Nadine C.

Lunch in Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii... I asked my dentist is she wanted to go with me to Lunch - and luckily, she heard about Lahaina Tacos because they were on the news. My dentist knew exactly how to get to Pioneer Plaza where there's a bunch of vendors on the ground level of the Fort Street Mall building. Somehow, there was no line! We probably arrived after the lunch crowd... it was about 1pm-ish. We ordered at the cashier, got our food, and sat at one of the tables in the area. I had three tacos: the veggie, asada, and adobada. I think the veggie had some potatoes and cucumber? It was good! The asada seemed to be more like ground beef and had a lot of filling! The adobada was spicy to me. It was the tastiest! I also had a horchata. The cashier reminded me to shake it before I drank it... thank you! I liked it because it wasn't watered down! The staff were friendly, efficient, and helpful! I'm glad we supported a small, local, family business. They moved to Honolulu after the tragic fire on Maui.

Dathan C.

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars There's a lot of hype around this place and unfortunately the hype doesn't match the goods. It's not bad, it's just not living up the hype. My first time here, I got the chicken burrito. Remember being a kid on Christmas hoping you'd get that toy you've been hearing about for months and when you open your present, pull it out of the box and rapidly conclude, "that's it?" That was my chicken burrito experience. Chicken was bland and most of the flavor came from the sauces you grab and apply yourself. Would not come back for that. Taco Kabana up the street makes a superior chicken burrito. I also miss Bic Taco but not the guy who ran it (whole can of worms there) as they made a solid burrito. I digress. Before I wrote a less than stellar review, I wanted to give them a second chance. They recently stopped doing plates, which is sad, but I did try the adobada or marinated pork the second time around, which is somewhat similar to al pastor, but cooked differently. And I must say, their pork is vastly better than their chicken. The adobada is marinated in a red chili sauce with various spices and generally vinegar and had a solid amount of flavor, a good amount of meat, and crisp vegetables with refried beans and a complimentary but not overwhelming amount of Mexican rice. Not sure why their chicken burrito is so bland but their adobada is flavorful. Maybe next time I'll try their cochinita burrito. Anyways, take away is that certain menu items are worth the calories and others are not. Eat the pork, not the chicken here. Staff are polite and efficient. They are imposing a credit card surcharge. Lunch hours only and parking downtown is a crapshoot.

Lelabee D.

Located in Pioneer Plaza end of fort street mall across former WALMART in downtown. Very nice workers very helpful. Service was fast. Food portion was good. Satisfied? Yes Will visit again? Yes

Andy F.

When reading the story behind Lahaina Tacos and knowing this place will be in Downtown, I was excited to try it. I do miss LA tacos! But let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Lahaina Tacos is located in Pioneer Plaza, near Tonkatsu Sanji, Subway, and Catania. This place is definitely only for Downtown workers as it's only open from 10:30AM - 2:00PM, Weekdays. There's a lot of fluffy 5-star reviews early on, but my experience leans to the honest 3-star reviews. The most common issue is the tasteless, bland meats. That is spot on! This place gets busy as there was already a line at 11AM. There's a nice staff member handing out menus to people in line so you can decide sooner. It's simple: choose a meat (steak, chicken, pork, birria, roasted pork, beef tongue, chorizo, or veggies), then choose a style (taco, burrito, torta, or quesadilla). They also have Mexican Soda in the fridge, and Fish or Shrimp Ceviche with Chips for $12. The prices were a little up there ranging from $4-5 per taco, $12-14 for the other items. I decided on 3 tacos (chicken, steak, and tongue). Yes, all the meat was bland and tasteless, and not warm. The tortillas were not grilled or at least warmed. The salsas were okay. Didn't add much flavor. The mild was spicier than the "spicy" and "very spicy". Overall, "it could've been better" as what a 2-star Yelp rating says. I'm not sure if there are still kinks to work, but I'd like to come back to try the burrito and quesadilla. Hopefully the meats will have enough taste and flavor, or perhaps I'll order the chorizo and cochinita pibil next time. Finding tacos like LA or Mexico (Tijuana count?) still eludes Hawaii.

Russel M.

Got here early no line. Outta bowls and plates. Tried chicken burrito, not bad but not close to Thyda's. $11.95

Risa L.

Burritos were good, but not great. It did taste like it was made with care. The adobada was more flavorful than the steak. The steak was quite soft, almost tasted like ground meat. The size was polite, but the price was reasonable. Would not make a special trip to eat this. If I was in the area again, I would give their other menu items (taco, torta, quesadilla) a try.

Jennifer K.

