PABLO'S CANTINA

PABLO'S CANTINA

HONOLULU, HAWAII

The old Comprades Mexican Restaurant in Ward Center has now become Pablo's Cantina. The place has been renovated with a inside/outside bar and Cantina decor. We had lunch here on a Sunday. There were only about four tables with people and a few patrons at the bar watching football. Even with a small crowd, it took awhile to get service. The waitress was very friendly and did everything possible to make us feel comfortable. It seemed there were other employees but she was doing it all for all tables. This meant that service was very, very slow.

We got some warm chips and salsa to start. The salsa was good but lacked any heat. I went to the hot sauce wall and pulled off a bottle of Mad Anthony's Hot Sauce. The combination of the heat and flavor of this sauce coupled with the fresh salsa was perfect. I mixed the two together and had a darn good hot salsa to enjoy. I ordered the Three Street Tacos ($8.50). One Steak, One Pork and One Carnitas. I was a bit surprised when they arrived as they were tiny. The waitress asked me if this was going to be enough. I said we should be o.k. with the Shrimp Coctktail we ordered. "Shrimp Cocktail" she asked. Oh yes forgot to order that. She apologized and went back to the kitchen to order it. The Street Tacos were small, dried out and really lacking any flavor. They are served with diced onion and cilantro with a wedge of lime. Really could not believe they were so dry. Perhaps they were sitting under a heat lamp for awhile I thought. The Shrimp Cocktail ($9.95) had some nice shrimp in it but was covered and soaked in ketchup, onions and tomato with a little clam juice. The flavor is good, but there is just too much sauce. You cannot just eat Ketchup straight. Needs some substance in there. My daughter had the Kids Un Taco ($4.99). One Beef Taco served with French Fries. The Taco was delicious she said but it fell apart from the start. The shell was like a soggy mess. She called it "mushy". The fries were terrible. Frozen type that have no crunch and taste like the grease they were cooked in. The waitress apologized for the slow service and was very nice. She explained that they just opened and hope we come back. I will go back and try a few other menu items before I write this place off. Burritos, Fish Tacos, Chile Rellenos and Mexican Salads and Burgers also are on the menu.  UPDATE: 6/11.  Pablos Closed.