Expectations were exceeded. Truly, the best fish tacos I have ever had. It's their special sauce! My boyfriend had a fish chimichanga, which was the size of a small infant, and he ate it so quickly, the fork en route to his mouth was a blur. The only downside was the wait time, which was substantial. Especially considering it was late on a Monday night.
Review Source:I wish we wouldn't have stopped here. First impression, this place is filthy. I can only imagine what the kitchen looks like. The garbage was overflowing, tables were all dirty, there was food on the floor, etc, etc. Gordon Ramsay would have a fit.
I asked the waitress if she could give me something to clean our table and she said she would come and do it. She finally came over and pushed a rag around the table but failed to remove the empty bottle that the previous customer had left. Then she set down the cleaning supplies on the next table over and disappeared.
The food was not good at all. My husband and I both wanted shrimp tacos but we were told that they were out of both shrimp and fish. We ordered chicken instead. Their "grilled" chicken is not grilled at all, it's boiled and shredded. It was SO salty. The cook clearly doesn't taste his/her own food. The beans and rice, on the other hand, had almost no salt but way too much cumin.
The one waitress in the place was inattentive and vanished after she delivered our food. We never saw her again.
I warned another couple who arrived as we were leaving to look for a better option. I would NEVER eat here again.
I saw mixed reviews but my friends wanted to eat here. Food was very inconsistent. Everyone got sweet pork enchiladas. One came with red sauce instead of green. My friends' enchiladas had tons of meat and mine was almost all rice. The meat was pretty sweet for my taste but again, there wasn't much. Everyone's enchiladas were extremely light on the sauce. I would never go back.
Review Source:If you want frozen fish tacos that take forever to reach your plate ... then this is the place! Â
Our food took over an hour (despite the cashier indicating the food would take about 15 minutes) as we sat bored and freezing in complete silence....oh wait there was a 70's surfing movie to kill the time. Â Who knows what the other 3 employees were doing in the back - we'd see them from time to time going to the bathroom. The cashier would also disappear - I'm sure they were all struggling to defrost all the food that had just been ordered by my family and the other 3 families also sadly waiting. Â The atmosphere was dull and unfriendly staff (it was 6pm when we arrived on a Saturday night). Music would be nice.
When the food finally arrived it looked as if I had ordered chicken tacos instead of the fish tacos. Â After picking through the mounds of lettuce - you'd think I had ordered a veggie taco, but nope an over cooked (thawed out) fish taco. The pork taco was just as bland with a watery sauce that ran right out the taco when you lifted it to your mouth. Chips should be offered for free during the long wait $4.50, really?!
Would not recommend or return during future visits to Hawaii. Sunset Magazine must've had a good day or gone mad crazy 'cuz North Shore Taco is not the best, unless they were comparing it to the empty Koren BBQ restaurant across the street!
I'm not sure what to say here. This place came highly rated. The exterior is a little sketchy. The interior seating area is dirty and has lots of flies. Then, there's the long wait, and I mean long, after ordering while you wait with the flies for your food.
But, the fish tacos and quesadillas were pretty exceptional. I could have gone for a little more fish and a little less lettuce, though.
This review is just for their fresh raspberry lemonade and their strawberry tres leches cake.
Okay, I read the reviews while we were waiting on our dinner at papa ole's...I got the feeling that nothing we got was going to be fabulous but my girlfriend who lives in Laie said that the flan at North Shore Tacos was fabulous and that we should get some for dessert. So we headed over. It was 930 at night, the place looked super shady..like some place you would go to make a shady transaction. But we were greeted as soon as we walked in by a friendly lady behind the counter.
We were told that there is no more flan, I guess since changing owners they also took this off their menu so we ordered tres leches and some drinks.
The tres leches cake was horrible. I'm not sure if they just poured milk over it and called it a day but it was a dry cake, that was overly sweetened that had a weird fake sweet flavor. The fact that they added what looked like melted frozen strawberries on top made it that much worse. Belch, never again.
