Best old style, authentic Mexican food in Oahu! We've been going there for years. Casual atmosphere, friendly service. Not fancy, but great read more

Another pathetic "Mexican" restaurant in Kailua. I don't think the infamous street dogs of Mexico would eat the food served at Los Garcia's or Mexico Lindo. Its official the only decent Mexican cuisine in Kailua is at my house. For breakfast over the weekend I made a Tortita de Nopales con Chorizo... in a crepe pan you cook a thin "tortilla" made out of egg + a little milk. When it has set... you spoon your filling in the center... on this occassion diced Nopales (cactus) sauteed with Chorizo... a spoon of French Feta (the closest thing in Hawaii to an authentic Queso Fresco)... fold the edges over... top with a drizzle of Salsa Verde. I am thinking I could make a killing in this Mex-deprived town. read more

I have eaten here a few times, but it had been a long time so I didn't feel like I should review them because it was so long ago. So, with that being said, I decided to give it another try for Cinco De Mayo. I ordered (To Go) a Carnitas Plate with corn tortillas. The total bill was $13.75 & I gave a $2 dollar tip. Along with my order it came with a bag of chips and large side of salsa. When I got home I opened my dinner and was surprised at how small the portion was. In fact it was a joke, especially that it cost me close to $16 dollars. I was lucky that I wasn't that hungry or else I would have been screwed. The Carnitas was decent and the beans were good, but a little watery. The rice that it came with was beyond embarrassment; it was just awful. With this plate they included a huge side of Salsa that was tomato sauce with no heat or flavor. How in the hell can people actually say their salsa is good? read more

Sadly, this place just doesn't get it. It is common knowledge good Mexican food in Kailua is a hot market. I ordered ceviche, delicious. Also had a carne asada burrito; expecting it to be filled with all the flavors known to Mexico. Na. It was bland and almost made me cry. Tacky note: On each table is a advertisement for their "Movie Night" where you can get a free 10 minute massage from a local community college student. Creepy, weird, off-putting, inappropriate to say a few things that came to mind. Los Garcia's is lost. They need to start over and define themselves as a Mexican Restaurant. Focus in the market for your food. Read a book or do a Google search on better ways to run a bar/ restaurant. For real. read more

Recently remodeled. Food was very good. Will be back. Delicious tortilla soup. Fresh guacamole. read more

First impression - not a good sign if you are the only people dining at the peak of dinner time. I ordered chile relleno and the batter was flat and greasy and no chile flavor :(. My husband ordered the enchilada and it was - meh. This place was worthy of 2 stars, except after our meal, our waiter said something like: he couldn't believe that people ordered the crap that he has to serve daily. If know your food is crap, at least try to charm me :)... read more

The first mistake of the evening was deciding to go somewhere "different" for my birthday. After living in L.A. for 8 yrs, I know what REAL mexican food tastes like (considering I lived with a roommate from Mexico and cooked the best food on earth), but damn, this place is NOT even close. This is probably the worse Mexican food I've ever tried in my life! I'd rather go to El Torito or Chevy's instead of this place, and that my friend is saaaaaaaad. Second mistake of the evening was eating the chips and salsa. Chips were cold, salsa was bleh. I make better at home. Third mistake was ordering the chile verde. I love chile verde, but something seriously went wrong with this one. It was really bland, the meat was so-so, and the rice and beans were just okay. It tasted like they just took a 2 day leftover plate from the fridge and warmed it up in the microwave. I'm surprised my tummy didn't start acting up afterwards. Never going back! As a side note: Service was really slow and there were hardly any people! The server wasn't very attentive either. Busy talking story with others instead of doing his job! read more

This restaurant got two stars mainly because of the service. Our server was a really nice Mexican lady and she was awesome! She worked in this restaurant for 14 years. Unfortunately the food was not very good, so we definitely won't be back. First of all, the salsa for the chips was from the can. This is a no go for a place that boasts "real Mexican cuisine." Our tortilla soup was absolutely awful and not fit for human consumption. Our burritos were OK, but definitely not worth the price. read more

