This is not a five star, fine-dining experience. This is a five star great Mexican food joint with all the stuff I look for in a Mexican restaurant. Atmosphere starts at the sidewalk and is nothing special at first blush. Then you see the stairs, then read the stairs as you walk up to the restaurant. That started my experience off on the right foot. Immediate entertainment! Nicely done decor inside, good looking bar and a second story patio that made my experience here that much better. I highly recommend a high top by the alley. It's not as bad as it sounds, remember you are on the second floor. I was able to enjoy the sun set over the other shops while enjoying my mango margarita. As is with everywhere else there are staffing issues so I did wait a bit longer before my very friendly and helpful server arrived. The water, chips and salsa came out within minutes, the runners were on point. The other wait staff and employees I saw were constantly on the move and looked focused. All the interactions I saw were good, solid and friendly. Yes, I look for that stuff, unhappy staff drags the entire establishment down. So the food. Warm chips, medium heat and chunky salsa with fresh onion and tomato. Street tacos with carne asada was perfect and the meat was tender and flavorful. The extra salsa had a respectable kick to it and the rice and beans were really good. Not exceptional but I ate most of it. There was nothing out of place and it's someplace I would return to.
Kristen M.
On Tuesday July 12th we visited this restaurant like we usually do...every Tuesday night. The service was non-existent. Our table had dried on food, stuck.. which we finally had to go to the bar to ask for a towel to wipe it ourselces!! Then after waiting 20 mins we had to stand at the bar to order drinks and food because we never got a server to come to our table. This standing and waiting was one hour!! The bartender was apologetic & pleasant but didn't seem to know how to make drinks. His bar back kept leaving. So after finally getting our order in, our food took 45 mins to come. I ordered the Ground Beef Burrito and after retrieving our food ourselves from the bar they put pork inside. That is not what I ordered. So I kindly returned the hot plate, asked for our chips and salsa (which in 2 hours we never received) and was again served another pork burrito!! So, the 3rd burrito finally comes, everyone else has been finished with their meal & this burrito is TERRIBLE! COLD and was full of cold sour cream, no cheese, potatoes, carrots, and some kind of brown gravy. No beef or meat at all! Never once did a server approach our table & I had to stand in line to order more cocktails at the bar. Again, when we were leaving we had to wait at the bar to get our check!! When Duke and Ellie are working we never have this issue. The food was horrible and hope you get another cook soon. Even when there was 1 person sitting at the bar, we still had to wait 10+ mins just to put a drink order in ourselves and carry it back to the table. We use to love this place. But now...nope!
Shannon M.
For our last meal in Kona we stopped by to have alittle mexican food. Chips and salsa very flavorful. Only bad thing you get only one complimentary order. I ordered the Carne Asada. Very good. Nice view from the top. Friendly staff. Water glass was a little small but waitress left a nice cold pitcher for me to refill because I don't drink. Definitely would return again when I come back for a visit.
Leah M.
My favorite restaurant in Kona. All the food is so delicious. Favorites are the molcajte, enchiladas and paniolo rib eye. Service can be slow due to shortage of staff but the food is worth the wait. Fun atmosphere and great drinks too.
Roxana C.
We came to eat dinner here with my family of 5 and we received very poor service from our waiter. She kept seating down with other tables to talk to them and talked to her coworker over the table and I quote " I woke up and hour ago, I'm still hungover from last night." Very poor etiquette for the restaurant. The food was given out fairly 20 mins apart which was odd. We asked how much longer for the rest of the food because the rest of my family had finished their two dishes. She said " we still have to make the food". Wasn't impressed with her service or the cooks. If you are looking for good service and proper meal I recommend going somewhere else!
Wendi F.
The last time I was there the food was just bland and boring. It was like the Mexican restaurant of the 70s. I told the waiter that it had no seasonings and was just bland. He did nothing to help.
S. T.
I'm giving this 4 stars primarily because of service. We had a group of 16, and they had no problem working us in on short notice! I've had better Mexican food, but at least it was hot, fresh, and actually the chips and salsa were also warm and the salsa fresh. The food...was meh. Specifically, the steak and chicken fajita meat was dry and under seasoned. The fajita veggies though were delicious. Cheese enchilada got good reviews from the family, as did the rice! I actually didn't get reviews or do inventory on what everyone ordered because we were just happy to all be together and having a great time, so thank you to the staff! We ordered a variety of margaritas and daiquiris too...which were delicious and NOT light on the alcohol!
