Patricio’s Mexican Taqueria

I think my expectations were high based on the reviews and I’m from LA and have had some amazing Mexican food. This place was okay. I wish Unilocal allowed half stars but for now I’ll round up. I got the California Burrito and it was wrapped a little strange because all of the fries were on one side and the meat on the other. It was supposed to be carne asada but it was dry and broke apart in shreds. Maybe it was an off day?

Not super impressed with this place, but it wasn’t bad. I got the carne asada plate, and the meat was just really dry. The texture made it seem like the meat had just been boiled… and flavor-​wise it was pretty bland so I wasn’t a fan of the meat at all. The rice was good – wish they gave more of that. Portion sizes are decent, and would have been much more appreciated had the meat been better. Also comes with tortillas on the side!
We also got their ceviche. It was yummy! Flavors all worked so well together and the whole dish was very refreshing and light, with a slight kick. The ceviche was a bit pricey, but I definitely preferred it over the carne asada plate.
Overall, definitely not the best Mexican food I’ve had, but it’s not bad. I’d stay away from the carne asada, though.

Horrible. No way is this Mexican food. No taste at all. Threw my carne asada burrito away.

Such a disappointment the cheese in the enchiladas wasn’t even melted. The sauce tasted and looked straight out of a can. The rice was warm but the beans were not

Well, every thing here is mediocre at very best. I’m sure I will never eat here again. This is my third or fourth time, hoping that something will satisfy me, but so far nothing has. Not to mention this meal was served to me on a paper plate and there was only plastic dinnerware available, which was not all too handy against my super rubbery tortilla. Unfriendly service really. Almost no interaction except a moment to correct me on my order.

To clear up the ground beef taco issue mentioned in a negative review – they do indeed have a type of taco in a crunchy shell with ground beef (think Taco Bell). But, that isn’t representative of their menu. This place has all the typical taqueria meats and items – carne asada, chili verde with pork, al pastor, shrimp, fish, even lengua and menudo on Sundays. The regular tacos are on unfried small corn tortillas, with cilantro and onion, as expected. Sadly, the menu didn’t include carnitas. But, it was reliable taqueria food to me; filling, tasty, inexpensive, fast.
The person with the negative review about the ground beef taco probably ordered a «beef taco.» The better English word for what they expected (which I assume was chopped steak, browned on the grill, called carne asada in Spanish) would have been «steak.» The counter staff probably has their terminology down (beef=ground beef, steak=carne asada) but they goofed in thinking everyone else does. But, don’t hold that against their food. (And don’t order a beef taco!)

Yummy Mexican food. I ordered the fish tacos and was highly satisfied. Only down side is the chips and salsa are extra. Our bag of chips were a little stale, but the amazing tasting salsas made up for it. If I lived here this would definitely become one of my go to Mexican restaurants.

I loved their nachos. The only time I actually ate the whole thing to myself. Wasn’t craving it as much until I got them, then realized how good they were.

A great way to fill up stomach. Wery good buritos.

I love this spot. I had a shrimp burrito today and it was so good! I love the ceviche too. The owners are so nice whenever they are there they stop and say hi to us. Great food and very quick /​convenient! I am now becoming a regular.

Sad. I wish I could say this is good food, but it isn’t. Soggy chips, dry carne asada taco meat, dry black beans, weird tasting rice and super chalky horchata. My dining partner had the al pastor burrito and he was not impressed. I talked him into getting horchata since he had never had it and now I feel bad. I should have let him get a Mountain Dew. At least then something would have tasted good.

Delicious tacos! I got the shrimp and the fish. The shrimp was better, but the fish was very good too. The corn tortillas were good and the salsas we’re tasty and fresh.