Lo Siento! Yet another mediocre Mexican food establishment. I was at first surprised how authentic the place looked for a hole in the wall Mexican eating place. I have been to Mexico several times and if you were to transport it to Mexico, it would nicely blend right in! So on that note, I was hopefully expecting a good meal since I love trying hole in the wall places because they may lack ambience but make up for it with the food...NOT!!! In this case, the food was another big disappointment! Add Los Garcia's to my "There is no great Mexican food restaurant in Hawaii" list. The best part of the meal was the regular iced tea. It had a hint of some kind of fruit or floral ingredient and was refreshingly tasty! Good start! Now I'm even more hopeful! Then out comes the salsa and chips...homemade chips...check...good! Salsa taste test...SCREEEECH!!!!! Thick tomato paste with a few chopped onions thrown in! BLEAAAACK! OK...here we go... My friend ordered a combination plate of beef, chicken and pork. It came plated with shredded old yellowing iceberg lettuce with a small scoop of guacamole and sour cream. Even though the meats were separated, they all tasted the same, bland, except for the supposed pork which tasted a bit like turkey...so we dubbed it mystery meat. I ordered the Genaro tacos which are flour tortillas filled with a mixture of beef steak, black beans, onions and tomatoes, and special salsa, plated with refried beans, rice and yellowing iceberg lettuce with a small scoop of guacamole. I first opened up the tacos and fished around in the filling...definitely NO chunks of beef...cut up so fine it blended in with all the other ingredients...taste test of first bite...OK... Slight barbeque flavor... Now the Spanish rice...clumpy moist, tomato-y taste. Next, refried beans...CANNED refried beans...at least they could have jazzed it up somehow! Come on! A little imagination can't be too hard! If the food was decent, I wouldn't mind paying thirty plus dollars for lunch, but when you're served what we got...I can truly say that I will not be coming back any time soon, or EVER, for that matter! Service was OK. Waitress was pleasant enough...no expression...only 3 other tables occupied, so no wait. Food was out in about 15 minutes. Guess I'll be continually having to eat at Taco Del Mar type places till a good (I'm not even expecting GREAT) place comes to town! Adios, gente! read more

NO ! I fortunately have only been here once and once was definitely enough ! The food was cold and the prices were horrid for the portion size and quality. Despite the food being void of taste, the atmosphere leaves much else to be desired, its in an odd location with little parking and there is no a/c. Definitely cross this off the list of restaurants to visit in Kailua ! read more

Been to a lot of places on the island and this is the only one that's come close to "good" Mexican food.

I think 3 stars is generous, my wife thinks well deserved. I know it is Hawaii, but for what we paid I expected more. The food was okat, nothing I would write home about. The service was friendly and attentive though. I liked that thr chips were served hot and were plentiful, but the salsa was meh. I would look elsewhere. read more

Los Garcia's - Garcia's burrito apparently a popular menu item. - Mexican Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Over priced, flavorless Mexican food and terrible customer service. 10/10 would not recommend...

Los Garcia's is a small family-owned business. The food is good and the margaritas are too! They also positively impact the community through their willingness to hire teens for their first jobs. Los Garcia's was my first job and being able to list my experience there helped me get a job to survive in college. Getting into the restaurant business can be a challenge for young people, and Los Garcia's gives many teens the opportunity to gain experience and build up their resume as new members of the workforce. While more and more Mexican restaurants are hitting their customers with charges for chips and salsa, Los Garcia's will give you limitless refills of their homemade chips and salsa. Their guacamole is delicious and full of the good stuff (avocado) rather than cheap fillers like a ton of tomatoes. If you like supporting the little guys and local business, eat at Los Garcia's. read more

Had take out last night from here and ordered it online. Arrived 25 minutes after order was placed. Absolutely no one was inside and my take out was sitting on the counter with my name on it. Got home and they messed up my order. Ordered 3 plates, 2 were the same chimichanga, but one was suppose to be shredded beef and the other shredded chicken. Instead both were beef! Also refried beans served with 2 of the plates were extremely salty, could not eat it! Actually nothing tasted good. Total waste of $50 for 3 plates! Will definitely not ever eat here again. Would've been better off eating a cheap meal from Taco Bell! read more

Hawaii is not known for their great Mexican food. I grew up in Colorado and was spoiled by excellent Mexican food everywhere. This is the worst I have had in my many years living in the 808. Flavorless and WAY too salty. I would have given it 1 star but the people were nice and I enjoyed the music. Do yourself a favor; Taco Bell is just a block down. read more

(I agree with Sharon N.) I'm a born & raised island girl... & I've only tasted true authentic Mexican food during my visit to Mexico. & Los Garcia's does a pretty darn good job providing Mexican cusine for Oahu. It may be low standards to those who have had the opportunity to taste Mexican food along the West Coast of the states, but I absolutely love this place. I live on the opposite side of the island... & I think that it's worth the drive. :) read more

Your typical delicious Americanesque Mexican (think On the Border) spot w/ an extensive and expensive menu and delicious margaritas(~$10). For Mexican food in this area, I'd dole out extra money. I tried the tacos de Asada which was good (even without proper sauces)and the fish (the one mango and avocado) which was superb. There is a $25 for $50 value reataurant.com voucher. Yay! read more

Most disgusting carne asada I've ever had. only thing that was decent was the salsa Fresca.

