You truly haven’t experienced the joy of eating a perfectly-prepared hotdog until you’ve visited Puka Dogs near Poipu Beach in South Shore Kauai. On their mission to reimagine the hotdog, they’ve managed to take this simple favorite to the next level while still keeping it lowkey.
They started this journey by ditching the open bun in favor of their innovative “Puka” bun with a hole on one side. They make all their buns using Hawaiian sweet bread dough handcrafted with 100% natural ingredients. The hole in the bun fits the dog, relishes, and other toppings inside, so you can keep your hotdog vertical as you dig into its delicious flavors.
As each bun comes warm and toasty out of the oven, they set their sights on building bold creations using your hotdog of choice. You can either get a proprietary Polish hotdog made with pork and beef. Or you can skip the meat by selecting their non-GMO wheat and soy veggie dog.
Once the hotdog goes in the bun, you can choose from their many amazing garlic lemon secret sauces, which range from pleasantly mild to wickedly hot lava. After that, add one of their amazing tropical relishes that offer a burst of all the best island flavors in every bite. Their six relish flavors include mango, coconut, banana, pineapple, star fruit, and papaya.
The mustard goes on top like frosting with a kick. Most people go straight for the iconic Aunty Lilikoi’s Passion Fruit Mustard, although you can go with the basics if you wish. In addition to the passion fruit, they have sweet pickle, yellow, and Dijon relish plus tomato ketchup, of course.
Although you’re always welcome to build your hotdog from the ground up, you can cut to the chase by selecting one of their three fan favorites. With that move, you can kick back and enjoy the show while they add all the pre-selected ingredients one by one.
Their most popular eats include:
Kauai Special
As with all their hotdogs, the Kauai Special starts with their sweet bread bun and your dog of choice. To that, they add their Spicy Garlic Lemon Secret Sauce plus the mango relish, dubbed the Kauai Special. To finish it off right, they put a dollop of Aunty Lilikoi’s Passion Fruit Mustard right on top.
Pineapple Field
Once you select from their Polish and veggie dogs, your hotdog gets a generous amount of their Spicy Garlic Lemon Secret Sauce. On top of that, they add their Pineapple Field relish and Aunty Lilikoi’s Passion Fruit Mustard. Simple, yet delicious.
Waimea Canyon
Waimea Canyon starts like the rest, and then gets the uber-hot Lava Garlic Lemon Secret Sauce. To offset the spice, they add their Waimea Canyon banana relish. As with the others, Aunty Lilikoi’s Passion Fruit Mustard caps off the hotdog to create the perfect blend of flavors.
While you can definitely fly solo with your Puka Dog, it’s best paired with a bag of Maui Chips. The crispy kettle chips give each bite of your hotdog an excellent crunch and add a burst of salt to the mix. Just don’t forget to get their Fresh Squeezed Lemonade to wash it all down and bask in the bright lemon flavors.
Insider Tips:
-Want the vegetarian dog? Expect it to take 12 minutes to cook.
-If you ever dislike your selected flavor combination, return your hotdog right away for a prompt replacement. To avoid that scenario, ask to sample the garlic lemon sauces, relishes, and mustards before you make your selections.