Hanalei Taro & Juice Co.

This is my 6th and final veggie burger review from my recent vacation in Hawaii (yup, that’s right, I ate 6 veggie burgers – 2 on each island that I visited!).

On the island of Kauai, I spent several days hiking the Kalalau trail and camping on Kalalau Beach, a.k.a. my favorite place on earth:






Eventually though, I had to leave paradise and return to the real world. As I hiked back out of the valley, I was looking forward to eating a veggie burger once I got back to the town of Hanalei. @janakj had given me a recommendation via twitter: The Hanalei Juice & Taro Co.

(oh yeah, I’m on twitter @yumveggieburger if you want to follow me and give me recommendations too!)



When I first stepped up to the truck window, the girl working there apologized and said they had run out of food after a big tour group came through, and all they had left were smoothies. I felt my heart sink – until she added “the only food we have left is the veggie burger.” And this is yet another reason why Kauai has always been a magical place to me – how lucky was that??? “Perfect!” I told her, “That’s exactly what I wanted to order!”

The Hanalei Taro Veggie Burger: a vegan patty made from taro root and leaves, black beans, brown rice, quinoa, flax seed, rice flour, acai, and a special blend of herbs and spices.



Now, I realize it’s a little hard to objectively judge a veggie burger when it is your first “real” food after backpacking for several days and eating mostly dried fruit and nuts and granola bars (with the exception of the amazing campfire pizza party I was invited to on my last night in the valley!)

But even if I hadn't been hiking all morning looking forward to this burger, I would have definitely still said it was delicious! The patty was richly textured and well-flavored. The bun was soft and fresh (and vegan – they checked the ingredients list for me, so nice!). The taro hummus was excellent, a little lighter than regular chickpea hummus but still flavorful, and a nice addition to the burger. And the cucumbers and lettuce added the perfect green crunch to the whole thing.



I had a taro smoothie as well, which was equally tasty. I’d definitely recommend this truck (or “lunch wagon” as yelp calls it) to anyone visiting Hanalei – although it sounds like it’s already a pretty popular destination for lunch without my help! But maybe some more vegetarians and vegans should check it out so this tasty veggie burger gets its rightful share of the popularity too :)

Cost: $5.50
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4       Bun: 4      Toppings: 4

Hanalei Taro & Juice Co.
5-5070 Kuhio Hwy B
in front of Kayak Kauai
Hanalei, HI 96714

808.826.1059

YumVeggieBurger review #95