Sponsored by Hawaii Gas
Craving smoked meat? Look no further than Guava Smoked! The eatery specializes in local style smoked meats — smoking up everything from pork, chicken, kalbi, duck, and even Butterfish collars, salmon bellies, ahi, and marlin! HI Now host Kanoe Gibson went to check out its newest location in Kapahulu to get a taste of some of the specialties.
Owner Scott Shibuya says he choose Kapahulu for a new location because it’s where he grew up.
“Guava Smoked opened in 2011. We started doing the farmers markets and finally got our first brick and mortar in Kalihi six years ago now,” he says. “We knew eventually we needed to be in town, then this place popped up. I grew up couple blocks away, you know, this is home for me.”
Guava Smoked serves lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. There’s even happy hour from 2 p.m. until closing. In addition to its popular smoked meat plate lunches, Guava Smoked also serves bowls and frozen meats to go. You can even order catering!
So why smoked meat? It’s something in short supply on Oahu.
“It’s really hard to find on Oahu — no one else does it exclusively, and it’s labor intensive,” Shibuya explains.
Shibuya says he learned to smoke meat from his brother in-law from Kauai who is a hunter. He and his father always used the strawberry guava wood to smoked their game.
Shibuya says business during COVID-19 has been somewhat normal at the eatery’s Kalihi location, but Kapahulu had only been open for three weeks before the state’s stay-at-home order.
“Thankfully, a lot of my former classmates, students, co-workers, family, friends, and local residents have been coming out to support us,” he says. “I think we can survive.”
For more information: guavasmoked.com, or on Facebook and Instagram: @guavasmoked