Lahaina Tacos recently opened in Pioneer Plaza, located in Downtown Honolulu. To many Downtown workers, a new restaurant is always welcome. I love Mexican food, so a Mexican restaurant is especially welcome. Lahaina Tacos is owned by a family originally from Mexico. They spent several decades in Lahaina until their homes were destroyed by the fires in 2023, which brought them to move to Honolulu. Since their opening in February, there have been constant lines. Luckily they do post average wait times on a whiteboard in front of their shop. Do note that these are wait times for your food AFTER placing the order. Unless you are lucky enough to come during a window of no lines, you still have to wait to order. While waiting for your food, you can take the time to hit up the salsa bar, where they offer jalapenos and 3 salsas (mild, spicy, and very spicy). The mild has no spice at all - tastes like flavorless tomato sauce. The spicy has a tiny amount of spice, and the very spicy is more of a light spice. I'd avoid the mild unless you really can't handle spice, but don't be afraid to try the "very spicy". For my first visit, I decided to try the asada burrito, my go-to at most Mexican food joints. The photos of the tacos looked tempting, but too messy for me to eat at my desk. The burrito came with rice and beans, as well as lettuce. As compared to some of my usual Mexican spots, it was on the smaller side (although huge for me). The flavor was okay, but not amazing and unfortunately the steak was not very steak-like at all. It was a bit stringy and mushy - similar to more of a stewed beef, rather than a "grilled steak" as their menu describes asada as. Although I was compelled to try it due to all the social media coverage, and am glad I did so, since it's so close to my office...I don't think this will be on the top of my lunch list. Maybe I'll be back - there's only so many options in the area, but at the same time, maybe not. On my list of Mexican food spots, this ranks above Taco Bell but under Chipotle (if we had one here).

Crystal R.

One of the newest lunch shops to open in the heart of Downtown Honolulu in Pioneer Plaza is Lahaina Tacos. I was reeled in by the power of social media to check this place out. And since I work in the area and needed to get my steps in, I figured, well might as well head there for lunch. Upon arrival, there were a bunch of people surrounding the shop. There was a bit of a wait, but luckily they have a sign letting customers know the expected wait time - a plus for us Downtown workers! I decided to order tacos (birria $4.50 and chorizo $4.50) and ceviche de pescado (fish ceviche) ($12.00). The homemade tortillas held the taco together. The chorizo taco was a win for me as it was well-seasoned and flavorful. However, the birria taco was a little lackluster as there was not much flavor there. To accompany your meal, they offered 2 different salsas: 1 mild and the other spicy. Both were decent, but the spicy one didn't really hit that heat marker I would expect. The ceviche was also a win for me as it was very light and refreshing. Since it is a new spot and with the interest of a bunch of hungry lunch people, some items sold out quickly. For my case, it was the bowls and plates that were sold out by the time I got there. Plus parking might be an issue as it is in Downtown Honolulu. I'll give this place another go in the future as there are other things on the menu I would like to try and the staff are friendly. But I wouldn't say it's a must-visit just yet.

Erica H.

Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, bowls, and more. Even combo deals. Ordering made easy here at Lahaina Tacos. The menu is very simple and while the line may be long, the efficiency is great for lunch goers. Their sign even highlights for those in a rush, how long the anticipated wait will be. I like a lot of flavor and spice so I dipped over to the salsa bar which made my order more enjoyable!! There are several two-top tables in the area that are shared amongst all the eateries in the plaza or you can take your food with you. The only qualm was the price for two tacos was $10+ and neighboring options are more affordable. It is nice to have options downtown, however!

Jackie W.

Inside Pioneer Plaza. Good price for the size of the burrito. I like that you can fill your own sauce in the containers. My first couple of bites were just ok, the more I kept eating the more I enjoyed the flavors. Maybe I should've gotten a different meat so the burrito had more texture. The workers were great, no complaints.

Cassandra H.

This place is new to downtown and is located in Pioneer Plaza. I ordered the carne asada burrito and shrimp ceviche. Both could have used a little more salt but I still enjoyed it. They do have a little self serve bar of a variety of salsas and jalapeños for you to add. The cashier was very friendly. I would come back to try some of their other menu items.

Janelle C.

Came here during lunch on a weekday and service was really fast! Drinks are already bottled so we got it fast. the horchata was pretty authentic but I think it could have a liiitttle more stronger flavor. 9/10 I came on taco tuesday so its buy three get one free. tried the chorizo and lengua. 7/10 nothing too special abt the tacos but the green sauce was the best imo

Michelle L.

I appreciate their story and glad they are able to open in Honolulu but let's be real about the food... It was bland, mushy, and a bit flavorless. I ordered the lengua burrito and the fillingl had the same consistency as the refried beans (and taste). They have 3 different salsas but honestly, they were underwhelming as well. The spicy ones were still quite mild and they all taste the same. If your appetite is decent, don't plan to have leftovers. The wait wasn't too bad and I do like that they posted up wait times for the busy downtown crowd on a time crunch.