Janet L H.
Best margarita I had on the Island. Although we didn't order food, just grabbed a round of drinks, the food all looked fabulous!! I devoured the whole bowl of warm chips n salsa! It was great. I love the decor! Old gas pumps are my fave! Wish we had tried the food.
Sasha G.
Don't let this place fool you! The food is terrible and the service is even worse! Stay away you will be disappointed and the employees don't care what you have to say. Zero stars!
AnnMarie K.
Great food and service! Steak fajitas were amazing! Steak was tender and vegetables were fresh. Salsa was delicious!
Very good Mexican food and happy hour. Large portions and cooked perfectly. Service was great too. Will definitely eat here again!
HeidiSiefkas
Great location right on strip for authentic Mexican food, great margaritas, and exceptional service. Try the carnitas tacos with borracho beans.
Myron M.
This place sucks. Service was bad we didn't get a waiter for about 15 minutes. The food took at least a hour to show up after we placed out order only one bowl of chips. My wife and I discussed walking out of the restaurant before we got food. Which we NEVER do, but decide against it because by this time it was about 8pm and we needed to get our 3 year old some food. When food showed up nothing about it was good. I got shrimp fajitas my wife got carna asada burrito. All food was over cooked and none of us finished our meals which is rear at a mexican restaurant. This with out doubt was our worst meal of the trip.
kcro1414
My family and I stumbled upon this restaurant our 2nd day on the Island. We sat on the patio 2nd floor overlooking the streets of Kona. The food was legit Mexican, service was friendly and efficient. I would go back our next trip!
Stefanie G.
This was the first and last time I will eat here. The service wasn't great, particularly refilling water, however that wasn't the biggest concern. When I went to pay, I put in a 20% tip as usual. The server kept my original receipt as well as everyone else in our party, except my sister. She kept hers and to our surprise they pre-charged tips on everyone's bills. We then tipped again via the electronic checkout used by our server. I ended up tipping 15 bucks for a $36 dollar meal. Incredibly shady!! Make sure you keep the original receipt and check for a pre-tip people.
This is not a five star, fine-dining experience. This is a five star great Mexican food joint with all the stuff I look for in a Mexican restaurant. Atmosphere starts at the sidewalk and is nothing special at first blush. Then you see the stairs, then read the stairs as you walk up to the restaurant. That started my experience off on the right foot. Immediate entertainment! Nicely done decor inside, good looking bar and a second story patio that made my experience here that much better. I highly recommend a high top by the alley. It's not as bad as it sounds, remember you are on the second floor. I was able to enjoy the sun set over the other shops while enjoying my mango margarita. As is with everywhere else there are staffing issues so I did wait a bit longer before my very friendly and helpful server arrived. The water, chips and salsa came out within minutes, the runners were on point. The other wait staff and employees I saw were constantly on the move and looked focused. All the interactions I saw were good, solid and friendly. Yes, I look for that stuff, unhappy staff drags the entire establishment down. So the food. Warm chips, medium heat and chunky salsa with fresh onion and tomato. Street tacos with carne asada was perfect and the meat was tender and flavorful. The extra salsa had a respectable kick to it and the rice and beans were really good. Not exceptional but I ate most of it. There was nothing out of place and it's someplace I would return to.
On Tuesday July 12th we visited this restaurant like we usually do...every Tuesday night. The service was non-existent. Our table had dried on food, stuck.. which we finally had to go to the bar to ask for a towel to wipe it ourselces!! Then after waiting 20 mins we had to stand at the bar to order drinks and food because we never got a server to come to our table. This standing and waiting was one hour!! The bartender was apologetic & pleasant but didn't seem to know how to make drinks. His bar back kept leaving. So after finally getting our order in, our food took 45 mins to come. I ordered the Ground Beef Burrito and after retrieving our food ourselves from the bar they put pork inside. That is not what I ordered. So I kindly returned the hot plate, asked for our chips and salsa (which in 2 hours we never received) and was again served another pork burrito!! So, the 3rd burrito finally comes, everyone else has been finished with their meal & this burrito is TERRIBLE! COLD and was full of cold sour cream, no cheese, potatoes, carrots, and some kind of brown gravy. No beef or meat at all! Never once did a server approach our table & I had to stand in line to order more cocktails at the bar. Again, when we were leaving we had to wait at the bar to get our check!! When Duke and Ellie are working we never have this issue. The food was horrible and hope you get another cook soon. Even when there was 1 person sitting at the bar, we still had to wait 10+ mins just to put a drink order in ourselves and carry it back to the table. We use to love this place. But now...nope!
