Great food, great selection,. Great service! We are lucky to have them in our community.read more

Amazing empanadas and sauces. Three delicious vegan options to choose from. Highly recommend.read more

42-1027 Hawaii Belt Road Paauilo, Big Island Hawaii…read more Legit. I know now what a delicious tamale tastes like. Thank you Reinaldo for opening my eyes and taste buds to the best tamales in Hawaii. Masa from a bag but not dry or hard. The tamales here are flavor FULL with very tasty fillings of beef, cheese and green chile, chicken and pork. At $5 each they are expensive compared to what you can find in LA. But hey! We live in the middle of the ocean and it's cheaper than a plane ride. Reinaldo honed his skills while working at the Frontera Grill in Chicago. Not in the kitchen as he will humbly tell you, but as a server...Still, he picked up the needed knowledge to really turn out truly delicious offerings. Cash only! So I ended up driving 9 miles to the nearest ATM and back to buy more tamales to take home to Oahu. Looking forward to my next meal here and a little storytelling about Reinaldo's world travels. Park out front next to the sign that says tamales!

My family and I stopped by this spot due to the excellent reviews we saw on Yelp. Let me tell you…read morethat the 5 star reviews are all legit. The food in this place is by far the best Mexican food we ever had. We had the guacamole along with a steak burrito and some tacos. We were full till the next day as the portions were very generous for the price. Don't be fooled by the location or the look of the place, the food is excellent and the service from the owner was amazing. Everything we ordered tasted fresh and healthy. This restaurant is definitely a must try. A+ for the service and A+ for the excellent food

Worth the drive over to Waimea! Follow the cloud of smoke past the main part of town. Huge BBQ pits…read moreset up with chicken pork and beef bbq cooking. We shared the 3 meat plate and still had leftovers. It looked and smelled so good we grabbed a blanket and ate on the grassy area next to the parking lot. The chicken was super juicy, pork bbq wasn't too fatty, beef rib was huge and meaty. We loved everything dipped in the chili water sauce! Also got the pancit and a couple packs of suman (rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves) They reminded us of the suman in the Philippines - so yummy! Service was friendly and efficient. Super busy with cars coming in and out of the parking area next to the pits and ordering tent.

This place was busy so we decided to give it a try. On the plus side, the chicken was a generous…read moreportion, between the two of us we couldn't eat an entire half chicken. The sauce was tasty, though didn't have any of the pineapple flavor that some Huli Huli chicken has and overall the meat was a bit bland. If you just get a half chicken, they put it in a plastic bag so very hard to eat, especially since it is piping hot. Hot food in a plastic bag is also not a good idea as the plasticizers can leach into the food and none of us need more microplastics in our food! If you can plan ahead, bring your own plate and a knife and fork instead. You will also need to take it somewhere to eat if you want to site down, or like we and many others did, eat it off of your tailgate or hood of your car.

Stopped by for empanadas. The gracious owner apologized that he was working on a large order but…read morewas able to fulfill our small order quickly. Ordering can be done online or from tablet at the store. We liked Grandma's Empanadas best with its delicious ground pork and Puerto Rican spices. Pollo Loco was slightly dry and more one-dimensional. The crust was thin and super crispy. Also tried Guava Quesitos from "Kona Sweets Bakeshop" they had at the counter and were glad we did: guava and cream cheese in puff pastry was match made in heaven. Other goods from "Kona Sweets Bakeshop" are also available at the cafe next door.

Some of the best empanadas ever!! Yum!!…read more Grandma's empanadas- 7/5 Puerto Rican Pernil - 7/5 Service and staff were so friendly and top-notch.