The raspberry lemonade was fresh but it was not that tart or flavorful, much like a brisk iced tea. Does brisk still exist? If so, it would be better than this place.
I would give this place a one star but the customer service made me boost it up to 2 stars.
Overall, we will not be heading back. Nice employees but Not authentic at all.
Place looks like an old, run-down converted Wendy's or something with the front windows knocked out. But the service was friendly and the fish tacos fantastic! Thank goodness that Romy's Kukuku Shrimp had an hour plus wait (!) or we'd never have tried this place. We'll definitely be going back next time in town.
Review Source:I've tried this place twice and the second (and definitely last) time was really disappointing. Here's the low down:
My husband and I decided to go out for dinner on a week night. I was excited since that meant no cooking for me! We got there and the place was completely empty, but I didn't mind since it was a week night.
I ordered shredded beef tacos and my husband got a beef carnitas burrito with red sauce. Luckily, that's exactly what we wanted before we got there because we were told there was no chicken or fish. There was also only an option for red sauce instead of red OR green that night. But, wait...that's not all. Only option for beans was pinto-no more black AND no pico de gallo either. If you're running a business, shouldn't you know how much inventory to get?!
Anyway, on to how the actual food tasted. My husband thought his burrito was just "okay" - he told me some of the beef was burnt. My tacos were pretty gross. I forgot to ask for corn instead of flour and they never asked me for the option so I ended up getting flour when my food came, but that was partly my fault. The meal comes with two tacos and a side of beans and rice. The taco also comes with this disgusting greenish sauce. The beef and lettuce were literally DRENCHED in it and all I could taste from it was the sauce. I felt really sick afterwards.
All in all, we are never coming here again. I have to admit, the Dr. Pepper and guacamole were tasty though!
North Shore Tacos.. the name says it all. This is North Shore style "Mexican" food, and not authentic at all. The people there are pretty nice, but it can take them a while to make the food, even though the restaurant wasn't packed. We came in two days in a row (not our choice..) and got the Fish Tacos one day (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/north-shore-tacos-hauula?select=Z_pQtZFKhEc-qdYDrnJUQQ#Z_pQtZFKhEc-qdYDrnJUQQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>) and the Super Carne Asada Burrito (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/north-shore-tacos-hauula?select=Z_pQtZFKhEc-qdYDrnJUQQ#RJvE1TbCXAzMjUWYNFE43g">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>) the next day, both to go. The fish tacos didn't have much flavor, and the fish pieces were really small. The super burrito was also very bland, and not very good.
The parking is easy here since there weren't a lot of customers both times we came. However, the lot is shaped strangely, and it could be difficult to get in and out if it gets crowded. At least there is a convenience store across the street to browse while waiting for your food, and also a supermarket in the lot next door, since our orders took over 15 minutes on both days. At least they have a TV on, but it's always showing something surfing related. If you're on vacation to Hawaii, I would highly recommend NOT eating any Mexican food here, since both places I've been were not very good.
Two fish tacos. Extra surfing sauce on the side. Oh my.
There's been two separate experiences when I ordered the same thing. One way ive been is phenomenal, the cook blackened the tuna just a little bit and its worth 5 stars for sure. The other the tuna is cooked, but just so, which is tasty, but doesn't blow me away. Also, I don't know what's in that surfin' / green sauce but it's delicious. Could be slurm, still wouldn't stop me.
I've been here twice and loved it both times! The first time I got pork nachos. They serve a green sauce with it, and I have NO IDEA what it is but oh my god it is like Jesus in a cup. Â It's SO DELICIOUS AND GOOD. Â The second time I split steak nachos and a beef taco with my husband. Mmmmm both were so awesome! Â I would definitely stop here if I were you :)
Review Source:If you're looking for authentic Mexican food then you're out of luck. If you're looking for something along the lines of Chipotle, Baja Fresh, or Cafe Rio, then North Shore Tacos (formerly Surfin' Tacos) will be your closest bet on Oahu.
