where jess ate

Unlike other major US cities like NYC, there doesn’t seem to be very much media or blogger coverage over restaurants in Hawaii. So, Yelp was our best friend during our trip when it came time to decide where to eat. The highly-rated Shark Pit food truck in Maui looked promising so we made our way over.

The truck is located in an empty fenced-in lot in Lahaina, a stone’s throw away from Star Noodle. We had a ton of trouble finding the truck and actually gave up. We made a U-turn and as we were driving back  down Ulupono Street, we spotted a sign saying “Shark Pit”. Phew! It’s located near a church, so keep an eye out.

Inside the lot, there are several plastic folding tables underneath a tented area to shield customers from the blistering sun. There’s also a homemade lemonade stand in the lot – we tried the strawberry and lilikoi, both of which were delicious.

Shark Pit’s menu offers three sandwiches/burgers (including a Kabayaki chicken meatball sub), taco plates (including fish tacos and kalbi ground beef tacos) and a handful of special made with fresh, local ingredients.

After debating between the fish and shrimp tacos, I decided on the Spicy Shrimp Tacos – Asian slaw, korean aioli and sriracha (MP). One bite in and I knew I made the right choice. They were some of the best shrimp tacos I’ve had in a while. Each taco consisted of perfectly cooked shrimp with a fresh crunchy purple slaw and a squeeze of aioli and sriracha to top it all off.

The taco plates include two tacos and Hawaiian style fried rice. Often times, the sides aren’t anything to write home about but this was SO delicious! It must’ve been the little bits of spam!

Mike decided to go with the Loco Moco Fried Rice ($9). For those of you unfamiliar with Loco Moco, it’s a Hawaiian dish consisting of rice topped with gravy, a hamburger patty and fried egg. So, it’s not the most exciting dish. As far as Loco Moco’s go, I thought the Shark Pit’s take was pretty good – definitely better than some others we had tried. The rich gravy was the star of the show. We just found it weird eating such a rich and heavy dish in the heat. I’d enjoy it a lot more in the cold.

My sister ordered the Hawaiian Style Cheesesteak – red peppers, onions, mushrooms, swiss cheese in an island marinade ($9). Messy, saucy, cheesy and all around a tasty and satisfying cheesesteak! It’s not something you can eat gracefully… I saw my sister licking her fingers a number of times. So yeah, finger-lickin’ good!

The last dish we ordered was the Furukaki Dusted Corn on the Cob (MP). It’s essentially a Japanese take on the Mexican street corn with a tasty dusting of Japanese seasoning and aioli. It was good but not particularly memorable in my opinion.

We really enjoyed our meal from the Shark Pit. If you’re looking for a lunch spot around Lahaina, this food truck is well worth a visit!

At a glance:

• Food truck parked in a fenced-in lot in Lahaina (near Star Noodle); it’s difficult to find so keep an eye out!
• Some seating available; plastic folding tables underneath a tented area
• The spicy shrimp tacos are a must-order
• Pick up some fresh lemonade from the stand next door

Ratings (out of 5):

• Food: 3.5 stars
• Service: n/a
• Atmosphere: n/a