Grass Shack Grill
Among the numerous food options along Haleiwa's main drag, Grass Shack Grill strikes a good balance between price and flavor. The made-to-order fast food described on a broken surfboard above the counter is popular with both locals and tourists. (On our most recent visit, a couple county lifeguards grabbed massive scampi plates on their way to the beach, and we met a vacationing couple from Virginia.)
Both the ahi burger (above left, $6.95) and the garden burger (above right, $4.95) are flavorful, moist and filling. You can't go wrong with either. Skip the teriyaki fries though; the cloying sauce and faux cheese made the fries soggy and inedible. In contrast, the Hernandez Garlic Fries were outstanding: a basket of fries dressed with julienned basil, heaps of garlic and a vinaigrette (center above, where they belong, $3.50).
There are only three tables inside a couple of two-seaters outside. Don't bank on finding a place to sit. Your better option is to order to go and eat on the beach. You're at the North Shore already; enjoy it.
Other sites:
→ Grass Skirt Grill - Cheap Places' "new favorite place to go to in North Shore." Need I say more?
→ There's something fishy going on at this burger joint - The Star-Bulletin's Nadine Kim obsesses on the fish burgers.
Gotta remember this place the next time I'm this way, (I always go to Kua Aina) the fries and burgers sound delish.
I was about to say that those fries look great...but I'm glad you warned me against it!
Kat, Grass Skirt Grill is good, but don't skip Kua Aina for it. Ideally, you'll find time for both, because each is good in different ways.
Jenny, the fries pictured above are the excellent Hernandez Garlic Fries. Get those. The sloppy teriyaki fries looked as bad in a photo as they tasted on the table, and thus are not pictured above. Can you tell I wasn't a fan of the teri fries? Everything else was great though.