Leonard's Bakery Malasadamobile

One weekend morning recently I discovered these sitting on our table.  Not one, but two boxes of malasadas from Leonard's Bakery.  My husband had taken our early-rising boy for a bike ride and then they picked these up on their way back home.  Mmm, mmm good!

If you are new to Hawai'i and don't know what a malasada is, get yourself to a bakery and find out!  By definition they are Portuguese donuts, brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants who came to work on the plantations back in the day.  But to really KNOW what a malasada is you need to taste one...or two, or three...why keep count, really?

You can purchase Leonard's malasadas from one of their bakeries, or from their Malasadamobiles (their term not mine, but I like it).  Ours came from the Malasadamobile that is often parked in the corner of Windward Mall's parking lot, on the corner of Kamehameha Highway and Haiku Drive.  The red and white stripes make it pretty easy to spot no matter where it is parked.

As luck would have it (and truly it's by luck, not advanced planning, that this happened) I'm posting this at the end of Malasada Day.  According to Wikipedia, on the Portuguese island of Madeira they would make Malasadas on Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday to use up their lard and sugar before Lent so they called that Tuesday 'Malasada Day' and brought that tradition with them to Hawaii.  But don't wait for Malasada Day to roll around again before you get some of these tasty treats.


Do it yourself on Oahu
Location:  Leonard's Bakery is at 933 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii  96816; Leonard Jr.'s is in the Waimalu Shopping Center at 98-042 Kamehameha Hwy #3, Aiea, Hawaii 96701; there is a Malasadamobile at the Waikele Shopping Center at 94-894 Lumiaina Street, Waipahu, Hawaii, 96797.  At the time of this post there is also a Malasadamobile at Hilo Hattie's.  It's posted on their webpage but I'm not sure if it will be a permanent spot or not.  Check their webpage.  And although not listed on their webpage, there is usually one at Windward Mall on the corner of Kam Hwy. and Haiku Dr.
Hours:  For the bakeries: 5:30am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday; 6am to 10pm Friday and Saturday
Other:  Malasadas definitely taste best fresh, so eat as many as you can the first day you get them.  :)  Their website says that the Malasadamobiles are available for private parties and events.  So if you're planning a big party, give them a call!
More on the web:  Learn more about the bakery and it's history at Leonard's Bakery Homepage.  Founded in 1952 it is still family owned and operated.