T.A.S.T.E.

Just got notified that this asian taco stand has shut its doors, booted its wheels, or rolled away into the horizon. Closed.
The tacos were pretty tasty, but the service was slooooow. They needed to make some efficiency changes and make the assembly line smooth like a Honda factory. Hopefully they’ll be back someday.

After reading a great review of T.A.S.T.E. in the Midweek that is delivered locally here in Oahu, we decided to seek out this truck on a recent trip into Honolulu. We were so glad that we did!
Each taco prepared is made with love, and it comes through in the delicious flavors each variety imparts. Each has its own accompanying sauce that really brings out the flavor of the individual taco. We’ve tried every one on the menu and would rank them in this order:
1. Char Sui (Pork)
2. Rib-​eye
3. Mahi mahi
4. Chicken
5. Shrimp
Every time we drive away from T.A.S.T.E. we leave thinking it would be great if that taco truck traveled! We could use some delicious Asian fusion over in Pearl City!

The char sui taco is the best! I’ve been to the L.A. Kogi truck and I think T.A.S.T.E. has better tacos. I love the local/​Hawaiian fusion flavors ~ it’s so delicious and so unique. All the tacos are yummy so I’d recommend going for lunch and ordering 3 – 4 tacos so you can have variety.
Everything is cooked right when you order it so your food is super fresh and steamy hot. If there’s a wait, it’s totally worth it!
The owner is super friendly and plays good music in the background. On Beretania St., across from the Shell Gas Station. Open M-​F 11am-​2pm but sometimes he stays open later for the late lunch rush. You gotta check this place out!

T.A.S.T.E. is awesome!
Briefly: Price wise, lower and comparable to other truck situations. Food wise, it was bangin!’ Otherwise, the owner/​cook was friendly and stoked to be serving his unique creations. There’s always parking, that’s a definite plus.
In depth: Tasty Asian Style Taco Eatery first caught my attention because of the obvious (if you know Hip Hop) Wu-​Tang reference. There’s always plenty of parking so I gave it a try. Upon walking up the first thing I noticed was «Swan Lake» by Blackalicious playing, secondly the tasty list of ingredients: Rib Eye, Char Siu, Bay Shrimp, Chicken Breast and Mahi Mahi. Third, the sauces were interesting combos that I’ve never tasted… Definitely intuigued! So I did what any self respecting food adventurer would do, ordered one of everything for me and my lady to split.
The tacos were great! Tastes were full, complimentary and delicious. What more could you ask for? I was instantly a fan. If I can offer feedback, I’d encourage more experimentation, perhaps a seasonal menu and to use another container other than styrofoam.
I’m giving it 5 stars to balance out the naysayers who experienced T.A.S.T.E. at Eat The Street*(I see that event as defeating the purpose of the service that makes food trucks valuable; they exist in their own geographic and logical context. Events like Eat The Street create unusual and terrible dynamics such as long waits and large volume pressure when you slam 1000’s of hungry foodies in a pen with trucks that aren’t built to serve that capacity. It’s called «T.A.S.T.E.,» period. It’s not «Super fast taco eatery, or Mass quantities of tacos for dirt cheap» besides, those names suck and don’t make good acronyms.
T.A.S.T.E. lives up to it’s name. Word up!
–W.Maze

Overall 3.5I finally got to try this place at the eat the street food rally.
They only had two fillings: rib eye kalbi and homemadechar siu for $ 2.75 each. The meats were flavorful with their asian marinades. Their slaw on top was also pretty good and on the sweeter side, unless that was just the sauces/​dressings that went atop the meats. The tacos are also not your usual double tortilla taco, just one tortilla here, and which I prefer. Price wise, its kind of expensive for what you get but its a good place for a quick and tasty bite. I only wished they offered more options than just the two above and maybe I would have bumped them up to a 4. I’d definitely give them another try though.

Oh great… another Asian taco truck that joins the masses that have all of a sudden popped up across the island we call Honolulu. While I shared that sentiment when I first heard about T.A.S.T.E. it truly is not another taco truck… Alright, I lied. It is another taco truck, but it has that and then some going for it! It offers stellar menu items at rather reasonable prices, plus a consistent location that is easy to get to!
The menu isn’t wide ranging, however what they lack in selection they certainly make up in what they do offer. The taste from each of their taco items is diverse and wide pleasing. The rib eye taco with the wasabi dressing is bites of sheer heaven. The meat is tender and juicy while the wasabi dressing added just the right amount of heat to compliment the tangy slaw. The homemade char siu has nice flavors developed around a well roasted pork. The hoisin flavors just brought it to another level and made it something else.
The prices are rather reasonable at about $ 2.50 or so per taco, however they are smaller tacos so be prepared to spend about $ 10 or so. However compared to other trucks, it is well in line with that.
The location is consistent, right off Beretainia and before McCully with parking to spare is a nice touch.
Definitely a winner in my book and is certainly not one to just push aside, check it out!

