Monico's Taqueria in Lihue

Wow wow wow wow wow!!!Best Mexican food of my life!!!Ive been eating Mexican food my entire life, from near and far, east west, north and south - and this is my new #1 Mexican food Ive ever had.Ate here twice during the week, just amazing!!

This was a great little spot to get some Mexican food. The margaritas were great with a chamoy rim, which was a nice touch. Food was tasty, and the service was extremely friendly. Overall, would recommend this family run place for a bite to eat!

A really solid choice for a Mexican meal, so long as youre happy to pay the prices! (Theres way cheaper taco trucks around but this is a good restaurant experienceThere is seating inside and out (watch the goats in the field next door!), And a large menu of choice. We had the fajitas, chips and salsa and fish tacos- fish of the day was ahi, as it seems to be everywhere, everyday in Kauai! The portions are big and the flavours good, although I would like a little more heat. Theres a decent drinks menu with all the usual Margheritas. Shame they close so early as we felt a bit rushed to finish.

We went for what was recommended to us as the best fish tacos on Kauai. They were even better than that! Spectacular. We ordered another order. Great pinacoladas!

The fajitas and the fish tacos were awesome. I really like the beans also. Excellent service. Everything was great.

Good fish tacos and fish burrito (fresh ahi), though it is pricey. It satisfied our craving!They have a nice big outdoor patio (complete with chicken friends wandering around).

Friendly & quick service! Delicious food!

I have been going here since Monico’s opened many years ago. It has only gotten better over time! The quality and freshness of the food is absolutely OUTSTANDING!! And the staff really gives you a warm Aloha welcome. There aren’t too many places to eat on the island, let alone that serve Mexican food. Monico’s blows them all away!!

One of our favorites on Kauai. Quality food. Nice ambiance. Great staff. Won’t disappoint!

Good food and good drinks. Sitting outside will also give you a show of the neiboring property goat herd.

Good food. Great staff.

The place is pricey, but the quality of the food was some of the best Mexican weve had. The homemade taquitos are excellent and the fajitas are fresh and tasty. We actually liked the appetizer taquitos better than the fajitas, but I dont think you can go wrong with anything. The service was also exceptional.

Great Food, great service. Its not just great mexican food (we know our mexican food), its great food. Best fish we have had on the island.Followup - Ate here twice while we were on the island. Standout as the best place. Great fish tacos and fish burritos.

Very good food! I had Ahi Tuna Fish 🐟 Tacos 🌮 with a side a rice, beans and guacamole that were all excellent. Service was very good also. Good prices as far as Hawaii is concerned.

So good, we ate there 3 times in 9 days. Best Mexican restaurant on the Island.

Weve lived down the road from this place for many years. Heard a lot of good things but didnt try it out until a little while ago. We missed out all these years, the food is good.

Absolutely loved this restaurant! Food was excellent staff was friendly and accommodating. They were extra busy but still managed to get us food and drinks in a quick time. Seated outside views of the coconut groves and some quite friendly goats and babies running around.

The service and food are great. Our dinner here was one of the best during our 2 week stay island hopping in Hawaii.

Every part of our meal was executed perfectly! Consistent as always, yet getting better year after year. As a private chef I’m thoroughly impressed!

Monicos has been great since it opened in a small food truck on the side of the road. For quality, authentic Mexican food it cant be beat. Hands down best on the island. From the beans and salsa, to the fish tacos everything is delicious.

Four of us ordered 4 different meals and none of us were disappointed! Great food, amazing view and all of the staff were friendly! Thank you Genevieve for your patience and knowledge helping us order!

Best Mexican food we have had in Kauai. The quality of the meats, salsas, and flavors were outstanding. Jaylana, our server, was kind and attentive. The bathrooms were pristine.No reservations were required when we went at 5pm on a weeknight. Outside seating has view of palm fields, baby goats and the street. A real must when in the mood for Mexican.

Very good pork fajaitas with more veggies then the usual onion and bell peppers. The mango margaritas were also good. Choose outside seating if possible for a pretty evening view.

