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Kau Kau

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Coordinates: 45°33′32″N 122°38′39″W / 45.5589°N 122.6443°W / 45.5589; -122.6443
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Kau Kau
The restaurant's exterior, 2025
Map
Restaurant information
Established2021 (2021)
Owner(s)Brandon and Tracee Hirahara
Food typeHawaiian
Street address2026 Northeast Alberta Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97211
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°33′32″N 122°38′39″W / 45.5589°N 122.6443°W / 45.5589; -122.6443
Websitekaukaupdx.com

Kau Kau is a Hawaiian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. Chefs and spouses Brandon and Tracee Hirahara started the business as a pop-up restaurant at Little Griddle in 2021. The restaurant relocated to a brick and mortar space in northeast Portland's Vernon neighborhood in 2025.

Description

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The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI)-owned[1] Hawaiian restaurant Kau Kau, which means "to eat” in Hawaiian Pidgin,[2] operates on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Vernon neighborhood. Portland Monthly said, "Hawaiian radio pop thumps through the speakers, like what you might hear on a drive around the islands... The vibe here is incredibly laid-back, almost disarming, no white tablecloths or fussiness whatsoever."[3] Kau Kau has an outdoor patio.[3]

The menu has included chicken long rice, kombu maki, lomi-lomi salmon, mochiko chicken, poke bowls,[4] Spam musubi,[5] and squid luau,[2] as well as sides like macaroni salad and rice. Butter mochi is a dessert option.[6] The restaurant has also served tempura-battered Oregon smelt with scallion-ginger sauce and sesame watercress, as well as beef luau stew with lotus root. The chile pepper water is made in-house. The drink menu also includes Brando's Brews, described by Portland Monthly as "Hawaiian takes on micheladas with li hing mui rims".[3]

History

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Chefs and spouses Brandon and Tracee Hirahara launched Kau Kau as a pop-up restaurant at Little Griddle in September 2021.[2][5][6] Kau Kau has been a vendor at the Portland Night Market[7] and the Oregon AAPI Food and Wine Fest.[1][8] In 2023, food from Kau Kau was featured in a wine tasting fundrasier at Korean restaurant Han Oak with proceeds benefitting the Hawaii Community Foundation to aid victims of the 2023 Hawaii wildfires.[9]

In March 2024, the business announced plans to start a dinner residency at Little Griddle in April.[2][10] In January 2025, Kau Kau's owners announced plans to move into the brick and mortar space on Alberta Street in northeast Portland that previously housed Baba's Mediterranean Grill. The couple had hoped to open in February.[11][12] The restaurant was slated to open on March 13.[13][14] The Hiraharas planned to launch dinner service in May 2025.[3]

Reception

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Fodor's has included Kau Kau in a list of the fifteen best restaurants in Portland.[4] In 2025, Jordan Michelman of Portland Monthly recommended, "Be generous with the chile pepper water and leave your preconceptions around Hawaiian cuisine where they belong, which is back outside on the street."[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Oregon couple launches new Asian American and Pacific Islander food and wine festival". opb. Archived from the original on 2024-12-30. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  2. ^ a b c d Spencer, Malia (March 14, 2024). "Hawaiian food pop-up Kau Kau to take up residency in Southeast Portland". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e "New Hawaiian Spot Kau Kau Treats the Cuisine with Care". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
  4. ^ a b Kingsman, Kay (2024-08-09). "The 15 Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon". Fodors Travel Guide. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  5. ^ a b "A Filipino Brunch Debuts, a Vegan Grocery Store Lives On, and More Food News". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  6. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-10-05). "An Eem Sous Chef and Langbaan Alum Are Serving Homestyle Hawaiian Food With a New Pop-Up". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  7. ^ "Portland Night Market Returns With Food, Performances, Stalls, and Crucially Libations Galore". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  8. ^ "Oregon's First AAPI Food & Wine Pairs Diversity and Discovery". www.winebusiness.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  9. ^ Wong, Janey (2023-08-15). "These Portland Restaurants, Bars, and Breweries Are Raising Money for Maui Wildfire Relief". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  10. ^ "Chef duo brings Hawaiian cuisine to residency at SE Portland's Little Griddle". KOIN.com. 2024-04-10. Archived from the original on 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  11. ^ Spencer, Malia (January 10, 2025). "Hawaiian food pop-up Kau Kau lands on Alberta". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  12. ^ Russell, Michael (2025-01-13). "Former Langbaan, Eem chefs to open Hawaiian plate lunch spot Kau Kau in NE Portland". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  13. ^ Spencer, Malia (March 7, 2025). "Restaurant roundup: Beast chef joins L'Échelle; Kau Kau opens; Meet 82 Acres". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-03-08. In January, there was news that the Hawaiian food pop-up from chefs Tracee Hirahara and Brandon Hirahara, Eem and Langbaan alums, respectively, had leased space on Northeast Alberta. Well, now, the pair have an opening date. Kau Kau, which means "to eat" in Hawaiian pidgin, is set to open March 13. The permanent spot is at 2026 N.E. Alberta St.
  14. ^ "Kau Kau goes from Portland pop-up to brick-and-mortar eatery". KOIN.com. 2025-03-25. Archived from the original on 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
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