Very tasty, unique «tacos». .. go for the char sui — that’s the best one, followed closely by the chicken. You’ll need about 4 to fill you up, and at about $ 3 each, its a little pricey for what you get. However, if you need a snack to hold you over, this is a good healthy alternative. Fresh preparations, tasty sauces, and its neatly packaged in a small styrofoam container. (they should save the planet and maybe opt for something recycle-​able, as they use one container per taco). All in all, I’d return. Be aware, they are only open during the week, no weekends. =(

I finally had the char siu tacos at the Eat the Streets event. They are super good. I was glad I ordered two and I ate them super fast. I still gotta get over the pricepoint but the food tastes great (I wanted to order more but I had to try the other spots too). Again you big eaters better order a lot of tacos.

IMPORTANT NOTE: T.A.S.T.E. is good for a small snack, or someone with a small appetite, and not if you’re starving!
I was almost certain that after waiting so long to eat here, and reading an array of reviews, that T.A.S.T.E. would probably disappoint me. But to my amazement, T.A.S.T.E. pulled through.
So what would a logical Unilocaler do if presented with a menu filled with items that all sound good? Order a single item and save the rest for future visits? NO! He/​She would order everything of course.
Rib Eye w/​Kalbi marinade and wasabi dressing: an excellent starter for first timers cause everyone loves beef. T.A.S.T.E. also puts the right amount of wasabi in it just to give you a minor kick, but not so much where it consumes all the other flavors.
Homemade Char Siu w/​Shoyu Aioli and hoisin vinaigrette: one word, refreshing. Can’t go wrong with this.
Chicken Breast w/​Teri Aoli & Sesame Dressing: from what I can recall, it was on the sweeter side compared to the rest. Another one you can’t go wrong with.
Bay Shrimp w/​Honey Wasabi Mayo & Wafu Dressing: this is the sleeper or the ringer. Flavor wise, the most surprising (in a good way) out of my selection and heavily recommend it.
In conclusion, 4 for 4! I enjoyed them all thoroughly. However, at $ 2.50+ per taco, also considering their size, this isn’t a place you want to go to if you’re starving.

All I can say is YUMMMM
Just went back there today and enjoyed it even more than the first time! One day I promise, I WILL get to trying their über popular homemade charsiu taco… just that I can’t get past eating the two I’ve tried before and… keep on getting. Just LOVE the kalbi flavored ribeye taco topped with a delicate wasabi mayo dressing. Love almost as much the mahimahi taco with a ginger miso beurre blanc dressing. And, two tacos is all I can handle… especially if I take them home and have them with a side salad, or, tonight with some stirfry green beans with a spicy szechuan sauce… the perfect compliment! …I’m not hinting or anything BUT it would be sooooo easy to add to the T.A.S.T.E. menu and I bet would add on profit as well as customer satisfaction!!! =‘P
One star taken off because of short list menu. The selections on the tacos are perfect. Would like to see though some veges as sides or deserts or… I am just saying…

Do you remember that Lite Beer from Miller ad, «Tastes Great, Less Filling?» Well, T.A.S.T.E. does «taste great» but it is hecka «less filling.» I had these three tacos: mahi-​mahi ($ 3.25), chicken ($ 2.75) and shrimp ($ 3.25). I was also hoping they would have one taco that was patterned after Kogi BBQ in L.A., with kalbi, kimchi and other fixins. No go; no kimchi anywhere. The wait was about 10 minutes.
The mahi-​mahi was nice with an Asian dressing that was sweet and must had some fish sauce on it as I could smell it on my hands after wards. The chicken had a creamy Asian sauce and the shrimp had less sauce than either as the shrimp itself had some good flavor in it. All were dressed with cole slaw for that Baja taco feel to it.
However, here is where the less filling part of it comes in. These are street tacos and they are being sold at $ 9.25 for these three. They were good but they barely were enough. I’d say I would need at least one more to feel like I had a hearty meal (not that I need one). So you’re having to spend, say, $ 12 to get a decent meal for street tacos? Plus these tacos are not doubled up on the tortillas, so it just looks, feels and is – S.K.I.M.P.Y. There’s nothing wrong with the how the tacos are prepared and I feel it’s well executed. But $ 12 or more for street tacos at lunch, eating outside or standing around, you’re starting to get in Mariposa/​Pineapple Room territory and I think most of us would all rather go there.
There’s planny parking though as the sports bar that usually has the run of the parking lot, looks sleepy during lunch, if open at all. This place is on the mauka side of Beretania, just Koko Head of McCully.

