huge for ten bucks. Best Value the whole trip. Ambience is a bit suspect we ate outside with the chickens. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Food and value superb.
(4)Joanne C.
We had our destination wedding in the North Shore of Oahu, Loulu Palm Estate. We wanted to find catering with good local Hawaiian food at a reasonable price. After doing some research online, we found Keneke's. When we emailed our inquiries, Keith answered all our questions quickly and was very helpful . We choose Wedding Special #1, $39/person. He was flexible and let us change a few things from the wedding special menu. This package includes delivery, staff for onsite cooking, to hand pass appetizers, and help serve at the buffet. This package helped us save a lot of money w/ our party rentals since our package also included china, flatware, water goblets, stainless steel warmers (otherwise we would have to pay per item). My coordinator mentioned they only charged 50% for kids & for vendors we fed. On the wedding day, Keith and the entire staff were very helpful and provided great service. I loved how the servers made sure I had appetizers before and after running off to take pictures. They even set some aside & put on our table. More importantly, the food was delicious. For appetizers we had shoyu ahi poke, maki sushi, teriyaki beef, mochiko chicken, and grilled pineapple skewers. For dinner we had nalo green salad, mixed veggie medley, garlic prawns, garlic mash potatoes, hapa rice, hibachi chicken, kalua pig, and the prime rib carving station. Nothing but compliments from our guests, everybody loved the food. We didn't get enough time to sit and eat for long. They were kind enough to wrap our food to go and labled it "Mr. & Mrs". They also packed all of our leftovers for us. If you're looking for catering with attentive service and delicious island-style food for a reasonable price, we definitely recommend Keneke's. Thanks again to Keith and his staff!! You guys are awesome!! We will stop by next time were on the island for sure. Joanne & Patrick #JoandPatsHalloWedding...
(5)Vanessa Y.
I'm actually really conflicted about this vendor. The food wasn't as good at the wedding as it was at the tasting. The coordinator said they were quite difficult to work with as most of the plates and glasses had to be cleaned. They didn't have enough place settings and it took them four hours to go back to the warehouse and get more, but at that point dinner was over. However, their pricing was the best I received, half of what other vendors were charging for full service catering (including real place settings not paper, passed appetizers with servers, and plenty of vegetarian options.) I was just googling caterers when I found this place. Their pricing is very transparant. Most places I would have to email to get a quote, food would be around $40, then had to include cost of chef, servers, place settings. Many quotes I got were in the $6,000-$9000 range and we wanted to spend under $5,000. We almost went with a vendor that was just gonna drop the food off and we were going to get "fancy" disposable products. So finding Keneke's was a dream come true. Keith customized the menu to include plenty of vegetarian options (I'm a vegetarian) and offered us a great price! Remember to bring bug spray when you go to his restaurant for tasting. Keith wasn't there the day of our wedding, so I'm not sure if things would have ran smoother if he was there. They did some cooking at the venue, but a lot of the food just didn't taste fresh (like at the tasting). The servers were also really good about making sure my husband and I had food. My brother got scolded when I gave him my leftover plate of appetizers (I had no appetite). They were also really nice about helping to clean up. not just the food, but generally. Even with all the mishaps, I would still reccommend Keneke's. Their pricing can't be beat!
(4)Victoria M.
This place was gross. Visiting from the mainland and decided to randomly drive out to Laie with my sister. On the way back we stopped by this place for lunch. I guess you can say I like to be adventurous when trying out diff eateries in random places. Don't let the cheap specials fool you. If sitting waiting for your food and you look around and observe the Dingyness and second guess whether you made the right decision to eat here, do yourself a favor after reading this review, jump in your car and burn rubber! It felt suspect for a reason! From the bland cashier with the personality of a wall to the outdated layout to the discolored walls with bible scriptures hand painted on them and other fixtures decorating that had rhyme/reason/theme - it was all just off putting - including the food, which was served to us by the cashier - no, not on a platter but straight up holding the to go containers - no dressing for the salad + a side of TACKY! She looked like she hated her life...Will never come back here again. I agree with a previous reviewer where instead of "Bless this kitchen" it should have said "Lord Save us" lmboooooo
(1)Anthony C.
