coconut kenny's

amazing. the portions are huge, the food's relatively cheap and really good, and it's a nice place to sit and relax while eating with friends. not traditionalhawaiianfood, but tasty nonetheless.

so, how have we never stopped by coconut kenny’s during one of our previous sorties down to the states? this chain of hawaiian-inspired pizza joints just came up on our radar recently so we decided to stop by after visiting trader joe’s in bellingham. it’s a bit confusing when you first enter this island-hut interior. you can grab a table and then, when you’re ready to order, head up to the front counter to place your order. we decided to try a few things since we’ve never been here before. first off was the cheese balls ($3.99). omfg these were good! these sweethawaiianbread balls are baked with butter and garlic and then covered with a super cheesy blend and accompanied with a marinara dipping sauce. served sizzling hot, there’s an amazing cheesy pull and the bread is so light and airy on the inside. if you like cheese, you’ll love these cheese balls. seriously better than any cheese bread that i’ve ever had.

for all you vancouverites who like to frequent trader joes... here's a hidden gem that you might not know existed in bellingham. not only is this local pizza joint located just a few blocks from the beloved natural & health focused grocery store, their deep-dish style pizzas will blow your mind. a huge thank you to my friend c-dubs for this awesome recommendation!! the entire restaurant ishawaiianthemed. with their tiki torches, mounted surf boards, and indoor straw huts, it just feels like a place where you can relax, grab a quick bite, and head back to the beach. you order and pay at the counter first so don't expect a hostess to seat you. since it was our first time here, we weren't sure and just stood at the door like weirdos. :p on a completely different note, both rae and i thought their playlist was off the hook (john mayer, jason mraz, slow soulful tunes). i think their pizza and sandwich prices are extremely reasonable. pizzas range from $7-8 (s) to $16-20 (l) and their sand

good, college-ish kind of place.. i've been to the one in ferndale, and this one feels more in line with a college hang-out. it's got some levels of tacky with thehawaiianfeel, but it works considering this is a pizza and sandwich joint. the prices aren't bad at all, and it's quite busy with both young and old. seats could use a bit more padding - though that tells you how well they've been used.

lots of sauce, lots of cheese, lots of pineapple and lots of meatballs! a really filling sandwich and those meatballs were perfectly seasoned and very moist, perfect for this sandwich. the real gem of this sandwich though was thehawaiianbread - soft and chewy on the inside but it has a nice crispy crust on the outside. even though the contents are a delicious mess on the inside, this bread holds its own and never gets soggy.

doesn't quite work for me.

my wife and i stopped by here recently for a quick dinner while heading up to bc. the combination of pizza andhawaiianis a pretty strange offering for a restaurant, but coconut kenny's pulls it off fairly well. you can get a lot of different kinds of pizzas, including some with pineapple (disgusting, in my opinion, but that's just me). however, the usual combinations of toppings are also available. there is also a good selection of sandwiches and a few other dishes worth considering. my wife ordered the small vegi pizza, and i had the bbq killer pork sandwich. the pizza was good, perhaps a little heavy on the toppings and a bit too thick crusted, but still basically well-executed. my sandwich was huge. the pork was super tender, but the sauce, advertised as sweet and tangy, was a little too sweet and not quite tangy enough for my tastes. but this is all about personal tastes. they know how to put good food on the plate here. if you like the style, you will appreciate this restaurant. i'll probably not be back, but that's just because their style doesn't mesh with my tastes very well. c'est la vie.