First, I'd suggest imagining yourself in the middle of a verdant green mountainous landscape floating in the Pacific Ocean. Only a few buildings dot the miles-long single-lane path that cuts through the vegetation on this beautiful island in a place it seems that time has forgotten. That's where every review of this restaurant should begin. On Kauai, where only a few restaurants are still in business after the pandemic... On Kauai, where less than a handful of Mexican people live... On Kauai, where not every restaurant is open every day... Mariachi's is perfect for Kauai. We visited on a holiday weekend, Friday night, staying at a resort nearby. It's Kauai, so it's no surprise both local pizzerias were closed. The popular restaurant on the beach was on a 45-minute wait. The only other place in this center was also full of big families. However, Mariachi's piping Mariachi music into the air, and the hostess greeted me in Spanish. There were a few empty tables. We were taken to a balcony table overlooking the garden landscape. Soon after, we were drinking tequila shots and pouring from a pitcher of Modelo Especíal. Perfecto. The menu has everything from nachos to chile rellenos. The tempting meat options include carnitas, shredded and ground beef, roasted chicken, and fish and shrimp. The items are reasonably priced, too, ranging from $14-$22 for each plate. We ordered burritos, tacos, and nachos with shredded beef, carne asada, and chicken. The food was delicious. In this environment, at this moment, everything was perfect. I hope others get to come and enjoy the experience. The staff was really helpful and friendly too. Gracias por todo!
Jungle Mom12
Great open-air seating on the second floor with a stunning view!The food is fantastic! Having lived the majority of my life in Mexico (Northern and Southern regions) I can tell you that Mariachi's Mexican food tastes pretty darn authentic!The fajitas, nachos, ceviche, shrimp cocktail, and beers were definitely like something you could have purchased in Mexico!Interestingly, there was no mariachi music, or traditional Mexican music playing while we dined (¡Pero gracias a Dios they weren't playing any Banda or Reggaeton either!) however, the decor did give a Mexican flair to the atmosphere.The service was friendly, fairly fast, and efficient, and most of the waiters/ waitresses spoke Spanish. All in all, we were pleased with our experience there.Keep up the good work Mariachi's, we'll be back I'm sure!Vegetarian options: Mexican food isn't well-known for having vegetarian options, as cooking with meat, animal fats, eggs, cheese, creams, etc is just a natural part of it traditionally, but you could always order sides and get rice, beans, chips, salsa and a salad.Kid-friendliness: It is not somewhere I would want to bring children, however, if they were older, well-behaved children then it would probably be OK. It's open-air so there is balcony railing all around the tables and mischievous children may be tempted to climb over the railing. ✌?Wheelchair accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible since you have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the restaurant. The tables are also taller than most kitchen countertops, so the chairs sit up very high, more like bar stools.
Reasonably priced. Good variety of dishes.Parking: There is a parking lot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa
Michael F
Food was ok, a bit bland.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Darshan Satyamurthy
Food was average but the ambience and views were nice. Good veggie options compared to other places in Kauai. Our order was small quesadillas, veggie taco salad and veggie tacos.
Joe N.
I often stop by this restaurant when doing business on Kauai. Ambiance, meals and service are usually pretty good, sometimes there is a wait. However, last night was special. A friend and I came to celebrate his recent promotion. Although, it wasn't busy, it took 5-10 min. to get seated. Once we did, the waitress took our appetizer and drinks order. A few minutes later, another server (Reyes) took our meal order, including some to go items. The waitress showed up just once during our visit to get my friend another beer. I tipped ~15% (~$15 on $100) on the meals (excluding the to go items) which I thought was fair for the service received. Shortly after I filled out the credit card receipt, our waiter (Reyes) came to our table and asked if everything was OK with the meals. We said it was fine and he rudely said "How come you gave such a small tip?" He went to the register and brought back the receipt. I explained that it was fair for the meals we ate and service provided, considering part of it was a to-go order. Additionally, I told him that it was rude and unprofessional to complain to your patrons. He didn't seem to care and I told him to take the tip off altogether. Sadly, that will have been the last time we will visit this restaurant. I am sure he was an exception, but it only takes one to ruin it...
Lisa R
We ordered from Uber Eats. We ordered steak fajitas, chicken burrito, beef burrito, taquitos, and a side salad with ranch. We received chicken fajitas and a vinegar dressing instead of the ordered steak and ranch. The food was just ok...the dark red hot sauce was fire! Literally. Super spicy and the best thing we received. Overall, for 100 bucks, we'll go elsewhere next time.
Vegetarian/ vegan friendly. Lots of options for veggies lover . You can sit outside and watch the beautiful blue waves as you enjoyed the authentic flavors of freshly made salsa and chips . Happy and vibrant music played in the background accompanied by warm hospitality from staff . Everyone is friendly and welcoming. Please stop by to support this lovely business and their amazing food , ambience and extraordinary staff . Thank you
Larry Meadors
Good Mexican food across the street from the beach. Very good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Sandra Martinez
Haven’t been but will go in May
Kevin G.
Staff wasn't friendly but they are professional and who cares; the food is incredible! Authentic Mexican food and the California burrito is easily the best in Hawaii. After a couple of their awesome margaritas you won't be worried about much.
Lizzie Nielsen
Delicious tortas and margaritas for our lunch. Great location for a lunch break from the beach or shopping.
