Mi Ranchito

Another disappointing Mexican restaurant on the Big Island.
I ordered a chile verde burrito. I don’t have a drop of Mexican blood in me, but I can make a better chile verde than theirs.
Their idea of chile verde seems to be: mix in a bottled chile verde sauce into pre-​cooked (and dry) pork (or chicken), right before you serve. That is not Chile Verde.

Excellent Mexican food!!! We are from San Diego, and know the good stuff when we taste it. It’s a little hard to find, at the back of a large multi shop building, Kohala Trade Center, look for the sign and head back thru the turquoise painted entryway. More parking in back.
Simple set up, patio open air seating, serve yourself order window. Great food!

This was my first experience here, so perhaps it was a flook. When we call in to see when they’d be closing the lady on the other line said 7pm. We put in an order over the phone, so that when we arrived we could take it to go. Once there we saw other still eating so we asked if we could eat at one of the small tables in the breezeway the younger woman said yes. We happily sat down and began eating. My fiancé ordered the carnitas burrito and I the shrimp enchiladas based on another review. I don’t quite know what it was in either the sauce or maybe the shrimp it self, but after eating I felt like I was cramping and got a very upset stomach. My man was fine, stomach of steel apparently. I on the other hand spent the rest of the evening laying in bed. It was not a pleasant experience, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt. We got into Hawi late and ordered when they were closing up so maybe that had to do with it? I’m not sure… I may brave myself to come eat here again, but not anytime soon. Regarding prices, we paid $ 25.00 even for both orders and got a side of stale tortilla chips and ok salsa.

Hole in wall place but very good food. I had the shrimp enchiladas and they were excellent

Needed a quick bite and haven’t had Mexican food in almost two weeks… needed my fix real bad.
I was not disappointed! The cook was from Michoacan and did it right.
I had two carnitas tacos w guac. My wife had the toatada salad that was full of meat. Beans were spot on too! The chips were strangely addicting!
Hawi HI isn’t a place when I think Mexican but if you need it you got it.

Great food… Fresh ingredients!!! Better than some places in Los Angeles where I live. Try it and you won’t regret it…

Much, much better

Love this place! If you are in Hawi a must go to eat! Authentic Mexican food — they don’t serve beer but go down to the local store and pick up a six pack– and the guacamole is yummy! It’s a hidden gem for Mexican food on the island.

The food is extremely fresh and delicious. I will come back here again and again!!!
I ordered the chicken burrito and it did not disappoint. Their beans are made just right and the cheese was excellent.

We did not eat here however the lady was not nice at all. We ate across the street at the barbecue chuckwagon, and it was very good. When we asked him for a bathroom he instructed us that the center across the street has the bathroom. The lady who works there was cheery when she greeted us but turned it all and sour when we asked for the key for the bathroom. The female bathroom did not have toilet paper and when asked about it the lady said they «did not have any» the boys restroom did have some toilet paper though. Upon leaving I told her to have a nice day which she promptly ignored and said nothing. Her young child was playing all over the floor as well. It seemed more like a day care than a restaurant.

This is the best Mexican food I’ve had since I lived in Mexico! Ive eaten here 2 nights in a row and will be coming back a few more times before my trip is done. The soft taco azada plate was sooo tasty. Perfectly seasoned, generous portions of meat, and so juicy. Yum. The azada burrito was good too, and so gigantic. I only finished ¹⁄₃ of it and took the rest home. The guacamole is nice and chunky, but could use more cilantro. I love their salsa. It’s the perfect level of spicy! Basically, this place is delicious and you need to experience it.

Hidden place with cheap, yummy Mexican food. The décor is not much, but the food is the gem. I had the verde pork burrito and my husband had the enchilada combo. The verde pork burrito was better than most of the type I have ate in Arizona. My husband loved his enchiladas. We happily payed our cheap bill after being stuffed to the brim. We also saw some locals coming in and ordering to-​go… That’s always a good sign.

A very good affordable place to eat. The lady their is super nice! The only thing is that it is cash only, but a ATM down the street not to far!

Almost walked right past this place. Their homemade chips are the best. The salsa was good but too hot. Got the fresh guacamole w/​out peppers to balance the hot salsa. I really liked the enchilada /​Chili relleno. Great price & great Mexican food.

