This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants here in Hawaii, coming from Mexico this is truly authentic Mexican food and their food has lots of flavor read more

I understand that many restaurants go for the "low lighting" setting to make the restaurant seem cozy and intimate but you know the lights are too dim when the TV hanging above your table is the only source of light you have and as you're leaving the waiter serving the table right next to you says, "I didn't even see you sitting at the other table!" I don't know about you, but I hate eating my food in the dark! FOOD: Presentation was alright though I couldn't really tell with the poor lighting. We ordered the Caramones y tocino (Shrimp and bacon) and a combination plate of shrimp and beef tacos. The tortillas were wrapped in foil to keep it hot. (Which I liked) and the complimentary chips and salsa dip was nice. I liked the salsa, good amount of heat and not to chunky nor watery. The shrimp itself tasted bland. Even with the cheese on top of it, it still lacked salt! The bacon wasn't crispy, I think it's because of the melted cheese. Anyway, the caramones y tocino came with black beans, lime rice, and garnishes. I liked the black beans because the cheese they put on top added extra flavor (unlike my shrimp dish. Sigh.) and with the chips they serve you it's great! The combination plate was sort of "build your own style" taco. So the meat, shrimp, black beans, lime rice, and garnishes were a huge plate and you scoop up whatever you wanted to go on your taco. Since I didn't want to show my family that I was displeased with the shrimp and bacon plate, I continued on eating my food but wanted to try some of their meat and vegetable mix on their taco platter. (Desperately hoping for some flavor...) The meat, again, had no flavor! This frustrated me a lot. How can you not season sliced meat that was going on to a taco? Honestly...mexican cooking 101! Seasoning! The only thing that had flavor was the salsa from the chips and dip! So I smothered my meal in it! (Take note, I DON'T like spicy food but the poor shrimp was begging for some kind of flavor!) SERVICE: Very laid back but my server wasn't bad. I'll just say he wasn't that attentive but he wasn't horrible either. We were seated in a corner booth and I had a view of the part of the kitchen where the servers get the chips. I saw ALL the servers reach into a basket full of chips with their BARE HANDS! I have pretty good vision so I absolutely know that they weren't using tongs nor gloves to grab the chips. It wasn't only one person who did this...it was all! I don't know if they washed their hands or not...but honestly, do you think they would wash their hands each time before grabbing chips from the basket and wash them again afterwards? I think not. The sanitation in this restaurant scares me! After noticing that all of the servers were not wearing gloves or using tongs...I had lost my appetite. OVERALL: No seasoning on dishes and sanitation problems has forced me to rate Los Garcia's 1 star. read more

This place is more of a 3.5 stars kinda joint. While I enjoyed the atmosphere and service, the food was just not what my standard of Mexican food should be. I had a combo plate with a taco and tamale. I did like the tamale, and it was HUGE, I should have just ordered that. The taco...I don't know what kind of corn tortilla they use there, but it wasn't anything I've ever seen, nor did it taste that great. My husband had a burrito and it came with french fires (??). He said it wasn't that good because it didn't have any cheese, salsa, tomatoes, sour cream...nothing. Just a dry tortilla with beans and meat. When we asked if it was something the cook forgot, the lady told us that those things were extra. Really? Cause I feel that for $14 you should get those things standard on a Mexican dish. The parking was a pain in the arse too. Maybe we'll come back for margaritas on the sidewalk...but not anytime soon. read more

A more appetizing meal would be if I had vomited into a bucket and consumed that instead. I ordered the Chile Relleno Burrito combination. There was so little Chile that that I had a hard time telling if there was any Chile inside the breading. The burrito consisted of a tiny little rolled tortilla with a bland little turd of shreaded beef that had no flavor and the consistency of a can of cat food. The rice had no taste and was over cooked. The beans were disgusting and tasted like it was scraped off the street. Worst Mexican food I have ever had. It was really expensive to add insult to injury. Back in the day this place was OK. Now it is simply embarrassing. I have no idea how the waitress can look diners in the eye as she takes their orders. Too bad zero stars is not an option. Excuse me while I puke. read more

This was probably the worst Mexican we have ever had. My daughter's simple taco salad was ice cold and seemed like it had been microwaved. I had the pork tacos and my meat had no flavor but was also tough to chew. Salsa tasted like marinara sauce and the cheese dip was literally just like the Tostitos brand you buy in a jar! Will not be going back. read more