Well our first red flag was the lizard that ran across the wall but we figured we would give the place a chance. We ordered two chicken entrées and we were really confused how it was made served in 3 minutes after we ordered. The chicken was slimey and didn't really resemble chicken definitely recommend finding another spot to eat.
(1)Krista S.
Not good, dont waste your money! Cheap prices because it's bad food. The only good thing was the fries and even those were only okay. The worst part was the cashier who took our order. She was very rude and immediately snapped at us for asking a simple question about the menu. We will never recommend this place to our worse enemy.
(1)Mike P.
Very creepy. Not sure if it's a grill or some weird evangelical cult. Bible verses and little Jesus fish painted all over every flat surface. Reminds me of tent revivals in the Deep South. The lady who took my order - two milk shakes - was nice, and this is hawaii-style service, so she started off with what she couldn't do for me, in this case "no plain vanilla, no malt." No malt: first experience ever of no malt in a place that made shakes. OK, macadamia something ice cream then. The shake tasted like the ice cream she used, however, down the road it became very evident she'd "cut" the ice cream with plain ice cubes, ground up, and not ground very well. Ripped off by religionists? Who'd have thought. They'd better get some of that quick, daily forgiveness from Jesus. They won't get it from me the customer.
(1)Joann T.
Excellent breakfast and service lived as well the history and surrounding loved talking to our waitress a and asked about all the scriptures on walls she told us the owner is a minister who we met after. Great experience
(5)Areanne D.
I love this place! I was on vacation with my family and just stumbled upon this place along the road and my parents decided to eat here. I was a bit sketchy because it was at night and no one was there but turns out the food was great and the people that work there are really nice! My parents decided to come back the next day as well! Hahah
(5)Susan T.
This place is awesome! We have been here a few times and it is consistently good and affordable. This is a grill type restaurant. It has a country/homey feel to it. That is some of what appeals to me about it. I did read reviews prior to coming here and read something about a grease pit??? I looked for it and never saw one. We went outside, walked around the Lanai area, and even to the right where to goats were and didn't see anything offensive. My kiddos enjoyed being able to walk around and see the all the green and watch the animals while we were waiting for our food. We ordered several salads with our meals and got dressing for each and every one of them. We did not have to ask for anything we needed. The cashier was bright and friendly. Even stopping to say hello to the little ones. She even brought us a dish rag when one of the kiddos spilled a drink with no fuss. This is definitely a must eat place! I've never had a bad experience here and honestly don't understand the mean, biting comments in other reviews. (Oh, BTW, signs on the door say they open at 8AM). Perfect for their delicious breakfasts which gives you mounds of food and bacon!! :D
(5)Janine L.
You walk in the front door and read the charming hanging sign that says 'bless this kitchen' - what it should say is 'god save us' We ordered a 'special' coconut shrimp plate- came with 2 sides and a drink. 6 frozen prepackaged bread shrimp coconut added later; fries and a salad served with no fork. A regular burger- literally a bun and a patty. A 'hand crafted' bacon cheeseburger- deluxe. Two orders of garlic fries. We had to go and ask for a napkin! We couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with the burger- but since it was the only option, it had to be the meat- terrible taste. Period. We couldn't eat so we left. The very unpersonable lady behind the counter shouts at us- hey, there is a trash can right there. We all felt that it must have been in the kitchen. Now 20 minutes later at home, a beer won't even get the bad taste out. Pray for another place to eat!
(1)Jericca F.