I gave them two stars because the server was extremely friendly, and I had a really good margarita. On the flip side, worst food ever! AND, parking was not clear. If anyone wants to try this place, the ambiance was quite comfortable and attractive. However, it's in the middle of a gas station and retail shops with no parking lot and no clear instruction from the main road on where to park - we almost got into an accident stopping to look. When we got inside, the hostess was rude to say "oh, you just park in the structure on the next block over" as if we were supposed to know that. I ordered a sizzling steak fajita. Another waitress brought it out, scraped it off the sizzling platter, and onto a plate with some type of Japanese-style rice and terrible beans. So ultimately I are cold meat with (not) Mexican rice and gross black beans. Terrible. At the end, they did not charge me for my meal. So they were fair about it. But I will never go back there again. read more

I know the race for good Mexican food is pretty tight in Hawaii, but Los Garcia's would not be considered a contender. The food was alright, the prices about average to expensive depending on what you were getting. Id say the most disappointing was the salsa....i judge based on salsa often, and the salsa here tasted mostly like tomato paste (but the chips were good!). The service was good, the restaurant wasn't busy and the margaritas were pretty good! Overall, it wasn't a bad experience but I would recommend it or go back unless I really needed a margarita. read more

Los Garcia's - Tacos with rice - Mexican Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Contrary to some of these reviews, this is the best out of all the Mexican restaurants in Kailua. Our friend, my boyfriend, I went there for lunch today instead of eating the booth offered fare of the Kailua Town Party. We started off with the free chips and salsa (the salsa had great pieces of fresh onion and tomatoes) and ordered some guacamole to go along with it. The guacamole was fresh, with large chunks of fresh avocado and a good citrus flavor. My boyfriend and I each had a 2 item combo for $9.95 a piece. Mine was a chile rellano and chicken enchilada with black beans and rice, his the same except a beef burrito instead of enchilada. The batter of the rellano was crispy even under their red enchilada sauce, which itself is a little spicy with a great depth of flavor. Top it off with a Hurradura margarita on the rocks for $8.00, it was perfect. Our friend got the chicken chimichanga for $12.95. That was a large deep fried burrito topped with red enchilada sauce, sour cream, guacamole and two whole black olives. The chimichangas come with rice and beans on the side as well. By the way, the chimichanga and burrito were only filled with chicken and shredded beef, respectively. The only other Mexican restaurant we'll go to is Mexico Lindo, I'll get to that one when we feel it is safe to go again. read more

Los Garcia's - Mexican Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I haven't stopped in here for many many years. But I was pretty impressed this time around. The salsa was tasty and so was the side of guacamole. I ordered the combination fajitas which was a great choice. My only complaint is that the server brought out my beans and tortilla 7mins prior to the Fajitas. This was a lot strange. But the server was very attentive on bringing all you want on chips and salsa and refilling the water. read more

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I fly into Oahu a few days in October to visit family there..but, I always make it a point to have my first meal when I land, and my last dinner before I leave to go to Los Garcia's... Very good Mexican food....very affordable and always look forward to go every year the past 11 years.... read more

One star because I'm not starving and the second because its cheap. Food wasn't the greatest, infact it looked better in my photo. Service was a little below average. The best part was our skinny Mexican server. She has to be about 30. Understood she was busy so we didn't give her a hard time. When we asked for the bill to be separate she spoke in another language thinking we didn't understand and said, "oh my God!!" .( May I add there was only four of us.) Very disrespectful. We waited for her to bring the bill back and she stared at us and told us to meet her at the front. And as we left she said, "you guys not coming back" . Em probably not. There isn't parking so we walked over from zippys. My friends and I barely come to Kailua and we were looking for a good food place, this place wasn't quite up to par. The waitress had a rude attitude. I forgot to add that if you sit by the door, beware the flies. They arent scared of humans and will stay on your drinks. (picture) read more

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OMG! Seriously, you have the never to call this food authentic Mexican food! Believe it or not there are some of us who did live on the mainland and know what authentic Mexican food is and this place aint it honey! You dont just mash up an avocado throw a couple of tomatoes on top and call it guacamole! Seriously! read more

