New Food Cart at Portland's My-O-My: Kona Kitchen

This is the same cart that was home to Ooba Sushi, which is now home to Kona Kitchen.

My-O-My, which opened up in the Sumner neighborhood back in January 2023, has a new food cart on the back patio: Kona Kitchen. They offer Hawaiian food—from an ahi tuna poke bowl to kalua pork, teriyaki chicken to mac salad, and much more.

Food Carts We’ve Loved at My-O-My

When I talk to neighbors and friends about My-O-My’s past carts, the original one, Monster Smash, always comes up as the one that is seriously missed. Their craveable smash burgers and epic amounts of fries are truly memorable.

After Monster Smash left, we saw the arrival of Lawless Barbecue and Ooba Sushi. Lawless eventually moved over to SE Division and now has a brick-and-mortar at 1520 SE 7th Avenue. Ooba Sushi has decided to pivot and move toward doing more catering work.

Kona Kitchen

I first got wind of Kona Kitchen opening at My-O-My on Friday, February 7, which was the start of their tenure there. From their Instagram page: “Our mission is to share the warmth, hospitality, and bold tastes of Hawaii one plate at a time.” The business is owned by entrepreneur James Law; this is his first foray into running a food business. He also works in car sales.

On Kona Kitchen’s Instagram page, they talk about their philosophy: “We bring the vibrant flavors of KONA to Portland….inspired by our founder James’ love for the island. With fresh ingredients … and a touch of aloha spirit, we serve up authentic favorites that transport you straight to paradise.”

The Menu

They offer two menus—their main one, which is all about Hawaiian food, and a late night menu of simpler far.

The Main Menu

This menu is available starting at 3pm each day until about 10pm.

Things that catch my eye are the teriyaki chicken, galbi short ribs, ahi tuna poke bowl, the loaded lu’au fries, gyoza, mac salad, and cucumber salad.

I did stop by over the weekend to try some things, but they were dealing with technical difficulties related to the cold weather when I was there. However, James, who just happened to be hanging out at My-O-My at the same time I was, was kind enough to offer me some samples of the mac salad and cucumber salad.

I really liked how light these salads were. The macaroni pasta was more delicate than I usually encounter in American-style macaroni salad, which was a nice change of pace. The salad was more savory than sweet, and that is by design. James told me that this salad is meant to accompany the meats, which tend to be sweeter, so it all balances out.

The cucumber salad was light and crunchy with flavors of sesame in it. It had additional bright notes in it, and this serves to provide a “reset,” in James’ words, to the taste buds. This salad is also meant to accompany their meats and rice.

I asked James what his favorite thing is on the menu and he mentioned the cucumber salad, as well as his love of beef, which meant the galbi short ribs. He also told me that his chef, Annie, who makes a lot of the food and marinades, has been cooking this cuisine for over 20 years, and he is grateful for her expertise.

Speaking of the meats, they cook your food a la minute. It’s not pre-cooked and then heated up. James is very proud of this aspect of the business.