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    La Jefa Island Tacos

    4.1 (21 reviews)

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    Friendly service
    Kawika P.

    Food was Ono! Fast friendly service. We had the taco plate, quesadilla grande and churros. Good stuff

    Taco plate (carne asada)
    Alexa H.

    The most authentic you can get this side of the island! They are open lunch time Thurs, Fri, Sat. and their prices are awesome for the amount of food you get. So far we've tried the quesadilla (could have been grilled a little longer $7), burrito grande (huge burrito with all the fillings $10), taco plate ($12) and my absolute fav tres leches cake ($5)!!!

    Tres leches cake.
    Heather R.

    Friendly service. Good food. Had the three taco plate. For dessert we tried the tres leches cake. So good that we bought another piece. Also tried the churro. Best churro we've had. Thank you. Will visit again.

    La Jefa Island Tacos in its natural habitat

    Where do I even start... I'm from Cali & a Mexican household so I know what actual "Authentic" Mexican flavors are. This is NOT AUTHENTIC Mexican food, the food was beyond bland. I literally laughed when I took my first bite. They had the audacity to charge me for salsa AND "consome" . The salsa had zero spice & zero love, it was probably canned. The consome was literally bland nasty red oil, NOT CONSOME. I feel bad for my Hawaiian locals who are forced to eat this level of food. It's easily the worst Birria I've ever had. Amateur low level cooking. Really wanted to like this place & it's one table for eating but yet again, another low level Mexican spot on the island. Will keep looking for something worth my time & money.

    Ivan R.

    Best authentic tacos on the island no doubt!! Tacos de carnitas where marinated to perfection, ate them all before I could take a picture lol. Churros are a must with the chocolate sauce , chalé..

    The menu, burrito grande with tengua (ate the jalapeño and carrot that came with the burrito) and tres leches cake.
    Ivalyn K.

    I've been following them on IG, I LOVE churros! I finally got time in my schedule to go down and get me some. Of course my partner said I had to try Tres Leches Cake (it's his favorite) and the burrito with tengua...OMG it did not disappoint! The churro disappeared before I could take a picture and the burrito didn't make it home. I did have to share the cake but that was really good too! The family that runs the truck is so sweet and my partner got to converse with them too! I know he misses speaking Spanish.

    Their quesadilla grande vs what I actually received.

    Decided to try this place out... was really disappointed. Their food looks nothing like the images they posted on their FB page or website... maybe the tres leches cake, but not everything else. Their carne asada definitely tasted more like shredded/stewed beef than grilled steak. Super big let-down. And I'm pretty sure they gave me a regular quesadilla instead of the grande I ordered. Nonetheless, the quesadilla and burritos really lacked in flavor. And the milk poured on the tres leches cake was close to condensed milk in its original state-- was expecting it to be light like all other tres leches cakes I've had (and its my favorite cake!). Flavor was all right.... cake was a tad bit dense. Reviews or posts praise the whipped cream and cinnamon, but what good are those if the milk (that makes it "tres leches") is off?? My husband had their churros and said he'll stick with Cozmic Kones or even Jack in the Box next time. Their saving grace was the dip. But ultimately they just missed the mark for him. Ran more on the dry/dense side than they should... kind of like they were maybe days old? Their carnitas tacos were pretty good though. Thumbs up there. I'm guessing their review ratings are so high because there aren't alot of mexican food options around here; and people don't really have a good baseline for comparison. Nice people; but would we buy their food again? No, thank you. We're one and done. And mind you, we basically ordered everything on their menu to try out. They're not bad... mediocre at best; again, we won't be stopping to spend on their food again. Sadly, everything was forgettable. Pancho's taco truck is definitely the best around here if you're craving mexican, imo.

    Carnitas burrito

    I pulled over to pick up lychee and poi balls and saw La Jefa Island Tacos. I decided to try them out and picked up lunch for the fam. They definitely did not disappoint! My daughter and I love burritos and try them at every Mexican Restaurant we go to. La Jefa's carnitas burrito is now amongst our top favorites. They were also making churros when I rolled up, which looked amazing! I passed on them this time but will have to get them next time. Hubby had the taco plate, which was delicious too! We're super excited to have good Mexican food close to home so we don't have to drive to Hilo or Pahoa.

