Mainland*Girl: Pukadog – Hawaii’s Best Hotdog

Pukadog, what I loving call “PukaPups” (it’s a more catchy name), offers locals and tourists alike a unique hotdog experience. ‘Puka’ means “hole” in Hawaiian pidgeon. It’s called Pukadog because the bun is special made—fluffy and doughy with a hole carved down the middle. The hole is specially toasted inside, then inserted with special lemon garlic aioli (choose from 4 levels of spiciness) and filled with tropical relishes of your choice. The hotdog, beef or vegetarian, is added next, and then is topped with Hawaiian mustards—Guava mustard or Lilikoi mustard.

Pukadogs run $6.25 for polish dogs and $6.50 for vegetarian dogs. They also sell Puka Shave Ice with flavors like Cinnamon, Coconut Crème, and Hawaiian. They’re open until 10pm, so it’s a great late night snack and a couple blocks from the Hilton Royal Hawaiian shopping area.

Here’s my favorite Pukadog combo:

Polish Puka Dog+Garlinc Lemon Original+Pineapple Relish+Guava Mustard.

Another version tried:

Veggie Puka Dog+Spicy Jalapeno Aioli+Pineapple relish+Lilikoi Mustard.

Let me know your favorite combo!