Taco Del Mar

Taco Del mar is like the subway of Mexican. This isn’t my first time coming to this location and each time I’m left feeling incredibly dissatisfied with the service. The people who work there are your typical «first job, still in high school, I don’t care about being nice» type of kids. When we first walked in the boy behind the counter looked at us and rolled his eyes and let out a huge sigh of despair because God forbid he had to help another customer. This location isn’t that clean and just kind of feels sticky as soon as you walk in.
I got the taco salad– it comes in a tortilla shell bowl heaped with lettuce. You pick which meat you want… I picked chicken. Then you get to pick what goes in the salad. Mines had hot salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapeños and guacamole. Overall not that bad but I wouldn’t order it again.
My other half got the enchiladas which he always gets. The portion size is huge. A big scoop of rice, beans and 2 enchiladas with sour cream and guac if you want.
For both our meals it was $ 22 which isn’t bad considering it comes with drink and chips (this particular time the chips were so crappy) & guac.
2 star downgrade because the service sucked. Super slow and pretty unfriendly but they can’t really be blamed they are kids and it’s likely their first job.
Side note. After 4pm it’s $ 1 off combos and if you ask, they will give you a punch card where every $ 5 gets you a punch and after 10 stamps you get $ 5 off I think.
As much as I hate fast food… like McDonald’s and Panda Express I’m sure I will be back multiple times even after saying I’ll never go back!

Avoid !! Chips and salsa were stale and store bought. Queso dip was just store bought cheese dip heated up. Steak taco used boiled steak meat that was not even suitable for human consumption. I wouldn’t even take it home to my dog. Fish tacos had no flavor. The only part of the meal that we could consume was the Coke. Avoid at all costs.

I was the first customer today. Ordered a basic fish taco spicy etc. paid, several people came in they got there orders! I was still waiting, mind you I was hungry & really craving fish taco I stood up & said where is my order??? They looked at me & guy said oh shit under his breath, He forgot me!!! Hmmm I was pist off! Really I even tipped him $ 1.50! For what! Anyway he said thank you for your patience its coming up (12 min later i dont think so), I was like ??? I frickng left went to COSTCO ordered a baked chicken & Loved it!!!

This Taco Del Mar is horrible with no taste with servers who just want to talk among themselves. I love the Pearl one, so I thought this one would kinda be like that… not at all!

Cons: Bad quality (I feel sick now)
Teenagers working behind counter who serve their friends before you even though you are in line first!
Place packed with teenagers
Pros: low price for low quality food
I came in thinking ill get some fish tacos that looked good on Unilocal.The place was packed with high school kids all standing in front of the order line. I stood in line behind 3 kids and when it was my turn 3 more kids jumped in.
I was going to say something to the workers but they were no older than 15 and was laughing with them!
I look around the shop and there is no self respecting adult in sight! What did I just step into? Im all for hiring our youth, but at least have 1 adult in the store to ensure that they are actually working and not giving freebies to their friends and ignoring a paying customer! Just saying.
Better off going taco bell.

You are enroute towards stop number two on Den’s Hawaii burrito tour-​Taco Del Mar-«where delicious is our middle name».
This is the place you come for a quick, fresh, delicious and inexpensive Mexican meal made how you want. I love the feel of the place, although on the smaller side, it’s got a fun Mexican theme that is in no way cheesy. Everything in here is clean and appealing. I appreciated the sign that helps customers with food allergies-​it specifically states what items are gluten free on the menu.
I ordered a small burrito and soft taco. I love how they start by warming the tortillas. They are thin (I don’t care for the thick tortillas), chewy and yummy! I tried the black beans, fat free pinto beans, chicken and pork carnitas. I loved the black beans and although the pinto beans had slightly less flavor, the texture was good and hey, they are fat free! I enjoyed my chicken but my favorite was the pork-​cooked and seasoned perfectly. I almost began picking out the pork from my burrito with my fingers. #keepitclassyden The produce was fresh and I could actually handle the medium salsa!
I was also really impressed with how Reid (the owner), created a boat out of foil for my taco. I would have really been stumped on how to eat it without spilling it all over myself if it weren’t for that creative concoction. And when he folds the burrito, he kind of massages it and in a split second wraps it up like nobody’s business. It must be a trick he learned in burrito training. I bet his kid is swaddled like a pro.
I’ve decided to change my Unilocal nickname from Den to Del… that way I can be delicious as well!