I had eaten here a few years back and remember not really being impressed with the place. But just a few months ago I had met a friend there for lunch....and couldn't believe how good the food was!!! I'm from California and miss Mexican food very much. There are a few places on the island but not many to cure that craving for authentic Mexican cuisine!!! Now my boyfriend and I eat here at least once a week! The carnitas are excellent! I get the combo plate with enchiladas, tamale and a beef burrito! So yummy and plenty to take home for lunch the next day. Great food, the service is good and the ambiance is very quaint on the patio looking onto kailua town!! If you've been to this place in the past and didn't like it...I would like to suggest giving it another try. I'm sure glad I did. read more

Haven't been here for a long time but my girlfriend comes here with her sister a lot always wondered why she never brought home leftovers now i know the portions was a little small to me food was great no complaints I really liked the salsa read more

Los Garcia's - Mexican Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Disappointing considering the ambience. Shabby Mexican places are supposed to have good food. But this one- Mediocre at best. Strike one was the salsa. It was tomato water. No really, cooked tomatoes and complete liquid. But the chips were warm and fresh, and ordering pico de gallo compensated somewhat. I ordered black bean and grilled beef tacos with soft corn tortillas. The tortillas were incredibly oily. Asked for salsa verde. They had none. But enough of that. The good is, Christmas lights, always a plus, and margaritas. And while the lights glowed romantical and the margaritas helped to drown out the white noise of the busy drag and loud car wash across the street, the margaritas had too much margarita mix. Or sweet and sour. Either way, its edible, sure, but next time I'm in Kailua-town and want Mexican food, which is rare, I will go to one of the other 6 places there. read more

I felt like Mexican tonight. We actually planned to go to Mexico Lndo but the wait was 45min-1 hour. We decided to go here. We've been here a looooong time ago. Parking sucks(none available) and the restaurant hasn't been redone in ages. We got sat at a table that shouldn't even have been where it was, right in the walkway. I would normally have a beer but at $5 domestic and $6 import I had to rethink. We ended up getting the pitcher(60oz) or blended strawberry margarita. No complaints, it packed a good punch. The first thing to come was the house chips and salsa. Chips were good, not as thin and crispy as other places but still good. The salsa also was fine. I ordered a combination with a tamale, cheese enchilada, and beef enchilada. My wife got a combo with cheese enchilada and a chile verde enchilada. I was pleased to see the plate had some lettuce and tomato on it. It's one of the things I miss from Banditos. I asked for a hot sauce and the waitress brought Tapatio and another one made from Habenero. She said the habenero one was really good and we should use it but I told her Tpatio was one of my faves. She still said to try it. I'm really, really, really glad I tried just a dab of it. It was was super hot. I can't handle really hot things but just as hot as most. I don't know why she would have recommended it when probably only 1% of people can handle the heat. O ther then that my plate was fine, not great, but fine. My wife thought her chile verde would have some sign of verde in it. She asked the waitress and she said that it should have some chiles in it. We didn't end up seeing any in it but did ask for a verde sauce and got it. Without the verde sauce I don't know how you would tell the difference between the chile verde enchilada and a pork enchilada, oh well. My wife also thought the rice was too wet and mushy. It was soft but I don't really mind either way. Makes me wish we made the extended journey to Kaneohe or waited for Lindo but sometimes this is what it takes to remind you why you have favorites. Keep in mind this is my opinion and you are free to make your own. Happy eats-- elswhere. read more

Well how can I do this review without sound mean....ok this is what I think ...I'm a Latino guy so.....ok the place is not really invites people to get inside, the vibe is sad because they don't take care very well of their customers, I did have a great time in Hawaii and was looking for something Mexican/Latino to eat and find this restaurant so I when there and the feeling was like "we don't care ‍ " the atmosphere was sadly, restrooms not cleaned, no air conditioning and sadly nothing to smell you know like other restaurants where you can smell the food they cook ‍ I ordered a Chile relleno (it's one of my favorite), they mixed with cain of mole sauce and usually you have to use fresh cheese , rice wasn't cooked and beans just ok, my virgin margarita was good so they can make a great restaurant if they do some changes, maybe fresh paint with more vibrant color,more plants , air conditioner and most important the food they really need to work on that...so let me tell you how do I make the Chile relleno sauce....try it you might like it...licuar jitomate, cebolla y un cuadro de caldo de pollo, en una sartén con un poco de aceite sofreír unos 4 aros d cebolla, vaciar lo de la licuadora y dejar hervir un poco para q quede espeso si quieres un poco picosa con agregarle un chile d árbol, sasonar al gusto...I asked where do they roots are and they told me from Guadalajara Mexico so is a surprise to me that they food doesn't taste awesome because people from Guadalajara, Jalisco has a terrific cooks delicious food .. read more

