Mariachis Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Restaurants On Kauai Lihue, Hawaii

We dropped by Mariachi’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine in Lihue's Harbor Mall for dinner and the first oddity here is the parking situation. They have a gated parking lot if you are using the mall and then if you shop or eat here your parking will be validated. The odd part is that the exit to the lot is neither gated nor staffed by anyone collecting money so what exactly was the point of the entrance gate and ticketing system if you just drive right out? Confusing.

We were seated quickly at Mariachi's though the kid who sat us was not friendly in any way and actually a bit of a grump. Our waiter, on the other hand, was super nice and friendly. The restaurant was about half full with most people sitting on the lanai area which gives you an ocean view (through power lines) of nearby Kalapaki Beach.

We ordered a couple of drinks and some queso (around $10) though the queso never actually showed up. Our waiter likely forgot to put in the order since we were never charged but that's still a strike against them. Our food came out so fast that it wasn't worth then trying to get queso as well. The rest of the service was really good, though.

For an entree, I ordered the chimichanga with "chili colorado" (chunks of slow cooked and very tender beef in red sauce) which comes with rice and beans for $16.50. It was a decent amount of food but $5 dollars too expensive even by Kauai standards. The chimi was pretty good and I enjoyed it but found the rice and beans to be pretty bland. A little salsa helped though the salsa tastes like a jarred brand.

A soda was $1.50 but refills are 75 cents each time which is just annoying. Dinner for two, with one soda and one beer, ran us a very pricey $45.00 before tip. Not a bad price if the food is exceptional but it's really just average to slightly above average.

With the pricey factored in, a grumpy kid who sat us, and waiter forgetting the queso it's really only a 3.5-star experience for me. This place really could be so much better if the staff were all on the same page of the friendliness book, the food slightly less bland, and the prices at least 25% cheaper. Such tiny fixes would probably keep this place packed.

• Food Types: Bar / Appetizers	• Food Types: Burger / Dog / Sandwich	• Food Types: Coffee	• Food Types: Hawaiian / Plate Lunch	• Food Types: Mexican
• Payment: $$ - Average - $15 to $30	• Meals: Dinner	• Meals: Lunch	• Service Type: Table	• Offers: Open Air / Outdoor Seating

Mariachi’S Authentic Mexican Cuisine