Let me start off with the positives. North Shore Tacos has a really nice vibe. It's clean, open, and spacious. Plus, it has a cool mural of Laie Beach Park on the wall. In addition, the portions are larger. They offer Mexican Coca Cola as well as horchata, jamaica, and other hispanic drinks.
On the negative side of things, North Shore Tacos is expensive. In their defense, though, everything is expensive in Hawaii. But then I'd have to say the food is inconsistent and just lacks a few food prep details that would really push it over the top ... namely the quality of their tortillas and chips.
With all this said, I feel two stars is a fair assessment because it is Hawaii and it is a nice option to have along the north east side of Oahu. If it were the mainland, though, my assessment would be a lot more harsh. So if you're keen for something American-Mexican-ish, and aren't interested in nasty ole Taco Bell, then give North Shore Tacos a go.
Surfin' Tacos keeps it simple. The tacos here are what tacos would like like if I made them my self. No flash, pizazz, just plain tacos. I can make good tacos and so can Surfin' Tacos.
The employees are super friendly here. Surfin' Tacos does customer service right.
MEXICAN COKE!!!! - They have it. This is the only Mexican restaurant I've encountered that sells it.
Stopped here last night after going to the haunted lagoon at PCC, since we didn't want to go to McD's. I went for their chicken taco plate ($8-ish) and my guy had the beef burrito (also around $8). Their tacos are normally served with a flour tortilla, but I like corn, so that's what I ordered.
I liked the fact that they served two corn tortillas with their tacos, since the corn ones tend to fall apart. The counter service was also very friendly and she seemed to be working her butt off. They've also done a good job revamping this place to feel open, airy and North Shore-ish.
The food itself, though, was "meh," or even worse. The taco was pretty bland, the pinto beans were hard and the rice tasted like it had been sitting in a pan all day, which I'm fairly confident it had. I had to use a loooot of hot sauce. My guy liked his burrito okay, particularly the fact that they smother it in red or green sauce. However, he was starving and likely would have said the same about a smothered cardboard box.
I'll likely keep driving the next time I pass here and grab tacos at Luibuenos or Cholos in Haleiwa instead.
Always drove by this spot and seen the sign, "#1 fish tacos." That's a mighty hefty claim. So on today's trip we stopped by on our way to Waimea bay and got a few of their #1s.
After a short drive further down we ended up at Laie Point. Cuz you know we gotta jump off the ledge. And after play time we get hungry. I plowed the fish taco and washed it down with my strawberry lemonade. Good? Yes. Great? Yes. #1? I'm not sure. I say it was delicious and moist. But #1 seems like a stretch but then again who wants to visit #2 fish taco joint? Not me.
This place has the easy going laid back feel of the islands which in this case is a bad thing. Apparently they need more help here because the service was not quick but in fact very slow. No one should have to wait a half hour for a simple taco. I guess I came on particularly busy night. This place has a Cafe Rio feel to it without the fast service. I took one bite from someone who let me try their burrito. After waiting a half hour for my tacos I gave up and asked for my money back. Which they gave to me and they didn't even try to make good with me or give me my meal for free. Thanks for nothing!
Review Source:Surfin' Tacos is one of those restaurants that I have driven past hundreds of times and never thought to try. To be honest, I'm not sure I even really noticed it at all...and then one day...my whole world was turned upside down and I found some of the tastiest tacos on the North Shore!
I've had their fish tacos, which seem small but will fill you up! Their burritos are simple, yet satisfying. I got the shrimp burrito last time and the pieces of shrimp were HUGE! Not those little shrimp babies that many restaurants pass off as "shrimp"...these were legit! It wasn't a super full burrito, so if that's your thing, I'd skip this and go straight to the nachos or the fajitas. But it filled me up to the top! Actually, I was stuffed and I couldn't even finish it.
