Business Monday: Once a popular food truck, Bite the Eye now serves up ahi in converted shipping containers

Lifelong fisherman Kaiana Trask originally opened Bite the Eye as a food truck to sell the ahi (yellowfin tuna) he caught.

For years, it operated from the parking lot of Prince Kūhiō Plaza in downtown Hilo until he was told he could not operate there anymore. In 2022, Trask moved the business to land he leases at 15-2059 Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road in Puna, between the ʻĀinaloa roundabout and Pāhoa.

He bought two 40-foot shipping containers and reconstructed one to serve as Bite the Eye’s kitchen and the other as its bar and seating area.

Trask said he had the shipping containers for years, with the plan to use them to expand Bite the Eye since they are more affordable, customizable, durable and flexible spaces without the long wait of traditional construction.

The one-of-a-kind restaurant for Puna residents and visitors has become a local gathering spot known for its creative island-inspired menu, relaxed vibe and live local entertainment booked every weekend.

“We’re fishermen and we needed a place to sell fish,” the 42-year-old Trask said. “We’re closer to home now, but we aren’t as busy as we were in town. But we like it out here.”

He added: “Since opening eight or nine years ago, we have faced many obstacles and have been able to adapt and overcome those. Now, I think we have found a good groove for our small operation.”

Bite the Eye was named after local tradition and a family custom in which children or fishermen eagerly claim and eat the cooked or grilled fish eyes as a flavorful, prized delicacy. The practice also honors the entire animal and ensures nothing good goes to waste.

Only offering ahi on the menu was successful for the business until the 2018 Kīlauea lava flow destroyed access to the Pohoiki Boat Ramp, from where Puna fishermen launched their boats. Trask realized he would have to expand the menu.

“We took a big hit with the closing of Pohoiki and it was hard to find fish like we used to,” Trask said. “Everything is totally different from where we started. Fuel has more than doubled in price. Everything is more expensive. But, we found that keeping our menu local is the key to success.”

Along with fresh fish, Bite the Eye’s menu features local, grass-fed beef burgers and local, farm-fresh produce that comes from ranchers and farmers living in the Puna area.

“I’m more of the fisherman, so the recipes come from my mom and other family that have been learned over the years,” Trask said.

Since Trask and his family have been fishing for generations, there has been plenty of time for them to create recipes for ahi. The menu is full of some of these dishes such as Korean Ahi, Blackened Ahi, Furikake Ahi and Ahi Patties.

“Everything we make is intentional, though, and the way we operate has become community-based,” he said. “We know everyone we buy fish, beef and produce from and we want to support them.”

Since reopening in Puna four years ago, Trask got a liquor license and serves local beers, wines and handcrafted cocktails from the bar. The covered, outdoor seating areas provide a breezy, open-air atmosphere that has proven to be a great venue for live music, community events or private gatherings.

“We try to have live music as much as possible and we found that it does bring more people in,” Trask said. “There are so many talented people in Puna that want to perform, so having local musicians has become an important part of the business for us.”

On Friday night, dozens of people came to Bite the Eye for dinner and to see Pōhai and the Revelations perform for a couple hours. Their music fuses elements of acoustic soul, R&B, indie, and roots reggae with lyrics that focus on storytelling within the Native Hawaiian persepective.

According to Trask, Bite the Eye was the only place to get dinner and drinks and hear live music in the first year they opened. In the last few years, however, more restaurants and venues have opened nearby and traffic has only worsened after work along the Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road stretch, causing business to slow down.

“The increase in traffic was the reason I changed our open times to just Thursday to Sunday. During the week, it just wasn’t worth it because people are just ready to get home,” Trask said. “There is also more competition, which I’m glad for because Puna deserves to have options.”

Trask thinks a lot of the business slowdown also is due to the “poor economy that is causing most people to suffer right now. It’s not as easy to go out on a Friday night anymore. Everyone I talk to is really feeling that.”

But Trask said his restaurant does have a loyal customer base and the location is ideal for people living in ʻĀinaloa, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Orchidland and Pāhoa.

Bite the Eye is currently open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Last call for food is 30 minutes before closing.

According to Trask, Bite the Eye is always open to trying new things. Currently, Trask is planning a small expansion that would become a coffee operation offering a grab-and-go breakfast menu.

“If we are able to grow or not, I’m very grateful that we have been able to adapt throughout the years to even stay open,” Trask said. “I’m glad people still love the food and that we can still support local fishermen, ranchers and farmers. That will always be the priority for me.”

Follow Bite the Eye on Instagram to keep up with its schedule of live music and any changes to the menu.