Travelocity 2007 Edition

Travelocity and IgoUgo named Puka Dog Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs a Top insider spot for Hawaiian in its 2007 Edition of Local Secret. 
Selected from more than 10,000 Travelocity member entries, Puka Dog Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs made the travel company’s list of Favorite Local Finds.

NRN takes a look at the ingredients that make up 10 standout hot dogs.

Designing a Hotter Dog
This single-unit restaurant on the Hawaiian island of Kauai is known for its unusual hot dog bun and proprietary condiments made from local ingredients. Customers can choose from a Polish sausage made of chicken, pork, and beef, or a veggie dog. Toppings include a garlic-lemon sauce made from a secret recipe; lilikoi mustard; and fresh fruit relishes made of mango, pineapple, papaya, coconut, banana or star fruit. The item is served in French bread with a hole, or puka, in the center, instead of a traditional hot dog bun. Price: Starts at $6.75. (Featured in the July 2012 issue). 

After working up an appetite snorkeling or boogie boarding at Poipu Beach, locals swing by PUKA DOG in the Poipu Shopping Village. Picture this: The grill for the namesake hot dog here has vertical hot metal spikes; doughy rolls are skewered onto the spikes, creating a puka (hole) and a bun that’s toasted both inside and out. One the three sauces (don’t miss the spicy jalapeno) and six tropical-fruits relishes (go for the pineapple) can be piped inside the bun, followed by a crispy grilled Polish Sausage or veggie dog. (Featured in the November 2005 issue).

There’s one Kauaian specialty that’s worth traveling 3,000 miles for: “The Puka Dog” says Laurel, who describes it as a Polish sausage slipped into a tube like bun and garnished with a secret garlic-lemon sauce and tropical relish, “papaya and mango are the best,” she said. (Featured in the January/ February 2006 issue).

No lie – these hot dogs are good enough on their own to warrant a trip to the island of Kauai. They’re truly Hawaiian style hot dogs, complete with tropical relishes (pineapple, coconut, mango, etc), a surf board for a menu, and the best lemonade you’ve ever had. Careful, if you eat there once, you’ll be eating there for lunch the rest of your visit! (Featured Review of Puka Dog entitled "Best Hot Dogs on the Planet").

...I can say with no hesitation that I had the greatest hot dog of my life at Puka Dog . There isn’t much on the menu, but this is THE must-stop restaurant on Kauai. Order your 1/4 pound dog as a polish sausage or veggie, select mild, spicy or hot sauce, and then, the real secret, select from a number of fresh-fruit relishes (mango, papaya, pineapple, coconut, banana, or star fruit). The dog is served in a special bun that, due to a hole on only one side, acts as a little pocket for the glorious sausage. I went with a Polish, Mild, Mango and every bite was a little slice of paradise. Top it off with a glass of hand-squeezed lemonade, sit back, and enjoy the Puka Bliss.