Big Monster Sushi Food Truck (KOLOA) - Koloa, Hawaii

Fahim

We were looking for some poke, but all our usually spots and grocery stores were out, decided to stop here at around 5pm. We’ve had poke all over the Hawai’i, big island, Maui and Kauai. This has to be the worst poke, fish smelled off, absolutely no flavoring. Not sure why the reviews are so positive.

Laine F-S “Ayn”

Very accommodating peeps. Told them we ate an Unagi Lava Roll from the Big Monster Restaurant. It’s not on their food truck menu but they made it for us. Food came out very good tasting (as expected). Also ordered the Crab Rangoon and Seaweed salad, all were good. Only 1 thing I don’t like is that you gotta eat outside with 4 sets of tables and seats (of course… it’s a food truck ?) and there are too many ants and flies flying around. Ordering to go would be perfect so as not to deal with the flies.

Ryan Brinton

My sushi burrito was really good! Great flavors! My wife’s poke bowl was good but not as flavorful as other places. Adding more Hawaiian style and seasoning like furikake could help. We would still go back because they had some menu items that looked really good that we haven’t tried yet.

Beth R

Great sushi from a food truck. There is a restaurant in Lihue but we were closer to the food truck location and it didn't disappoint. Anyone who has read my reviews on sushi places knows I am a bit strict when it comes to rice. This rice was moist and delicious. The classic tuna and salmon rolls were good as well as the salmon nigiri. We also tried the edamame and gyoza. Both were good.

J Meador

This place is amazing! We're sushi connoisseurs and we are all over Kauai island. This was by far the best place here. My first visit was right at close and despite the signs being off, they were very generous and made my roll to go, as well as throwing in a free Poke.

We went the next day because it was so delicious and got lunch from there. If we have time, we'll probably be back for dinner.

Lyndsey Adamo

The poke bowl was okay. The fish was browning which made me suspicious about the quality. The bowl had way way too much rice to make it seem large. It was served with iceberd lettuce and edamame. It was extremely basic. There are other poke bowls much better quality and diverse toppings. This would be a pass for me in the future.

Jacqueline Hanna

@bigmonstersushifoodtruck is well known on the island, and for good reason.

Husband and wife team Rung and Mai Kamraithong, opened their beautiful food truck in 2020, a time when many local restaurants were shutting their doors. They partnered with their friend, Belle Meephol, who owns Watchara Farms, and also manages the restaurant now.

I discovered the food truck while on a visit to Poipu, Kauai in November of 2020, when there were few options on the island for fresh sushi. A local search for sushi led us to the Big Monster sushi truck, nestled in a small lot in the sleepy town of Koloa.

As Big Monster sushi truck grew in popularity, an opportunity presented itself which would encourage Mai and Rung to open a brick and mortar restaurant in the town of Lihue, 20 minutes north (@bigmonstersushi_thai_lihue)

Mai, who grew up in Thailand and learned all of the traditional dishes from her mother, was destined to bring a taste of Thailand to the local Thai community, as well as introducing this toothsome fare to locals and tourists.

Rung previously spent 13 years in the hospitality industry. As a sushi chef that learned his trade at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, you can find him at the Lihue location daily, slicing up fresh caught fish such as Ahi and Ono.

When I asked Mai about the name, ‘Big Monster,’ she giggled and said “well, the restaurant is our child. We don’t have any children, and as people often call children their ‘little monsters,’ we decided to give our baby its proper name.”

Featured dishes on our visit:

Crab Rangoon-Angry Tuna Roll-Green Curry with Chicken-Drunken Noodles with shrimp-Big Monster Roll-Holy Crab Roll with purple sweet potato-Samurai Roll-Hot Mama Roll
-Ahi Tuna Sashimi

We love Rung and Mai, and the entire team and can’t wait to wait return and make this our local spot when we visit the island!

Jenny, Hui-ju Yang

Small outdoor area but it’s good to eat it fresh!