If you're looking for legit tacos, this place deserves the hype. I'm originally from San Diego, so…read moreI'm pretty picky about Mexican food, and this is the closest thing I've found to West Coast-style tacos in the area. It's a true hole-in-the-wall spot (inside a gas station), but don't let that fool you--the flavors are on point. The tacos are well-seasoned and packed with flavor, with solid protein options and fresh toppings. My husband and I come here specifically for the tacos, and it's become our go-to when we're craving something that actually hits. Sometimes the best food really is in the most unexpected places. Highly recommend if you're in or around Shallotte and want good, no-frills Mexican food.

Place is a hidden gem but not to the local workers. Delicious fresh food tucked in the back of a…read morenon descript convenience mart

I kept seeing this place pop up on my feeds while staying on Oak Island, so I ordered from there my…read morelast night. It was about a 15 minute wait from when I ordered online to when it would be ready (right amount of time for me to drive over). It was piping hot and ready for pick up. The avocado bites, something I'd never seen before, were delicious and the sauce that came with them was the perfect topping. They give you a big serving! I also got the chicken Big Mama, and it's definitely a good serving size with lots packed into it. I will be going back next time I visit.

Taco Tuesday at Kai Joe's is a no-brainer…read more We came for the à la carte taco deals and ended up trying a little bit of everything--the Kai Joe beef taco, chicken taco, surf and turf (shrimp and steak), and the North Shore shrimp taco. Every single one delivered. Great flavor, fresh ingredients, and just the right balance on each. We also grabbed chips and queso, which was exactly what you want it to be--simple, solid, and gone way too fast. Big picture--this group just gets it. They consistently do a great job across their restaurants on OKI, and Kai Joe's is another winner. We'll absolutely be back.

Best Tacos ever. Service is great and it's affordable!! They are always super helpful, suggest…read morerecommendations and put our good quality tacos and queso that is like a desirable sex party in your mouth when you eat it.

Waited forever for nachos and we were only ones there, chips were stale and meat had a funny taste…read morelike it was old. Sorry to have to write this review but was really sad that we were overcharged and when I pointed it out, she said the menu was wrong. Really? $19 for nachos that are stale!!!!! No wonder lot is empty every time we pass. I really wanted to like this place because we heard good things but it was not good.

The grilled shrimp nachos are absolutely superb!! Service…read moreis good. This restaurant can accommodate bigger parties which is nice. We've been twice while on Oak Island this week.

The food was fresh and delicious! They sat us right away and…read morekept our drinks full. I loved how you could sit indoor and/or outdoor on the patio and face the pier and beach!

Inside of this gas station K/S is a mexican cafe very limited options little to no English. Yet…read morefood is inexpensive traditional and fresh.

** 5-STARS ** WoW! We recently moved to Southport, and are starting to venture out from our…read morecommunity to sample local restaurants, etc. So glad we found this hidden jewel tonight, "Taqueria Villanueva" in the K&S Gas and Grill! Their Street Tacos are AUTHENTIC; perfectly most delicious seasoned meats served in homemade tacos. We ordered TACOS DE CARNE ASADA, TACOS DE CARNITAS, and TACOS DE CARNEALVAPOR (2 of each). While our plan was to eat them upon our return to our house, we didn't make it out of the parking lot before devouring everything. ** We'll be REPEAT customers forever! ** p.s.- Looking forward to sampling daily specials...

From my experience, every single thing is fresh in this place. It's rare to say that at most any…read morefull-service restaurant let alone a restaurant that's mostly take-out. Very nice atmosphere for takeout and there are a few tables to eat under a covered patio area. Had the chicken burrito and it was outstanding. Mahi sandwich was also worth noting. Menus is modified most every week I think. If you want something quick and fresh, here you go!

The mahi mahi fish tacos were incredible. Great jicama slaw with mangos. Spicy pork bowl had a good…read moreflavor, balance of spiciness, and a decent sized portion. No indoor seating available. Outdoor dining area had some bees, but not a problem if you get takeout. The only minor negative was the spicy pork bowl was a bit oily. Service was great. Recommended.

Wife and I had a quick trip to Southport. Chose Loco Jo's for our dining experience. It's a nice…read moreplace on the Main Street with its own parking area in a strip mall. Outdoor seating is available. Small tables inside and bar seating that was full. It seems the bar is a big hit. After reviewing the liquor menu, I see why. Some really good ones available. We were seated near the entrance at a small table. The server brought us water and took our orders after a few minutes. We ordered beef dumplings as an appetizer and we both ordered blackened ahi tuna tacos medium rare. The tacos come with chips and salsa. Our appetizer arrived fairly quickly and was great. As we were finishing our appetizer, our tacos arrived. From first glance they looked really good. Then everything kind fell after that. The flour taco shells were cold and looked store bought. The cheese was also similar to the store bought shredded Mexican blend. The sauce tasted like mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together. They use way too much purple cabbage with a nice portion of ahi tuna. The taste was ok. The cold shell and cheese kind of stole the flavor from the tuna. The salsa provided had a strange smoky almost chipotle flavor. I think. It left a strange aftertaste. We wanted to give this place a try. Not sure we'll be back. Our server was good. She was attentive and smiled. We still have her a cash tip that was pretty good. The restaurant has a great vibe and has a lot of regular customers, as evidenced by everyone greeting each other as they entered. Overall, I think three stars is fair. I recommend giving it a try, but not for tacos.

