The Kapahulu bakery that made the malasada an Oʻahu staple. Leonard Rego, a grandson of Portuguese plantation workers from the Azores, opened it in 1952, and his mother suggested making malasadas for Shrove Tuesday, a Portuguese tradition.
Why we love it
A hot, sugar-rolled malasada straight from the fryer is one of the best things you can eat for very little money in Honolulu.
What to expect
The bakery sits on Kapahulu Avenue, a few minutes’ drive from Waikīkī and close to the Diamond Head side of town. You order at the counter from a case of malasadas, malasada puffs and pao doce, the Portuguese sweet bread. Malasadas are best eaten hot, rolled in sugar, within minutes of leaving the fryer. A featured flavor rotates, lately lilikoʻi. Lines can stretch out the door on weekend mornings but move fast. There’s little seating, so eat them warm by the car or take a box to the beach. A half dozen disappears quickly.
Know before you go
- Order
- Get an original sugar malasada hot, plus a malasada puff. The current featured flavor is posted on the bakery’s site.
- Hours
- Open daily 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., so an early stop before a Diamond Head hike works.
- Phone
- (808) 737-5591 for large orders.
- Also try
- Pao doce, the Portuguese sweet bread, and pao doce pups.
- Trucks
- Leonard’s also runs Malasadamobile trucks elsewhere on Oʻahu, but the Kapahulu bakery is the original.
Photo: Arnold Gatilao via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
