Jose's Cafe & Cantina

Went in with family visiting from Germany. Quickly seated may be due to just opening. Quickly given chips and salsa🔥 . Ordered macho nachos (great portion tasted good just was a bit soggy but edible i guess brother ate it up) Crab Enchiladas ( delicious recommend order sauce on side ) 3 tacos( they had ground beef instead of a steak shockingly it was good unlike cholos who's taste like the smell of alpo lol) not bad mouthing cause it was ono just wish they would bring food out at the same time there was a 10-15min length from nachos reaching table to the crab ench then 3 tacos. Small kind had family sitting without because of the delay from kitchen to table. And extra chip and salsa is an additional cost.

Such a disappointment. We went for lunch and the food took 45 minutes - there were only two other tables without food + one eating + one paying their bill. The food was mediocre at best, a waste of money in general. The “crispy” tacos were chewy and had very little filling. The cheese on the beans was congealed, like it had been sitting around getting cold - like the rest of the food - and tasteless. The chips were cardboardy, but the salsa was good. The portion sizes were fine, not huge and not tiny. The service was “crusty,” = not friendly, not attentive. The best thing about this restaurant was the restaurant itself. It is very old school cool, a “traditional” Mexican restaurant feel, clean and comfortable. Parking in a paid lot out back or metered street parking.

Actual legit critique of food being eaten Starting off with the reoccurring problem that others are discussing. Service: Service was not terrible as people suggest. Maybe people had a bad day but everything is fine. Little bit lacking in attention to some people but nothing excessive.. Real time update: It has been over 30 minutes since we were seated. Waiter keeps walking past us and even allowed another table who came in 25 minutes after us to order (They also left shortly after we finally ate.) I can easily ask for assistance, but im keeping this critique legit. Waited after 40 minutes Chips & Salsa: The chips and salsa are your basic run of the mill chips and salsa. The salsa, like people have suggested, are likely from store bought. If it is made in house, tasted a bit watery and need salt or lime. Nonetheless... they are still chips and salsa you can eat and finish Almost 30 minutes later. Food came out. Not stressed about it but portions were appropriate. I got the Burrito Ranchero and it was pretty good. Only gripe is that the meat was a bit dry and the rice was hard. Beans themselves were good. All in all. Service wasnt terrible bit it definitely needs helping. Being in here for almost 2 hours and seeing 2-3 rotations of customers at a single table is unsat. The restaraunt isnt authentic Mexican food. Not sure why I expected it especially being in Kaimuki but it wasnt spectacular, wasnt terrible. Average at best.

Excellent service! The food is good and atmosphere is ok. I had the crab Enchiladas and they were good. A friend had the steak and it was perfectly grilled.

Nice inobtrusive place to hang in the hood. I like camping at the bar. Meatball soup and Carnitas are my go-to's! 5/5/21 Cinco de Mayo! Added a pic of the Carnitas. 2/28/22 Celebrated Mardi Gras a little early with Carnitas andxTecate. Sorry, no pics. Slow, but food still consistent. Friendly bartender. Hopefully, the restaurants that survived will get back on their feet soon with steady business. Small, early happy hour crowd. Always adjust, and they should do fine. 🤙✌ 4/2023 Still serving good food. Service is a little different. Faces have definitely changed, so it's not the same neighborhood friendly feel but still a nice option. ✌️

The fish tacos were fresh and tender. Service good - wait staff limited (so be kind to her and to management) If in a hurry keep in mind to arrive early and prepare for slow service due to limited staff. Good place for a drink and enjoy a private bar atmosphere.

We randomly came into Jose’s today after running errands. The place was not busy and the wait staff was very nice. I got the fish tacos (Mahi Mahi) and they were absolutely amazing. Very large portions. So much so that I used the second tortilla that was placed under the tacos and made another taco. The fish was cut into chunks. Add a little lemon and it is perfection. My spouse only eats Vegan/ Vegetarian and our waitress Sara recommended the Vegetable burrito. It is literally the best vegetarian burrito my husband has ever ever had. We highly recommend it and will be coming back.