Kalapawai Market: Good Food, Good Deeds

(Sponsored) The family-owned market-meets-restaurant concept has been giving back to the community for decades. Now, it’s our chance to pay back.

April 23, 2020

Marisa Heung,

the first kalapawai market was opened by kailua beach in 1932 by original owners richard and elsie wong.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF KALAPAWAI MARKET

Kailua has plenty of recognizable landmarks, but few are as iconic as the plantation-style shacks that house Kalapawai Market and Kalapawai Café & Deli. It’s not just the teal and white paint that stands out—the market and café are something of a social anchor, a place for friends to gather, where patrons are family friends and where, despite the urbanization of the area in recent years, Kailua’s charming, small-town appeal is still firmly intact.

Kalapawai Market auction fish and risotto

Auction-fresh fish ($26) with lemongrass risotto, sautéed kale, local mushroom, micro cilantro and red curry aioli, available for dinner at the kailua town and kapolei locations.

Owned and operated by the Dymond family for decades, the Kalapawai brand has been a strong community player in other ways as well, from supporting local farmers and brands to how it treats its customers and staff. Now, as restaurants need our support more than ever, it’s the ones like Kalapawai—which have always looked out for the neighborhood—that I feel deserve our patronage the most. And, hey, the delicious, tastes-like-Mom’s-cooking dishes don’t hurt, either.

Kalapawai’s three locations (two in Kailua, one in Kapolei) are all open and taking phone orders. Online ordering is available for Kalapawai Café & Deli through Toast, which also has a mobile app for simplified, convenient ordering (call me millennial, but I pretty much use my phone for all online purchases).

Kalapawai Café & Deli – 750 Kailua Road, Kailua, 808-262-3354

Kalapawai Market (Kailua Beach) – 306 S. Kalaheo Ave., Kailua, 808-262-4359

Kalapawai Market (Kapolei) – 711 Kamokila Blvd. #105, Kapolei, 808-674-1700

For more information, visit kalapawaimarket.com or follow Kalapawai Market on Instagram.