18-02-2025
Restaurant in former Dee Felice space flies you straight to Hawaii with 1 dish
Highly Recommended is a weekly spotlight on some of food writer Keith Pandolfi's favorite finds as he eats his way across Greater Cincinnati. Come back every Tuesday for more.
Musubi is one of life's great pleasures. The "sandwich" of sticky rice stuffed with a thick slice of grilled Spam and wrapped in nori is a staple at barbecue joints and convenience stores in Hawaii. Its salty-sweet flavor makes it a satisfying midday snack, no matter where you live.
Instead of a snack, I ordered it as an appetizer ($4) during a recent lunch at Kealoha's Kitchen, a mom-and-pop restaurant owned by Valentino "Val" Abafo, who grew up in Oahu, his wife, Amy, and their three kids. The restaurant started as a food truck before opening a small spot in Latonia that the family relocated to the former Dee Felice space in 2023.
If Spam isn't your thing, try the lacquered chicken teriyaki (Val makes the sauce himself) with sweet notes of pineapple, or the Keola Pig – tender, smoky pulled pork. Or opt for the sauteed garlic shrimp, the lightly fried mochiko chicken or the pineapple teriyaki short ribs. Order your protein as a bento box ($12), which comes with a scoop of sticky rice.
Like a lot of restaurants, Kealoha's Kitchen has been struggling in recent months. In early January, they closed for two weeks to regroup after sales decreased by 37%. The closure and a plea on social media led customers back. It would be nice to keep that momentum going. At a time when mom-and-pop restaurants are hard to come by, Kealoha's Kitchen is something special that's worth hanging on to.
Kealoha's Kitchen, 529 Main St., Covington, 808-217-3070, Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How to go Hawaiian in Northern Kentucky (don't skip the Spam musubi)
