TaKorean Launches a Hawaiian Comfort Food Ghost Kitchen

Although poke shops have been popping up across the D.C. area in recent years, Hawaiian comfort food isn’t as well represented. Now, the team behind TaKorean has launched Kau Kau, a takeout-only lunch (and dinner) ghost kitchen cooking up kalua pork, loco moco, and other comfort food classics.

TaKorean founder Mike Lenard moved to Hawaii a few years ago. His wife, a native Hawaiian, was helping take over her family’s helicopter business on Maui when her father retired. And so Lenard began running his Korean-inspired taco grill mostly from afar, though he still returns to the D.C. area about eight times a year. The move also inspired him to bring a taste of his new home to his old one.

Kau Kau—the Hawaiian pidgin word meaning food, meal, or eating—serves dishes featuring bulgogi, kalua pork, teriyaki chicken, grilled mahi mahi, hoisin caramelized tofu, and more. Another classic: loco moco, hamburger steak with brown sauce and fried egg. All dishes come with creamy macaroni salad, two spoons of white rice and iceberg lettuce salad. Extra sides include Spam musubi, Korean-style cucumber salad or tomato lomi salad made with chopped tomatoes, ginger and scallions.

Kau Kau offers delivery from DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub – or pickup at TaKorean in Navy Yard (1212 Fourth Street, SE), where the food is prepared. Meals range from $16.50 to $18.50, with catering options coming soon. A portion of sales will go to Lahaina Strong, helping the Maui community rebuild after last year’s devastating wildfires.

TaKorean launched in 2010 as a food truck and had its heyday in five locations. Today, it operates the Navy Yard storefront and also a kiosk inside Union Market. “Everyone knows that restaurant margins are getting smaller and smaller,” says Lenard. “So being able to add something extra potentially allows us to have a better chance of continuing.”

Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian In July 2016, she was food editor and Young & Hungry columnist for Washington City Paper. She was born in Colorado and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.