Let me start by saying T.A.S.T.E. holds true to it’s name; they make great tasting asian fusion tacos but beyond one’s palette the satisfaction stops there. At the end of my meal, I was left wanting — not necessarily for more tacos — but just for MORE FOOD in general.
I ordered what I thought would be a decent amount for myself, considering I ended up spending around $ 10 for 2 pricier tacos and a drink. Isn’t that a decent expectation? To spend $ 10 at a lunch truck/​wagon and expect to be filled? …Maybe I’ve lived in Hawaii for far too long. Since I’ve come to expect local joints to understand that Hawaii is supposed to be the home of the overflowing plate lunches and ridiculous portions.
Call me trendy, but it seems like it’s been the recent fad to break down the rating of a restaurant from dishes to service. So here’s my attempt (in the form of a ridiculous math equation)…
Service: +4 stars from the base of 0 stars to begin with. They offered drinks and small talk; something you just can’t find at big chain restaurants.
Cleanliness: 2x multiplier for service, they wear gloves and handle the food with care. They even advise you when is the best time to enjoy their tacos!
Flavor: 1x multiplier for service. They hand construct your original tacos and their unique flavor and set up are an item to behold. Problem is, they can be a hit or miss on flavor since they’re unique creations.
Location: –2 stars from baseline. Like most lunch trucks/​wagons they can sometimes be hard to find if you’re unfamiliar with the area. Plus they don’t have a phone to ring in for directions.
Seating: 2x multiplier for location. Not much seats available and with a time limit of 15 – 20 minutes to enjoy your tacos at their prime, being unable to enjoy your meal there might become a problem.
Portions: — 2.5 stars from baseline. Needs to be a tad bigger for the price, or a tad cheaper for the current size (in my opinion).
Pricing: x2 multiplier. At the current pricing, it’s sort of a rip off. I didn’t feel anywhere close to full… and I’m a skinny guy! I can’t imagine a bigger local braddah being satisfied even after dropping a Jackson.
Unilocal Rating = 4(2 + 1) — 2(2) — 2.5(2) = 3 STARS
So yah… there you go. That’s exactly how I figure all my Unilocal ratings out… E.N.J.O.Y!

Great place to eat and you must try it.
At first I was a little skeptical just because it was «asian style tacos» and I was wondering how that was gonna be pulled off… Luckily my boyfriend dragged me there one day to try and I just fell in love with it.
I tried all the tacos except the mahi. Personally I favor the char siu and chicken but everything else is good. Theres a wasabi dressing he puts on but its not spicy. I hate spicy food so when I tried it I was waiting for the spicyness but its actually a sweet kind of kick. not spicy at all.
The tacos are kind of small being that they are in those tiny tortilla wraps so if anything maybe two will be good. Its about $ 2-​$ 3 each.
They close at two so make sure you get there before then… Just writing this is making me want to get one =)

After seeing what I thought was a vacant little brown shack sitting in the parking lot near McCully/​Beretania every single morning for the past 6 months, I finally saw the darn thing OPEN the other day. I nearly blew my right front tire when I hopped the curb to get into the second driveway of Ocean Sports Bar. The guys on the bench looked up to see what all the noise was; just another Unilocaler trying to get food before the truck closed at 2pm. Only one problem: It was already 2:15pm, I was hungry, and I had to pick up the kids by 2:30pm.
Yes, this place is only open from 11am-​2pm on most days. True lunchwagon style. Lucky for me the owner/​operator, Leroy,
was still in the truck and he didn’t even tell me that he was closed already. He asked me «How did you hear about this place? Just happen to drive by?». I told him «I drive by this place twice a day 5x/​week and I’ve NEVER SEEN YOU OPEN BEFORE. I’ve seen the Unilocal reviews, and I wanted to check it out». Unilocal seems to be the magic word here, because he let me order, even though I told him I had to leave to pick up my kids and I would come back in 20 minutes. When I FINALLY came back to pick up my tacos, it was already 2:45pm, and Leroy was concerned that the corn tortillas (which are brought in from East LA) would be soggy by the time I got home to eat them. Don’t worry Leroy, I can eat and drive, and I ate all of the following in my car in less than 14 minutes and the tortillas were not soggy at all:
Homemade Char Siu w/​Shoyu aioli & Hoisin vinaigrette $ 2.75
WINNER! Alex L. says it takes six bites to finish, but I think mine only took 5 bites. Shoyu/​aioli/​hoisin all in one bite is delish.
Rib Eye w/​Kal Bi marinade & wasabi dressing $ 2.75
Their most popular taco is not too spicy, with a little kick at the end from the wasabi, but I liked the charsiu better.
Bay Shrimp: he was out of the honey wasabi mayo/​wafu dressing, so he put more of the shoyu aioli/​hoisin sauce $ 3.25
Yup do the math again, I had three tacos = $ 8.75.
I will come back to try the chicken w/​sam jang sauce (!?) & sesame dressing and the mahi mahi w/​ginger sauce & miso dressing, but what I would REALLY like is a RUBIOs fish taco… maybe you can steal the recipe from them Leroy!
Thanks for staying open late so I could have a little T.A.S.T.E.

