Hukilau Marketplace whisks you back to Oahu’s rural North Shore in the 1950s when customers called storekeepers “Aunty” and “Uncle,” and shopping was relaxed and friendly—a social activity where you picked up the latest news from friends and neighbors in addition to the items you needed.
Set in the Marketplace’s 119,000 square feet are more than 40 retail, dining and activity providers. Unique merchandise includes shark’s teeth pendants, mother-of-pearl carvings, dramatic photos of molten lava printed on metal, and museum-quality reproductions of ancient Polynesian weapons.
You can enjoy live music, get an airbrushed tattoo, visit the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame and buy a fresh flower lei that was strung before your eyes. Ease your hunger pangs with malassadas (Portuguese doughnuts); “crack seed” (preserved fruits); and frozen yogurt flavored with soursop, jackfruit, papaya, and lilikoi (passion fruit). Named after a popular bodysurfing spot, Pounders restaurant serves local favorites such as pipikaula (Hawaiian-style beef jerky), kalua pork quesadillas, ahi and avocado BLT sandwich, macadamia nut-crusted mahimahi, and pizzas baked in a kiawe wood-burning brick oven.