Very disappointed. Tried them about a year ago. Portions small for price. Thought maybe it was just what I ordered. Tried again today...booo! Mediocre at best. Doesn't come with beans, rice, sour cream or guac (have to pay extra). Can't believe they're still in business with Mexico Lindo like 2 blocks down. Way better food quality & portions. read more

Underrated. Equates to good hole in the wall Mexican you'd expect in San Antone. Yes, salsa was an unfamiliar ketchup consistency, but tasted great. Steak was cooked well and nicely seasoned. Possibly the best margarita I've had in Hawaii. They also make a great tortilla soup. read more

Okay I have been here 3 times now and I like the food. I don't love it I just like it and here is why. The salsa is not chunky but more of a sauce, my wife likes it so that's 3 stars there. The Burritos and enchiladas are okay and the sauce for them is okay too but once again not great still 3 stars. The cheese dip tastes like it was out of a can from Costco and is super watery, once again if you like watery sauces then this place is for you, I however like chunky or thick sauces so 2 stars for me. If I wanted to spend 5 bucks on cheese I would go to Costco and buy the 10 pounds can for 6 bucks and have it in front of my TV with a box of KFC but that's a different story. If I wanted chunky salsa I would have to pay 5 dollars for it? Nope back to 2 stars again. Now As I said it was my 3rd time there, I went back because the Mexican food was okay and I didn't feel like driving to Kaneohe for El Mariachis. The service is what would give it -5 stars in my opinion. Each time I was there I had a different server, but they all did work there every time I went. The first time was the Mexican looking lady who made the place feel more authentic. She did not smile the entire time and had a very condescending attitude. They sat us and she came by and asked for our drinks and we got them in a timely manner. Then about 1 minute later she asked if we were ready to order and we said please give us a minute. In about 15 minutes she came back, after we all had our menus down and were starring blankly at each other for 10 minutes. The food came out kinda fast and we waited again for our check. The second time was a guy who had the same kinda smug attitude. The most recent time was a local lady who smiled and was REAL nice when she took our drink order. She then does ask if we want any cheese dip? And without thinking i instinctively said Yeah! Then the dip came out fast along with our drinks. She was extremely nice. Then she came back, about 1 minute after receiving the cheese dip and drinks and asked if we were ready to order. We said the phrase "Please give us a minute" Which to Los Garcia's means come back in 20 minutes and ask. We sat there for no lie almost 20 minutes, while we could see our waitress talking story to the cooks, the hostess, the busboy and all the other employees. I have never walked out of a restaurant but I checked my wallet for cash because I was going to leave 8$ for the drinks and dip and leave but I only had 3 singles and a bunch of 20's. At the 20 minute mark I was ready to stand up to get change to leave this place for the last time. We already established that we were no longer hungry and didn't want to eat now. My wife talked me out of it and said just wait for her. When she came back she said something I have never heard before from a waitstaff "I am sorry I forgot about you." We got a nacho platter to share because we didn't really want to eat there but we felt like we should try. The platter came out fast and then soon after so did our box for the nachos and the check. When she handed us the check she went, "Oh I didn't add on the dip, well you waited a while so Ill just leave it off." That saved her from getting a 0$ tip and got her a 10% tip. Most times if they are backed up or slow they would say I am sorry, we will give you a complementary appetizer, desert or entree. She did because she forgot to add it on the check much like she forgot we were there. Like I said she was nice, but her only job was to get us our food. Had she of said, I am sorry I got caught up yadayadayada we will pay for an entree or appetizer, we would have bought 2 entrees and ate there. Instead we ate some nachos and left went home semi hungry but just dumbfounded by yet another horrible customer service. I hope management sees this and takes care of that issue, because I will not go there and I will tell all friends to drive the 10 minutes to Kanohe to El Mariachis, where if they are busy they give you complementary stuff, and acknowledge they are backed up.. Oh yeah and the wait staff there doesn't forget about you! read more

