Fried cheese is a thing at Pit Stop Hawaii, a Waikiki-based food truck serving comfort food ranging from fries and sliders to tacos.

“A lot of our stuff includes fried cheese,” says Vincent Lassoff, who co-owns the business with Dean Ekman. “We have fries with a blanket of fried cheese on top; our cheeseburger ($8) is our most popular item, and it comes with our secret sauce and a fried cheese skirt.”

Pit Stop Hawaii started in 2021, and the business’s name has a dual meaning, according to Lassoff.

“It’s like a pit stop, where you stop and get tuned up, but it also refers to a dog that Dean had a few years ago,” he says. “She’s passed on now, but you’ll see her in our business’s logo.

“Both of us grew up working in the restaurant industry — bussing, serving, bartending, cooking, everything — and we’ve been putting this menu together for many years,” he adds. “A lot of our recipes are our family recipes.”

The comfort food-inspired menu includes gourmet 1/4-pound sliders — choose from pesto chicken or tofu ($7), barbecue kalua pork ($7), crispy cheeseburger ($8) or a plant-based burger ($8) — gourmet hot dogs ($9-$11), soft tacos with crispy cheese ($5-$6) or double-fried fries with assorted toppings ($12-$14). The four-cheese fries topped with crispy cheese ($12), crispy cheddar cheese bacon dog ($11) and crispy cheeseburger ($8) are customer favorites.

Keep an eye out for specials during your visit.

“We also have a Spam corn dog ($4) — it’s not on our menu, but we started doing it right before the Waikiki Spam Jam,” Lassoff says. “We sear the Spam first, then we have a cornbread batter that we dip it in. We also have a lot of veganand vegetarian-friendly items; we started with tofu tacos and added burgers made with Impossible patties.”

The biz is currently open 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and from noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. For updates, follow @pitstophawaii on Instagram.

“It was tough to get going, but we’re starting to see some good business come through,” Lassoff says. “We appreciate everybody coming. Come try us out; you’ll be back.”

Pit Stop Hawaii

334 Seaside Ave., Honolulu
808-765-1921
Instagram: @pitstophawaii
How to order: Phone, in person or via Grub Hub
How to pay: Cash, credit cards, Apple Pay, Android Pay and Cash