Los Garcia's - Not what I was expected - Mexican Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Went there on a Saturday with a group of 8 to celebrate a friend's birthday. Place was fairly quiet for a Saturday lunch. Service was o.k., not terribly fast considering how quiet the place was, but not terrible either. I had a quesadilla and a couple of tacos asada which were fine. Prices were a tad high but not unreasonable. All in all I'd say it wasn't spectacular but it was decent. Parking is around back in a municipal lot - keep an eye on the meter because it's enforced 24 hours a day and you probably won't get in/out of Los Garcia's super fast. read more

I might have given them a few more stars... but I ordered the affordable happy hour margarita - just the regular one- and was pleasantly suprised by how large it was--- but when I got my bill was charged a LOT more money for a premium GIANT margarita. When I complained to the waitress she replied "oh the bartender just assumed you'd want the big one." To which I replied "well he should have asked." But what I was actually thinking was ... "hmm, guess I must look like a real drunk today, if he "just assumed I'd want the big one"..." LOL. To her credit she didn't give me a lot of grief about adjusting the bill but I still felt like this was probably a typical happy hour scheme for them. I KNOW how many people never actually read their bill and just pay whatever it says without even looking at it. Sorry... I am that guy who does the math in his head and expects it to be accurate. read more

We do prefer the food at Mexico Lindo, but it's a lot more expensive and the restaurant is always packed and really noisy. Los Garcia's is a nice, relaxed place. Their fajita is not quite as fresh and flavorful as Mexico Lindo, but it's also about $10 less. They have reasonably priced combos and are usually very accommodating to my picky-eater modifications. Parking is tricky. We park on the street between McDonalds and the gas station and walk over. read more

Not a disappointment! Me and my boyfriend came into the restaurant skeptical cause we were the only ones there and there were some mixed reviews but the food was delicious! I got the Enchiladas Verdes and he got the Fajitas. We will definitely be back. read more

I have a mixed opinion of this place but I have to say that every time I have been, the food has tasted great. Service...is another story. Sometimes it's awesome, they take our drink order quickly, food comes out fast, and it's enjoyable. But sometimes they're short staffed and have 1 or 2 waitresses for the whole place...that equals EXTREMELY slow service. My most recent experience: We were seated quickly (or rather, chose our own seat). From the time we sat down at our table to the time someone took our drink order = 10 minutes. Then it took another 10 minutes just for them to bring our drinks out. My water was empty within a few minutes and was never refilled during the next 30 minutes we spent there. Food came out...but it wasn't ours. The waitress brought it to the wrong table. So...15 minutes later our food came. It was so-so this time. Good but not amazing by any means. We finished eating, sat there with empty plates for 10 minutes before anyone brought us our check. Needless to say, I'll be trying other Mexican food restaurants before I go back to this one. read more

This would probably be an entirely different star rating if we were located in a different state- but we're located in the state of Hawaii where decent Mexican food is next to impossible to come by. The setting is nothing fancy, but they do have nice outdoor seating. The menu was extensive, of average price for Hawaii ($10 for an appetizer), and the food was actually good Mexican food! It wasn't soggy, the textures weren't wrong, and the seasoning was tasty. The chicken in my quesedilla was very juicy. Perhaps one of my only complaints would be the slow service, but we weren't in a rush so it wasn't such a big problem. Definitely not the best Mexican food I've ever tasted but it's the best Mexican food I've had on island. read more

We came in and there was absolutely no business, so naturally you would expect good service. The service was absolute garbage, our waitress came to our table one other time besides for ordering and bringing out our food. I ordered King burrito, the meat was dry and the refried beans looked deep fried and they were drier than your moms DMs. The only thing good I can say good about this place was the chips and salsa are on point, just don't expect them to bring you a second basket. read more

There are a ton of Mexican options on the island and in Kailua, so save yourself and go to one of those! Decided to give it a try, it brings the only Mexican place in Kailua we haven't tried. Was not impressed and won't be coming back. Cheese dip: pretty sure it's from a tostitos can. Salsa: tomato paste with a few tomato chunks Guacamole: from a can. Gross. Chips: warm, pretty good Margarita: pre mix, barely drank half Beef taco: gross Quesadillas: pretty good Rice and beans: very good Service: attentive but the waitress was very unfriendly Wouldn't come back due to low quality good. Parking is non existent, find something on the street. It does have a nice shaded patio though! read more

Decent food. I had the crab enchiladas and my wife had the tequitos. We both agreed mine was better. Mango margaritas were really good. Pretty slow service and expensive (yes I know it's Hawaii, I live here). Overall, I gave it a solid 3 stars. read more

Los Garcia's - Mexican Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii