Red Hot Mama’s

Wow! Talk about a hole in the wall. You literally order and receive your food at a window in the wall. There’s no place to sit. There’s not even much of a place to wait. But it’s well worth it. They run out of various meats depending on when you’re there. But the spicy sauce is delicious. We ate there twice during our trip. One day was much spicier than the other day for some reason. Terrific food to take with you to the beach.

I ate here last year and the beef tacos I got were so flavorful and yummy. This year, I tried the big mama beef burritio, but it was quite bland. The meat was not as full of flavor like I had remembered and overall the burrito was bland. It was just ok.

We were looking for a light lunch so tried this place out while driving on Kuhio Hwy. Very small place and we missed it the first time we passed by the location. Two of us split the baja burrito, the smaller size. The hot sauce added most of the flavor to an otherwise kinda bland burrito. All stars for hot sauce and fresh ingredients. Place is cash only so please keep that in mind.

Best burrito I’ve ever had. Pay extra for the avocado and extra hot sauce! I don’t know about the other reviewers complaining about attitude — she was to the point but friendly!

Not good. If you are accustom to good Mexican food drive right past this place. If you have ever had a California Mexican dining experience you will be sad to have spent $ 20-​$ 25 on two crappy burritos that mostly consist of refried beans. The only Mexican food that this beats comes frozen in the supermarket. Don’t be fooled, most great Mexican food comes from a dumpy looking shack like this one, this one however has nothing good coming out of it. By the way, like a lot of places on island, this place sees vacationers as pests that should drop off their money and leave. To prove it there is a list of ten things to do while waiting for your food. All ten have the same theme of «go away until your food is ready». By the way, get off the dang porch!

Brown rice was pretty white looking to me. Cilantro was really flavorful. White tortillas were not too tasty. But I prefer whole grains.

I opted for the ‘small’ burrito and found it fine. The other 2 in my party complained about the lack of flavor. Service was fine, we had no issues there but some hot sauce was required for any excitement in the mouth from these burritos…

Best burritos on the island. and the nicest cook too.

It’s the last burrito before the end of the road, so technically the standards don’t have to be terribly high. Considering this, the burritos are OK. Only OK. For sure, the spicy sauce was good. I ordered the Mama burrito (which didn’t come with the sauce so I had it added) and it was disappointing. Lots of corn. Greens were wilted. Not enough avo. As for price, I get it. This is Kauai. You are hungry. You have few options this far down the road. But $ 12 for a burrito of this size and quality still feels a little silly.
BUT, the young woman who served it was very pleasant and non-​snarky. Can only imagine she was a different person than the below reviewer experienced. So, at least two of the stars are for her. Well done, you.

Not bad… but not worth the hype at all either and I could do without the grumpy lady who works there and her snarky uppity signs about how you should get the hell off her porch and meditate. BARF.
I think the issue is that there are limited food options on this island, especially if you are from an urban area with lots of tasty/​high quality food for decent prices… or most places in California. So this place is mediocre but people rave about it. I guess it’s all relative.
Overall it is probably the best food we ate on the north shore… especially for the price but I could probably not stomach returning because of the vibe. I felt pressured to order quickly and ended up regretting what I got. What gives? This is Kauai! CHILL!
Also the small is tiny so go with the big one if you want an actual meal, and that is coming from someone who does not eat big meals at all.
On a side note – the little general store and art gallery on either side are awesome! Got some beautiful earrings and gifts from local artists, kick ass!

Unilocalers are right about this place – definitely five stars.
It’s a small place where you order at the counter/​door and sit on the retaining walls to eat your food.
Prices are average for Kauai ($ 10-​$ 12 range)
I loved my Taco salad: –very tasty
Mr Rinky had some sort of vegan burrito
Not authentic Mexican but still delicious.

Worth the drive and waiting in the Grain. Don’t miss this one.
Address in Unilocal is wrong.

