If you had told me that one of my best meals in Oahu would be from a truck parked on the side of the road, I would have thought you were losing your mind. Or maybe the fact that we sought out this oddity meant I was losing my mind. Either way, we went, we ate, we loved it and we went back two days later. There are several of these "establishments" scattered across the North Shore of Oahu. Most are located in Kahuku, but we were interested in sampling the offerings at Macky's in Hale'iwa. We were skeptical but then extremely pleasantly surprised. Upon pulling into the parking lot (they are located at 66-632 Kamehameha Highway), you feel like you are entering a time warp from the Woodstock concert era. A crazily painted truck with a service window on the side is where you step up and place your order. There are covered picnic tables set alongside the truck and that is pretty much it. If you can get past the unusual setting you are in for a real treat. Macky Chen himself will greet you with enthusiasm and immediately makes you feel right at home, even if you are standing in the middle of a parking lot. The shrimp come from the Chen-Lu Shrimp Farm. The number of locals patiently waiting for their numbers to be called to retrieve their meals told me that this must be the place to be. They offer shrimp prepared several ways. Our party of 5 opted for platters of plain, garlic and lemon pepper. The garlic shrimp which is what my son and I opted for was swathed in a ton of garlic and butter. Rice, salad and pineapple completed the meal. One of my dining partners is VERY picky and when I saw the shrimp were of the u-peel-em variety, I was concerned he would forego the adventure. He was lured by the aroma and happily began peeling away. He even went so far as to comment about his reluctance, but was glad he dove in as he felt these were the best shrimp he had ever had anywhere, period. Knowing this person as I do, this is a huge compliment and vote of confidence. Macky's offers soda and water but no alcohol. They also do not accept credit cards, so take cash. Each plate was about $12 and for that you got roughly a dozen decent sized, perfectly cooked shrimp. We all argued that our selection was the best, so take it from this that anyway Macky makes shrimp will pretty much please everyone.
If you think driving up from Honolulu is too far just to eat shrimp, why not pair this treat with some of the activities available on the North Shore? On the way, you will pass the Dole Pineapple Plantation, www.dole-plantation.com, which in itself can easily occupy a half or even a whole day. The North Shore Catamaran Charters, www.sailingcat.com, conduct wonderful snorkel and sunset sails that, having personal experience with, I would not hesitate to recommend.( See my articles "Snorkeling, Sea Turtles, Shrimp Trucks and Pineapples on Oahu: The Perfect Day" and "Pineapples in Paradise".)
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