No. 7 Japanese Food Truck is known for its Hawaiian-Japanese fusion cuisine. When you’re in Haleiwa, simply keep an eye out for the food truck with the huge number seven on it.
“When I got this truck, it already had a number seven on it,” explains business owner Kenji Sakai. “Since that number is easy to remember, I just named it No. 7 — for the lucky number seven.”
The food truck has been based in Haleiwa for about five years now. Its menu is extensive, with lots of items for customers to choose from.
“Our poke bowls are among our signature dishes,” Sakai says. “We sell a lot of poke to tourists, but a lot of local people order it, too. Spicy garlic poke and spicy miso poke are the most popular flavors. We actually have four poke flavors — original, spicy garlic, spicy miso and yuzu wasabi.”
If you want to experience a variety of flavors, Sakai recommends ordering one of the food truck’s combos ($19). Customers can choose two items from a list to create their own combos.
“Spicy miso tonkatsu and original poke is popular,” Sakai says. “So is our crispy spicy tuna — spicy tuna topped with fried onions, tempura flakes and spicy mayo with unagi sauce — and Japanese-style chicken karaage. Locals love that combo.”
If you’re in the mood for sushi, choose from the truck’s selection of specialty rolls.
“Garlic shrimp on spicy ahi roll ($15) is popular,” Sakai says. “It’s made with soy paper and we use local ahi (for the spicy tuna), sesame oil, spicy mayo and chile powder. It has popcorn tempura-style shrimp, garlic chips, spicy mayo, unagi sauce and scallions on top.
“When people come to the North Shore, they focus on garlic shrimp, so this is our Japanese-style version,” he adds.
The truck also offers a variety of udon; shrimp tempura udon ($14) is a customer favorite.
“The soup is a real Japanese udon broth,” Sakai says. “It’s made with bonito broth, soy sauce and some secret ingredients. We use thinner udon noodles that have a good texture. It comes with fried tofu, tempura flakes, scallions and seaweed.”
No. 7 Japanese food truck is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
No. 7 Japanese Food Truck
66-235 Kamehameha Hwy. Haleiwa
808-450-8714
no7japanesefoodtruck.com
How to pay: Cash or credit cards accepted
How to order: In person, via phone or website
