Finally...Gogi taco truck

Been dying to try this since I read that Korean tacos have hit the island. Took me awhile though, to figure out where they were, when they were open, and find a convenient time to go check them out. Verdict: satisfied my curiosity but probably won't become a regular here. Get the kim chee fries if you go!

Gogi taco truck from the ordering side:
Top: spicy pork taco ($2)
Bottom: BBQ chicken taco ($2)

Left: tofu taco ($2)

Right: Short rib ($2)

Creamy kim chee fries with parmesan (?), pickled garlic & green onion sprinkled on top. This was definitely the highlight of the meal ($4).

Gogi truck from the parking lot:

Gogi truck from the street: this is what you are looking for when you are driving down Kapiolani (close to Shokudo)! (today they were at 1637 Kapiolani, but always subject to change, gotta check their twitter)

The lobster burrito

Caliente del Sol
888 Kapahulu Ave Ste.160
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 739-2777
calientedelsol.com

This is my brother’s current food obsession: the lobster burrito from Caliente del Sol on Kapahulu (in the Safeway complex). My first question to him was “how much does this lobster burrito cost?” but it’s actually the same price as the chicken or beef, since it’s not actually lobster meat, but rather mahimahi with a lobster sauce (whatever that means).

I thought it was a little bland – rice, beans, mahimahi and lobster sauce – but whatever floats your boat. I also asked if there was a salsa bar, but apparently the food safety folks have shut it down, and now require Mexican restaurants to provide individually sealed portions of salsa, so they have those in a little fridge instead of the salsa bar.

first meal back home: serg's mexican kitchen & tropic rush

serg's mexican kitchen
2740 east manoa road
honolulu weekly

tropic rush
2919 kapiolani blvd.
yelp

came home for a wedding and wanted to try some new restaurants while i was here for this brief trip. went for mexican near manoa marketplace. it's no korean taco truck (no fusion here) but some welcome mexican in manoa. the flautas (a tortilla wrapped around a meat filling, fried) are the specialty, but they also have enchiladas, burritos, tacos and menudo (but that's only fridays and saturdays).

the outside of serg's...it was packed on a thursday evening.

close up of the flautas
our entire meal: echalote (sp?) corn covered in mayo and chili, with white cheese, a taco al pastor, the flautas, and a taco salad

for dessert, we went to the new tropic rush fro yo at market city (and they are about to open another location on kapahulu). it's just like yogurt land, but with a surfer-tropical theme. it's self serve fro yo (i think they had 10 or 12 flavors the day we were there) with fun tropical flavors like lychee-mango and passion fruit.

Maui Tacos

Maui Tacos

Yelp

539 Kailua Rd Ste 102
Kailua, HI 96734

(808) 261-4155

Starving on the day before Christmas, tacos sounded like a delicious lunch choice. We stopped at Maui Tacos, in Kailua. The menu was too complicated to read, in our starving state, so we just ordered a chicken soft taco and the nachos. Maui Tacos appears to be a chain, since there are several listed on Oahu. While not spectacular like what you could find in California, this was good Tex Mex for Hawaii.

The soft taco did not look so appetizing, but the chicken was actually good and very filling ($3.75)

The nachos were heavily loaded and very satisfying ($6.00)

*these were the highlight!*

Kaimuki: Baja Tacos & Tropicana

On Waialae Avenue across the street from City Mill, there's a tiny strip of restaurants including tacos, pizza, sushi and shave ice. I had to go try Baja Tacos as soon as I saw it (always craving a good taco or burrito) and while I was there I spotted amazing looking shave ice right next door.

Baja Tacos
3040 Waialae Av #A-1


Baja Tacos is located close to the University of Hawaii in a cluster of casual restaurants, next to a shave ice store, Boston’s pizza, a sushi place, and some other restaurants.

Here’s a photo of the order counter.


BT offers soft tacos and burritos. The soft tacos are ‘south american’ style: a small, warm corn tortilla topped with your choice of meat. (it reminded me of the tacos downtown at Just Tacos). The burrito, on the other hand, is more what Americans expect at a Mexican restaurant: beans, rice, veggies and meat.

There is a basic salsa bar with fixin’s for your taco/burrito. It has red & green salsas, onions, and some jalapeno peppers.

BT also has 3 fun Mexican drinks: tamarindo (tamarind juide), a hibiscus drink that supposedly tastes like cranberry juice, and horchata, rice milk. I ordered the horchata ($2.00), because I liked the counter staff’s description of the drink: ‘It tastes like the milk at the bottom of a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch.’ 

Here’s my order of chicken soft tacos ($3.75).


Tropicana
3040 Waialae Av #A-1


Tropicana is a cute shave ice stand by the University next to Baja Tacos, Boston Pizza, a sushi restaurant, and some other casual restaurants.

They have a huge shave ice menu: regular shave ice, ice cream, goodie goodie (shave ice, ice cream AND sweetened condensed milk), and then a long list of shave ice sundaes with mochi balls, azuki beans, and different flavors of ice cream/shave ice.

I ordered a regular shave ice (lychee & lilikoi flavors) and li hing mui powder on top. It rocked. The ice was so fine, just like at Waiola’s. Definitely going back to Tropicana again!

Just Tacos (Downtown)

Just Tacos
111 Bishop St
Remington College food court



I went to Just Tacos based on very good reviews I had read (must’ve been in the Advertiser or Honolulu Weekly) and because it’s just a few blocks away from my office.

I ordered the super taco ($3.75): 2 corn tortillas (fresh off the grill) and your choice of meat. I ordered the barria (stewed beef? Pork? Although I prob would’ve preferred plain grilled chicken). Luckily I had read in the review of Just Tacos that these are not American-style tacos (with the veggies, cheese and sour cream) but even still, I was not prepared for what I got: literally 2 (small but thick) corn tortillas covered with meat. Nothing else! Very different.

Here's my taco, covered with salsa & pico de gallo


There was, however, a salsa bar on the side, so I got to cover my taco with pico de gallo, cilantro, and mild salsa. So that made it look more like a regular taco. Overall, it was tasty…the meat was a little too juicy, so the tortilla completely fell apart, and the meat was a little heavy for me, but I’d go back.

The most popular item on the menu was the taco salad $5.25). I was a little confused when I saw everyone ordering it (don’t you know how unhealthy it is?) but then I realized why it was so popular after I got my taco. Because it is a typical American taco salad, with all of the fixings on top.

I also ordered a flan for dessert ($1.75). I was expecting something more similar to a creamy crème brulee, but this was sort of spongey (like cottage cheese) and super sweet. Eh, no need to get that next time.