I finally got to eat at Loco Jo's. Three of us had lunch here five days ago…read more It's a small place with several tables and a bar. It's pretty small, so I don't suggest going with a large group of friends. Our waitress, Allison, was friendly and attentive. There's lots to choose from on the menu, including lunch specials. But I ended up ordering the buddha bowl, which had grilled pork. I asked for the Thai peanut dressing on the side. I never know how drenched a dish could be with the dressing. The bowl included rice noodles, cucumbers, other veggies. It also had sliced jalapeno peppers, which added a little kick, but still mild. One friend ordered the dumplings and a Caesar salad, while my other friend ordered the lemongrass curry with chickpeas. She wished she had it with chicken. Everything was delicious and flavorful, although the sliced cucumbers could have been seasoned or pickled. I brought home my leftovers, which I had for dinner. There was plenty of grilled pork, but unfortunately, four pieces were just fat and gristle . The chef needs to trim the pork properly and keep the chunks of fat/gristle out of the dish. That was disappointing. There are other items on the menu I would like to try. Overall, a very good lunch.

This is our favorite Mexican restaurant around OKI. The portions are VERY generous and one plate…read morecan fit two to three people. It is very affordable too and we love the staff because they are very caring and respectful. Shoutout to Gus! He is very welcoming and makes the best guac in town. The new restaurant is amazing for a large group of people and if the weather is good the outdoor seating is amazing.

First time at the new location. The food was excellent, service always very good and fast. The…read moreambiance is beautiful. We love this place, very comfortable and relaxed feel.

We've eaten here for drinks, lunch, and dinner four or five times recently, and every single…read moreexperience has been above par. The chimichanga was fantastic and large enough for two to share. We also tried the chile relleno plate the other day, which was incredibly tasty. Tonight, we had the steak fajitas. While everything we've tried has been delicious, the fajitas were absolutely incredible! The second you're seated, warm tortilla chips and really good salsa appear alongside a welcoming smile. The salsa is great--spicy but not fiery--which is always a good sign at a Mexican restaurant. Every server has been genuine and inviting, but I need to give a big shout-out to Chuy (Jesus). Not only is he an outstanding server, but that guy makes one helluva cucumber jalapeño margarita! It's fresh, crisp, has a great kick, and isn't overly sweet. It is officially my new favorite drink. When you visit (and you should!), tell him Dory said hola!

My friend said the food here was good so we came at 11:30 today. They weren't busy yet. Salsa was…read moregood chips were just ok. Ordered the house margarita the mix tasted horrible and I sent it back after one sip. Waiter recommended the skinny girl margarita with fruit juice. It was good but not worth 15.99. I had a beef and chicken enchilada rice and beans. Meat was bland. Rice and beans were good. My friend ordered a Diet Coke it had no carbonation, so we sent that back for a new one too. She had a beef quesdlia it wasn't grilled more like an open taco. She didn't even eat half. I'm from CA and we have some of the best Mexican food! I have yet to find a great place in NC. Sorry but I would not come back or reccomend this place.

With no specific New Year plans, I decided to head down to my place on Oak Island for a few days. I…read morelove going down there during the off-season. I almost feel like I have the beach to myself. There have been years that I have celebrated New Year's in Amsterdam, New York on a cruise ship or sometimes like this year, in my robe and pajamas by myself, reflecting on a great year that just passed. On New Year's Day I decided to treat myself to a restaurant, but Oak Island and Southport are not any different than Greensboro and most establishments on this holiday.. Most things were closed. I did notice as I was riding around that there was a Mexican restaurant open in one of the new shopping strips in Southport called Los Primos Mexican Restaurant and I decided to give it a shot. Parking was right in front and the OPEN sign was blinking!! It was a very casual setting which I appreciated considering I was in my sweats and baseball cap. It had a mixed feeling of a casual restaurant and a bar which was fine by me, even though I don't drink! The waitress was very welcoming, and before I knew it I had a tall glass of Diet Coke and a basket of chips with salsa. My son-in-law Steven enjoys mole and so I decided to give it a shot and had a burrito with the mole topping. Wow! That was delicious. A combination of sweet and savory. I will definitely try that again and although I don't have anything to compare it to, I thought Los Primos did a really good job with that dish. I enjoyed watching locals Come in and reflected on 2025 over this delicious Mexican lunch. I thought it was also fairly priced and a good alternative to my normal visit to San Felipe which was closed. I have been wavering between giving this restaurant a four or a five but I'm going to give them the top mark for the following reasons. Their prices were moderate, food was very tasty, the diet coke kept coming, the mole was tasty, they were open on New Year's Day and service was excellent and for a restaurant/ bar, I thought they did a great job. Gracias Los Primos ! Hasta luego!!

My wife and I visited on January 1. Positives: the staff was friendly and polite, our server Chris…read moreseemed like a nice guy, the place was clean, and the salsa and cheese dip were good. That said, the experience was terrible. The visit took an hour and 20 minutes, and our food took forever to arrive even though we ordered basic tacos. If they were short-staffed, they should have said so upfront and given people the option to stay or leave. The service was slow and disorganized. While, Chris was a nice guy, he was not a great server and really needs some coaching or to have a different profession. The portions were honestly shocking. My wife ordered two crunchy shrimp tacos with extra cheese and sour cream -- one taco had 1 shrimp, the other had 3, and there was no extra cheese. My steak tacos had barely any meat, chopped so small and sparse it was almost comical. The meat was chopped so tiny it was approximately the size of a meal worm that you feed a chicken. Our total was almost $35 before tip for 4 tacos, one Coke, one water, and a small cheese dip. Earlier this week we ate the same meal at San Felipe for $35 WITH tip, and their portions were generous (5-6 shrimp per taco and real chunks of steak). Slow service, no communication, and laughable portions for the price. Do not recommend. To those about to nosh, DON'T DO IT HERE! Go elsewhere!