We went to this restaurant while on vacation and just loved it! We are from small town Arizona where we work on lots of different farms so the farm animals (chickens and goats) were a huge plus for us! They were just so cute and added to he beautiful scenery of the mountains! Plus the food was pretty good! We had the coconut shrimp with mac salad and rice and I liked it all! My husband had the Kalua pork with rice and fries and wished that he had bbq sauce for the pork but nonetheless it was still pretty good! I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a hole in the wall shack to have some great local food!
(5)Rob C.
Good food especially for a roadside diner. Keep in mind this is not some ritzy Waikiki restaurant. It's a true dinner in the country. I've been to places in the southern part of the mainland and it's the same kind of place. The food is local food, great prices, with nice people. Enough said, don't complain about a roadside diner, move on if you want McDonald's.
(5)Fer R.
Man, do I really want to write a bad review?? No, I really don't but we really had a bad experience here at Kenekes. Our rental house landlord gave us a highly talked up review of the place and so we went to check them out for lunch one day. Kenekes is about the only place to grab a bite to eat in the area. Before I get to the worst part, let me butter up the place a little bit first. The grounds are very beautiful and with the lush green mountains right behind you, how can you go wrong by sitting out back and soaking in the sights. Also out back there are a few goats fenced in and on occasion you'll hear them voice their opinion lol. You'll see roaming hens, their babies and Mr Rooster. Parking right out front on the pot holed gravel/dirt is fine however if you get a sudden down poor and you've parked right over a pothole....well your screwed! So we walked on in and noticed plenty of folks eating and their food looked simple and good. We placed our order. Very pleasant service and very friendly lady at register. Once we filled up our drinks we told lady at register that we'd be sitting out back on patio. I had to grab the waitress to have her wipe off the outside table or if she could give me a towel, I'd do it. No worries. So after about 20 minutes I noticed a few others coming to sit outside as well. They got their food before us! WTF?! I was a bit concerned and got up and said something to the lady that was waiting tables and bringing the other patrons their meals. I mentioned we'd been there for 35 minuted at this point and asked about our food. She had said 'oh its coming up, and I'll bring it right out to you'. Ooookay..... literally 50 minutes later and seeing countless folks come, eat and go, my Hubby and I went up to the order window and asked about our food. They couldn't find our tag and they thought they had found it but it was another "Doug", not us. They had said that they'd retake our order and make it right then. They apologized and stuff and they tried to blame it on the new cook or something. Either way, we asked for our money back, which they gladly refunded. I was a little shocked with the feeling that this happened quite often as the waitress lady seemed to be a bit rude when she came to see what the problem was. She almost immediately offered our money back and not to make our order. Its like they just wanted to get us out and not make us happy. If this place could concentrate on more of a professional ticket service, maybe they wouldn't misplace the food ticket?? Oh and maybe another waitress too. Oh and if you don't mind seeing the different Bible criptures written all over the inside walls then do walk in and order.
(1)Annabel D.
My husband and I got married in Oahu in August 2013. We knew we wanted to serve our guests our favorite Hawaiian dishes. After doing some research we found KENEKES. I emailed them to inquire about their catering and Keith answered all my questions promptly and efficiently. The day of the wedding Keith and his staff were amazing. The food was delicious. We had a Loco Moco station, Beef teriyaki, Chicken Katsu, macaroni/potato salad, rice, noodles and salad. Not to mention yummy appetizers which included spam musubi. We loved our wedding dinner and all our guests tummies appreciated the delicious food as well :) Overall the food was great and the staff was attentive and very professional. If you are looking to get your wedding or event catered look no further! Sincerely, "Loco Moco Girl"
(5)David H.