This place has Great service. They have a nice outdoor seating area which is my favorite at sunset with excellent fajitas and a great margarita or draft beer. Try the Spinach Salad with Blackened fish and liliquoi dressing it is my favorite.

We were really craving Mexican our first night in Kauai but I think we are spoiled back home because the food was about average. Parking was a real challenge since it was very busy even at 7 pm and spots are rather narrow. Our waitress was awesome and the atmosphere was great. I was sad that we had to pay for chips and salsa ($7and then another $4 for extra salsa but I understand Hawaii is expensive. The food was good but honestly the Mexican restaurants back home in WI are better. Still had a great time and enjoyed our meal but would not go again.

Ordered take out just 35 mins before closing and they were. wet gracious, willing and friendly. Main food (pork enchiladas with Verde saucewas delicious and the guacamole was really good. Highly recommend!

Nice outdoor patio overlooking palm trees (might be better to get a spot further from the road). Very tasty foods (dont often see seafood burritos and seafood fajitas). Good margaritas. Friendly staff. Unexpected find.

Very delicious Mexican restaurant! We started with the chips and salsa, which had 3 different types of salsa and varying spiciness levels. The atmosphere and service were also exceptional. Then we ordered chicken fajitas and fajitas Al Pastor, which had so much flavor and just the right amount of spice. The fajitas even had zucchinis in them which was a nice change from the usual green peppers. Overall, we would highly recommend this Mexican restaurant!

The food was at least average but above average for authentic Mexican food and being on an American island 3,000 miles from anything. The mole was a little too salty and too sweet but it was good. The service on the other hand is a joke. It took 15 minutes to receive our glass of sprite and only after asking again. I asked for a sample of wine and it took 10 minutes. Asked the water boy who came to fill our glass to please let our waitress know that we would like our check. He never did and she never came. I went up to the cashiers station and advised my waitress that I would like my check and that I had already asked for it 10 minutes prior and informed her that their service was poor and they needed to be more prompt. The waitress proceeded to tell me that they were in fact prompt and that I was mistaken. Decent food, horrible service. Seems to be the consensus in Kauai. If you dont provide a good service, you will lose your ability to provide any service. I would recommend eating at Maria has instead. At least then youre getting your moneys worth.

We had our kayak tour guide recommend this place and it did not disappoint. If you go one place for margaritas or fresh, delicious Mexican food while on the island go here. Seriously, they have the best margarita I’ve ever tried and their food is incredibly fresh and tasty. This place is a total gem and the prices are incredibly reasonable. On top of that the staff are incredibly warm and friendly. It’s a place you’ll want to come back to many times.

Few places compare to this caliver of Mexican food, far from the competition,here you pay more but you can taste the quality, plus is never a hit or mis, it is going to be a hit. Veggie nachos and shrimp Diabla are highly recommended along with a good old fashion Chile relleno.

I really enjoyed my time here. The place was empty so the service was really tailored to me. Had a long conversation over the menu and decided on a chili rellano. My friend had the cameronians Diablo and it was pretty nice good flavour. I will definitely be back thank you.

Carnitas nachos or carnitas plate, my favorite. Love the open face shrimp quesadilla too! Cadillac margarita a must!

Food was so fresh and delicious. Ironically some of the best Mexican food we have ever had. Staff was nice and friendly. We got the chips and salsa to start, highly recommend. Then for entrees we ordered the catch of the day tacos and chicken tacos, both were amazing. Loved the ambiance of sitting outside near the palm tree filled neighboring lot. Sunset was absolutely beautiful sitting on their patio and eating the best food.

Absolutely recommend this place if you are in a mood for some good mexican food 🥑. We were a large group with kids and the staff were very helpful and accommodative. Of course the food was amazing 😋. The ingredients tasted fresh and the food taste was great!!