The tacos here are delicious!
We ordered three different kind of tacos. Prices aren’t too bad, $ 2.75 for chicken, beef, pork and $ 3.25 for fish & shrimp. We got the former: Rib Eye Taco w/​Kalbi Marinade & Wasabi Dressing, Chicken Breast w/​Samjang Sauce & Sesame Dressing, Homemade Char Siu w/​Shoyu Aioli & Hoisin Vinaigrette.
The Char Siu was delicious. That was my girlfriend’s favorite. I really dug the Rib Eye, though, with the kalbi and wasabi sauce. The crisp, cold cabbage brings a refreshing crunch to the sweet and salty flavors of the meat and sauces. The chicken was also great, but was our least favorite of the three by default.
These guys were very friendly and asked us a lot of questions and also answered a lot of our questions. Definitely worth a stop while you’re strolling down Beretania.

Being a fellow foodie, my bestie ordered one of EVERYTHING! My reaction? I heart you!
FAV: Shrimp taco with honey and wasabi! This was by far the tastiest taco. Sweet honey flavor, very subtle wasabi and a healthy portion of shrimp. Really hit the mark.
FAV minus 1 star: Mahi and Chicken tacos. I would still order these again, but the flavors were not outstanding. The mahi was decently cooked and I liked the miso dressing, but I couldn’t taste anything else. I almost wish they didn’t advertise these other mystery sauces cuz I think my tongue is missing out on something ono :) Then it gets jealous of other people’s taste buds :))
Similarly, I couldn’t taste the samyjammy sauce listed on the menu that accompanied the chicken taco. There are different color sauces though. Pretty ~ like getting your car washed at the 76 station on Beretenia… but I digress.
FAV minus 2 star: Char siu and Special Char siu with teri and avo. I didn’t appreciate the quality or cut of the meat. Chunks are unwieldy in a taco, especially when many pieces are fatty or grisselly. Teri and avo did not diminish or enhance this taco.
And the Kalbi. But only b/​c T.A.S.T.E guys got mixed up and gave us a second mahi taco instead, hahahaha! This is not surprising as you can see from the photos, ALL their tacos look the SAME. So keep this in mind if sharing tacos with your bestie, b/​c we had to dig around in the slaw to figure out what we were sharing! Might not want to do this with the mom-​in-​law or your boss ya know?
Altogether very cute concept that is catching on from the mainland. Honestly I think the Korean tacos at Duck Butt are better:

They could improve the wait time which took over 10 minutes in the hot sun (poor poor bestie) And the taco’s need more saucy kick!
I still say go and try it out. It’s new, it’s innovative and it’s fun. TASTE — we expect great things from you and know you can rise to the challenge!

Food carts in Honolulu?! What’s this world coming too?! So The Islands have finally joined the 20^th Century. Our food cart industry here is in it’s infancy, but hopefully we could join the likes of Portland, OR (
) as one of the nation’s best. Well, that’s the hope anyways since we have a great atmosphere and weather for this type of thing.
First, I ordered the chicken breast with Ssamjang sauce and sesame dressing. On all of the tacos a liberal amount of cabbage is loaded on top. The chicken taco came off as tangy, not spicy, nor could you really taste the sesame flavor. Next, the Rib Eye Kal-​bi marinade with wasabi dressing. The meat flavor was alright. I would say that it was overshadowed by the dressing which tasted like a coleslaw with wasabi flavor. Mine both cost $ 2.75 each. Other tacos can go up to $ 3.25.
One thing of note is that two may not be enough to satiate your hunger. It wasn’t ours. I’d say 3 – 4 of them might do the trick, but then by that time you’ll be dishing out at the minimum $ 8.25-$ 11 plus any drinks if you want them.
Located in a sparse sports bar parking lot during the day, you should have no problem finding a parking spot.