Oh my...what can I say about Keneke's that hasnt been said before? Do you want your diner free of pesky, nanny-state government regulations such as, having to have clean tables and running water in the bathrooms? Do you wish your food was served with a side of Biblical wisdom taken wildly out of context? Maybe you need your fix of Fox News while visiting President Obama's home town? Then Keneke's is the place for you!! Now, the food is actually not that bad; typical of what I expect from roadside greasy spoons. Decent portions, a bit greasy, definitely unhealthy but filling. I do have to say, I was pretty shocked by the Bible quotes all over the walls, the Fox News blaring on the TV and the Christian t-shirt the proprietor was wearing. What put it all over the top was the use of the NIV version of Ecclesiastes 10:2 instead of the KJV and wrote the words "left" and right" in big block letters. Does the owner really think Dems & Repubs were going at it in the Holy Land thousands of years ago? I think 10:1 would have fit the place better, as it was in serious need of cleaning. It's really as if the owner said "screw the guvment tryin to tell me I need to wipe off ma tables! I do wha I want!" Cmon, invest a couple of quarters into a soapy rag at least. Swiffer-mop that floor at least once a week too. I was VERY shocked by the fact the bathrooms were little more than outhouses with not water to wash your hands with. Yech. Nope wont be back. I probably would have given it a 3 for the food, but the heavy side order of righteousness left me feeling queasy.
(2)B L.
If you can get past the most obnoxious posting of scriptures ever, which yes, they are painted over every wall. And to make matters worse, they are really weird scriptures, that I feel are taken out of context.... But they have a good priced menu, with a local style menu as well as a good burger menu. They have extremely reasonable lunch options. However, even though I order their at least once a week (and I order the same thing every time) it is like pulling teeth to get them to add a n egg to my hamburger. I've also noticed they have charged me for fries when I have asked for them not to, and I didn't realize it until I got home, when I order take out.,.. But I do frequent there a lot, they use pretty fresh ingredients and the cashier is always very personable.
(3)Luv M.
We drive by every day see the 5.99 breakfast special decided to come for breakfast....swimsuit casual...walk to the window place yur order, givem your name get yur drink then find a seat...check out the seating outback...TV in back dining area...its 9:00 am sunday they are open. 5.99 breakfast 2/3 eggs Link Sausage/bacon/ spam/porgese sausage Rice/stk fries Toast Drink French tst offered too! Yes the walls are covered in scriptures, sit outside...order ta go...da! The meal is cheep and filling....stop by...have a great day!
(5)Jennifer S.
Keith Keneke and his fabulous staff did the catering to our wedding at Tiki Moon Villas. The food was outrageously good and he and his staff were awesome. We are not religious folks but we asked Keith to say the blessing which he did with humor and grace! The pupus were awesome and all our guests raved about the food! Would use them again in a heart beat!
(5)Tracy F.
I found Keneke's when looking for vendors that had previously catered our venue. We were planning our wedding remotely so I felt more comfortable booking vendors who had experience with our venue. I reached out to Keith and knew that I wanted to book his services based on our conversation. The prices were reasonable and Keith allowed us to make a few changes to the package we chose (Hawaiian Wedding Special #7). Two days before the wedding, Keith and MJ came to the venue to walk us through how things would go the day of the event. This put me at ease since I knew he was very comfortable with our venue. On the day of, everything went smoothly. The servers were great and made sure I got some food while we were taking photos. And then we were first in line at the buffet for dinner. All of the food was delicious and authentic. I have been getting rave reviews from everyone. I can't wait to go back to Hawaii next year on our anniversary and we will be sure to pop into Keneke's to eat.
(5)Denise K.
I am torn. Do I give two stars or three? I want to give 3 stars because the food is great, they serve large portions, and it's relatively cheap for a plate lunch. I love the BBQ chicken, mochiko chicken and chicken katsu. But I kind of think this Keneke's deserves 2 stars because it smells like rotting fruit outside and inside there are fruit flies galore! Kinda nasty if you ask me! I'm gunna stick with the OG Keneke's in Waimanalo. It's so much cleaner and they serve Kalbi.
(2)Kawena K.
