Island Manapua Factory

Reviews

• Diana S.

  star star star star star_border 4 June 2026

  My friend and I found this place after driving to two Manapua places near the area that were closed for some reason at 11:00a on Wednesday, 1/2/19.  We were craving for some pork hash for a snack. Thus we turned to Yelp to see what was in the area.  We are glad we did use Yelp.
  
  Upon entering the shop we were happy that they had pork hash.  The pork hash was very tasty and satisfied our craving.  Since this is a Manapua Shop we elected to try some.  Boy, were we happy that we did.  The steamed manapua was one of the best we've tried.  It was straight out of the steamer and ever so fresh.  The bread was light and pillowy and so soft.  The texture and taste was perfection.  The Char sui filling was just right.  The ratio of filling to the heavenly manapua bun was perfect.  Since we enjoyed it so much, we bought more to take home to share with our family.  They also sell char sui, roast pork, duck, as well.  They were all out when we got there.  But, they still had other dim sum available.
  
  If you enjoy manapua, I highly recommend this place.  They also have different fillings from Lup Cheong to Teri Chicken.  I remember around ten different fillings.  I may try them the next time I visit.  Again, the steamed manapua buns were ever so satisfying.  Parking is limited.

• Erika C.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  Didn't believe the ratings at first because I hear good things about this place.  But please save yourself (and some money) and just go to china town!   The Manapua here is expensive!  It's 2.25 for a steamed Manapua and it's ice cold even though it's supposedly on a warmer The meat had good flavor but a hint of spicy to it and the bread is light and fluffy but only 1/4 of the Manapua is filling.  The rest was bread. Half moon and pork hash are dollar each.  The half moon was cold and hard and had no flavor I had to douse it in hot mustard.  The pork hash was ok and had the same spice component as the Manapua.  The lady inside was nice though.  I guess if you just want a Manapua fix this place is ok.  But if your like me and you want half moon and pork hash and stuff then take the extra 10 minutes to go to china town.  You won't regret it.

• Vince N.

  star star star star_border star_border 27 May 2026

  My aunty, originally from Oahu but living on Maui for years, brought us a box of "dim sum" from IMF.  Not to sound like an ingrate but man, the stuff was pretty unpalatable.
  
  The only selections in the box that were good were the shrimp shumai, and the steamed pork hash/mushrooms/water chestnut dumplings.  The onion manapua was very offensive, with the texture of sauerkraut and the pungent flavor of onion juice, in a manapua.  Yuck!  Another selection, which I think is the "Chop Suey Cake" on their menu, looked like pizza slices, but had a mushy crust that was topped with char siu, green onions, and other bits of ingredients I could not identify.  Bleh.  And bummer, no custard tarts were in the box...
  
  OVERALL:
  Chinese cuisine is very personal, kind of like clothing and jewelry.  You may like something, but others won't, LOL.

• Clif I.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 22 May 2026

  My coworker and I  made a big order with the"owner". We were quoted  a price, which seemed high. We found a competitor with a lower price. We called the "owner" to cancel the order. She asked why , and we told her that we didn't have to prepay, and found a cheaper price. The "owner said she would match the lower price and  no prepayment  was necessary.  This morning  when we came to pick up the  order, it wasn't  ready. Then when she told us the price it was higher than the quoted price. She refused to give us the cheaper, price quote. She lied to us on the price. You can't  trust the"owner" and we will never go back.

• Jamal C.

  star star star star_border star_border 19 May 2026

  Island Manapua Factory is a small family business in Kalihi. There was some wait time when I came in. The cashier wasn't very helpful with offering suggestions. As I'm getting use to ordering Manapuas for the team. It's still hard remembering the different choices.
  I will try the Island Factory again. I'll place my order in Advance in the future. The Order I took for breakfast was good and my co-workers Appreciated the gesture.