Kid blogger: Pounders Restaurant review

 by Kealia, Age 9

I ate lunch at Pounders Restaurant at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Kamehameha Highway in Laie. It is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and closed on Sundays. The website for the restaurant is hukilaumarketplace.com.

My family and I went there because we were on our way to go horseback riding at Gunstock Ranch and it was on the way. We also went there before, so my brother and I wanted to make our own pizzas again.

I got to build my own pizza on the keiki menu (for 12 and under) and had a side order of salad. We got to choose as many toppings as we wanted. My pizza had cheese, mushrooms, olives, and pepperoni. It tasted really cheesy and with the sauted mushrooms and fresh olives, it was so yummy!

The crust was also very good. I didn’t really like the salad because it was mostly kale and other organic greens with ranch.

My brother made a pizza with cheese, pepperoni, olives, and onions. He got a side of french fries, which was a much better choice. I even ate some of his fries.

My mom and dad shared a Kahuku Shrimp Pizza and a Bacon Ranch Salad. The shrimp pizza had a pesto sauce that my mom really liked.

My dad didn’t like the roasted grapes and walnuts on the salad. Next time, he said he’s going to order the Ahi Tataki Salad that he had before and it was really tasty.

My mom said the prices were really reasonable too. The restaurant had a relaxing island atmosphere and was very clean and neat. There were also very natural elements in the decorations. There were flowers, fish, and even a mural made of driftwood in the shape of a wave.

I would give this restaurant five stars for being kid friendly because they have a good kids menu and a make-your-own pizza that is my favorite. There is a counter near the kitchen where kids can make their own pizza and watch the chef put it in the brick oven named Tina. There was also a bakery where they sold freshly baked goods.

The service was great and we got seated right away. Our waitress was very friendly and nice. The pizza chef was friendly and he helped us make our pizzas and talked to us about what we were going to do that day. He also let us choose as many toppings as we wanted.

Our pizza cooked very quickly because of the temperature of Tina, so we got our food very fast. I would come back to Pounders Restaurant again because it was a very nice place to have lunch and I would also like to try new things that they have on their menu.

I also would like to use a coupon from the Fire Fighter Safety Guide for a free dessert. I haven’t tried any of their desserts yet, but I’m sure it’s good!