One of the must-trys on my list of things to do in Kona was, literally, “Eat malassadas at Tex Drive In.”
I had never been. And being such a malassada connoisseur — OK, not really, but I do love to eat them — I figured I had to try this popular Big Island version.
Lucky for us, the restaurant opened a location in Kopiko Plaza in Kailua-Kona in January. That meant we didn’t have to drive out to Honokaa — about an hour drive from downtown Kona — to its original location, opened in 1969.
But we did anyway.
And not just because I was desperate to try Tex’s fried dough. I wanted to see all the sights along the way: views of the ocean from Hualalai, Waimea Town, Anna Ranch, Waipio Valley, Hapuna Beach.
So we hit the road early, hoping to reach Tex’s by lunch. Or at least before it closed.
Here’s what today’s adventure looked like:
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Dining at Tex Drive In
23 Comments
Is it just me or the pics are Scrunched up? At least the video is ok. Whoo Hoo
Soemthing’s wrong with the photos. If I didn’t see your comment I would have missed them.
Hello Cat,
Same here, can’t see the photos.
Actually, all the blogs have their pics scrunched up. Videos looks ok.
Hi all! So sorry about the display issues… There was a CSS glitch this morning while working on thumbnails for the new gallery. Are we good now?
Thanks for checking out my hometown of Honoka’a. Isn’t it quaint? I grew up between Honoka’a and Waipio Valley and my parents and sister still live there. I even worked at Tex’s Drive-Inn and made those same malasadas. You should try Hawaiian Style Cafe for breakfast the next time you’re up there. Their pancakes are awesome!
@Ynaku Are you reading this on your phone…? The pics look fine on my computer…
@johngarcia ACK! Sorry! I didn’t notice the problem last night — or this morning… Sorry. Let me know if I accidentally clicked on something. I do that sometimes 🙂
@JocelynCollado I heard! But we can only fit so much food in our stomachs! 🙂
@Cat Nope! The problem was introduced at 3:30 this morning when i went to sleep and fixed at 8am when I woke up. 🙂 We’re good now! Thumbs are soo close!
@johngarcia @Cat It’s all so guud along with da fuud pics too 🙂
Food and pics look great a lot better than this morning (3:30 hawaii time)…I hope i can fit the big Island in on my next visit.
I went on a similar drive a few years ago but I also included visiting Hawi in the north before coming back down and going to Honoka’a. The distance, altitude, and also the heavy vog at the time wore me down a bit, but like you said you can’t beat the views along the way, especially places like Waipio Valley.
Man I really gotta try that Hawaiian Style Cafe, missed it the last time but it will definitely be a priority on the next trip to the Big Island!
@808marv Yeah, the High Road to Hawi from Waimea is spectacular, particularly around sunset!
Cat, I have some photos I took of the area from Hualalai to Waimea to Hawi. Maybe some here would enjoy seeing them. OK to post the links? I wouldn’t want to without your blessing.
Woops! Hit reply to soon. Meant to type that this is my favorite part of the Big Island (North Kohala and Waimea areas!) Glad you finally got to see Waipio Valley. Every Hawaii resident should once in their life. The view from the other side (coming from Hawi) is great also!
Great Pixs!
I been down to Waipio valley. I takes you back in time of old Hawaii.
we were in Waipio Valley over 20 years ago with a commercial guide offering rides in a jeep, and deep in the valley there was a building (very modern and did not fit the motif of the surroundings) that was supposed to serve as a restaurant but probably did not suvive, looked abandoned – was it still there??
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super yummy fotos and video. so hungry. but as soon as Butler beats Florida, I’ll be eating lunch.
At first, I thought you wrote “Butter” and I got really excited. HAH!
@hilorain We didn’t go into the valley; didn’t have time. But I heard you can’t camp in there anymore. Just stopped about two years ago. Sad.
@MaxMaxMax Yes, post! I like see!
@808marv That cafe is SO YOU! It’s a must on your next trip to Kona!