La Poblana Comida Mexicana — Restaurant in Hawaii

This food truck is a bit out of the way from all of the other food trucks that seem to be clustered around the island. It's located in the Lowes parking lot right now with no seating other than your car so be ready for that or to just grab and go. Burritos on the beach?! I think yes! This is some real authentic Mexican food. Not that anglicanized mess we see everywhere. I got the AL Pastor Guarache. If you don't know what a Guarache is, here is what Wikipedia has to say: Huarache is a popular Mexican dish consisting of masa dough with smashed pinto beans placed in the center before it is given an oblong shape, fried, topped with green or red salsa, onions, potato, cilantro and any manner of protein such as ground beef or tongue, then finished with queso fresco. Wikipedia Mine came with green salsa, shredded lettuce, sour cream and al pastor meat, and I inhaled it! The rest of the family got burritos with the exception of my youngest who went with the nachos. The burrito people stated that "this is the best burrito I've ever had". And they ate it so fast that I didn't get a chance to try a bite! My nacho kid let me share, thankfully. And I think I can honestly say that these nachos are amazing. The chips are thing and crunchy and don't get soggy. I was so full after my guarache that I couldn't eat more than a few bites off of this nacho plate, and let me tell you, my heart was so sad because those nachos were delicious! You might have to wait a tick to get your food, but that's because it's all super fresh and handmade (with love). So be patient because...

NO, NO, NO BUENO! I, like you read the reviews, and thought I'd try this place out for lunch. Big mistake on my part. I'm Mexican American and know what real good Mexican food taste like and this isn't it, NOT EVEN CLOSE. They don't serve flour tortillas, only corn, because they're easier and cheaper to get and keep. The corn tortillas for the tacos they served me weren't even warm like they just took them out of the bag and served them to me. The Pastor meat and Carne Asada meat were both very dry and totally tasteless, not a hint of any spice or flavor. It's about a tablespoon of meat spread out in each taco, that's it for $15 plus tip. Yes, they expect a tip, Maui is a very tip happy island. The 1/2 cup of beans were probably canned beans and also tasteless, not hot or even warm with just a little pinch of cheese on top. The 1/2 cup of Mexican rice was a joke, dry, dry, dry, and tasteless like plain instant rice that had a little tomato sauce mixed in for color. No onion, garlic, cumin, just a whole lot of nada, nothing. The salsa's weren't good either, no heat or spice or even good taste. Taco Bell would be a better choice than this place at least you know what to expect there. This was an insult to my taste buds and my wallet. Never again. So if you like plain, bland, overpriced, nursing home food, uhhhh....errr, Oooops. I mean Mexican food. Look no further this is that...

I heard of this food truck via positive word of mouth. Jumped on good 'ol Yelp and saw not many reviews being that they were so new. One selection caught my eye and I was intent on trying it.

LOCATION: Currently, the truck is parked in the Lowe's Kahului parking lot at the east end. They're open daily from 10a - 7p. It doesn't look like they're moving anytime soon as the address was printed on the menu (214 Hookele St.). I reported the address to Yelp but it wasn't accepted. I tried!

MENU: Tlacoyos, sopes, tacos, burritos, tortas, tostadas, quesadillas and soft drinks.

FOOD: Al Pastor Quesadilla - $10.00 Going only by instinct, I was hoping this would be good. Pinch me, as I thought I was back in Puerto Vallarta and ordered from a street stand. It was that good and authentic! A large flour tortilla was quartered and filled with gooey cheese and tender pork finished in an insanely flavorful sauce. Yes! Fresh guac and sour cream came to the side. I have a good appetite and barely finished it. Highly recommended!

SERVICE: The sole woman taking orders and cooking was welcoming and friendly. Just one person was ahead of me so total time spent here was 10 minutes tops, regardless of the made-to-order freshness.

OVERALL: Great homemade flavors and prices. If you know me, you know that food trucks aren't my forte, but a handful of them are. This is...