Giovanni's Shrimp Truck

The Shrimp Truck

         The shrimp truck. You know, the white one with black scribbles all over it. Yes, Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore of Oa'hu is probably the most famous shrimp truck on the north shore. Easily distinguishable from the 5 (?) other food trucks in the same shaded picnic area from the signatures written all over the truck. I wonder how those other trucks stay in business. Giovanni's has become so popular that they don't even use the local shrimp anymore. Instead they use frozen shrimp, but they still are the most popular. Now, Giovanni's actually has 2 trucks on the same stretch of highway, one in Haleiwa and another over by the shrimp farms. So after driving through Haleiwa, we turned around to pick up some other eats before hopping over to Giovanni's. The menu there is quite simple. You have the Shrimp Scampi, the Hot and Spicy, and the Lemon and Butter along with some drinks.

     

(12) Shrimp Scampi $12

        There was only one thing we had our eyes on when ordering: the shrimp scampi. This is their most famous and popular plate, with 2 scoops of rice and 12 shrimp all very generously lathered with garlic. Of course I start with the shrimp, because I was curious to see if the frozen shrimp were particularly special. The shrimp was pretty good, although it does taste like the stuff you can make at home. However, they were cooked practically perfectly, crisp and flavourful. But the garlic was the best part. All of it had the good garlic flavour without any of the bad. The shrimp were cooked in their shells, and was nicely crisp. You could eat the shells. In the end, the price was ok, and the food was pretty good. The only downside is that you get garlic breath after, which is a small downside. This is a 4/5 plate of shrimp. Overall, the food here is good, despite the shrimp, and is a solid option if you want shrimp.

Bottom Line: Good Shrimp

Tip: Shrimp Scampi!

Overall: 4/5