Rebel Kitchen

Defy the Conventional at Rebel Kitchen
Local Expert's Rating:
4 / 5
The Bottom Line:

Rebel Kitchen is committed to providing scrumptious burgers, sandwiches, and salads in Kealakekua, HI, along with featuring house-made sauces created with locally sourced ingredients. The online shop, featuring apparel and sauce packs allows anyone to access some of what makes this restaurant great. If you can try it yourself, though, in person, you will understand even better why the brand's motto is “real food, packed with flavor and made with love.”

- The HawaiianIslands.com Local Expert Team

As a fairly new restaurant, Rebel Kitchen was born in 2011 after years of planning and dreaming by its owners Randy and Gabby. From day one, this unique restaurant in Kealakekua, HI, which has even been featured on Food Network, set out to make real food packed with flavor, made with love, promoting a place for true community. As a “mom & pop,” business, Rebel Kitchen is family-owned and operated.

What began as a restaurant has grown by popular demand. Rebel Kitchen now offers its brand condiments and sauces allowing guests to take home the flavors of Rebel Kitchen. All sauces and dishes are made with locally sourced ingredients and include products from local farmers, fishermen, butchers, and suppliers, all from the island when possible. The Rebel Kitchen also uses eco-friendly product packaging to minimize its impact on the environment. 

With the motto, “real food, packed with flavor and made with love”, Rebel Kitchen offers a wide range of tasty, flavorful dishes. The Rebel Kitchen’s operating hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. They are closed on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. You can eat inside in the quaint dining area or eat outside on one of the picnic tables available for guests. 

In addition to the many scrumptious dishes you can order in person at Rebel Kitchen, anyone can order from their online shop that features handmade sauces including the Hawaiian Fire 3-pack, the Kona Ketchup 3-Pack (featured on Food Network’s Diner’s, Drive-in’s and Dives). The Kona Ketchup pack is known to start a riot in the mouth or “Broke Da Mouth”, as Hawaiians say, is made with tomatoes, cane sugar, herbs, spices, and lots of love. 

Other sauce options include the 3-Pack Party Trio which contains one Kona Ketchup, one Mauka Mustard, and one Hawaiian Fire Sauce. There are many more options to choose from along with t-shirts, logo tanks, and more at the Rebel Kitchen online shop. All the online products are available with free shipping in the United States. 

When visiting in person, try these Rebel Kitchen favorites…

Starters (Pupu’s)
There are several options to choose from for your starters, including Hawaiian Fire Wings, Nacho Steak Fries, Cuban Rolls, Chicken Fajita Wontons, or the Homemade Soup of the Day (served with bread).

Salads
Another favorite of Rebel Kitchen is their ultra-fresh salads, all featuring organic local lettuce and veggies with homemade dressings. Salad options include the Grilled Veggie, BBQ Chicken, Carnitas, Chef, and Thai Steak salads. 

Burgers
All Rebel Kitchen burgers are served on a house-baked bun with fries. Options include the Da Kine burger, which is made of local grass-fed beef patty, the Da Aina, veggie patty, and the Rebel Burger.

Sandwiches
All Rebel Kitchen sandwiches are served on house-baked bread with a choice of spicy pineapple coleslaw, potato salad or upgrade to fries for an additional $1.00. Sandwich options include Cheesesteak, Jerk Chicken, Shrimp, and Bacon, BBQ Pulled Pork, and Blackened Ono. 

Signature Speciality Dishes
Rebel Kitchen is also known for its specialty signature dishes that include the Coconut Curry Ono and Shrimp, featuring fresh fish, veggies, and shrimp in a spicy coconut curry, the Lomo Saltado, with local grass-fed sliced ribeye, with veggies and french fries. Other dishes include Jambalaya, made of chicken, Portuguese sausage and shrimp, Creamy Veggie Pasta, with eggplant, peppers, onions and black olive, and more. 

Sides
Rebel Kitchen has some of the most delicious sides to go along with their specialty plates or popular dishes. These sides include French fries, pepperoni garlic fries, side salad, potato salad, or spicy pineapple coleslaw. 

Insider Tips:
-You can join the Rebel Kitchen newsletter to learn more about their sauces.
-Rebel Kitchen’s outside yard is dog friendly, providing that your four-legged companion is well-behaved and leashed. 
-Rebel Kitchen is home to Kona Ketchup, Hawaiian Fire Sauce, and Mauka Mustard.