Mami's Empanadas — Restaurant in Honolulu

Alright folks, here’s my two cents, the empanadas are on point, a must have, and the owner seems like a good guy hustling to make a living. Why not five stars you might ask, well because regardless of if there’s two people outside his “truck” or ten he will always say he’s busy, and he moves around inside like a mad mad. The issue as to why he’s so stressed as I watched him for the thirty minutes it took to get out food is that everything comes out of the fridge/ freezer and he puts each order into one infrared style dome cooker. These items are cooked to order from cold or frozen, and that just takes time, eventually he runs out of space causing a backlog. I’m unsure of why he can’t run a second cooker, but there seems to be some pageantry that goes into convincing people he’s busier than he his, simply to stall for the cooking time of these pre made then frozen delights. If you want to try this place which you should, then drop him a text message and ask him to order in advance, take a nice slow walk to the nearest ABC store for a cold beverage and when you get there to collect your 4 to 6 empanadas per person you’ll be happy you did and can avoid the performance that reminded me of someone selling fake perfume or Rolex’s on...

The Chef, Alex, is extremely passionate about his empenada cart and the food that he serves out of it.

The menu of empenadas available changes daily. He opens at night and tends to sell out. If you ask "whats good?", Alex will inform you that "It doesn't matter, it's all good... What are you in the mood for?"

He uses an air fryer so they come out hot and crispy, not oily. He makes his own bread for the Cuban Hotdogs.

Wait times vary from no wait to where you put your order in (or call it) and pick it up later. I'm always able to get pretty fast service.

He accepts cash AND card! Please like this review to help uncover this hidden gem.

Tip: Park on the street in one of the availabe EWA Hotel spaces. They are reserved but you'll be able to supervise your car while you eat. Its a one way street so if the toe truck comes run for the car and offer the tow operator an Empanada and...

This place deserves 12 stars. It's a small food trailer tucked on a side street but the best and rarest gems are always hidden. The food is fantastic, and the service makes you feel glad that you came. They usually have about 4-6 flavors of empanadas, and they change daily, so your tastebuds experience a new treat every time you go. Do yourself a favor and accept all the sauces they recommend, they are homemade, authentic, and phenomenal. They also serve arepas, which are equally awesome. The one menu item that is always on the menu (if you get there early enough before they've sold out, that is) is the cubano sandwich. Order one - you'll instantly discover why they sell out daily. They also serve sodas from Latin America that aren't available in your local grocery store, so order one with your meal for a truly international experience right...