For our last meal in Kona we stopped by to have alittle mexican food. Chips and salsa very flavorful. Only bad thing you get only one complimentary order. I ordered the Carne Asada. Very good. Nice view from the top. Friendly staff. Water glass was a little small but waitress left a nice cold pitcher for me to refill because I don't drink. Definitely would return again when I come back for a visit.
My favorite restaurant in Kona. All the food is so delicious. Favorites are the molcajte, enchiladas and paniolo rib eye. Service can be slow due to shortage of staff but the food is worth the wait. Fun atmosphere and great drinks too.
We came to eat dinner here with my family of 5 and we received very poor service from our waiter. She kept seating down with other tables to talk to them and talked to her coworker over the table and I quote " I woke up and hour ago, I'm still hungover from last night." Very poor etiquette for the restaurant. The food was given out fairly 20 mins apart which was odd. We asked how much longer for the rest of the food because the rest of my family had finished their two dishes. She said " we still have to make the food". Wasn't impressed with her service or the cooks. If you are looking for good service and proper meal I recommend going somewhere else!
The last time I was there the food was just bland and boring. It was like the Mexican restaurant of the 70s. I told the waiter that it had no seasonings and was just bland. He did nothing to help.
I'm giving this 4 stars primarily because of service. We had a group of 16, and they had no problem working us in on short notice! I've had better Mexican food, but at least it was hot, fresh, and actually the chips and salsa were also warm and the salsa fresh. The food...was meh. Specifically, the steak and chicken fajita meat was dry and under seasoned. The fajita veggies though were delicious. Cheese enchilada got good reviews from the family, as did the rice! I actually didn't get reviews or do inventory on what everyone ordered because we were just happy to all be together and having a great time, so thank you to the staff! We ordered a variety of margaritas and daiquiris too...which were delicious and NOT light on the alcohol!
Best margarita I had on the Island. Although we didn't order food, just grabbed a round of drinks, the food all looked fabulous!! I devoured the whole bowl of warm chips n salsa! It was great. I love the decor! Old gas pumps are my fave! Wish we had tried the food.
Don't let this place fool you! The food is terrible and the service is even worse! Stay away you will be disappointed and the employees don't care what you have to say. Zero stars!
Great food and service! Steak fajitas were amazing! Steak was tender and vegetables were fresh. Salsa was delicious!
Restaurantji Recommends
Very good Mexican food and happy hour. Large portions and cooked perfectly. Service was great too. Will definitely eat here again!
Great location right on strip for authentic Mexican food, great margaritas, and exceptional service. Try the carnitas tacos with borracho beans.
This place sucks. Service was bad we didn't get a waiter for about 15 minutes. The food took at least a hour to show up after we placed out order only one bowl of chips. My wife and I discussed walking out of the restaurant before we got food. Which we NEVER do, but decide against it because by this time it was about 8pm and we needed to get our 3 year old some food. When food showed up nothing about it was good. I got shrimp fajitas my wife got carna asada burrito. All food was over cooked and none of us finished our meals which is rear at a mexican restaurant. This with out doubt was our worst meal of the trip.
My family and I stumbled upon this restaurant our 2nd day on the Island. We sat on the patio 2nd floor overlooking the streets of Kona. The food was legit Mexican, service was friendly and efficient. I would go back our next trip!
This was the first and last time I will eat here. The service wasn't great, particularly refilling water, however that wasn't the biggest concern. When I went to pay, I put in a 20% tip as usual. The server kept my original receipt as well as everyone else in our party, except my sister. She kept hers and to our surprise they pre-charged tips on everyone's bills. We then tipped again via the electronic checkout used by our server. I ended up tipping 15 bucks for a $36 dollar meal. Incredibly shady!! Make sure you keep the original receipt and check for a pre-tip people.