Seen online how good this place is, so we decided to try while we visit Kauai. Greeter was a nice young man and the food runner guy was super cool. I gave a wave to the kitchen crew and they were all smiling but our waitress was polite but didnt really smile, didnt introduce herself. We work in hospitality, so we know how to give awesome service, especially if youre working for tips. But anyway, we had mexican corn, nachos and the chimichanga. All of those were so amazing! Presentation was nice too! Chimichanga was cooked perfect, elote was tasty and the nachos were amazing.From our outdoor seating area, there is an old coconut grove and goats feeding at sunset. Of course, if you know about Kauai, chickens are everywhere. So, there was one rooster that made its way to the deck and was begging.I gave 4 stars because of the waitress interaction. If it were a warmer vibe from her, Id give it a 5 star rating for the setting, view, other staff and most importantly the FOOD. Mahalo🤙

One of our favorite places we ate at on the island, and we ate out a lot. We lucked out and got there on an Ahi night. The quality was top notch and the Ahi was perfectly seared, very pink on the inside. Might have been a tad too much sauce on the tacos, but it didnt take away from the Ahi enjoyment. Drinks were tasty and affordable, the sunset view was superb, and the staff was very friendly and efficient. I would return on an Ahi night in a heartbeat.

Who would’ve thought Mexican food in Kauai could be so good?I ordered the seafood burrito, and I’ve never tasted a better burrito in my life that had fresh fish. Just unbelievable. The white glazed dressing smothered over the soft flour tortilla made it unforgettable.The service was VERY quick. We were a group of 9 and they brought out everybody’s meal within 10-15 minutes. Chips and salsa were delicioso as well.This will be a restaurant that we will come back to no matter what despite the hate we get for going to a Mexican restaurant in Kauai 😂Thank you, Monico’s. Never change.

In Hawaii, but this Texan has a hankerin for Mexican food. Well, Monico’s was up to the billing. I had fish tacos (ahi), wife had chicken quesadillas. Both excellent, staff was great, and setting is nice. These guys would bring a crowd down on Navigation St in Houston, and worth the stop if on Kauai.

Mexican in Kahui???? Yes and excellent!! I had a wonderfully prepared Fajita with fish of the day...Ahi seared to perfection. Nice and deep red from center to almost paper thin last layer.

Ive been coming to Kauai for years and a local turned me on to them long before they moved to their current location. Its a great upgrade for them and for us as patrons. Bottom line: *best fish tacos in Hawaii*, bar none. Always the fresh catch and so tasty! I never miss a chance to eat there. Encourage you to do the same! I added the guacamole to mine. It doesnt come with it on them, just in case you dont like it...And their flan is fabulous! 😃

What a treat to find fresh and yummy Mexican food! The mole sauce was fantastic! Our server was knowledgeable and attentive. The fish tacos were prepared with fresh caught ahi!

Fantastic meal at this family owned Mexican eatery. Really enjoyed the carnitas plate and fresh catch tacos.

Great Food and Drinks! Staff was friendly and service was great. The food was delicious and very generous portions. Best Mexican food place in Kauai!!

We love this place! Excellent margaritas! Fish & shrimp tacos are so good & fresh! They are moving to new location just down the road! Will be back

Decent place, the pepperjack burger is trying. Not really impressed by the food overall., pretty unremarkable. Once youve eaten Mexican food in Texas youll understand why I say that. Worst part are the exorbitant prices aimed at maximizing profits from money strapped tourists. Good enough to where Ill go again, but not good enough to where Ill order anything else but a burger and alcoholic beverage.

Popular Mexican Food hangout for locals. Their seafood is good, but there isn’t a lot of it given Kauai is an island. Pricey for what you get.Can get crowded and there is a wait to get in. Yes, Monica’s Taqueria will charge for your second bowl of chips and salsa, which is insane because all Mexican restaurants have this as ‘complimentary,’ as part of your meal.Kid Friendly: There is a Kids Menu and high chairs. Outdoor dining is on communal picnic tables

Delicious food, great service, everything was excellent. Ordered the fish tostadas and the chili rellenos. So good~

A definite must go! The atmosphere is very very casual. The drinks are good.. But the food is AMAZING! The place is always packed — which means great food. Definitely worth the wait!

The service was fast, to fast. When its that fast that means my chicken was pre cooked. Still was good. Red sauce was good. Watch out because they do charge you for your second basket of chips. My first basket was free alot less chips too. The Salsa was good. pico de gallo was real good,it came with the chips.