After getting homesick for my Mexican food all week… outta the corner or my eye I saw «Mi Ranchito»…I made my plus one stop and I we went to check out this place. The sound of Spanish music & people speaking Spanish was welcoming to my ears… I couldn’t believe I found a Mexican food in Hawaii. We ordered the hard shell shredded beer tacos… my personal favorite. They were hot, crispy and they didn’t skimp on the shredded beef. Delicious! The salsa wasn’t your traditional chunky salsa but more of a chile… very good & very spicy. The horchata & jamaica aguas frescas were very good as well. After chatting in Spanish with the server I found out that they were Michoacan transplants… that’s pretty authentic. The liqueur store tucked away in the back next to this pace sells beer you can take over. Btw… The house cat roaming around there gets frequently shooed away by the servers… it’s kinda funny. Cash only…

Very nice place, not fancy but the food made us miss our O.C. Home. It was a quick fix. Very recommended

We visited the Mi Ranchito booth at the Kohala Country Fair. The taco salad was huge and stuffed to the brim with beans, beef, veggies, cheese and sour cream. The enchiladas were generous in size and the plate came with salad, beans, and extra rice. These two entrees could easily feed three or four people. The staff was wonderfully friendly, and offered a horchata while we waited. It was refreshing and satisfying as both a beverage And a dessert … I will definitely visit their restaurant soon!

Solid Mexican food for Hawaii. The best value around Hawi and good flavor. The chips were good and the salsa… delicious but can be alittle too hot!
The prices are great for Hawaii. About as cheap as you’ll find in the islands.
I’ve got the chicken burrito twice now and its perfect size. Comes with chips n salsa for 7 and change.
Tucked back behind the lighthouse liquor store and deli so you gotta look out or you’ll pass it. It has some seating but mostly does takeout. They recently remodeled so the restrooms are ultra clean. Only take cash.
The workers are very nice also…

Another Californian here… Now I’ve heard there’s very little resembling decent Mexican food on the island, but this place gets an extra special note from me for being one of the very few places open on Thanksgiving. We drove from Hilo, through Waimea, and up to Hawi, and it was literally almost the only thing open, and we were definitely grateful to find it.
The service here was not what you’d call fast, but was super friendly. Salsa was hot, definitely hot and spicy, and very tasty. The only thing I really found fault with was the jamaica, as I personally found it way too sweet and sort of artifical tasting. Then again, it’s not a drink I usually have, so I don’t have much to compare it to.
I ordered fish enchiladas. I have no idea what kind of fish it was, but there were plentiful large chunks of it, bursting out all over my enchiladas. It was sort of dry and the flavor wasn’t my favorite, but I’m not a huge fan of cooked white-​fleshed fishes, so it’s not their fault. Rice and beans solid and flavorful. Inexpensive and well worth it. Awesome job.

Hawaii is beautiful, Hawaii is relaxing, Hawaii is home… but Hawaii does not «do» Mexican food… or so I thought. When I moved back home from SF I had said my good-​byes to hole in the wall taquerias, to fresh tortillas, to taco trucks better than any restaurant. I’ve tried as many Mexican restaurants in Hawaii as I dared from Luquin’s to Reuben’s to some shop in Shipman Park… and each time utter disappointment.
Then out of starvation and maybe a sliver of hope we tried Mi Ranchito while driving through Hawi. The string of tourist trap shops we passed were not encouraging. The fancy-​schmansy liquor shop next door was another red flag. Then… the order window was a good sign, the spanish coming from the kitchen — good sign. The menu was extensive but not all tex-​mex. If you didn’t know what Carne Azada was there were no explanations for you — good sign. The big soaring white dove of hope was the delivery of the food — the tortilla on my burrito was griddled warm…(not the stupid steam thing). Then the first bite — the beans had FLAVOR!!! Praise the bean god. The chili verde had beautiful chunks of pork and a delicate green chili flavor. The Carne Azada was real steak, juicy and freshly cooked, the carnitas spilled out of the burrito that was bigger than my head. The sour cream was the real Mexican Crema, the guacamole was the best in Hawaii (as promised).
It may be a 1.5 hour drive to Mi Ranchito, but I will rest easier tonight knowing that I don’t have to board a plane to be able to get my fix. You can’t ask me if I would give 5 stars if this restaurant were planted in the Mission. Right now I would say yes, it is THAT good. 5 stars for being out in the boondocks Hawaii where people have to eat because there are only 2 other restaurants in a 20 mi radius.