First, I'd suggest imagining yourself in the middle of a verdant green mountainous landscape floating in the Pacific Ocean. Only a few buildings dot the miles-long single-lane path that cuts through the vegetation on this beautiful island in a place it seems that time has forgotten. That's where every review of this restaurant should begin. On Kauai, where only a few restaurants are still in business after the pandemic... On Kauai, where less than a handful of Mexican people live... On Kauai, where not every restaurant is open every day... Mariachi's is perfect for Kauai. We visited on a holiday weekend, Friday night, staying at a resort nearby. It's Kauai, so it's no surprise both local pizzerias were closed. The popular restaurant on the beach was on a 45-minute wait. The only other place in this center was also full of big families. However, Mariachi's piping Mariachi music into the air, and the hostess greeted me in Spanish. There were a few empty tables. We were taken to a balcony table overlooking the garden landscape. Soon after, we were drinking tequila shots and pouring from a pitcher of Modelo Especíal. Perfecto. The menu has everything from nachos to chile rellenos. The tempting meat options include carnitas, shredded and ground beef, roasted chicken, and fish and shrimp. The items are reasonably priced, too, ranging from $14-$22 for each plate. We ordered burritos, tacos, and nachos with shredded beef, carne asada, and chicken. The food was delicious. In this environment, at this moment, everything was perfect. I hope others get to come and enjoy the experience. The staff was really helpful and friendly too. Gracias por todo!
Great open-air seating on the second floor with a stunning view!The food is fantastic! Having lived the majority of my life in Mexico (Northern and Southern regions) I can tell you that Mariachi's Mexican food tastes pretty darn authentic!The fajitas, nachos, ceviche, shrimp cocktail, and beers were definitely like something you could have purchased in Mexico!Interestingly, there was no mariachi music, or traditional Mexican music playing while we dined (¡Pero gracias a Dios they weren't playing any Banda or Reggaeton either!) however, the decor did give a Mexican flair to the atmosphere.The service was friendly, fairly fast, and efficient, and most of the waiters/ waitresses spoke Spanish. All in all, we were pleased with our experience there.Keep up the good work Mariachi's, we'll be back I'm sure!Vegetarian options: Mexican food isn't well-known for having vegetarian options, as cooking with meat, animal fats, eggs, cheese, creams, etc is just a natural part of it traditionally, but you could always order sides and get rice, beans, chips, salsa and a salad.Kid-friendliness: It is not somewhere I would want to bring children, however, if they were older, well-behaved children then it would probably be OK. It's open-air so there is balcony railing all around the tables and mischievous children may be tempted to climb over the railing. ✌?Wheelchair accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible since you have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the restaurant. The tables are also taller than most kitchen countertops, so the chairs sit up very high, more like bar stools.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Mole Enchiladas, Chicken Fajitas, Nachos, Ceviche
Terrible margaritas. Tiny sized, tastes terrible, and over priced. Worst Mexican food I’ve ever eaten! So disappointed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Food is so good!!! Best Mexican food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mariachi's Chimichanga, Chips and Salsa, Chips, Carne Asada, Nachos
Carne asada was great and so we're chips and salsa. I'm not a fan of mole and they use mole on enchilada. So that was gross.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada Plate, Chips and Salsa, Carne Asada, Tortilla
Reasonably priced. Good variety of dishes.Parking: There is a parking lot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa
Food was ok, a bit bland.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Food was average but the ambience and views were nice. Good veggie options compared to other places in Kauai. Our order was small quesadillas, veggie taco salad and veggie tacos.
I often stop by this restaurant when doing business on Kauai. Ambiance, meals and service are usually pretty good, sometimes there is a wait. However, last night was special. A friend and I came to celebrate his recent promotion. Although, it wasn't busy, it took 5-10 min. to get seated. Once we did, the waitress took our appetizer and drinks order. A few minutes later, another server (Reyes) took our meal order, including some to go items. The waitress showed up just once during our visit to get my friend another beer. I tipped ~15% (~$15 on $100) on the meals (excluding the to go items) which I thought was fair for the service received. Shortly after I filled out the credit card receipt, our waiter (Reyes) came to our table and asked if everything was OK with the meals. We said it was fine and he rudely said "How come you gave such a small tip?" He went to the register and brought back the receipt. I explained that it was fair for the meals we ate and service provided, considering part of it was a to-go order. Additionally, I told him that it was rude and unprofessional to complain to your patrons. He didn't seem to care and I told him to take the tip off altogether. Sadly, that will have been the last time we will visit this restaurant. I am sure he was an exception, but it only takes one to ruin it...
We ordered from Uber Eats. We ordered steak fajitas, chicken burrito, beef burrito, taquitos, and a side salad with ranch. We received chicken fajitas and a vinegar dressing instead of the ordered steak and ranch. The food was just ok...the dark red hot sauce was fire! Literally. Super spicy and the best thing we received. Overall, for 100 bucks, we'll go elsewhere next time.
Food: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Vegetarian/ vegan friendly. Lots of options for veggies lover . You can sit outside and watch the beautiful blue waves as you enjoyed the authentic flavors of freshly made salsa and chips . Happy and vibrant music played in the background accompanied by warm hospitality from staff . Everyone is friendly and welcoming. Please stop by to support this lovely business and their amazing food , ambience and extraordinary staff . Thank you
Good Mexican food across the street from the beach. Very good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Haven’t been but will go in May
Staff wasn't friendly but they are professional and who cares; the food is incredible! Authentic Mexican food and the California burrito is easily the best in Hawaii. After a couple of their awesome margaritas you won't be worried about much.
Delicious tortas and margaritas for our lunch. Great location for a lunch break from the beach or shopping.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5