Somehow I had never eaten at a food truck, even in the Oregonian food pod mecca of the world, Portland. But, with a half hour to spare on the way to Maui’s Kahului airport there was a short room of opportunity to check this adventure off my bucket list by munching on seafood at a Hawaiian shrimp truck.
Geste’s Shrimp Truck in Kuhului, Hawaii has a four star rating and serves fresh, juicy shrimp, on the side of the road…in a truck.
We drove about two miles past the airport on Kuhului Beach Road to find Geste’s Hawaiian food truck. And there was a line. Good sign.
There ain’t nothing fancy about this mobile food joint. Nothing.
The truck is plain white with a small sign and menu. And there are no tables, chairs or garbage cans. Surely, this is where the locals go to get their Hawaiian takeout lunch. And curious people like me.
We ordered the Hawaiian Style shrimp and popped a squat on the rocky beach directly behind the truck. We almost got a contact high from the local fishermen hanging out there. Should we have moved closer?
The shrimp had the shells on, in all of my dining out (which is embarrassingly a lot) I have never seen this. Tails on, yes. Entire shells, no. But, maybe it was meant to capture the moisture and flavor, because these shrimp had both.
12 shrimp per order (for $12) were served with rice and crab Mac n cheese. It was imitation crab, but you won’t care because you have shrimp.
The food truck meal was served in styrofoam with plasticware which reminded me of my recent Southern BBQ meal in Georgia where my wine was served in a plastic cup. Both meals were equally as good.
Have you ever eaten at a Hawaiian food truck? Or any other type of food truck?
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I went to Fumi's shrimp truck on Oahu and had their hot and spicy shrimp – and it was probably the best shrimp I've ever had! They had their shrimp farm (farm?) behind the truck, so they too had the entire shell on the shrimp still.
I love finding food trucks when I travel. Austin, TX has food trucks everywhere! The Peached Tortilla food truck had the best burrito I've ever had – bahn mi burrito. Minneapolis, MN just started getting lots of food trucks within the past few years as well.
I think I need to add food trucks to my dining repetoire! My hometown only has one taco truck, but several food trucks are popping up in surrounding areas. Bahn Mi Burrito sounds delish!!!
Oh yea…the best fish taco I have ever eaten was off of a food truck…Pat's Taquerita in Kauai! Nothing better then food trucks!
Fish tacos sound delish right now!
I used to grab a taco for lunch from food trucks in California. (This was 20 years ago.) They were fantastic and not at all like the Mexican food we get at restaurants here in the U.S. My friends told me I was probably eating horse or dog meat, but I chose not to believe them. Those tacos were GOOD!
Plus – I drove an ice cream truck at the time, so I traded ice cream for a taco. Ah, those were the days… ;)
Ooh. I like that business sense of trading ice cream for tacos! I try to trade gift cards at my restaurant all the time :)
Food trucks are becoming huge! Not just the simple beef on a bun either! I agree – adding them to the dining repertoire sounds like a good idea! Have been to a few at fairs and festivals, but have yet to try the ones that are showing up around town. Your shrimp looks pretty yum, and eating on the run..that looks way better than (ugg..) McDonalds!!!
Hands down better than McDonalds!! I see all those fancy food trucks on tv and look forward to testing them out.
Food trucks are something new for me. We don't have them in Valencia, and while traveling I never really adventured myself to eat street food. But… never say never…
Since i own a restaurant, I am typically a restaurant dining only girl because I like to see what trendy things others are doing. But, now I might throw in a food truck here and there :)
Ahh food truck in hawaii! One of our MUST DO everytime we're in Maui! Your post makes me hungry! :)
Oh and I must say, I have tried a few shrimp trucks but havent tried Geste's yet! That'll be the one we'll try next time we're back in Maui!
You’ll have to let me know how it compares to the other food trucks in Hawaii!
Giovanni Shrimp Truck! A must on Oahu
There are a number of food trucks in Hawaii and they sell delicious food. This is one of them!
I bet there’s many more! If you have any others to list, I am sure the readers would love it :)