Paniolos Hawaii

Yes, they want to be Chipotles. No, they are not.
Like Chipotles, there is waaaay too much rice in these burritos.
Unlike Chipotles — less meat, less flavoring in the beans, less taste to the salsas. Less almost everything.
The result? A mish mash of not much taste in a large package. Biut that is about all you can get in Hawaii.
I was so desperate for Mexican food, we drove over to Kailua to try this place. Not worth the drive. Good thing it was a beautiful drive.

Diggin it! The tacos are deceptively filling! Both hot sauces are the perfect amount of spicy. It’s hard to find a good taco joint, especially in hawaii. Look no further

Hawaii’s version of Chipotle! Can’t get any better than that!
After a hike up Old Pali, my group decided to come here and stuff our faces and we all were not disappointed! It was my first time here so I can say I was beyond excited to try something new.
You get to choose either a burrito, bowl, or taco. We all opted for the burrito. You choose your rice; brown or white, then your beans, your protein is next, finally… your toppings! I couldn’t decide on the meat so I chose kaula pork. I had to add my onion, lime, and cilantro. My burrito looked tiny but it filled me up! The only thing I didn’t «like» was the fact that the rice description said «cilantro line white rice» and I didn’t even get any flavor from it but it didn’t take away from the burrito itself so I’m okay with that. =)
I know when I’m on that side of the island, I’ll make it my mission to get a bowl next.

Build your own bowls, burritos & even an option for tacos? Yes, please! I’ve heard so many good things about Paniolos & since work brings me to beautiful Kailua on occasion, I decided to hunt this gem down.
When living in California, that popular restaurant similar to Paniolos was my absolute fave. I went for some grub at least once a week. Not sure if I can really compare the two, but what I can say is that I love love love Paniolos!
The rice was tasty (cilantro & lime), chicken was well-​seasoned, corn salsa just amazing, & the ingredients were just overall fresh & bright. With each bite, I couldn’t help but relish in the moment & appreciate the different flavors making my taste buds and opu very happy.
Not being too familiar with Kailua, I have to say that it’s very easy to get to, parking is free and available, service was great, food was delicious, and with so much neighboring merchants around, Paniolo’s should definitely be explored! I know I’ll be there again :)

I highly enjoy the food here! If you are familiar with how Chipotle works, then you already know how Paniolos runs. You go down the line pointing out what you want in your burrito, burrito bowl, or tacos.
The service here isn’t always on point, though. Depending on who is working, you might get a warm, friendly smile, or you might get the no-​eye-​contact-​assembly-​line-​monotone employee.
FYI, they offer a Keiki Meal! A littler over $ 5 for your choice of rice, beans, meat, & two little quesadilla triangles.

I was Unilocaling what for lunch that day and saw Paniolo on the list. It was a mexican restaurant just like Moe’s/Chipotle. They served Burrito, Rice Bowl, Tacos etc. Prices ranges to $ 7 – 10 depends if u put some extras then itll costs u more. The haole that takes order wasnt smiling at all but the rest were friendly. I ordered tacos and they only get a soft corn tortilla i guess coz they never asked me if i wanted flour or corn? But it was all good, i got kalua pork as my meat. And i got my husband a Rice bowl with paniolo steak. Yum.

Food: A less tasty chipotle at a higher prices.
Service: Stoned high schoolers whose attention span is about 5 seconds.
Atmosphere: None

As close to chipotle as your going to get in Hawaii. Overall the food is much more bland when compared to chipotle. However, everything is fresh and the serving sizes are more than enough! There chips are plain tasting and don’t have the salt that come with most tortilla chips. I would highly recommend if your a fan of chipotle. Burritos and bowls are about $ 10 which is reasonable for the island.

The Chipotle of Hawaii and even better!
«What?» you might say? «4 stars and it’s ‘even better’ than Chipotle?». Well my friend, the great thing about living in Hawaii is that everyone (to an extent) love and care for this island and everyone on it more than you could think. If you’ve checked out their website to learn about their business you’d find out that it’s inspired by cowboys on the Hawaii island and furthering that culture and that’s including the way they live and that’s including the way they eat which includes local grown veggies, grass fed beef, organic chicken and tofu. YAS. Say it with me, FRAAAAASH.
They style in which you order is just as simple and fantastic as you would at Chipotle! Bowl, tacos, burrito or salad? Choose your protein: beef, chicken or tofu. Top off with veggies and then finalize it with some salsa or some guac. It’s truly a great place for food in Kailua.
So why is it 4 stars and not 5? Frankly, it’s expensive. To live in Hawaii alone is expensive and to eat even better is also expensive. Don’t be afraid to spend the extra cash, trust me, best $$ you’d spend.