Whatever you get, make sure you don't pass up their secret surf sauce! I might dare to say that this is another one of those sauces that has a little bit of magic cooked in. I can't really put my finger on the taste, but without it, there would be a void in my Surfin' Tacos meals.
Did I mention this is a DRIVE-THRU!?!?! Step aside, Taco Bell, you've got some serious competition! What a great option for grub on the go when you're in a rush to get back into town or if you can't wait any longer to get in that refreshing Hauula ocean!
I ate here a couple of times while working out in Hauula...there really isnt much out there, right?
The customer service was great! Everyone was very helpful...the place was nice and clean. Looked like they were able ot have some events and performances so that seems pretty cool for the area. The food is why I was there and it was just meh...
I guess I shouold start by saying that I don't really prefer Mexican food. Just something about it makes me think that it isnt really that great of a thing...Having said that, I have had great Mexican. This is sadly not great Mexican food.
I had the pork burrito and I found the meat to be VERY VERY SWEET! WTH? Was it really supposed to be sugary sweet? I just couldnt understand it. The HOT sauce was so not hot...the rice and the beans were good tho...so I give em that.
I guess I just didnt understand the sweetness. I was looking for a robust and zesty flavor but was disappointed by the level of sweetness in it's place.
SMH...
I'm kicking in one extra star above A-OK because I think this place holds promise.
Yes, it was a bit pricy and there was too much cumin in the rice but they do char grill their meat and fish. Â It makes a world of difference while calculating the umami factor.
A lot of people don't realize the cost of doing business in Hawaii is prohibitive and I give props to those who take a stab. Â And one wouldn't think selling a seafood product in Hawaii would be costly.
But it most definitely is. Â A little cutesy shack selling fish tacos near some of the world's most breathtaking beaches? Â It ain't cheap to operate, I'm speculating.
The portions are just OK, not quite enough for a hungry surfer, per se. Two small soft shelled tacos of choice with black beans and rice for 9 dolla is about right, maybe they turn a light profit on that and the fish and meat portions are pretty small. Â Still you can taste the char broil on them and that's what makes this place a do over for me.
It's near L and L, which on the day I went was doing less business than Surfin tacos. Â A puzzlement considering L n L is the go to for cheap eats. Â Mind you, L n L in town co-habitates with 2 large rats (see my previous review) but I still go there. Â Dang local that I is.
So Surfin' Tacos does the pico de gaio delish and it adds that zingy punch to the mouthful of smoky, salty fish chunk-lettes. Â The beef is beefy tasting and the fish is not stink fishy, but fresh fishy good.
So all of you Caliponi's (and if you don't know what this means, I'm alright with it) keep to your Mexicali opinions in your pie hole and let Surfin' Tacos do their thing. Â I'm absolutely sure that they are struggling to make ends meet while they kick out a decent (not great) plate of food for a moderate (not cheap) price. Â They can only improve. Â The locals wouldn't have it any other way.
Oh man! I don't know WHAT they put on those tacos (it's literally a green sauce that goes on them), but wow. Â Two tacos served with cilantro-limey type rice and either pinto or black beans. Â Perfect little dinner, so tasty.
And to top it off, NACHOS! served with pork and that splendid little sauce that seems to take normal things (chips, cheese, pork, sour cream) and KICK IT UP A NOTCH! Scrumptious!
And they have a drive through, probably the only drive through on that quarter of the island. Â Open dining area, clean, surfy vibe, a couple TVs, and the sign outside that says #1 fish tacos, well, it's not that much of a stretch to get there. Â I don't have a ton of fish taco experience, so, take it with a grain of salt.
Discalimer: Living in southern CA, Mexican food is aplenty, making it difficult to compare to mexican food out in Hawaii. If this was in California, it would be 2 stars.
Surfin' Tacos is across the street from the place we are staying so we thought we would test it out. Â This place was descent to fill the belly, but sub-par compared our typical mexican food stops.