Starving and nearly out of gas, we barely made it to Red Hot Mama’s. Carne asada was out, so we had to settle for beef. Three tacos for eleven bucks. I didn’t think they were worth it.
The temperature was off. The cheese wasn’t melted. The tortillas were a bit bland and soggy. The selection of hot sauces were nice, but if the best thing about your taco shop comes out of a bottle, it’s not much to write about. And the absence of fish on the menu was a disappointment.
Do yourself a favor and head on over to Pat’s taqueria. You can get better tacos for only a buck more, including fish.
And one other rant while I’m at it.
There are a ton of reviews on here that say, «I’m from California, so I know what good Mexican food should taste like.» That’s pretty dumb. California isn’t part of Mexico. And being from California doesn’t make you Mexican. What’s more, there are plenty of taquerias in California that are either inauthentic or awful. Just go to Chevy’s. There’s one in every major city in California.
I would be more inclined to think somebody from San Diego may have a better sense of what good Mexican food would taste like, than say, somebody from Lake Tahoe. But I don’t even know if that means anhything — I’ve been disappointed by a taqueria in San Diego before, and surprised by a taqueria in Lake Tahoe.
And why is there a proliferation of tacos in Kauai, anyway? Mexico is almost four thousand miles away from Hawaii. I just don’t get it.

** Google and Unilocal had us running all over Hanalei to the wrong address. I still don’t know Red Hat Mama’s actual address, but look for the LAST CHANCE surf board. **
If you come from the land of plentiful and delicious Mexican food, Red Hot Mama’s might not blow your socks off. But if you’re as unfortunate as I am to live in a Mexican food wasteland (e.g. Oahu), this place will remind you of the lengths you’d go for a friggin’ good burrito.
The classic chicken Mama burrito was delicious. The ingredients are mixed together so you get a bit of everything with each bite. Pesto burrito was good as well, though it’s actually just basil leaves added to a Mama burrito, not actual pesto sauce.
Ingredients are super fresh, and I love that they choose to use local ingredients whenever possible. Kind of makes me wonder where my chicken came from… :)

Listen: Is this the best burrito I’ve ever had? No. Was it one of my favorite places in Kauai to eat? Yes. Because of the experience.
This is a shack on the side of the road. She tells you what she has for the day, you order that (paying extra for the hot sauce) and then you buy beer at the general store next door. You then pay the lady and take your food to the beach for an impromptu picnic. What could be better than eating a freshly made burrito made with local ingredients on the beach in Kauai with your beer of choice? Nothing, my friend. Nothing is better than that.
Maybe she only has pork that day, maybe she only has beef. Who knows! Who Cares?! You do not come to a place like this for options!!! You eat what you are told and you will like it!!!
My suggestion is that you stop here before you go to Tunnels or Ke’e Beach for your picnic.
You don’t come to Kauai for the food, so you might as well make up for it in awesome local flavor and atmosphere.

Yes 5 stars. You know why? My bf and I came all the way here (though either Google maps or Unilocal has the completely wrong address and led us to Hanalei — like over 30 minutes away!) Anyways, we wanted to share a chicken burrito. It was so good that we had to order another one. We were just sitting away chomping our hearts out in the car, and kept having to go back and forth to spread some hot sauce love on it.
Why you so far away from Lihue? If you’re a visitor like most people, don’t forget to stop by this quaint little stand next to the General Store.

Solid little place to grab a good burrito in Wainiha (not many other options). Love General Store next door (Auntie Janet is classic!) a good spot to grab some coldies to go with your food.
After you hit Lumahai (translated it means: ‘to hold under water until no longer breathing’), grab a chicken or beef Mama & find a beach to pull up to: Enjoy!
Seriously though, be careful on the beaches in Kauai.