I have been craving real Mexican food for last couple days now that I am back to the Big Island from my home, Los Angeles, California. First things first, no mexican food in Hawaii can beat LA Mexican food so wherever I go, I know I am not going to be satisfied or even find something close to it, no.
I wanted to get a Jamba Juice but then I found this restaurant next to it so I decided to try. I had a bad crave for tacos and enchiladas but their tacos are made with ground beef which isnt the type of tacos I wanted. So I decided to get enchiladas instead. The guy at the cashier wasnt necessarily rude but customer service was not seen anywhere. He did not smile or thank me. I clearly told him I wanted enchilads a la carte WITHOUT the beans and rice and he nodded his head OK and when I got my food, it had rice and beans on my plate. 3 enchiladas for $ 10+? Such a rip off. Was it good? No, but I ate it because I was hungry. They were so stingy with cheese, my enchiladas had barely any cheese on it and it was just whatever. The red enchilada sauce was something I have tasted before (maybe premade) and it just didnt do it. Their tortilla was very stiff and dry. Chicken was ok but not flavorful at all.
They have salsa by the soda fountain and their salsa has really weird taste. Didnt like the green or red. It is my fault for having hopes in the first place but, even when I got my food, the guy kept his mouth shut after shouting out enchiladas. They should really work on customer service and put on some smile on their face. Never coming back.
How do they even have a 4 star rating? Ridiculous.

This place RULES!!!
Went straight here from the airport and was just trying to get something quick and close. This blew me away.
You cannot GET Mexican food much tastier than this place. And it’s at a place where you walk up to order it! Not what I was expecting. Just delicious.
And the staff is SUPER friendly. I could hang out there all day. I would definitely go back there if I visited again.

Native San Diegan, born and raised desperately searching for comparable Mexican food. Ordered the California burrito and OMG finally! It’s been 2 years on Oahu without a decent burrito. I am happy to report this place is awesome. As for my other San Diego peeps with salty reviews, not sure what went wrong for them. My burrito with the hot sauce companion made a symphony in my mouth! Fresh made guac and pico de gallo. Seriously amazing and well priced. Also, the staff was friendly. Can I get burritos mailed to Oahu please? I see more trips to big island in my future. My husband said he wanted to thank the owner for what he does. Job well done, mahalo!

Good and cheap Mexican food in Kona. Love to come here whenever we have cravings for Mexican food. When you walk in, you get the whole Spanish vibe with the music and decorations. Nice place.
I always order one of the Taco Plates or the Enchilada. Both delicious and filling! The guy who works in the kitchen does a great job with the food! Wish I knew his name, but he’s one of the main cooks so you’ll know. I love the enchilada’s here because they cook them fried as they are supposed to be. So Stars for that!

Alright, delicious, fast and convenient! Staff could be friendlier, and I laugh at the ‘sample’ area where you are asked to only take one sample, on the day I was there it was a tortilla chip and guacamole.
Not a fan of their styrofoam take out containers but if you eat in its paper plates so I think they are trying to be earth friendly.
Pretty good Mexican for a small town. They would earn a 4^th star if they were just a bit friendlier.

Awesooooooooome!!! I’m from LA so I know Mexican food! And let me tell you, this is the real deal. I went in a bit skeptical that there wouldn’t be any Mexican food worth having in Hawaii but I was dead wrong.
This place is very clean and really cute! Very nicely decorated with a big painting on the wall. They even had free samples of chips and guacamole!
I loved the salsa bar! Really cute and fully
stocked with good stuff. They had jalapenos, carrots, limes, a mild and a hot salsa, and one other thing I can’t recall at the moment. They kept it full and very clean. I love that because a lot of places leave them kind of messy and for me, that’s a big no no. But I didn’t have to worry about this one.
They had a very extensive menu for a quick serve place. They have everything here! And they also have daily specials… I think last night’s was tamales. They also have pozole! That is a big plus in my book because a lot of places don’t carry that. I didn’t try it last night but I definitely will next time I go… maybe today?
I had the al pastor burrito. Sooooo good! It’s packed with beans and meat and pinapple and delicious-​ness. The meat was very flavorful! And the tortilla was really good too! Pair it with the hot salsa from the salsa bar and you are set!
Can’t wait to try more stuff from this place!

Came here from Oahu to find this great Mexican place. Can you believe they have lengua, and delicious!
Carne Asada Burrito also great!

We had a craving for authentic Mexican food during our stay on the Big Island. Based on Unilocal ratings, we gave Patricio’s a try. We have pretty high standards coming from Chicago, home of many authentic Mexican taquerias. My husband and I shared a variety of tacos — steak, al pastor, fish and pork in chile verde. The fish tacos were by far the best, a perfect balance of each ingredient. The others were good but not great. The al pastor and chile verde surprisingly didn’t have much depth of flavor. Again, the beans and rice were nothing special. I had the house sangria, which was good but a very standard red sangria. We dined about a half hour before closing and I thought it was kind of weird we weren’t offered chips and salsa.