Clean, bright location. Friendly, helpful staff. Good food at a good price. What more can you ask for? Highly recommend :). We will be back!

We had great experiences with Taco Del Mar in Hawaii Kai. Quick service, good portion sizes, always fresh ingredients available and tasty burrito’s and tacos.

If you’re looking for cheap eats, this is one of those places to go. They have their platters for $ 7 after 5pm (usually runs $ 8.50), and you can choose from 2 Enchiladas (rolled tortillas with meat only topped with enchilada sauce and cheese), an enchilada and a taco (taco comes with lettuce, pico de gallo, cheese), or quesadillas. The freebies: rice, beans (black, pinto, or refried), sour cream AND guac!
The meats: steak (1.50 extra), chicken, ground beef, carnitas, and Alaskan fish. They were all out of fish that night, so I went with chicken and carnitas. They were alright. They had flavor, but it wasn’t something I’d come back for.
The black beans (out of pinto at the time) and rice were both lacking in flavor. Their pico, guac, and lettuce were fresh though, and I appreciated that.
All in all, for a little spot tucked away by Costco Hawaii Kai, they’re ok if you need some taco grub. And truth be told, it does feel more wholesome than eating at Costco or Panda Express (they even have fat free pinto beans!).
If I’m craving tacos, however, there are much better places around the island (I even prefer Whole Foods $ 2 tacos to these!). But in a pinch, eh, sure, why not. Their staff are nice too :)

Very reasonably priced for excellent food, good service, at a fair price. More than enough in quantity for my 260 pound husband with a horrendous appetite. Nice staff. Inside is quaint with just a few tables or you could eat outside.

Alright, this place was not impressive. In fact, it was a bit of a disappointment. I’ve been to other Taco Del Mars, and while not spectacular, the food and environment were at least satisfactory and pleasing. At this location, the standards seemed to have dropped rather low.
When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was the mess of shredded cheese and lettuce left strewn under one of the few tables. Ew, why haven’t they cleaned it since the store is empty, and there’s nothing else to do? Although when I came to the counter, it was worse. The way food (at least it’s «fresh») kept here is in metal placements on the counter. It was reminiscent of a cafeteria. While the metal itself was shabby-​looking, they could’ve at least made the best of it by keeping all of the metal covers in their places, and had the food covered nicely. But no, almost all of the food was exposed and I could see the rice starting to become stale and crusty. This worried me the most, because I can only imagine how much dust and hair is flying into the food in such a confined space.
The food, mine anyway, was bland and unfortunate. I was initially drawn there because I saw a yummy-​looking picture of a fish taco. The taco wasn’t terrible, but I’m sure the fish filets were frozen, and it would’ve been empty if I hadn’t paid extra to add the guac. The saving grace here was the refried beans I picked off of my mother’s plate.
The service was also not impressive. There was only one girl manning the counter and it took her FOREVER to make our food (there were two of us and a child). She wasn’t rude, but the overall work ethic was lacking. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this place going soon…

It was ok I’ve had way better Mexican food. :(I ordered the chicken quesadilla which was just ok nothing spectacular or anything. May be back but probably not.

Upon arrival I noticed the employee asleep in the back room.
He made a game effort to rouse himself, but was inattentive and ignored my father when he asked him a question.
No guac… the burrito itself was spectacularly bland.
It didn’t used to be this bad, not sure what’s up.

Food great. Good variety of options and the ingredients are really flavorful. I’ve had other burritos that have really tasteless ingredients, but the beans, rice, and guac are really yummy here!
Two stars because the staff is not very friendly or attentive. Ordered a vegetarian mondo, beans rice and guacamole being the key ingredients (the guac replaces the meat option as the veggie mondo costs the same as the meat one, but come with free guac) and halfway through making my burrito, I realize they are out of guac. Do not appreciate staff not informing me that they are out of one of three key ingredients. Staff was then upset when I said I didn’t want the burrito.