She had: a chicken burrito and if we hadn't known we ordered chicken I would have guessed it had been a bean and rice burrito. The enchilada sauce over it was descent, but not enough kick for her liking. Overall okay if you aren't picky and don't mind a very americanized burrito.
He had: the fish tacos which were made with grilled fish and came with sides of beans and rice. The beans and rice lacked flavor which was a bummer. The fish tacos tasted fresh, but didnt compare to the typical fried fish tacos with the mayo based sauce. They could have used some hot sauce to enhance the flavors. Can't say we would give them the title of "best fish tacos around" as they claim.
Biggest bummer of them all is $25 later for these two items and a drink, their were no chips and salsa. All in all, a clean environment, friendly service, but based on the food we ordered I wouldn't add it to my must visit mexican food stops
I am my father's son  -- I hate Mexican food.
I like to think of Surfin' Tacos as the place to get Mexican food for people who hate Mexican food.
My sister and her family live out near the North Shore so I take the occasional trek to visit them and enjoy the pristine views and beaches on that side of the island. Â Since moving back to Oahu almost a year ago I watched the once vacant building with metal roll-up garage doors and a ratty paint job transform into a rustic and breezy Mexican restaurant called Surfin' Tacos. Â With surf boards posted on the walls as decor and a mural of the Hau'ula coast painted behind the makeshift performance stage/space, you feel like throwing up a shaka and twirling your hair into dreds so you can become the next Kelly Slater super surfer. Â Actually, you just get really hungry thinking about and smelling your food being prepared.
Here's the scoop:
1. Â CONSISTENT & FRESH -- I've eaten here several times for both lunch and dinner and the food is always consistent, tasty and fresh. Â The lettuce in the salad is always crisp and the grilled chicken/beef/shrimp is always hot and grilled to order. Â The beans and rice are always moist and never have the taste of sitting in a chafing dish or crock pot for days.
2. Â DELICIOUS -- the concoctions aren't cliche Mexican, but rather offshoots of typical Mexican dishes. Â I despise burritos, but the ones from Surfin' Tacos are jam-packed with your choice of meat, beans and rice, served with a side of shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacomole, and pico de gallo. Â There is a "special sauce" that's served with the salad that holds addictive properties -- I can only guess that it's a mix of guacomole and ranch.
3. Â AFFORDABLE -- if you're like me, it's always disgusting to have to pay more than 10 bucks for meat and vegetables wrapped up in a store bought tortilla wrap. Â The portions here are big enough to satisfy and share between two people and the prices are practical.
This is the only location of Surfin' Tacos and that is the only downfall because it's so far out and away from town. Â But it's a big sigh of relief to have this restaurant in the neighborhood because it raises the bar of food quality and provides delicious grinds.
I'd recommend stopping through here on your stay-cation and driving out to North Shore.
4 solid Yelp stars only because I have to save the 5th one for the Mexican restaurant that converts me into loving the food.
Been here twice now (god knows why I went back :-/) and realize that it is mediocre at best. Nachos are best thing I've had there but weren't too good. Chips were stale, obviously some Costco bulk bag of chips or something. Â Very small portions of meat, so small that you almost think that they are gonna be like "jk homie!!". Total joke. Go here if you like burritos consisting of 80% rice 10% beans 8% tortilla 1% sour cream and 1% meat.
Can't really see anyone actually giving this place a good review, but you never know.
Only redeeming factor is that it's a pretty cool building and open air.
Saw this place a few weeks ago and finally ended up in the north shore again to check it out.
Food is tasty, service was quick, and the open air space is nice. A friend got the Chicken Nachos (hefty serving) and I sampled their sweet pork taco (in a flour tortilla). The food tasted fresh and came with a pretty nice cream cilantro sauce of sorts.
It's definitely a stop worth making if you're in Hau'ula, just to check it out and give them some business. For myself, I can cross another mexi place off the list but if I'm in the area and hungry i'll definitely stop by to try more of their fares.
altho i did eat at luibuenos that night...!
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