Restaurant review · North Shore
Romy’s Kahuku Prawns, Reviewed
Romy’s serves head-on garlic shrimp and steamed prawns in Kahuku, and in May 2025 Honolulu Magazine’s tasting panel ranked its plate the best garlic shrimp on the North Shore.
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The Kahuku shrimp ponds beside Romy’s old stand. Photo: Flip Flops Hawaii, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 30-second verdict
Romy’s is the Kahuku stop for shrimp served head-on and for steamed prawns with a choice of sauces. It costs more than the trucks and closes by mid-afternoon, so treat it as lunch: call your order in, and note it has moved to 56-1030 Kamehameha Highway.
Romy’s at a Glance
- Address
- 56-1030 Kamehameha Hwy, Kahuku, HI 96731
- Where
- 56-1030 Kamehameha Highway, between Kahuku town and Turtle Bay
- What
- Garlic shrimp and steamed prawn plates, roadside
- Hours
- Fri to Tue 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wed and Thu to 3 p.m.
- Plates
- $17.75 to $29.75 (Oct 2025 menu)
- Phone orders
- (808) 219-3293
- Payment
- Cards listed on Apple Maps; bring some cash as a backup
- Seating
- Outdoor tables and takeout; its own lot
- Drive
- About 1 hr 12 min from Waikiki via the windward coast
Romy’s has no website and posts no regular hours: hours are from Google and Apple Maps, which agree, and prices and the phone number from its own Instagram. Checked Sep 27, 2026. Holiday hours vary.
Best for
- CouplesGoodAn outdoor lunch stop on a North Shore drive; no alcohol.
- FamiliesGoodA no-peel fried shrimp plate and edamame, but no kids menu.
- FriendsGreatMix sauces and share: steamed plates come with two of five.
- SoloGoodA half-pound steamed shrimp plate, and you can phone ahead.
- GroupsGreatParty trays feed about 8 to 12 or more, by pre-order.
Pros
- Ranked first for North Shore garlic shrimp in Honolulu Magazine’s May 2025 staff tasting.
- Head-on shrimp with Romy’s own spicy shoyu sauce.
- Steamed prawns, which the Kahuku trucks rarely sell.
- Phone orders at (808) 219-3293.
Cons
- Closes at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 4:30 p.m. other days.
- Pricier than the trucks: plates run $17.75 to $29.75.
- Head-on shrimp is hands-on eating.
Known for
Butter garlic shrimp, head-on
Romy’s calls it its signature butter garlic, served with its signature shoyu spicy sauce. Honolulu Magazine’s top plate had eight large head-on shrimp, pan-fried golden, over two scoops of rice.
What to Order
Start with the butter garlic shrimp. From the menu Romy’s posted in October 2025: Sweet & Spicy shrimp ($20.75 a plate, $25.95 as a combo with corn, salad and a drink), mild, spicy or extra spicy; steamed prawns ($29.75, about a pound, with two sauces from shoyu spicy, sweet spicy, cocktail, butter garlic and vinegar); steamed shrimp ($17.75 for about half a pound); and deep fried shrimp ($20.75), the no-peeling plate. There is also a fried catch of the day and butter garlic edamame ($12.95). Main plates come with a hand towelette.
The Stand
Romy’s began as a stand beside its family’s shrimp ponds near Kahuku, with a sign reading “The Original Since 1978.” It has since moved down the highway to 56-1030 Kamehameha Highway, so older guides and some map pins still show the old spot. Today it is a roadside stand with outdoor tables and takeout. For a later stop, Giovanni’s original truck in Kahuku town stays open to 6:30 p.m., and the North Shore food trucks covers the rest.
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Price and Hours
Google and Apple Maps list 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday through Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. On holidays it opens at 10:30 and closes when it sells out, and it asks for pre-orders. Plates run $17.75 to $29.75, and party trays $155 (steamed shrimp) to $178 (butter garlic).
Getting There
Romy’s is at 56-1030 Kamehameha Highway, between Kahuku town and Turtle Bay, with its own parking lot. From Waikiki it is about 1 hour 12 minutes up the windward coast; TheBus Route 60 takes about two hours from Ala Moana. Guests at Turtle Bay are just up the road. Loop the island on our Oahu Scenic Drive Map.
Rental car
Drive to Kahuku
Kahuku is more than an hour from Waikiki, and North Shore taxis are scarce, so a car makes a shrimp lunch part of a circle island day. DiscoverCars searches the island’s rental agencies in one go. Compare Oahu rental cars on DiscoverCars.
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Romy’s on Instagram
Could be better
The hours are short and the official information is thin. Romy’s closes at 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 4:30 p.m. the rest of the week, has no website, and posts no regular hours of its own. Plan it as lunch, and call ahead.
Consider Instead
- Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck is the pick later in the day: it stays open until 6:30 p.m. daily, seats you under a covered pavilion, and keeps to a dozen jumbo shrimp and two scoops of rice, three ways. Bring cash.
- Ted’s Bakery is the pick when the group wants more than shrimp: its special plate lunches, garlic shrimp included, come with a free slice of pie or cake, and it is open every day until 6:30 p.m., minutes from Sunset Beach.
Tips Before You Go to Romy’s
- Call ahead. Phone orders at (808) 219-3293; the old landline is gone.
- Go before 3 p.m. midweek. Wednesday and Thursday close early.
- Order two sauces. Steamed shrimp and prawns come with two of five.
- Pick your heat. Sweet & Spicy comes mild, spicy or extra spicy.
- Not into peeling? Order the deep fried shrimp.
- Bring some cash. Apple Maps lists cards, but Romy’s own channels don’t say.
- Drive it. See renting a car on Oahu.
Romy’s: Questions
Where is Romy’s now?
At 56-1030 Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku. It moved from its old red stand, so older guides and some map pins show the wrong spot.
What are Romy’s hours?
Google and Apple list 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday through Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Holiday hours vary.
Is Romy’s cash only?
Apple Maps lists credit cards, Apple Pay and contactless. Romy’s own channels don’t say, so bring some cash as a backup.
Can I order ahead?
Yes. Romy’s takes phone orders at (808) 219-3293, and on holidays it asks for pre-orders.
Romy’s or Giovanni’s?
Giovanni’s Kahuku truck stays open later, to 6:30 p.m. daily. Romy’s serves head-on shrimp and steamed prawns, and placed first in Honolulu Magazine’s 2025 tasting.
Sources, checked Sep 27, 2026
Researched from the sources above, checked Sep 27, 2026. We never claim a visit we did not make; first-hand notes are marked as Stew’s. How we research and review.
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