T.A.S.T.E. (Tasty Asian Style Taco Eatery) tastes great!
Their mobile located on Beretania, across from the Shell gas station and in fact, in the parking lot of (not Dan’s Guitar but) Ocean Sports Bar. Forgot to get biz hours but I’m sure one of our past reviewers have already mentioned them… I hope.
So I went with the homemade char siu w/​shoyu aoili and hoisin vinaigrette ($ 2.75) and the mahi mahi w/​green onion ginger sauce and miso dressing ($ 3.25, no sales tax on either) soft tacos. I have never tried char siu pork and aoli together but it’s a very delicious flavor combination. The mahi mahi soft taco was very interesting because although I coudn’t really taste the onion or miso dressing, i could taste the ginger and oil. Fans of cold ginger chicken will love this, as it has the same elements. Problem is that the mahi was a bit dry, but it made the taco alot meatier than its chair siu brother-​in-​arms.
I am always happy to see mobiles like this emerge. It’s just too bad I didn’t get full off of the two tacos I ordered. Four of them maybe, but sadly, not two.
4 stars
T.A.S.T.E. (Tasty Asian Style Taco Eatery) mobile on Beretania Street

I still can’t believe how awesome the Asian-​style tacos tasted from this nondescript trailer that sits in an unremarkable parking lot: think gourmet eats, lunch-​truck ambiance. This one-​person, cash-​only eatery wasn’t crowded on a warm Thursday around 11:30, but I suspect it will be once more people discover this hidden gem. Here are the tacos in order of my most to least favorite:
1) Shrimp with Wasabi Honey Mayo & Wafu Dressing
2) Ribeye with Kalbi Marinade & Wasabi Dressing
3) Mahi Mahi with Green Onion Ginger Sauce & Miso Dressing
4) Homemade Char Siu with Shoyu Aioli & Ginger Dressing
5) Chicken Breast with Ssamjang* Sauce & Sesame Dressing
I used Jedi mind trick techniques to convince a woman who just walked off a bus to give this place a try. It worked; she walked over and stood in line behind me. She then started asking me questions…
Woman: «How long have they been open?»
Me: «About a month.»
Woman: «What are their hours?»
Me: «Monday through Friday, 11 AM to 2 PM. He is considering opening every other Saturday, but it will definitely be closed on Sundays.»
Woman: «The Special sounds really good.»
Me: «Sorry, the avocado isn’t ripe. Maybe tomorrow or Monday.»
Woman: «Okay, what should I get?»
Me: «I don’t know. This is my first time here.»
* Korean spicy paste

In Portland, I had my taste of my first Asian Taco. Of course, I’ve heard of the Kogi truck in LA, prior to this experience. C’mon! I watch a lot of Food Network.
So when I came across this on Unilocal,I knew it was time to hunt this place down. Let me tell you, I sprained my ankle, and I literally limped out of the house, drove, and limped over to the truck. Pain and embarrassment were not going to stop me from trying out these Tacos.
I arrive at the truck and see a sign that says «Tasty Asian Style Taco Eatery.» That explains what TASTE stands for. A little corny if you ask me, a simple change of «Tasty» to «The» would solve the problem. Hobbling on over, I take a look at the menu.
Of course, I’m notorious for arriving at places around closing, so they are out of everything except Mahimahi with Ginger Sauce.
I really can’t stress this enough. IF YOU ARE RUNNING A BUSINESS, STOCK ON YOUR PRODUCT. HANDLE A DAY’S WORTH OF BUSINESS. I must have two other reviews where I make mention of this problem. It really shouldn’t be my fault for coming during YOUR business hours.
Forking up $ 3.25 for one small street-​style taco is a bit excessive, but I don’t care. I gotta try this thing. It was heavenly. Crunchy, sweet, tangy, juicy, so-​good-​I-​gobble-​it-​all-​down. I consider buying another one, but I’d rather return at a later date to try the others. So I headed to Peace Café and bought a decent sized lunch.
A few tips if the owners are reading this.
–Stock up.
–Lower these by 50 cents, you’ll double the amount of orders.
–Consider a heartier addition. A burrito with kimchee fried rice?
I’ll come back, but there’s improvement needed.