Fun fact this is not the Wailuku on Maui, this brewery is named after the Wailuku River…read more Had a wonderful time chatting with the owner on a Sunday afternoon. Their standards are good and they also have a barrel program which has some room for improvement, but is coming along. Where else can you find a barleywine in Hawaii. They also make their own ginger beer and their Dark and Stormy was delicious. My favorite beers were the barleywine and the tripel. I tasted 8 total. The tasting room is well appointed. I appreciate a comfy bar stool. The bathroom was nice and clean. They also have food trucks or food daily. This day they had Uncle Bob's smoked ribs, with truffle mac and cheese, and a cornbread muffin. Probably the best ribs I have ever had. They were seasoned so well I didn't even need sauce. Next time you are in the area, do yourself a favor and stop in. They also have a crowler machine for to go.

Decided to give this place a go on Super Bowl Sunday despite that we don't watch football and hate…read morecrowds It was AWESOME! The table spacing and soundproofing on the walls allowed for a pleasant environment and the beer was great. We tried almost all of them via 2 flights and were very pleased. The poke and pretzels were stupid good and there's a wing guy out back that brings your order in when it's ready. Very clean and functional given the limited size but they had a lounge open upstairs for overflow. The staff was so lovely and very warm, making a little time for each table so it felt more like a social occasion rather than a transactional one. Definitely looking forward to going back!

WOW! The last thing I ever expected, was great Tex-Mex in the strip shopping center, a mile from…read morethe Kona (Hawaii) airport! They had a really great menu... pictures which I have included. I got the Chili Relleno and a chicken enchilada combination meal. It was exceptionally good! The Relleno was full of cheese! Some of the best refried beans I've ever had came with it. And, excellent hot sauce! Service was very friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is in this area. I definitely be back!

Very welcome and friendly customer service. The ambiance of the restaurant is upbeat and vibrant…read more I ordered a soursop juice, a great healthy drink to bring in some positive and uplifting energy! I ordered the carne asada burrito (flavorful, juicy, and steak was cooked to perfection! I also ordered a baja fish & baja shrimp taco! Both of these were chef's kiss! The baja fish was nice and crispy, and the slaw added a special touch. The baja shrimp was zesty and yummy! I enjoyed the salsas, my favorite was the HOT salsa!!! Cheers!

Let's just start by taking them first recognizing us by name when we arrived for our reservation…read more The staff, from the valet parking young men to our hostess and beyond, were as polite as we wish to be hosted. Our server, Indana is a lovely young lady. Kind, polite, helpful, and knowledgeable of her treats and establishment food menu as well as beverage. She suggested wine from Croatia that was delicious. The food was delicious, we ordered grilled octopus for appetizer , a local beet and tomatoes salad and a paella with shrimp and clams. Everything was delicious, but.... The smoked paprika added and the caramelized rice gave to the paella a whole new take on the traditional one. Thank you Chef Soto for your creation and for taking the time to talk with us. Wonderful experience!

Rome Meets the Pacific: A Revelation at Meridia…read more There is a specific kind of bravery required to order Carbonara on a tropical island, especially when you are dining with your mother-in-law and your palate is still vibrating from a trip to Italy just a month ago. We had recently dined at a prestigious "Tre Gamberi" trattoria in Rome, so our skepticism was high. We expected a heavy, cream-laden resort interpretation. We were wrong. Under the guidance of Chef Soto, the Carbonara here is not just an imitation; it is an act of alchemy. It is a Roman-meets-Norcia masterpiece--a glossy, golden emulsion of egg, cheese, and guanciale/pancetta, elevated by the earthy whisper of truffle. We were seated at a gorgeous table near the cove often frequented by sea turtles (tartarughe), making this a perfect moment of enjoying a tartufata near the tartarughe. It was, without hyperbole, as good as what we had in Italy. The rest of the meal followed suit in a dizzying display of technique. The Japanese scallops were silken and precise, tasting of the clean, cold ocean. And do not let the whimsical name of the "Poi-cotta" deter you. What sounds like a kitschy pun is actually a dessert of haunting texture and depth--far more compelling and sophisticated than its charming title suggests. Chef Soto visited our table after the meal, his passion for these ingredients palpable. Meridia has always had the view; now, finally, it has the soul to match.