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    4 years ago

    They are way overpriced. The Food is just a OK. They need better options. I don't see my self going back.

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    Ask the Community - La Jefa Island Tacos

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    Big Island Birria Boss

    Big Island Birria Boss

    4.8
    (103 reviews)
    22.8 mi
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    First off, I am from Sinaloa, born and raised, and now live in California. I know what real Mexican…read morefood should taste like. Hands down, the quesabirria tacos and flautas are as good as they come--absolutely amazing. We happened upon this place on Yelp, and I was a little skeptical, but after the first bite, I felt transported back to Mexico. My entire family agreed that these are the best quesabirria tacos we have had outside of Mexico, and possibly even in Mexico. The flavors were amazing, and the consommé was absolutely delicious. We are regulars on the Big Island and normally do not eat Mexican food because we have never found a good spot, with the exception of Shaka Tacos. This place was really busy, and there was only one person working. She was doing it all--taking orders, collecting money, and making all the delicious food. She was never rude and was so pleasant. She said the cooks had called in and she was the only one there. Talk about dedication! She made sure everyone got their food, and it was made perfectly. I cannot commend her enough for all the work she did and for putting out an outstanding order of food. She is a real gem and should be treated as such! It is so hard to find good employees today, and her dedication and attitude inspired me. I wish we had gotten her name, but she said she is always there. If the food takes longer than you like, just be patient, because you are in for a treat when it comes out. Good food takes time, and the food is definitely worth the wait. We will definitely be coming back every time we are here. This place is a real gem. If I could give it more stars, I would. I hope everyone reading this takes my advice and goes to this wonderful place for the delicious food and the warm people.

    Really good spot leaving from the falls, we stopped in for lunch and had no wait - it was right…read morewhen they opened. Just two people working and they were both friendly. Food was made fresh and took about 10 minutes! It was a lot of food too. I would've liked more cilantro and lime for the tacos, and maybe a bit more salt in the beans and rice, but overall it was great. The drink was our favorite! Plenty of seating, quiet, and quaint.

    Photos
    Inside dining
    Inside dining
    Quesabirria plate
    Quesabirria plate
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    Rico's Taco Shop

    Rico's Taco Shop

    4.7
    (42 reviews)
    17.5 mi

    TLDR - the staff are very nice and this place is very convenient when visiting the area, but I know…read moreI'll never come back. The food was tasteless and I don't appreciate when places try to get a double tip. Food options around the area are very limited, but I encourage tourists to take a chance and explore further. This place is a great convenience for people visiting Hawaii's Volcano National Parks and are starving after a long day of sightseeing. Unfortunately, I was very let down considering the great reviews it has online. This is a food truck, so as expected, the parking is extremely limited and there are only two picnic tables available if you choose to sit down and eat. The area is nice if you don't mind eating outdoors. When I went, there were only 2 people working in the truck. They were extremely nice and did warn us about waiting times. There was a long line of people so we had to wait about 25mins for our food. Honestly, this is not inherently a problem, but be ready to wait if it's busy. Now for the food and the reason I'm giving this place a low rating. I was allowed to mix the carnitas tacos and the chicken taco plate given that they're all the same price. The chicken had a nice spice to it, but every item on the dish was very bland. The rice felt dry, the refried beans felt like they were straight out of a can, and it could have all used some salt. But the big nono was that it appears they included a tip in their total before handing the machine over to you to add a tip and pay. Unless you tell me Hawaii's tax is close to 20% (which I know it's not), I find it very disrespectful when businesses do this to their customers.

    Food takes a while, as they're just two people running the cart! I liked the birria tacos the most…read more The couple was so kind.

    Photos
    Birria de Res taco plate.
    Birria de Res taco plate.
    Carnitas taco trio
    Carnitas taco trio
    Fresh produce. We try to use ingredients grown in Hawaii as much as possible.

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    Fresh produce. We try to use ingredients grown in Hawaii as much as possible.

    La Jefa Island Tacos - foodtrucks - Updated June 2026

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