La Isla Maui Fresh Tamales

Great authentic Mexican food (the owner is Mexican). I had the flautas, which came out piping hot and were delicious. They also have really yummy gaucomolé and salsa. The plate lunches are a good size for the price and the eat in plates have a clean and neat presentation style. I was greeted with a friendly smile and a warm hearty welcome and left satisfied with a full belly. The dining room is not too big so they probably get pretty crowded during their rush but unlike a lot of the heavy touristy areas, parking at the shopping center is ample and easy. There are no dine in restrooms but coded restrooms are just around the corner from the restaurant. I will definitely be going back to try more of their menu.

Wonderful food!!! I was glad to get this as a pick up and ate at home. There was so much food I had a couple of meals out of the left overs! When I come back to maui I will for sure stop by.

While traveling we stopped here to eat. We had burritos, enchiladas and ribs. Small place and the food was good. It was a lot of food. Public restrooms behind restaurant.

Ding Dong! The witch is dead!
This is some seriously delicious food. I can’t believe it’s been under my nose this whole time… and I’ve bypassed it countless times for the sushi bar at Foodland, a couple of slices from Serpicos, endless trips to Pukulani Superette for bento… Polli’s, lord forbid! It’s hidden, beware.
Holy lord loving beans. Theirs are the very best beans and pork, and I love Roasted Chilies and Taqueria Cruz and Tortugas also… So frickin’ delicious. I’m so stoked to learn they’re open till 8pm, and that, for me, they are so close to home.

Love this place me and my boyfriend came here 3x’s because it’s that good, but sadly today is are last day and we will miss this place

Oh man! I had some really good GRINDZ today… after finishing up a job in Wailuku today, I had a little time before I had to catch my flight back home, so I decided to make a little side trip to Pukalani today, as I haven’t been up there for quite some time now. Upon driving up to Pukalani, I decided to stop by the Pukalani Terrace Center to look for a place to eat.
I remembered next door from the American Saving Bank, there were a few places to eat, and upon getting to the little strip mall, I decided to go to a place where the outside sign said «MIXED PLATE» (see photo).
This little restaurant is sandwiched between a nail salon, and the other side is some kind of Maui Medical clinic.
Upon walking into the restaurant at around 2:45 PM or so… I originally planned on picking up a plate lunch, but once I saw Mexican food… my plans changed!
The restaurant was totally empty, and at 1^st I had to call out to see if they were opened. A nice friendly gentleman came out from the kitchen to greet me, and assured to me that they were opened…
Upon scanning the Mexican food, I decided on a Burrito ($ 10.00) and I had a choice of meat for the burrito like — Carne Asada, hamburger, or grilled chicken. I ended up picking the grilled chicken.
When I placed my order, I thought I was just getting a burrito, but to my surprised it was a burrito plate where they included re-​fried beans, Spanish rice, chips & salsa too!
Everything here is made fresh to order, so when you place your order… you will have to wait a little bit, before you get your food, so if you’re in a rush to go somewhere… may I suggest you go somewhere else. But if you’re looking for delicious fresh Mexican food, then you’ve come to the right place!
When they finally brought out my burrito plate, I almost FAINTED! The burrito was so MASSIVE! It could have actually fed 2 people… maybe 3, if there were 3 skinny people!
I decided to cut my burrito in ½ & attack it slowly… upon eating ½ of of the burrito, I was already full. But the glutton in me, got the best of me, and I totally forced myself in inhale the other half of the burrito…
From there, I proceeded to down the re-​fried beans, & Spanish rice too! The chips, I tried to do my best, but had to stop, as it was just way too much food! I could have surely used some help today, as the food portion was really too generous!
What can I say about the burrito? Well, it was loaded with a lot of grilled chicken, veggies, & sauce. It was really tasty, and I just added a little salsa to it to give it a little kick! The gentleman (son) who worked there, asked me if I wanted my burrito wet, but I chose to have it dry (without the sauce on top).
Service was very friendly, and I must say, this place made really good authentic Mexican food! It was a very pleasant surprise for me to find a good Mexican joint, especially when I was going for a plate lunch today.
In the past, I’ve worked all over Los Angeles for my job, and some of my Hispanic friends who are from L.A. have taken me to some pretty darn good authentic Mexican restaurants, and I can safely say, this place can rival some of the best in L.A.

Excellent service and food. Great spot for fresh tamales and plate lunch. Also good for vegetarians.

Back here for a second time, shared a taco salad. I love the food here and the portions are large. Very good local menu too.

Eat there twice in one week for we thought the food was very good. I had the chili verde and enchilada plates, My husband the relleno plate and then the breakfast plate of eggs and ham. Also tried the local plate of chili and rice. Will return to have the tamales. All was very flavorful! A good find.

Good plate lunch, but I wish I’d tried their tamales.
It’s a small casual place, not a destination restaurant. But if taking an upcountry drive, it’s a good alternative. Had the standard plate lunch with excellent pork lau lau.

This is the best Mexican food I have ever had, and I used to live in Mexico! They do a great job on their local food as well. Their portions are huge, so it’s a great value for their price. My favorite meal is the pork burrito, and my kids fight over their chicken quesadilla. My only complaint is that they’re not open for dinner which is when I need take out the most. This restaurant is upcountry’s best kept secret.

Not just tamales, a solid plate lunch joint as well!
Hm, it’s sort of a toss up, the place is really a 3-​and-​a-​half stars, but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt, here. The four is four-​star, in terms of plate lunches. That is, it’s not the same as a super-​awesome four-​star gourmet restaurant, but for plate lunch food, it’s damn solid.
The service was slowwwwwww, though. In their defense, we came in with 9 people, which seemed to be about half the entire capacity of the restaurant; I don’t think they get large groups in that often, and each dish took awhile to make.
Service was all done with a smile though, and lots of hospitality. If you happen to find yourself in Pukalani for some reason, and craving some solid local grub, this is a good stop. Grab the Loco Moco and make fun of your mainland friends for not having any idea what the hell that is.
(I know, there’s no review of the actual tamales — I live in L.A., where we have crazy good tamales all over the place, so I figured I’d have a plate lunch while in Hawai’i and have my mexican food back home)