Sweets and treats special to Haleiwa

Waialua Bakery

By and large, the bakery world is inaccessible to gluten-free eaters — can’t eat wheat, can’t have treats. But not at Waialua Bakery in Haleiwa (Waialua in Haleiwa? Don’t ask why, just go), where all cookie lovers can munch to their hearts’ content. On any given day the bakery case is stocked with an array of gluten-free selections, including a granola cookie, peanut butter, the Monster (oats, chocolate, peanut butter and M&M’s) and Turtle Ball (a raw blend of raisins, chocolate chips, oats, honey, mac nuts, coconut and peanut butter). All are generously sized and cost $1. For a more decadent treat, try the ice cream sandwich, homemade vanilla ice cream bookended by two cookies of choice ($3.50). Or, have lunch first: The menu is filled with specialty sandwiches that can be ordered with a gluten-free bread baked in-house. Call 341-2838.

Ray’s Kiawe Broiled Chicken

If you see smoke and lines of people in the empty lot next to Malama Market, you’ll know it’s the weekend. Ray’s Kiawe Broiled Chicken is back in Haleiwa.

In a steady stream, locals and tourists wait for plate lunches ($9) comprising half a chicken with the ono crisp skin intact, a scoop of rice, pineapple coleslaw and special sauce. The shoyu-vinegar sauce gives a nice salty tang to the chicken, but it’s not needed. The flavor goes right through to the bone.

Want just the chicken? Whole chickens are $10.75; half, $6. And more rice, slaw and sauce can be purchased on the side.

The open-air affair is at 66-160 Kamehameha Highway from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Oh, and they also cater. Call 479-9891.

Crispy Grindz Pastelaria

Once you’ve tried this golden, crunchy Brazilian ball of deliciousness, you’ll be hooked. Thankfully, the purple-and-yellow truck beside Kamehameha Highway that cooks up the tasty morsels is easy to spot. Just look for the big white sign atop the truck, touting “COXINHA / GUARANA / PASTEL / ACAI BOWL.”

The coxinha (koh-shee-nyah, as noted on the menu board) is a delectable deep-fried, panko-crusted dough ball filled with cheese and a choice of chicken, below, or hearts of palm. Chicken coxinhas cost $4 each; hearts of palm go for $4.50.

It’s a tasty snack and great for eating on the go.

The truck also serves guarana (soda), juice, water and smoothies to wash it down. Call 373-0145.

Anahulu Shave Ice

If you’re yearning for something cool to ease the heat and the line at Matsumoto Shave Ice is daunting, continue heading north. Just past the white bridge on the right is Anahulu Shave Ice.

Anahulu might not offer as many syrups as Matsumoto, but does have the tried and true — vanilla, strawberry, grape — plus 16 other flavors. And the shave ice is just as refreshing. A small cup costs $2; medium, $2.50; and large, $3.

Social media fanatics seem to enjoy having their picture taken in front of the angel wings painted on the wall to the side of the entrance.

The shop also gives away a free shave ice with any $10 purchase of beachgear items or rentals from Tropical Rush Surf Co., located next door.

The shave ice store doesn’t have a phone, so you’ll just have to order when you get there, at 62-620 Kamehameha Highway.

Haleiwa Juice Works

Tucked away at the back of Celestial Natural Foods is a tiny operation that delivers big on cold-pressed juices, superfood smoothies and vegetarian sandwiches.

The workers’ zeal matches the menu well. Their excitement for Haleiwa Juice Works’ Vegan Rock’n Reuben, for example, is contagious, even if you’re not fond of the classic Reuben sandwich — corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing on rye.

Instead of corned beef, the Rock’n Reuben ($8, $1 more with cheese) has five slices of tempeh and slices of avocado dressed with a house-made Thousand Island. The sauerkraut leans more toward a vinegar-pickled style than standard sauerkraut.

The combination of flavors was lip-smacking ­­— surprisingly delicious, even for a diehard meat eater. Call 637-6729.

North Shore Macadamia

At the end of the Haleiwa strip, across from Haleiwa Beach Park, drivers headed toward Kahuku will come across a sign for farm-direct macadamia nuts. A stop at the dusty canopy next to an unpaved road and parking lot will reveal an array of flavored nuts. Samples make it easy for customers to decide which one, two or three to buy.

The nuts come from Randy Paty and his wife, Mary, who have 1,700 macadamia nut trees on their 24-acre plot on Mount Kaala in Waialua. “We’re the only working macadamia nut farm on Oahu,” Paty said.

Paty roasts the nuts, then has a local candy company cover them with six flavors — coffee, honey, caramel,

coconut, garlic and Maui onion, and cinnamon.

The 8-ounce bags are $9.50 each. For purists, plain nuts, salted or unsalted, are $8 per 8 ounces or $15.25 a pound. Also, find Waialua coffee peanut butter for $7.50. Call 375-0698.