Paniolos is located in Kailua. It’s in the same strip mall as Times Supermarket.
I love this place! Its super quick and easy to order. This is like the subway of Mexican food. With all the choices right in front of you. I’ve only tried the bowl, so I cant really compare the burritos to anything. But the bowl here, ARE BOMB.
Step 1 — Burrito, Bowl, or Taco
Step 2 — Pick your base (white rice, brown rice, mixed greens)
Step 3 — Pick your beans (pinato, black, refried)
Step 4 — Pick your protein (grilled veggies, tofurico, chicken, kalua pig, steak)
Step 5 — Pick your toppings (cheese, sour cream, salasa, onions, cilantro, jalapenos, limes, greens, guacamole)
Overall: This will definitely be my new lunch spot whenever I’m in Kailua! :3

Called on Easter Sunday after using Unilocal to find me some good eats in Kailua. The man answering the phone (13 minutes before they actually opened) was really nice which definitely had an impact on what my tummy would be filled with.
I ordered a kalua pig bowl w/​romaine, refried beans, salsa and cilantro. Talk about a party in my mouth! I could tell everything was fresh, though next time I’ll either get black beans or 1 scoop instead of 2.
So nomz, definitely be back for more!

If you like Chipotle (on the mainland) you’re going to love Paniolos!
First you get to choose from a burrito, a bowl or tacos… then it’s onto your choice of delicious meats (I recommend the grilled steak) … And finally your choice of salsas, veggies, sour cream & other goodies to go into your burrito or bowl.
The burritos are huge, I suggest to go when you’re hungry or maybe share with a friend.
It’s about $ 10 for a burrito, a little pricey for me but worth it!
My bf wasn’t crazy about the place, he said that he didn’t like the rice being mixed up with everything and he’s used to plain white rice (local boys and their rice!!)
It’s not a place that I’d go to regularly but if I’m craving a really good burrito I’ll go straight to Paniolos!

Decided to try this yummy place out in Kailua. Love all the fresh ingredients they have.
Tried the grilled veggie bowl and their homemade tortilla chips. The place doesn’t charge for guac if u get veggie which is a great bonus.
It was delish of course. Just felt pretty clean eating it. They do have meet options as well. I say give this a try. Ull love it.

While on the East side, I wanted to try a new place to eat. After checking out Unilocal,my family and I decided on Paniolos.
The concept of this restaurant is very simple, which I like. There are only 5 steps to building your meal!
STEP 1– Decide if you’d like a burrito, bowl, or tacos.
STEP 2– Choose if you’d like cilantro white rice, cilantro brown rice, or romaine lettuce.
STEP 3– Choose your type of beans: pinto, refried, or black beans.
STEP 4– Fourth, choose your meat/​grilled items: Grilled Vegetables, Tofurico, Kalua Pig, Organic Chicken, Paniolo Steak, or Grilled Steak.
STEP 5– Choose your additional toppings: Cheese, Sour Cream, Salsa, Corn Salsa, Jalapeños, Onions, Lime, Cilantro, Tomatillo, and/​or Guacamole for an additional $ 1.95.
My family and I all got bowls with romaine and kalua pig and our own toppings. The portion was pretty big (I was so stuffed after). The kalua pig was really tasty, although I wished the server had drained out some of the oil/​liquid before putting it on my salad. Also, I got refried beans but it was wayyy too much! I had to take about half of it off. All the toppings were good though, especially the guacamole.
Like others have mentioned, it is pretty pricey but the portion sizes will fill you up. Also, the toppings are all fresh.
Another downfall is the limited seating (which pertains to alot of other restaurants in that area). There’s some small seating inside and some tables outside. Best thing to do is to pick up one and eat it at the beach!

Paniolo’s is a great little spot located next to Aloha Salads in the same shopping center at Times in Kailua. Think of it as your local, Hawaiian Chipotle. First you decide if you want tacos, a burrito or a bowl. Then you get your choice of meats, rice, & veggies.
I opted for all romaine lettuce with chicken, their 2 mild salsas, a little sour cream & chips & guac. My friend got a burrito & it was huge!
The staff were friendly, patient & could answer all of our questions.
Good thing my friend & I went to order our food when we did because after we paid the line was to the door! You can choose between sitting on the few tables & counter seats they have inside or you may choose to sit outside if it’s a nice day.
Overall I would probably come back to grab a bite after hiking pillboxes or going to Lanikai!

After hiking the Pillbox trail or swimming at Kailua’s infamous beach, head down to Paniolos for a hearty burrito that’ll keep you full for the rest of the day.
You get your choice of rice, beans, protein (kalua pork, chicken, grilled steak, tofu, etc.), up to 2 different salsas, sour cream, cheese, onions, etc. Guacamole is an extra $ 1.95 and must-​have. If you’re sharing with someone or planning to save some for later, ask your server to cut your burrito in half.
I opted for the grilled steak burrito with guacamole and it came to $ 11.99. A little pricey considering it doesn’t come with chips or a drink, but the freshness and taste makes it all worth it. I will definitely come back again.