I’m not sure this place makes my list of top 10 life changing experiences, but I have absolutely ZERO complaints with my experience here, so I can’t justify deducting any stars from their rating.
First of all, their space is tiny but clean and brightly decorated. It’s fun and they seem to make the most efficient use of their small space for seating purposes. The menu is big and easy to understand.
Right when we walked in, there were a couple of people ordering, but the girl behind the cash register immediately welcomed us. With in a minute or so, the guy at the far end of the counter asked for our orders, and we watched him make my boyfriend’s burrito and my taco salad right in front of us. I was worried about taking my taco salad to go, but they put it in a styrofoam box that worked quite nicely. My boyfriend said his burrito was really good, and my taco salad was actually delicious. They started with the lettuce on the bottom, which means the toppings sink down and mix better with the lettuce. I chose refried beans and ground beef. I was impressed with the portion sizes for both. They gave me my mild (you have a choice of hotness) salsa in a cup on the side, and asked if I wanted to add sour cream or guacamole. It’s kind of a bummer that you have to pay extra, but it’s only 50 cents and they are a business, after all. Sour cream is always worth it to me :)
Both employees behind the counter were really nice and friendly, and my food was DELICIOUS. It was a perfect taco salad, as far as I’m concerned. I am really pretty ignorant when it comes to mexican food and I have absolutely nothing to say about the authenticity of their food, but I really loved it. Meat and cheese… how can you go wrong? It was sooooo good.
The price was totally fair too. My taco salad and my boyfriend’s mondo burrito were just under $ 8 each.

I have given this place the benefit of the doubt several times and will give them 2 stars because I still go back for the fish tacos (on special on Fridays 2/​$ 5.95), which are okay but only because I don’t feel like driving to nalo or town to get something decent. Their carne asada and ground beef are both completely flavorless. I mean come on, how do you screw up ground beef?! Taco bell is better and I think TB is barely a step up from frozen food from the grocery. The hot salsa is similar in consistency to the liquid you would get from draining some pico in a colander — runny as soup! Not sure how this place can stay open much longer. Maybe some folks like it their mex food plain???

Bland, small-​portioned, processed, and overpriced.
Two stars awarded for great service.

I was pleasantly surprised by Taco del Mar. It isn’t Mexican food by any stretch. «Mexican» fast food for sure. But… for Mexican fast food, it’s not bad. There are plenty of these kind of «make it your way» burrito places on the mainland. This one is a little more fast food/​chain store-​ish. Very little indoor dining, with a couple of tables outside.
I was worried at first, the meats looked dried and stale. They have a spread of shredded beef, shredded chicken, shredded pork and ground beef. I went with the shredded beef, thinking my usual favorite pork would be too dry. There is a selection of black or refried beans, assorted «taco» veges (lettuce, tomato, etc), and salsa/​sauces. Guacamole, sour cream and others additions are extra ($).
The burrito was surprisingly good for fast food burritos. Very tasty (for fast food burrito).
Is it anything close to authentic Mexican? Not close. It’s more like BC Burritos, if you’ve been there. Less hipster.
Bonus: No military discount ;) AND Dr. Pepper!

Maile’s was busy so we had to do a quick dinner before a flight. This Taco del Mar still offers to $ 6 platters after 5 pm. Unfortunately, the space was TINY and they didn’t offer military discount! BOO!
Parking is ample after Costco closes, otherwise you need to fight the crowds. This place is around the corner, facing Costco, so its a bit hard to find.
I’m glad to report the food is standard and the price was right for my platter, but wouldn’t make the drive out here only to spend more money on gas and the food!

Taco Del Mar is the option you go for when you’re at Costco Hawaii Kai and just don’t feel like eating pizza. It was my first venture into a Taco Del Mar and we only went because my BF wanted to eat Mexican food for lunch. There aren’t a ton of take-​out food options in the Hawaii Kai area so what’s a fat and pregnant girl who’s not a fan of Mexican eats to do?
I ordered two tacos (one soft & one hard) for $ 4.75 and my BF got the burrito for $ 6.95. The service was very quick and it’s nice to watch them put together your food in front of you. It’s like Subway except for Mexican food. My tacos were very simple and my BF’s burrito was huge! He didn’t even finish the whole thing because it was so hefty. My poor hard shell taco had fallen apart on the bottom by the time we got home. Not too fun to eat a soggy taco at that point.
Sad to say I think I prefer Taco Bell tacos, although my BF said the grade of meat is much better at Taco Del Mar. What do I know? I grew up eating Mexican food in Hawaii! That’s like saying you’re a Hawaiian food expert when you’ve only had L&L Drive Inn.