El Maguey — Restaurant in Hawaii

They won Best Of Hawaii 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and they deserved it. I had the #1 plate, with two enchiladas (I chose beef over chicken) with sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese, plus (because I disdain white rice) a double portion of refried beans. Delicious! UPDATE 09/28/24: their sign says they close daily at 7:30 pm, but I got there at 7:40 pm, and they still took my order, possibly due to it being Saturday night, but more likely due to friends who came in at 7:50 pm. They turned off their neon signs at 8 pm. UPDATE 3/19/25: My plus one ordered a Super Nachos with Chicken off the Appetizer section, to eat as a meal by herself -- but she ended up taking 2/3 of it home in a to-go box. I told her she was on her own, as I ordered a Beef Burrito & took 1/4 of it home -- actually, I took 100% home, but 3/4 of it was in my tummy. Great food, great service, odd tiny receipt (just the prices, no description of what was ordered), & a restroom available with a key from the desk. At 12:30 pm today, every table was full, which says volumes about how good this place is. Many patrons leave carrying to-go boxes. Come hungry! UPDATE 6/20/25: My plus one ordered two chicken tacos, which came with so much chicken inside that the lettuce, tomatoes, & cheese were overflowing on the outside. She ate one taco & the refried beans, and took the other taco & rice home in a to go box. I ordered the #14 Taco & Enchilada, with beef for both, along with two helpings of refried beans (no rice). I ate the beans and Enchilada, and took the taco home in a box. Next time, we plan to split one dinner order. Delicious, with free parking. They do add about 3.4% to the final total for credit card charges, so pay with cash...

Our first time in HI, we were super excited to try this Mexican joint but the whole experience was terrible that we canceled our order and walked out. We stood in line, picked out a few options we thought would be vegetarian from the menu but had clarifying questions so when she asked are you ready we said yes just had a few questions since we’re vegetarian. She snaps back saying ok so you’re not ready with an attitude and rolled her eyes. We tried to ignore and get past the unwelcoming attitude. Asked her a question about the vegetarian burrito that is listed on the menu. The ingredients lists rice, so I asked her is this white rice because I don’t mind but goes no does it say veggie or vegan no so the rice is not vegetarian like I told you. Again ignored her and asked if we could add a few veggies/beans in the quesadilla, wouldn’t accommodate and instead says it comes with cheese and onions only. Then settled at starting off with the veggie nachos, but the whole process so terrible we felt like she would be spitting in our food so went back to cancel our order. While we stood to call for her we caught her complaining to the others in the kitchen, complaining about us and holding her head. That moment we cancelled our order and walked out. As a personal business owner, would not urge anyone to go here. The customer service horrible! The kitchen did not look clean in the back. And this hole in the wall place looked dirty. Beware! I surely gave her a...

I had high hopes for this Mexican restaurant, but unfortunately, my dining experience fell short of expectations. The food, which should be the star of any restaurant, tasted bland and lacked the authentic flavors I was anticipating. The rice was disappointingly clumped together, indicating it might have been sitting out for a while.

Adding to the disappointment, the cleanliness of the establishment was lacking. The tables felt sticky to the touch, which made me question the overall hygiene standards of the restaurant. Additionally, there was a foul smell lingering in the air, which was quite off-putting and made it difficult to enjoy the meal.

On a positive note, the staff were friendly and welcoming, which was a saving grace in an otherwise disappointing dining experience.

To top it off, I ordered chips and salsa as an appetizer, only to find out that the salsa was essentially hot sauce. It was not the flavorful, chunky salsa I was hoping for but rather a simple spicy condiment that did little to enhance my meal.

Overall, while the restaurant has potential, it needs significant improvements in both food quality, cleanliness, and ambiance to truly deliver an authentic and enjoyable Mexican...