If you’ve been to Chipotle on the main continental US, then this is very similar concept. You choose your meat and style and how you want it served up to you; taco, burrito, or bowl. The taste is very good if not excellent. No complaints on the meats, veggies, or condiments. I love the salsa here because it is flavorful. I feel healthy eating here.
Parking in this shopping center is a little tricky and can be tight at prime times of the day. The store is small also, most people opting to just pick up and go. However, the customer service is a hit or miss. Some days there are people that while you know they are just working, they actually take the time to put a little heart into your order. Other times, you’ll get the attitude. You know the attitude, where the worker really can give a rat’s butt about what your order is. It makes me question why are they even working when they obviously want to be somewhere else. I think that the management needs to talk to these people and get an attitude adjustment. If they don’t want to work, then they should be let go. I know that they might not be making the bucks, but at least they have a job. Trust me, I’ve been unemployed and knew all about not having money.
Anyway, the food is awesome so we gotta give the props for that, but the customer service sometimes lags.

Solid Burrito Joint!
FOOD:
I think Paniolo’s burritos and salsas might be some of the most flavorful of all the Oahu burrito joints. I had a ½ chicken, ½ grilled veggie burrito bowl with the corn salsa and the pico de gallo salsa. Without being overly spicy, the food had so many spices and flavors.
SERVICE & SPACE:
Pretty nice space for it’s location in a strip mall area. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating, which is good because they can get really busy in the evenings.
The service was good too — very nice and fast employees making your food.
PRICE:
Just as much as you’d pay at any burrito joint

If Chipotle and Freebirds had a Hawaiian love child it would be Paniolo’s.
Same burrito, taco, bowl options. On the assembly line there are the same chipotle offerings including two kinds of rice, veggies, lettuce, the exact same looking salsas as Chipotle. Yet they’ve added fresh diced jalapeños, cilantro, fresh lime like Freebirds.
And of course, guacamole is extra.
They will make you a queso-​rito if there is no line. (Queso-​Rito means they melt the cheese on your tortilla before building your burrito).
They advertise their beef coming from Kualoa Ranch. So I ordered the shredded beef which they refer to as «Paniolo steak.» The meat portion I got was majorly disappointing.
The portioning is not consistent here. I saw other patrons with super huge burritos. Mine was visibly on the smaller side.
Although the taste was delicious and I enjoyed my burrito this place should really work on their consistency and meat portions.

Finallllllyyyyy I made it out here!!! I’ve heard so much about this place and on a whim decided to trek out to this side of the island to get some sun and food. I try to ready my expectations and NOT compare it to that place that starts with a Ch and ends with –potle.
It really is difficult not to make that comparison though when there are so many similarities but even more so differences. Keep and open mind and appetite and you’ll find that for what it’s worth, it’s not so bad. Ordering is quite easy:
Step 1: Choose Burrito, Bowl or 3 Tacos
Step 2: Choose either white or brown Cilantro Lime Rice or Field Greens
Step 3: Choose either Black, Pinto or Refried Bean
Step 4: Choose your protein — chicken, beef — grilled or Paniolo, Pork or Tofu
Step 5: Choose your fillings: Salsa — Corn Fresco or Tomatillo, Sour Cream or Cheese, Cilantro and/​or Guacamole ($ 1.95 extra).
The line moves rather quickly and you can either dine in or out. We opted to dine in due to scorching summer heat. We both had a bowl — hubby had the grilled steak and I had the pork. I was pleased — pork was moist and flavorful but I didn’t really care for the beans since they were pretty bland. If you’re expecting flavorful rice like the C place you’ll be disappointed. Close but no cigar! If you’ve never had food from the C place you won’t be disappointed but if you have, you’ll get your feelings hurt and expectations shot down. The food was just okay for me. I’m glad that there are other «fast food» options out there that are fairly «healthy» and I like this type of food. Hubby’s steak was tender, moist and flavorful but his beans ruined his bowl and had he known that he could substitute the beans with something else, he also would have done so.
Dining in was uncomfortable. Small table with uncomfortable bench with people coming in and out — it felt like the tables were placed way too centered. Plus in order to get to the drink dispenser you would have to excuse yourself to cut in the line to get to the dispenser. The place was untidy with tables not wiped down and sand and tid-​bits of food all over the floor.
Parking was crazy! I make a deal with myself every time I go to a crowded place — if I can’t find parking after going twice around the parking lot — I won’t wait or attempt find parking elsewhere. Call it impatience but it seems this place has exploded with little or no planning for parking. Come if you must, but it’s probably easier to score parking during the weekday as opposed to the weekends.