Mario's Cocina
Finding a Puerto Rican restaurant here in Hawaii is quite difficult. When you do find one, you will discover that the food served at these restaurants has taken on a "local" flair. This is not to say that the food does not taste good, but I can tell you that it tastes a lot different than the Puerto Rican food that you can find in Puerto Rico or in places like New York or Florida.
Mario's Cocina has been open for about six months now. Located at the gateway to Pauoa, it is another hole-in-the-wall that you would probably miss while driving by. I actually happened to notice it while I was waiting for my chicken katsu plate from Jamie's Snack Shop. Over the last several months, I have tried a few of the dishes here and have found that the portions are generous while the food is flavorful.
left: chuletas de guisada (pork chops, gandule rice, salad; US$6.50
right: corn(ed) beef gesada (US$5.00)
I have since added Mario's to my long list of "stand-bys" when I am looking for something decent to eat while on the go. If you are interested in trying some local Puerto Rian cuisine, this is definitely one of the few places you would want to visit.
Pastele, gandule rice, salad (US$6.00)
Mario's Cocina
1989 Pauoa Road
Telephone: 384.6839
Hi Reid,
What an interesting find. Can you describe the prep and taste of the items? How's the rice? The cornbeef looks like hash. What's a Pastele?
Posted by: J Ohta | June 19, 2008 at 03:34 AM
Between you and the Tasty Island, I now have a serious Puerto Rican jones going.
I hope these guys are open for dinner??!
Posted by: spotty | June 19, 2008 at 07:33 AM
Those pork chops look tasty! I've only had Puerto Rican food once in Miami (supposedly "authentic")and would be curious to compare Mario's Cocina to that. I'm adding it to my list to try!
Posted by: Carol | June 25, 2008 at 06:12 AM
Yummy! The Pastele looks so delicious. Gonna make sure to check this place out!
Posted by: Coty | June 26, 2008 at 12:50 AM
Its always such a treat to find authentic ethnic foods in Hawaii!! Thanks for the good find! My boyfriend loves Pastele!
Posted by: Ashley | July 05, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Ha. It's ironic that you covered Puerto Rican cuisine just about the same time me and my partners in crime went on a Puerto Rican binge. lol
One of them discovered a new place in Ewa Beach called "A Taste of Puerto Rico", which then prompted us to have a visit to the Pastele Shop on School and Gulick, which surely you've been to. You're right though, many of the shops here sort of "localize" the dishes. Like at the Pastele Shop, they use Ti Leaves instead of Banana leaves.
What I think is an abomination is when they serve white rice and mac salad with Pasteles. No way, Jose! It's gotta' be Gandule Rice and Bacalau Salad!
Posted by: Pomai | July 14, 2008 at 03:03 PM
MMmmmm.....I love pateles!
Posted by: Holly | July 27, 2008 at 07:21 PM
Hey there all da way from Washington state.. I was there a few month's back visiting family and stopped in to try the cuisine.. Being of Puerto Rican descent, I grew up in Honolulu wit da best Puerto Rican food there is from GrAND AND GREat Grands...Ono.. Mario's food rated up there wit da best... The Pastele's was perfect and the rice excellent.. You making me hungry just thinking about it.. Aloha.. Oh yeah, doe's Mario ship?? Find out okay.. Laterz
Posted by: Davilyn | August 08, 2008 at 03:37 PM
looks good! i love pastele but my wife doesn't care for it much :P
the kitchen looks so homey... wouldn't mind eating here one day
Posted by: James | August 26, 2008 at 03:00 PM
Delicioso! Went for the pasteles and weren't disappointed! The arroz con gandules were great too - just the right amount of garlic. The portions are generous and sure to make you want to go again. LOL - that will be 2500 mile trip for us from Riverside, CA.
Maria de Caguas
Posted by: Angie | December 27, 2008 at 06:35 PM
I have grown up on Puerto Rican food and when I read in the best of Honolulu about Mario's I wanted to try it. I have been disappointed in the past (with the horrible Pastele Shop) and I had high hopes for Mario's. It is not a place to eat in being small and hot. The woman who helped us was friendly while the gentleman doing the cooking was not so much. The food was subpar. The gandule rice, while having a nice taste had a strange choice for the meat. The pastele was horrible. We asked for the spicy version and what we got was not. It was salty, it had chunks of fat and the masa had pieces of ungrated banana in it. We also ordered the empanadija (meat turnovers)which fortunately for me I didn't eat but unfortunately for my deaughter she did. She said the dough was tasteless and the meat tasted as if it had gone bad. Anyone who has cooked mestuda (the meat in a pastele and empanadija knows how quickly the meat acn go bad but serving it is unforgiveable. My daughter has spent the evening relieving herself of our lunch.
Posted by: Jim | December 27, 2008 at 06:37 PM