I'm pretty surprised this place has no Yelp page yet but maybe because people don't know it's there. I got the address from Google Maps so I'm not even sure if that's accurate but if you're coming from Ka'a'awa side, it's a little past Kahana Bay on the left side of the highway. If you're coming from the Hale'iwa side, it's past Punalu'u beach park on the right. It's a little blue and white building that looks like a house with a gravel parking lot. I think there used to be some kind of touristy shrimp shack here before. Although the menu is pretty much the same as the Waimanalo one (standard local food - hamburger steak, mochiko chicken, shave ice, etc.), this location is really pretty. There's a large yard/garden area, surrounded by lush green landscape, where you can hold events like a birthday party or a wedding, catered by Keneke's. Like Waimanalo, the inside is decorated with Bible verses but there's also a TV and plenty of room to sit. When we came, there were only four other people in the place so we had the choicest options for seating. Overall, I'm super stoked there's a new food option opened in Punalu'u so I don't have to resort to the Ka'a'awa 7-11 on beach days. Yay, Keneke's!
(4)Hannah C.
We went here on a whim, just looking for a quick place to eat. We weren't expecting much.However, one thing that really bothered me is the amount of the flies. I've eaten in outdoor/open wind places and the amount of flies is gross. I was fighting off 4-5 flies from my food constantly. The tables and seating were also very dirty. I wouldn't go here again.
(3)Robert R.
Meal was last minute and they closed in 10 minutes. Had both of the pork dishes with tossed salad and ate them in the car in the parking lot. A little salty, added the BBQ sauce for flavor. Nice decent meal
(3)Jena M.
Keneke's catered my best friend's wedding in August 2013 and the food was amazing! That coupled with their prices and friendly service has made them my go to caterer for events. I recommended them to my hula sister for her wedding the following December (Who can beat those prices?! Comes with not only delicious food but also INCLUDES all serving ware and servers!) and the happy couple loved them! I also had them cater my daughter's 1st birthday and everyone raved about the food (they also came all the way to Haleiwa for NO EXTRA CHARGE to deliver! One less thing I had to worry about that day!). Amazing food and people, go with them and you will not be disappointed. PS: I recommend the garlic shrimp, kalua pig with kale and shoyu chicken!!!
(5)Seuss B.
The Bible versus were heavenly. Eating outside was paradise. Prices are a bargain for a full plate of onolicious Kailua pig. We are going back for sure! We highly recommend this place for local food with a local ambience.
(5)Lexus C.
Horrible customer service. I ordered my food and been waiting for at least 40 minutes and the people after me got their food first. Like really?? I was here first. And when we asked the lady where our food was, she acted like a little b****. Never coming here again. I was waiting way longer than the other people, yet I got my food last. Smh..
(1)Terry S.
Three stars for food, +1 for price and ambiance. The outdoor seating in the back has a fantastic mountain view, even if there are flies and ants everywhere. The $7.50 daily specials include a drink and are way more food than I have business eating in a single meal. It's not fancy or gourmet, but it's tasty and a great value.
(4)Geoff D.
Typical plate lunch at Keneke's. Tasty teri chicken, juicy and tender kalua pig, moist mac salad and a generous helping of rice. But from the lackluster reception to the recently manured fields out back (which I guess drove the flies inside), I would say Keneke's a good place to miss, unless like us, it was the only game in town for a late lunch.
(3)Bonny G.
If anyone is on this side of the island it's a must to stop and Grindz some Ono Foods ... Aloha p.s. After you order your breakfast/lunch or dinner plate don't sit down just go in the backyard you will be amazed of a Beautiful Site of our Mountains and etc..
(4)Angela B.