I am ALWAYS up for Mexican food...unless of course it's bad Mexican food (Yeah I'm talkin' to you Diegos "Authentic" Mexican Tacos!). Well Los Garcias is the best Mexican I have ever had...BBBBRRRGGG....HAHAHAHAHA....Oh hell no! This place blows. First of all the service was bad...That is strike one. Secondly their salsa tastes like cheap supermarket salsa with a hint of noxious chemicals. Thirdly, I didn't see hard shell tacos on the menu..WTF! What Mexican joint doesn't have hard shell tacos! They even have hard shell tacos in freak'n Germany! I don't know what's goin' on here, but I think this is Communist Mexican food...and Los Garcias is the spawn of the devil. Anyways, I ordered the Chalupa. It was Blah. The rice and beans were also Blah Blah Blah. I give this place a D +. Sorry Los Commie Bastard. Put freakin hard shell tacos on the menu. Bye. read more

Absolutely horrible. We were the only customers there and the service was bad as was the food. We have not been there for years and now remember why. Will never return. read more

I had lunch here twice. Thought it sucked both times. On the other hand I have friends that work nearby and swear it's good. But then, they don't know the difference between demi-glace and beef stock. read more

Los Garcias is our place of choice in Kailua for Mexican, definitely choose it over Mexico Lindo down the street (who is best for Margaritas). Los Garcias is never too busy and their food is great, especially if they have Lengua (cow's tongue) tacos as one of their specials. They also have delicious horchata (rice milk drink), which some of the other mexican restaurants around do not have. Definitely our go to restaurant for Mexican! read more

Well the service was good but the food was not that great. Ordered a nburrito and chimichanga. I think if we ordered something more authentic (like the other people who gave 5 star reviews) we would have enjoyed it more. Wasn't completely terrible, but the tortillas weren't good and the burrito was just ... bla... read more

The taco salad came in a greasy soggy shell and the shrimp tocinos was over cooked, not cleaned very well and it was greasy with strips of bacon thrown on top with melted cheese. The food was terrible. Go to Serg's read more

Quite bad, actually. Here are the reasons; 1. No parking. Not really their fault, but it remains a problem that has negative impact on one's enjoyment of the restaurant. Some street parking nearby - so you'll have to drive around a bit. 2. Inside there is an overpowering antiseptic smell - like a high janitor's locker. This is something that I have noticed on both of my visits (over one year apart). 3. Margarita on the rocks cost me $12 and was among the worst I've ever had. I only drank about a fourth of it. Way too much sickly sweet bottled margarita mix, no fresh lime juice, minimal tequila. And so little ice that it never got cold. An embarrassment to margaritas everywhere. 4. Combo fajitas were bland, almost as if not actually grilled but microwaved instead. And they were served on a cold plate rather than on a sizzling skillet. They charged me $2 each for additional shrimp. That's two dollars extra per shrimp, mind you - and they were not large shrimp. 4. Service was ok. That's about the only acceptable part of the evening. Never going back to Los Garcias. I will stick to Mexico Lindo down the street for a better experience with this type of cuisine. read more

Not sure why we decided to come here. Food was not good and it's expensive. I decided to get nachos and a quesadilla. You can not mess that up. Nachos were $15! For hard cheese, a little shredded chicken. Quesadilla was soggy. read more

Run down restaurant with overpriced food. Mexican food is inherently less expensive to make. No reason I could see or taste for the relatively high prices. read more

Unfortunately, a zero star review isn't an option on yelp so I was forced into giving this restaurant at the very least a one star. Smh. This is my second time coming to this restaurant but just understand that I was super apprehensive about it after my first visit but because my bf was craving Mexican food and Mexico Lindo was packed this was our last resort. *sighs with disappointment* I'm going to start with the cleanliness of the restaurant. Oh wait. There is none. NO star for cleanliness because there were no signs of it. The floor felt like the movie theatre floor. Sticky. I felt like a fly on fly paper. That should've stopped me from going any further but I didn't. Smh. Shame on me. The ceiling fans are pretty much there to circulate the dust bunnies from the ceiling and attempt to hide the fact that the ceilings are pretty close to falling. The next thing I'm going to bash is the service. I have worked in the customer service industry as a bartender/waitress before for over 6 years so I know a thing or two about it and sadly, this place was lacking that "welcoming" feel to it. The hostess didn't greet us she just said "how many?" Followed by "sit anywhere". My reaction to this was what's the point of having a hostess? We had hopes of having better luck with three waitress. Nope. She seemed just as unpleasant and unfriendly as the hostess. She mumbled when she spoke and didn't quite seem patient enough to give us a few minutes with the menu....I mean c'mon we just sat down! Now for the food...I can't stop shaking my head. I didn't even want to take a picture of it because I didn't want to be reminded of this depressing experience. My fish tacos lacked flavor and it was super dry. The fish in the tacos were so tough that I would compare the texture to that of beef jerky. It was ultimately chewy and could've been easily mistaken as chicken. BUT i ate it anyways brcause it was late and i was hungry. Just terrible and NOT worth the price! Seriously, save your money and go to taco bell down the road. I'm going to leave you yelpers with this last comment. THE WOMEN'S BATHROOM IS DISGUSTING! it reminded me of a low-end club bathroom. My 6 year old girl needed to use the bathroom and the door couldn't locked so I went to hold the nob when I felt this oily, gooey substance on it. I immediately freaked out and went to wash my hands while my daughter used the potty. Let me remind you that this restaurant was empty and the waitress saw me and my daughter walk in the bathroom, yet SHE STILL WALKS IN ON MY daughter using the bathroom. Wow. Just wow. read more

