Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Indian
Fast food
Take-out
Vegetarian food truck parked here as of Sep 2021. Look for the bright yellow truck. Serves southern Indian dishes including different varieties of dosas plus uthappam, and Madras specialties like sambar idly and biryani. Located in an indoor food court. Open Tue-Sun 11:30am-3:00pm, 5:30pm-7:30pm. Closed Mon.
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Kona International Market, Luhia St, Unit K3, Kailua Kona, Hawaii, USA, 96740
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 04 Sep 2024 by geometric-noise
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Added by drjohnsaddress on 23 Mar 2018
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21 Reviews
First Review by drjohnsaddress
PattonEchols
Points +19
Great food - not really a food truck. - Edit
This is an indoor restaurant in a food court. So combined seating with others. Food was excellent! And plentiful.
Read moreWe were here on a Tuesday evening and the place was just about empty. All the restaurants have their own hours, and Tuesday many were closed. So I guess I understand.
The chef says they do a ton of Carry out business in the evening even though the other restaurants closed.
Guest
amc124
Points +104
Lots of options - Edit
Great to have so much choice of dosa and other south Indian fare here. Dosas come with sambar and the portions are nice, though the prices are a bit high. When we visited, it was just one person working (the owner?) so it took quite a while to get our food. Delicious though!
Read moreGuest
ahwn
Points +88
Indoor location - Edit
Kona International Market, Inside Food Court, 74-5533 Luhia St, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Read moreGuest
SuparnaVashisht
Points +97
Delicious and unexpected! - Edit
I was astonished to see Swami’s pop up on my Happy Cow app! I didn’t expect to find dosas in Kona. I made a beeline for the food court where it’s located and had a very satisfying meal. I had a veggie Dosa, my husband had a masala dosa and I took home the sambar-rice with porial. The dosas were crisp, the chutneys were good, the sambar was so-so but overall the meal was fantastic. Interestingly, the sambar-rice was very good although I thought the sambar that came with the Dosa was so-so. The porial (mixed veges) was good.
Read moreGuest
SarahWieland
Points +90
Authentic Meal - Edit
Excellent food with a great selection of sauces. Many menu options I hadn’t heard of before making it an adventure but a safe one knowing everything was vegetarian/vegan. I had the samosas and masala dosa and everything was delicious. A little tough to find at the back of the Kona International Market since the rest of the market appears to be closed.
Read morePros: Sauces, Authentic and freshly made, Quick service
Cons: Hard to find location
Guest
hawaiivegan
Points +34
Always been our favorite vegan spot in Kona - Edit
OUR FAVORITE SPOT IN KONA, and the whole big island!
Read moreTHEY EVEN HAVE VEGAN MANGO LASSI !!!
Try the masala dosa!!!! Always sooooo good ❤️
Sooooo much good delicious food 😍
And what makes them the best is they are FULLY VEGETARIAN!!!!! (Vegetarian in India means NO EGGS) Their whole family are Jains and fully vegetarians 😊 So you will find absolutely no meat, eggs, or honey ever at this place!!! 😊
A place you can trust and feel happy to eat 😊
Pros: FULLY VEGETARIAN, NO MEAT NO EGGS NO HONEY, Kamaaina rates 4 locals, generous discount, SO FREAKING DELICIOUS
Guest
evelinemater
Points +129
Delicious - Edit
Though compared with our usual Dosa places in NYC this is expensive. Most food in Hawaii is relatively more expensive.
Read moreWe only had to wait 10 min, but it’s such a pleasant spot to wait. Lots of tables and fresh air. Items were clearly marked as vegan (or not).
The massala vada were tender and crisp. Veggie uthappam the same. The Mysore massala Dosa filling was different from what I’m used to, but I liked it. I think it might have had other root veg in it in addition to potatoes. My daughter was disappointed no poori but she liked her idly just fine.
Pros: Delicious and fresh, Browse the market while waiting for your food, Pleasant shady spot to eat
Cons: Price, Sambar lacked something I’m not sure what
Guest
valerie_california
Points +137
Great vegan south Indian options - Edit
We didn't quite know what to expect but were super happy that we made this one of our stops while in Kona! We tried a few different things and very much enjoyed all of them. The wait can be a bit long (we waited about 30 minutes), but if you go in with that expectation and you're not in a rush, you'll be very happy!
Read morePros: Affordable, Casual
Guest
TravelingThroughLife1
Points +3302
Good food but way overpriced - Edit
We got the masala dosa and it was *gulp* $17 with barely any filling. It was tasty but wouldn’t buy again bc of the prices.
