GREAT EATS HAWAII: TACOS ZARATE

TACOS ZARATE

4210 WAIALAE AVE, B108

HONOLULU, HI 96816

808-892-1565

HOURS: Daily 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

www.tacoszarate.com

www.yelp.com/biz/taco-zarate-honolulu

www.facebook.com/zaratez/

Very pleased to see a Mexican eatery come to the East Side of Oahu. Tacos Zarate which was a hole in the wall on King Street now enjoys a great location across from Kahala Mall with plenty of parking. We visited on a Sunday and found the owner and his lovely girlfriend smiling and working hard to make sure everything was running smoothly. The menu here is posted on the wall above the counter where you place your order. We ordered and in minutes our food was waiting on the counter to the right where we picked it up and took it to one of the tables. Started with the Pico and Chips ($5). The Pico was super fresh and served with a basket of Tortillas Chips. I liked the Pico on the food but prefer a more liquid and flavorful salsa for chip dipping. The Taquito's ($7.25) and everything else were served with Chips so it really did not pay to order the Pico and Chips. We went for Chicken Taquitos. There are three pieces filled with a good amount of Chicken. Topped with a Guacamole Sauce, thickly cut cabbage and Mexican cheese. The Tostada Polo ($6.50) was a bit of a disappointment as the Chicken was cut into small mini cubes that you could really not taste. The beans were not mashed and again the cabbage was cut really thick instead of shredded. The Tacos Carnitas ($3.25) was filled with a good amount of Pork but lacked big flavor. The Fish Taco ($5.25) again had the thick cut cabbage and again lacked a lot of flavor that would make me come back and order this again. The highlight of the meal was the Super Carne Burrito ($9.50). This was a large burrito filled with Carne Asada, Rice, Beans, Cheese, Onions and Cilantro. The Pico went very well with this Burrito and I would try to order it next time with Pico inside the Burrito. Tacos Zarate serves up two types of Salsa. One red and one green. Both smokey with the Green Salsa packing a bit more heat. Glad to see Tacos Zarate in Kahala and wish them nothing but success.