As a huge lover of Mexican food, this place disappoints. If you are craving Mexican i'd suggest elsewhere.

You would do well to ask Gordon Ramsey to help your establishment. God bless you for trying to run a family business. Don't think we will ever be back. Sorry. Good luck, hope somebody there reads this, and wakes up, before it's too late. read more

Wow such horrible reviews. Let me break it down. This place is great.. Awesome service, parking right around the corner between Zippys and Los Garcias. Might have to think a little bit to find the lot. Right by Mc Donalds. Everything Ive ever ordered there is really good. Like any place you have to go there a few times to find out what you like. Sure there will be some bad days but honestly you cannot screw up beans and rice. I had those enchiladas filled with fake crab and I was upset as well......knowing the place down the street does it right. You know what though, those are some of the tastiest fake crab enchiladas I ever had. This is no fine dinning experience people. You get what you get. This is cool little spot that serves up some good old Mexican grinds. Right there in the heart of Kailua. The Tiguana atmosphere is awesome. Check this place out. My wife and I love it. read more

Absolutely hands down the worst Mexican food I've ever had in my life. The salsa Tastes like rancid spaghetti sauce the chips were stale and we had to ask for water and silverware (and all this before ordering....I should've known.) Our main courses were just as pathetic, the beef enchiladas were so repulsive (again with the rancid spaghetti sauce all over.....apparently someone forgot to pick up salsa and enchilada sauce this week.) The waitress was super rude and acted like she had somewhere else to be, each time we needed a refill on anything we had to go hunt her down. Save yourself the money and belly aches and make yourself a PB&J at home. read more

I'm not a real fan of Mexican food but this restaurant was terrific. Authentic Mexican food, with large portions, inexpensive prices and very delicious. The service is fast and the restaurant is clean! Parking may be deceiving but it's right around the corner in a covered parking structure. They've been here for 22 years and we will definitely be coming here regularly. read more

Horrible service, food and hot as hell! Never going back!!!

Always seen this place on kailua but never been here, thought ill give it a try. First off, if you want to go here you have to park somewhere else away from the restaurant. Best bet is the parking garage just down the street. Its a seat yourself place and its a decent sized place. Servers were nice Ann's brought chips and salsa to the table quick. Chips and salsa was great.ordered the traquitos and they were delicious little pricy though for 4. Finally got ready to order dinner, ordered the chimichunga to find out it doesn't come with beans and rice. That was weird. Never saw that before. Well, the food came out fast but i must say, while it was good, the chimichunga was the smallest I've seen at a Mexican restaurant. My wife had the house margarita and it was better than usual house margaritas though. Bad part was that my wife found a hair in the lettuce of her chimichunga. It would be great if the cook wore a hair net. Overall, not taking the hair incident into account, the food was good,the needing to order beans and rice as an extra sucks, seems like a way to more more money, the food portions were small for a Mexican restaurant, the waitress/service was good. Would i try this place again? probably not. read more

The lack of patrons should have said it all, Let me start by saying I LOVE Mexican food. This place was seriously lacking and believe we've been to a lot of Mexican places. This was by far the worst. $25 for chicken fajitas is bad enough but when you don't have enough meat to make 3 fajitas it's a problem. Enchiladas were crunchy and their sad attempt at mexican rice was shameful. Would never come back here nor would I recommend them to anyone. Would that I could leave a zero rating. read more

Spent the morning and afternoon kayaking at Kailua Beach. Then took a 8 minutes drive to Los Garcias, parked on street near Walgreens and got seated immediately. The restaurant is open air I dont remember if the air conditioner was on. We ordered a pitcher of margarita, shared fish ceviche appetizer, and a chicken chimichunga. Food was authentic and I was a happy camper! read more

Very generic and mediocre Mexican good. Slow service.

