OLAF GROWALD
Rex Pak, owner of Aloha Chicken and Shrimp in Fort Worth.
By now, Fort Worth diners are quite familiar with poke — raw, sushi-style fish served over rice or greens, typically in a fast-casual setting. Ever since Arlington’s Ahi Poke Bowl introduced the Hawaiian-inspired dish to local diners five years ago, likeminded spots have flourished throughout the area.
The popularity of poke has helped pave the way for other types of Hawaiian cuisine, such as the Hawaiian plate lunch. Akin to a Southern “meat and three,” a meal consisting of one protein and three sides, Hawaiian plate lunches consist of a protein, most commonly chicken or pulled pork, plus two helpings of white rice and a side of macaroni salad.
“It’s Hawaii’s version of comfort food,” says Rex Pak, owner of Aloha Chicken and Shrimp, which has locations in Fort Worth and Watauga.
Pak’s pair of Aloha restaurants are part of a growing number of eateries dedicated to Hawaiian cuisine. Here’s a look at a few of them in and around the Fort Worth area:
OLAF GROWALD
The mochiko chicken plate from Aloha Chicken and Shrimp comes with marinated chicken, an egg roll, white rice, and macaroni salad.
Aloha Chicken and Shrimp
One of the city’s best new restaurants is Aloha Chicken and Shrimp, a small Hawaiian restaurant tucked inside a gas station on Eighth Avenue. Opened in 2018, the original location in Watauga found success in a gas station, too, opening the door for the Fort Worth locale, opened late last year. Owner Rex Pak is well-versed in Hawaiian cuisine: He’s a California native who was stationed in Hawaii, where he met his wife, who grew up there. His menu zeroes in on chicken and shrimp plate lunches that, along with rice and macaroni salad, come with housemade egg rolls. Chicken katsu, breaded chicken with an applesauce-based katsu sauce, is a signature dish, along with mochiko chicken, a popular Hawaiian dish with chicken marinated in a special flour made from sweet rice, resulting in a salty and sweet flavor.
1945 Eighth Ave., alohachickenandshrimp.com
Ana’s Island Grill
Eight years ago, long before Hawaiian food became a thing in North Texas, this mom and pop spot in Euless began introducing adventurous eaters to the wonders of Hawaiian and Polynesian cuisine. A number of Hawaiian staples can be found here, including loco moco, a dish consisting of a hamburger patty soaked in brown gravy, then topped with an egg, sunny side up, and served over a bed of white rice. The restaurant’s plate lunch game is strong: There are chicken, shrimp, and barbecue pork rib plates, and combinations thereof. Wash it down with a glass of otai, a refreshing juice drink made from watermelon, mango, and other tropical fruits. 603 N. Main St., Euless, anasislandgrill.com
Coco Shrimp
This locally owned food truck-turned brick-and-mortar — owned by Isaac Hadley and his brother-in-law Jordan Barrus, both one-time students in Hawaii — has made a big splash in Fort Worth, thanks to its simple yet very good shrimp combo meals. Each comes with your choice of shrimp — five kinds, grilled or fried — in various flavors ranging from coconut to butter garlic, plus white rice and a salad. A second brick-and-mortar location opened recently on Heritage Trace Parkway in north Fort Worth, and later this summer, a third location will open on the Denton Highway. 318 Bryan Ave., cocoshrimp.com
Hawaiian Bros. Island Grill
The first fast-casual Hawaiian food chain in the country, Hawaiian Bros. recently opened several stores in the North Texas area, including locations on Bryant Irvin Road in southwest Fort Worth and in the Alliance area in north Fort Worth. Its specialty is plate lunches, made up of macaroni salad, two scoops of rice, and your choice of protein, which range from silky pulled pork to veggies to four flavors of chicken, all styled after Hawaiian chicken dishes. A good ground-zero dish is the Huli Huli, a mild, teriyaki-flavored chicken. Those who prefer more spice can try their hand at the red-hot Kilauea. Optional sides include sliced pineapples, seasoned veggies, and Spam musubi, a traditional Hawaiian snack consisting of seared Spam glazed in teriyaki sauce and wrapped in dried seaweed. There’s also complimentary soft serve, fat- and dairy-free ice cream, in various tropical flavors.
Various locations, hawaiianbros.com
Ohana Hawaiian BBQ and Poke Bar
As its name implies, this west Fort Worth spinoff of a Dallas restaurant with the same name focuses on Hawaiian barbecue and build-your-own poke bowls. Similar to Halo Hawaiian BBQ & Poke Bar in Arlington, it has a huge menu that touts all the Hawaiian food basics, from loco moco to poke. The restaurant takes pride in its barbecue-themed Hawaiian plate lunches, served with your choice of chicken, short ribs, and shredded pork, all of which come with housemade barbecue sauce. There are a few hard-to-find dishes as well, including Hawaiian fried rice, made with Spam, eggs, pineapples, peas and carrots, and malasadas, or Hawaiian doughnuts, a beignet-like dessert.
6328 Camp Bowie Blvd., ohanahawaiiantx.com
Shaneboy’s Craft Hawaiian Grindz
Named Best Food Truck by Fort Worth Magazine this year, Shaneboy’s sits on a curvy bend of Highway 1187 near Rendon. It’s run by Shane Sutton, a native of Hawaii and professional chef who, at the age of 20, owned his own French restaurant in Hawaii. His wife, Meagan, and their two sons run the truck with him. Their menu spotlights Hawaiian plate lunches, made with chef-inspired proteins such as firecracker fried chicken, smoked brisket, and garlic butter beef. There are daily and weekend specials, often incorporating grilled Spam, and at least one housemade dessert, too, such as orange pecan pudding. That pudding alone is worth the trip.
5731 Rendon Bloodworth Road, shaneboys808grill.com