They have good food and they know it… can you say attitude?! They really are nice to the local folks — but if you are a tourist — you’d better know what you want when you step up to the window to order… felt like that Seinfeld episode of the Soup Nazi! LOL!
I had the chicken burrito the first time and the 2^nd time the Large Ahi wrap. Both were good. They really stuff them so you are full after.
Be prepared for a long wait. Despite being the first in line — they were cooking phone orders and those had top priority (see what I mean about attitude?) Hey, I’m in Kauai and its all good… so it really didn’t un-​nerve me — but just want you to have the right expectation so that’s why I mention it. We went around the side of the building (toward the general store) where there is a little bench and we read our books.

Ima go ahead and give these guys a solid 4-​star, despite my bro debating me on it during our Hawai’ian vacay. Why the debate? He moved to Northern California 4 years ago, and suddenly he fancies himself a burrito connoisseur. *snort* «It’s hard to FIND a bad burrito,» he claims. «I could spit out my living room window and hit 10 great burrito joints,» says he. Well, well. Aren’t we NoCal special?
I hail from DC (so did he, lest he forgets…). According to Unilocalies, we don’t do *any*thing right. Pizza? We suck. Chinese? Yah, right. Mexican? Don’t make me laugh. So because I come from this woefully incompetent culinary desert, I enjoy Red Hot Mama’s’ burritos. Altho — bro and I did both spend our formative years in Tejas, so you can’t tell me I don’t know from good burritos without getting the stink-​eye.
I distinctly remember our first visit here a few years ago, which is how I decided to toss 4 stars their way. The burrito was burned into my memory. It could have been because we were able to enjoy it al fresco on a glorious Kaua’i afternoon across the street from the Wailua River, Hanalei Park, and the Bay…
But it could also be because Red Hot Mama’s uses fresh, local ingredients, and the burritos are actually quite tasty. I like the Mama (8″ tortilla for $ 8, 10″ for $ 10), because it has everything but the kitchen sink in it: brown and white rice (tho I asked for brown only), organic baby greens, pintos, corn, cheese, salsa, pico, and sour cream. I added tofu to mine, husband got his with avocado. Moms sampled the trio of soft tacos with locally-​raised, grass-​fed ground beef ($ 11) and loved them. Pops got the Mama with chicken, and bro got the Baja with avocado, lime, and chicken added to the standard ingredients (8″ for $ 8.50, 10″ for $ 11.50). Personally, I think these burritos are pretty delicious, and the spicy salsa mayo they’re served with only enhances the experience. Bro poo-​poohed and you may, too, if you’re a burrito aficionado. But I’m not sure it gets much better than super fresh, local food you can enjoy in the great outdoors…
Prices are pretty steep, but I was *stuffed* after an 8″ burrito so you really are paying for a full meal. Note that it’s cash only. The service is really slow and confusing, too. You have to wait even to *place* your order until the one girl working there (she bought RHM’s from a couple from Colorado a few years ago when their marriage went bust and the hole-​in-​the-​wall resto with it) is finished with the order in front of yours. This means you will wait 10 — 20 minutes even to order, and then another 20 — 30 minutes after that for your food to be put together. A model of inefficiency, but then, time runs on a different dimension altogether on Kaua’i.

OK, This is not gourmet food, this is not Mexican food. This is local Hawaiian as good as it gets.
The other reviews are pretty accurate, you order thru a small window, in my case to a cute local girl, and you get whatever they have.
When we got there around 3 in the afternoon, they had beef and fish left. I got the Ahi Big Mama burrito for $ 11. It is really more of a wrap. In a tomato or pesto flour tortilla stuffed with some crusted tender Ahi tuna, rice, salsa, lettuce. Mmmmmm! It was tasty! I paired it with a Tahiti beer from the market next door and was full when it was all down.
My wife had the Fish Taco, the same tasty tender Ahi with lettuce, tomato and salsa in a corn tortilla. It was not a puny little taco.
There are no restrooms or gas stations nearby, so take care of that while you are still in Hanalei.
You can take this and walk across the street to the beach and have a great picnic.
Cash only. Bring your appetite and they will fill it for you!