The Chile Verde is SO good!!! Love the food here. We always sit outside for dinner and it has always been a positive experience.

Pretty sure I got food poisoning from this place. And not entirely sure our bill was right....The manager looked like he was on drugs. And the atmosphere was so trashy.... read more

Really wanted to like this place. Horrible waitress caused this review. Have been searching for a go to Mexican place on this side of the island. Food was ok, a little dry and somewhat bland. Portions are decent. But the service was horrible. The most rude waitress I have ever had. She can't get orders right. She doesn't listen. She argues with you when she is wrong. This place should really take a look at their employees. read more

I enjoy their lunch menu....at $8.95 you get your entree, beans and rice, a drink and of course all the chips and salsa your heart desires. I'm a happy gal.... read more

Typical mexi-American fare. We ordered the combo fajitas and I truthfully had trouble telling the difference between the chicken and the steak: Chopped finely and lacking flavor. We asked for hot sauce due to the blandness ( and no, it wasn't already provided in the table). Skimpy on the sides- like a tablespoon of guac, sour cream and sprinkle of lettuce The server was pleasant. Not much else to describe. Just blah. read more

Fajitas aren't worth the price. Filled with veggies and bits of barely recognizable chicken. Very disappointed. Hubby liked his chimichanga. Queso was good and so is the jalapeño poppers. Doesn't compare to fajitas from Texas though. read more

My family and I have been coming here for years and it used to be one of my favorite Mexican food restaurants on the island but something happened to it since the last time I'd been there. Everything looks like it was made from a can even the salsa. I'm so disappointed about the quality. read more

Fantastic Mexican food. About as good as you can get in Hawaii. Much better than the touristy Lindos place down the street.

My wife and I have eaten in dozens of Mexican restaurants throughout the US and Europe. We happened to be in Kailua on Cinco de Mayo, so we thought we'd have an enjoyable lunch and some drinks. Didn't work out. First off, finding parking for Los Garcias is a real pain. There is a large lot with lots of empty spaces, but it is private property for other businesses and we were booted out. I found a spot a few blocks away. Next, despite the neon Dos Equis sign in the window, the restaurant doesn't have a liquor license...no beer, no margaritas, no tequila. Nada. One group who came in while we were waiting for our food got up and left once they were told no alcohol. Speaking of waiting, we waited an excessive amount of time for our food. We both ordered a two-item combo: a chile relleno and a beef burrito for me, and a chile relleno and a crispy chicken taco for her. They got both orders wrong. I got the burrito, which was small and in a raw flour tortilla. I had about three bites and gave up - it was icky. The other thing on my plate was unidentifiable. It was a flour tortilla "stuffed" (a bit of an exaggeration) with what appeared to be shredded beef. It had a red sauce on it, a bit of cheese, and had been finished in an oven. My wife also got one of these things, along with her relleno. She asked about the chicken taco and they did bring her one very quickly. She ate the taco and a few bites of the red thing. All in all we should have taken a cue from the party who left and bolted. Forty bucks and a bad taste in our mouths. We won't be back. read more

After some bad experiences at Mexico Lindo we decided to try out Los Garcias and I'm glad we did. They have one of the best chicken chimichangas I've had and their refried beans are great too. Very friendly service and the food comes out quick and hot. Would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for authentic Mexican. read more

Not only is this the only place to serve carne asada fries in Kailua that I know of but the most delicious carne asada fries I've had on the island so far and I'm from California! They made them super cheese and the carne asada had flavor. It's hard to find this on the island. read more

This is the best Mexican in the Pacific. From back when it was El Charro Avitia. The same staff and the same great recipes. You can eat a meal of just rice, beans and chicken (with a little salsa fresca on top) and not wish for anything else. But everything is good. Not recommended as an alternative to Taco Bell since Los Garcias does not use ground beef and taco sauce. But if you like great food served right, this is the place. read more