I had a chance to dine here and camp on the property so I'll keep the two reviews in separate paragraphs. Restaurant: I was a little wierded out by all the bible scripts on the wall, but found it interesting. It helped pass the time reading them while I waited for the food, which is slow coming out when there are several orders. Food is delicious, large portions, and inexpensive. I always get the teri-beef & garlic shrimp, comes with rice & mac salad. My bf raves about their kalua pig sandwich but it's kinda small buns, even though they pile on the meat. They also sell Dave's Ice-cream from Waimanalo. Camp ground: We camped here Fri-Sun with a group of friends. The property is large. The owner usually opens it up for surf competition campers. There are two parts of the property, in front is a wide grassy area, fenced in. The back part is also grassy but has a huge fire pit. Not much shading. It's a good thing we brought our pop-up tent. Plenty of firewood, but when we were there, it was a bit damp from rain. There are also cows & chicken on the property and usually stay behind the gate/shrubs but a couple usually wander out to the camp ground. At night, be careful when walking to the bathroom. There are LARGE snails and frogs all over. Overall: My experience was awesome. There are bathrooms with electricity all night, showers, garbage bins for trash, right across from the beach, yummy & cheap breakfast-lunch-dinner 100 ft away (they close at 8p). Best of all, Keith, the owner, was super friendly...don't let his biker appearance scare you!
(4)John F.
A relative had raved about this place so my wife and I stopped in. She had teriyaki chicken, I had the smoked K pig- what a dive and not worth the (inexpensive) $7.50 per plate. Wife's chicken was stringy dark meat, rice was merely 2 ice cream scoops of generic white rice. She couldn't eat the chicken it was so flavorless and stringy. My smoked pork had no smoke flavor, had to pour BBQ sauce on it to taste it. Both served in paper taken home style containers that are usually styrofoam elsewhere, so it started dissolving as tiny salad and pork liquid settled. Throw in the 'I don't care' attitude of the lady who owns the place- like she was just going thru the motions, and the weed smelling clientele mixed with scripture all over the walls, and we can't see why anyone would go here to eat- unless you've been smoking something and just crave bland food served by ill mannered people.
(1)Jessica T.
We used Keneke's catering for our destination wedding in April 2014, and the food was so good that I had to write a review (we are picky eaters too!). All of our guests were impressed with the food that we had at the wedding. We chose Wedding Special #4 and it was more than enough food for everyone -- Shrimp Cocktail, Mango Chicken Skewers, Fruit Skewers, Shoyu Pork, Kalua pig, Mahi Mahi, and Lemon Grass Chicken. Everyone told me the Kalua pig with Kale was realllly good (I had a few bites myself, but of course it's tough to finish your plate when it's your own wedding). The staff was really accommodating and made sure everyone's face was stuffed. Thanks Keneke's!
(5)Kimberly W.
Had gluten free option of chicken for our son. The loco moco, bacon cheeseburger, blt, fried chicken and grilled chicken were all tasty. The staff was great even with strange requests like rice from loco moco in separate container for our picky lil one. We loved reading the scriptues on the walls too.
(4)Sandra B.
It's rundown, but not in the good hole-in-the-wall type of place rundown. I think a sharpie was used to write all the scriptures on the wall. The scriptures certainly added character, but the kind of creepy, foreboding character you don't necessarily want to run into. My family were the only diners, and I felt like we were making the wrong turn kind of mistake you see people make in horror/thriller flicks. You know the kind where you end up in a long abandon place where no one can hear your screams or care if they do. The only other outstanding decor was what appeared to be a dead goldfish in a plastic bag filled with water (like those you win at carnivals) hung up near our table. I normally would ask questions, but the stare I got from the cashier/waitress made me think better of it. The food is cheap and you get a lot of it. When I went, five dollars bought you two hamburgers-- one of the specials. I got those for the kids. I opted for the teriyaki beef plate. My husband just ordered garlic fries because he isn't as adventurous as me or maybe he has better instincts. With the drinks, a family meal came to around 20 bucks. That almost made up for the ants taking nice long drinks at the refill soda fountain. I tried waiting in line, but there were just too many. I left with a full, slightly achy belly.
(2)Loocha L.
loco moco w/ greens instead of mac. very convenient to get to, friendly staff, decor is definitely not boring. check out back patio tables for lush outdoor setting. dude, their paper cups say parties, weddings, funerals. i'd love my funeral reception to be here.
