11TH AVENUE MEXITLAN GRILL

11TH AVENUE MEXILAN GRILL

HONOLULU, HAWAII

I was so excited when I read in the paper that a new Mexican restaurant had opened just minutes from our house. The ad stated that the owner/cook is direct from Mexico City. Finally we may have some good Mexican food in this town I thought. The restaurant is located behind the Big City Diner in Kaimuki in what used to be a small Japanese restaurant. The place probably seats 30 people comfortably and is clean. Service was quick and good. We tried the tacos of course. Baja Fish Tacos ($11.95 for 3). Soft tortillas filled with fresh fish, sour creme, cole slaw, salsa, aurora dressing and spicy sour creme. There was not much salsa on the tacos and the dressing was thousand island dressing. Not too Mexican to me. Spicy sour creme was not noticeable. These tacos were a bit bland and lacked a good sauce. The house salsa served witch chips and tacos is a bit bland and does not seem fresh. Could have come out of a can. Not much flavor and no heat. Really wish they had a better sauce. We tried the Three Taco Plate ($9.95). I chose Asada (chopped rib eye steak), Birria (Shredded Beef), and Pastor (Pork marinated in Mexican Adobo. The Asada steak taco was good but again needed a good salsa. The Birria shredded beef really tasted like cinnamon and was a little sweet. I liked the Pork taco best but it still needed a good salsa to give it a punch. All of the tacos are topped with a little pickled red onion which adds a little flavor and heat. The Rolled Tacos ($10.25) is a large plate of four rolled tacos filled with Chicken. They are covered in lettuce, avo-creme, salsa, verde sauce and sour creme. The chicken was boiled and pretty bland. The dish needs some cheese and again some sauce. The menu also features Burritos, Salads, Wraps and some speciality fish and shrimp items that I would love to go back and try. The waitress was friendly and the food came quickly. Presentation was great. Yes, the name of the place is Mexitlan Grill. Not Mexican Grill.
UPDATE:  OUT OF BUSINESS