Overview
Snack Hawaii in Kailua-Kona is best understood as a snack retailer and wholesale snack business rather than a sit-down restaurant. The Google record lists it as operational at 73-5569 Kauhola St #10, with weekday-only hours and a meal-takeaway/store profile, and the company’s own site frames it as a source for Hawaiian and Asian snacks, candies, coffee, and related packaged goods. (snackhawaii.com)
For a traveler, the main reason to care is if you want a Big Island stop for local-style packaged snacks or gifts, especially items tied to Hawaii’s snack culture such as li hing mui, arare, dried seafood, macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and similar products. The evidence points more to a retail/online-snack operation with a Kona headquarters than to a conventional dining room experience. (snackhawaii.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Snack Hawaii’s lane is packaged Hawaiian and Asian snacks, not cooked-to-order meals. Its own site describes a broad catalog that includes Hawaiian and Asian snack favorites, candies, coffee, and dried snack items, and it also emphasizes wholesale distribution and online sales. (snackhawaii.com)
- Overall menu style: shelf-stable snacks, candies, dried fruit, dried seafood, arare/rice crackers, macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and other island grocery-style items rather than a hot-food menu. (snackhawaii.com)
- Notable specialties supported by sources: li hing mui / crack seed, arare, dried seafood, Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, Hawaiian candy, and ahi jerky / marlin fish jerky. The company says the jerky items were invented by the owner and are still made in Kona. (snackhawaii.com)
- Likely spend expectations: this reads as a lower-ticket snack stop for individual bags and gifts, with wholesale minimums and bulk pricing available for business buyers; the site says wholesale orders start at $250. (snackhawaii.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: useful for travelers looking for vegan-friendly or non-perishable snack options, but less useful if you want a full meal or a clearly labeled prepared-food menu. The available sources do not provide strong allergen or dietary-label detail, so any specific dietary claim would need confirmation on-site or from product labels. (snackhawaii.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This appears to be a practical retail and fulfillment-oriented stop rather than a place built around dining-in ambiance. The Google listing classifies it as a store and meal-takeaway business, and the company’s own contact page presents it as headquarters/office-style operations in Kona with customer service hours during weekdays. (snackhawaii.com)
- Service model and seating style: primarily retail and shipping/wholesale; no strong evidence of a dining room or table-service restaurant setup. (snackhawaii.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: not well documented in the sources. The business appears more functional than atmospheric, and the available material is dominated by product and wholesale information rather than visitor-experience descriptions. This is an inference from the source mix, not a direct claim. (snackhawaii.com)
- Practical features: easy to pair with shopping for snacks, gifts, or bulk purchases; weekday phone support is listed, and the company notes shipping and wholesale capabilities. (snackhawaii.com)
- Best fit: travelers who want locally rooted snack products, souvenirs, or a quick specialty-food stop in Kona. (snackhawaii.com)
- Weaker fit: visitors expecting a scenic café, a restaurant meal, or a leisurely dine-in experience. The sources do not support that kind of expectation. (snackhawaii.com)
History & Background
The company says Snack Hawaii is family-owned and operated, with roots going back more than 25 years. Its about page says the family began making small batches of crack seed to sell at a family restaurant in Hilo in the 1980s, then later sold the restaurant and expanded into snack distribution and wholesale from Kona under the parent company Asia Trans & Co. (snackhawaii.com)
That background matters because it explains why the business is positioned around Hawaiian snack culture, bulk distribution, and packaged products rather than a conventional restaurant concept. The company also claims to have invented some local snack favorites, including its ahi jerky and marlin fish jerky. That is a self-reported origin story, not independently verified here. (snackhawaii.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
The strongest positive signal available in the provided Google data is the rating pattern: 4.7 stars from 150 ratings, which suggests broad satisfaction. The company’s own site also leans into variety, local familiarity, and value, which matches the kind of praise these businesses usually get: lots of snack choices, recognizable Hawaiian items, and a convenient source for gifts or bulk buying. (snackhawaii.com)
Common Gripes
Direct third-party review text was limited in the sources I could access here, so downside signals are thin. The main caution is functional rather than negative: this looks like a retail/wholesale operation, so travelers expecting a food-counter or a sit-down restaurant may be disappointed. That caution is well supported by the business description, but not by a strong body of complaint reviews. (snackhawaii.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours posture: Google lists Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed Saturday and Sunday. The company’s contact page also lists weekday customer-success hours of Mon-Fri 8am-3pm HST, which aligns with the Google hours. (snackhawaii.com)
- Best time to go: weekday morning to early afternoon, especially if you want to avoid running into closed hours or end-of-day inventory gaps. This is an inference from the posted hours. (snackhawaii.com)
- Walk-in vs. order expectations: the business appears built for retail purchases and online/wholesale orders; don’t assume restaurant-style reservations. (snackhawaii.com)
- What to buy: if you stop in, the most distinctive items to look for are crack seed/li hing mui, arare, dried seafood, Kona coffee, and jerky products. (snackhawaii.com)
- Location note: the listed address is in the Kailua-Kona industrial/commercial corridor on Kauhola Street, which fits the headquarters/warehouse model more than a tourist-dining strip. This is an inference from the address and business type. (snackhawaii.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name and address are consistent across Google and the company site: Snack Hawaii, 73-5569 Kauhola St. #10, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740. (snackhawaii.com)
- Phone number is consistent across Google and the company site: (877) 474-6991 / +1 877-474-6991. (snackhawaii.com)
- Website is consistent:
http://www.snackhawaii.com/. (snackhawaii.com) - Google shows the business as operational with weekday-only hours; the company’s contact page matches those weekday hours. No major verification issues found. (snackhawaii.com)
Sources
- Google Places / Google Maps business listing for Snack Hawaii —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=5782666663595829109— retrieved 2026-04-01. Useful for baseline identity, operational status, address, phone, hours, category, rating, and review volume. - Snack Hawaii – Contact Us —
http://www.snackhawaii.com/pages/contact-us— crawled last week. Useful for confirming the business address, phone, weekday customer-service hours, and the retail/wholesale orientation. - Snack Hawaii – About Us —
http://www.snackhawaii.com/pages/about-us— crawled last week. Useful for company history, family-owned background, crack seed origins, Kona roots, and named signature snack lines. - Snack Hawaii – Asian Snacks Wholesale —
http://www.snackhawaii.com/pages/asian-snacks-wholesale/— crawled 6 months ago. Useful for understanding the wholesale model, product categories, and minimum order expectations. - Snack Hawaii – Wholesale Hawaiian Snacks —
http://www.snackhawaii.com/pages/wholesalers— crawled 5 months ago. Useful for confirming wholesale shipping, ordering flow, and business-to-business focus. - Snack Hawaii – Hawaiian Snacks collection —
http://www.snackhawaii.com/collections/hawaiian-snacks— crawled last month. Useful for the product mix and the range of snack categories offered.
