Aloha Tacos

Sorry for this recent update, but for those from San Diego — and I know you are out there! — you can now get the Roberto’s-style carne asada burrito at Aloha Tacos! The owner made it PERFECTLY: just meat, guacamole and pico de gallo (no rice or beans inside)! Freakin’ amazing!!! It actually may be better than Roberto’s, considering how she makes her guacamole and the seasoning on the asada. I couldn’t even get this burrito in Los Angeles, yet here it is on Oahu. I’ll have this every chance I can get — with the amazing rice on the side, thank you very much!
Now if I could only talk her into staying open 24÷7…

The sad part about going to a Mexican food restaurant on Oahu is the inevitable disappointment that I will undoubtedly suffer after the meal is over. My odds are slimmer when it comes to eating Mexican food on the Waianae coast — your odds of finding ANY good food on the coast is slim. Nonetheless, I venture out here to look for good eats, especially since I spend five days a week out here, helping tomorrow’s future.
Naturally, as soon as I spot a Mexican food I’m craving DosXX, but not when I’m on the clock, so I settle for lunch. This is a tiny location, sharing its space with the proverbial Beaches restaurant/​bar/​grill. Inside is about 9 booths and two tables, enough seating for a large number of average-​sized people… or about 5 to 8 mokes. There are decorations here and there, festive «fiesta» like décor that makes you feel like you’re in a basement in Tijuana… so I guess pretty authentic.
The GOOD: I ordered a chimichanga, mainly because they are usually HUGE and I was hungry, not for its «authenticity». I also asked for an horchata, but that became an issue later on. Although I have some issues with the location, taste-​wise it was really quite decent. I’m pretty sure it was because I asked for it to go, so it took away from the experience, but the meat in the deep-​fried burrito was tender and savory. The crunch was good and the fillings tasted season, overall it tasted good. My only issue: size.
The BAD: Normally, a chimichanga is massive with its size comparable to my forearm. At Aloha Tacos however, the size was utterly disappointing mainly because it was nearly $ 10. What made it worse was that I asked for it to go, so they put it in a white Styrofoam container, and I wasn’t aware of the size until I actually got to sit down and eat it. I was preparing myself for a bulky and beefy burrito and when I crack open its Styrofoam tomb all I got was a mini, petite and sad looking lunch. To add salt to the wound, they charged me for an horchata, but then told me they were out, so I had to settle for carbonated cola.
Overall: taste was good, but size killed it for me because of the cost. I would have sucked (no pun) it up if it were 6 $, maybe — but $ 10+the sodas was depressing. I do want to try the other food, maybe they will be more creative and appealing, but as for this trip, I have had my chimi-​fill.