(4)Jeremy H.
I love Kenekes Panaluu Grill! Eat there every time I'm on the island. Love the mountains and the wait staff are super friendly. I've never had a problem and recommend Kenekes to my friends visiting the island. Try the Loco Moco or Teriyaki Chicken Plate!
(5)Dover G.
Sign said OPEN. Sign on Building said Open. Sign on door said open. 10:15, with opening at 10:00, denied. Wasn't open. Too bad we, and the car behind us, couldn't have had breakfast.
(1)Ervin S.
Great food and service. Nice backyard! Definitely a place to visit if you are near the Northshore area of Oahu.
(5)Whit N.
This place is scarifying. I just coined that. The walls are covered in scripture. Fox News is blasting on the TV. Me and my liberal commie friends walked in and the owner stared daggers at us. Also, the food was greazy. Avoid this place. Unless you wanna get deliveranced.
(1)Lindsay P.
I think this was our favorite meal on the island. It was the cheapest, most satisfying meal too. When you first walk into Keneke's, it really is kind of like a scene from any horror movie; there is scripture all over the walls and the lights all have a weird neon look to them that makes you think they're going to start flickering any moment. However, the woman who took our order was very nice and didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that we were most certainly tourists. (I'm so white, there is no doubt of it.) I ordered the Kalua pork meal, which came with your choice of two sides. I had rice and toss salad. This had to have been the most flavorful, tender, and moist Kalua pig we had anywhere on the island, and we tried it in quite a few places. The only bummer was that the salad was served in the same box as the pork and rice, and therefore it got warm. Cam had the Kalua pork sandwich and said it was equally good. Also, free refills on the drinks! If you make a trip up to the north shore, this is a must stop place! Don't let the look scare you off!
(4)Jocelyn R.
Reasonably priced and good food, worth a stop if you're in the area. I liked my burger and fries and my husband enjoyed his terriyaki chicken plate lunch. I can't give this place four stars because our food took a lot longer than it should have to come out, and I was a little taken aback by all the Bible verses on the walls, but that may be just because I am a heathen :)
(3)Ling W.
If I could give zero stars, I would. A total dive, trash and garbage on the outside, disgusting and dirty on the inside. We waited over 5 mins to place our order and barring the fries, everything else--fried chicken, kalua pork, fried shrimp--was inedible due to horrible consistency and taste. The Mac salad was like a scoop of mayonnaise with some pasta thrown in. Absolutely disgusting. My husband had been to another location 5 years ago and was looking forward to trying this one. We walked out with 90% of our lunches left. Do not eat here.
(1)Kristine M.
I used Kenekes to cater my wedding of 240 people at Sea Life Park (NEVER use them as a venue - ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!). Anyhoo, Keith was great to work with from the food tasting at the Punaluu Kenekes (fabulous and friendly) to the menu he created and the service he provided. I would recommend him to anyone planning a party who would like delicious, affordable, professional catering... They passed pupus to guests (breaded coconut shrimp, Teri beef skewers, ahi poke, guava BBQ chicken skewers).. Then we chose a buffet dinner of kalua pig and kale, mango BBQ chicken , grilled mahi mahi, hapa rice, sweet potato mash, greens salad, sautéed vegetables... All of this for $26/head!!! (plus tax and tip)... They wore all black and provided water goblets and glass 9" square plates... I can't thank Keith enough for being the most stress-free vendor to work with while planning my wedding... So flexible and relaxed in ever aspect. Kenekes is a hidden gem in the catering world! Thank you Keith for everything! Aloha, Kristine
(5)Mary P.
Absolutely LOVE this place! My husband and I stayed in Waikiki for 7 days and made two trips across the island just to eat here. The BBQ is amazing and the meat is very tender. The portion sizes are perfect and service is great. Im so happy we spent our last day of vacation here. Would highly recommend!
(5)