Mariachi's Mexican Cuisine — Restaurant in Kauai

A group of 5 of us wanted Mexican food during our vacation and unfortunately we tried Mariachi's. I should have known better when we stood behind the door second in line and nobody acknowledged our presence for at least 10 minutes.

Once seated we were given a small basket of chips and salsa ad our drinks. We ordered our food and it took 55 minutes to get it. We had given up and were about to get up and leave when they brought our food. The food was mediocre at best and they never offered or brought us any salsa, hot sauce or anything to add flavor to our bland food.

Not once did anyone check on us after we got our food to see if we were satisfied. We had to flag someone down later to pay our bill. When our original server showed up after being MIA for at least an hour she asked how we liked it. I told her we were not satisfied that is almost took an hour to get our food. She said "I was busy". I couldn't believe her reply and after that I made my mind up to not leave any tip for the first time in many years.

They were a little busy when we sat down and the restaurant quickly emptied and we watched a few workers stand around the bar talking and they paid no attention to any of the customers.

I would avoid this restaurant unless you like mediocre food and...

What a waste of time and money. 5 of us stopped in for dinner near where we were staying. The place looked nice. From the road. We were sat after about 10 min. Ordered soft drinks and ordered our food. We were served a dish of chips to tide us over. 55 minutes later, we were told our food would be there in 5 minutes. At NO point did we get asked if we needed a refill or water, much less an explanation as to why it was taking forever. Even though 4 employees stood around staring into space looking bored behind the bar. The order was pretty simple. At that point, to complain would have been a waste. The food was kinda bland, we just wanted to be finished. We asked for the bill and asked why things were taking so long and the server whined they were busy. Really??? Don't go there and waste your time or money. They are inconvenienced by someone walking in trying to get a tasty meal. The server didn't deserve a penny in gratuity and this place doesn't deserve your time and money. It appears to be a restaurant that will go under because their staff is lazy and inept. I'd guess they go out of business by the end of 2022. Btw, later that week we ate at a local burger place just a few buildings away and have the best of experiences.

DON'T go there....

Overall great food, large portions, happy hour is awesome, good margaritas, a bit pricey (yes, even for Hawai'i though to be fair maybe they have better quality ingredients - not sure), but my biggest problem is the unreliable service. For me, that is a deal breaker. I live on the west side and don't get to Kapa'a much but have been here 5 times. 2/5 times we have received poor service - not just slow, understaffed, covid times service, but completely ignored for 5-7 minutes upon entry. No "hello", no "someone will be with you in 5 minutes", just nothing...it was awkward. The first time it happened I thought it was a fluke then it happened again with 5 staff walking around, and yet no greeting/acknowledgement whatsoever. We walked away. It just seems a common decency to say at least say hello, not to mention that this is a service industry. There are numerous great Mexican restaurants on the island, after we walked away we tried out Paco's Tacos (first time I tried that location) and were greeted immediately plus found some Taco Tuesday deals! But when in Kapa'a, I think I'll skip this one (at least for the time being). Good luck to ya! *To owner - Fixed to Kapa'a (no problems with Lihue Location) -...