Read morePros: Vegan options
Cons: Expensive , Serves dairy
Guest
Melaz
Points +241
Must visit - Edit
The owner is South Indian and this truck is vegetarian and vegan. Food was authentic, comforting and flavorful
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-03-17
Pros: Lots of clearly labeled vegan options, Tasty!, Authentic- no cultural appropriation
Cons: Small portion sizes
Guest
al30sh
Points +114
Delicious dosa and chaat - Edit
We loved our food from Swami's food truck! Everything was vegan, fresh and flavorful. We also got a vegan mango lassi (which is hard to find!). We had the vegetable masala dosa, the medu vada and uttapam.
Read morePros: Great menu, Great flavors!, vegan mango lassi!
Cons: Took a really long time to make
Guest
SouthernmostVegan
Points +1811
Spicy and authentic - Edit
As an Indian woman whose favorite food is South Indian specialties, iddly/sambar/uttapam, this place hit the spot. I stuck with the basics and has a veg uttapam, idly, vada, and sambar. It came with the traditional accompaniments and everything was good. I’ve had better, but this is Kona and I’m happy to have a solid Indian option. I’ll go back and try other items.
Read moreExcellent outdoor seating and ambiance at Ali’i Gardens.
For those who say it’s too spicy, that’s the authenticity of that region’s palate. But if you can’t handle it, then order uttapam, idly, plain dosa, and vada. Skip the accompanying sambar and go easy on the chutneys.
Guest
Plant-based
Points +20
Large selection, but everything is Very spicy - Edit
Food truck serving South Indian food. Everything is very spicy- we asked if the spice level can be adjusted and they said it could not - this cut the menu down to less than half of what we could order. Even the items not marked spicy are served with sauces, chutneys, and soup which is all very spicy. The prices are good for Kona $7-10 for an item, but each item is not very filling. Each order is just one dosa which is a thin Indian crepe/pancake. So for a meal, you will spend $14 or more per person. The owner is pleasant. The wait is also always quite long (sometimes 30 minutes or more after ordering).
Read morePros: Vegan
Cons: Spicy, long wait, price.
Guest
Harryvx
Points +368
Hidden gem - Edit
Do not miss out on this delicious Indian food. We went in the evening when the truck is parked at the gas station. But the location does not reflect the quality of the food. We had dosa and some of the little savoury donuts (sorry I forget the name). Absolutely delicious. The little sides accompanying the dishes were great. Track this truck down!
Read morePros: Excellent authentic Indian food, Vegan dishes clearly marked, Friendly staff
Cons: In the evening it’s in a gas station but Hey...
Guest
akufner
Points +203
Some of the best dosa around. - Edit
This was unexpected, but perfect. Came across this place in Kona and it was unbelievable. Some of the best dosa I’ve hands down. All fresh, and the owner looks after wach customer individually before cooking for the next. Worth the little extra wait.
Read moreGuest
CA89SS
Points +2138
Trip highlight - Edit
This place is legit as hell. The owner is so lovely and the food is made fresh to order. We got a dosa, the pancake type one and the daily doughnut type thing. Forgot the actual names but you will understand once you read the menu😄food is very well priced and afterwards you can take a stroll through the markets
Read moreGuest
ZacharyWolfheart
Points +176
Great Dosa - Edit
Had an order of Biryani and a Masala Dosa. Both were excellent.
Read moreGuest
AshleaRae
Points +205
Gotta go - Edit
Very tasty, got the popular masala dosa and spicy biryani rice. Good good good good stuff. Fantastic even. We left with a plain dosa to go. Never had South Indian food before and I left with no regrets. 10/10 would cover myself in the chutneys, spices and dips for lasting flavor all day long. Cheap and tasty.
Read moreGuest
JamesLaw
Points +22
Masala Dosa - Edit
Must try!! Amazing food!!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Vegan desserts, Raw items also
Guest
martybigisland
Points +25
South Indian Food - Edit
South Indiab food is very different from North Indian food. And these guys got it right. Love the dosas ,and idaly. The chutneys were yummy.
Read morePros: Excellent food
Guest
drjohnsaddress
Points +294
Southern Indian Vegetarian/ Vegan - Edit
A cute Indian family just opened their first Indian restaurant in a food truck in Kailua- Kona, HI.
Read moreThey park the truck at the Ali'i Gardens Marketplace on the south end of Kona on the main highway.
They are enthusiastic about their food. Very pleasant outdoor seating. The food is good.
Pros: Vegetarian and Vegan food only.
Cons: Outdoor seating only.
Guest
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