“That looks new,” I thought, while driving up Piʻikoi Street to catch the freeway. I made a mental note to look up Pueblo Honolulu, which is easily visible around the intersection of Piʻikoi and Kīnaʻu Streets.
The biz specializes in LA/Tijuana-style street tacos, according to David Serpas, who co-owns the business with Danny Hernandez. The biz features not only street tacos, but also tortas, quesadillas, burritos and bowls.
“Everything is handmade; it’s fresh and from scratch,” Serpas says. “I don’t like to do any canned stuff.”
“No one that ever comes here can say that it’s not Mexican or original,” adds Hernandez. “From the seasonings to the tortillas and the salsas, it’s not canned. We don’t cut corners, not even on the meats — we don’t buy frozen meats. We’re trying to give people the real thing. Our beans are boiled; they’re not canned beans. Every little thing we do — it’s real food we’re trying to give people.”
Serpas and Hernandez are both from L.A. and grew up near each other, but they didn’t meet until they were both on Oʻahu.
“We were literally a block away from each other (in L.A.), but we didn’t know each other back then,” Hernandez says. “We met here years ago and we would hang out, but we lost connection. One day, we ran into each other again and he lived literally a block away from me. We’re from L.A., but we’ve been here for 18 years.”
“Pueblo” means community in Spanish, and feeding the community authentic food at decent prices is one of the business’s goals, according to Hernandez.
“People say, ‘It’s expensive, it’s hard to do what you’re doing,’ but I’m like, ‘Somebody’s got to do it,’” he says. “It’s hard to make a profit off food; it’s hard to give people good food at a decent price. That’s where we’re coming from — let’s give the people where we live good food and something different, too.”
Tacos feature 4-inch corn tortillas with your choice of meat, onions and cilantro. Choose from carne asada ($5 each) or adobada, which is pork ($4 each).
These aren’t Hawaiʻi store-bought tortillas either, according to Hernandez.
“I’ve been flying them in from California for my personal use for more than 10 years because I got tired of eating the ones here,” Hernandez says. “There’s certain flavors that I look for in tortillas. I would call mom, and she would send me a care package. When people had food at my house — during barbecues and get togethers — they would grab the tortillas and smell it, and go, ‘Oh man, where did you get these?’”
Serpas says carne asada is more popular of the two meats, but encourages first-time customers to give adobada a try.
“The adobada is a little bit spicy, but it’s really good,” he says. “I put beans in the tacos with adobada. In Mexico, that’s how they do adobada — they chop it up and put beans on top of the taco. It gives it that good flavor.
“I grill the meat on the charcoal,” he adds. “In Tijuana, that’s what they do; they grill the meat. Everything is marinated for a couple of hours; the pork is marinaded longer so it has more flavor. These are family recipes.”
Burritos ($14 adobada, $16 carne asada) feature 12-inch tortillas stuffed with rice, pinto beans, your choice of meat, onions, cilantro and sour cream. Customers can also opt for tortas ($11 adobada, $13 carne asada) — hoagie sandwiches with a thin layer of mayo, melted Monterey Jack cheese, choice of meat, onions and cilantro — and quesadillas ($13 adobada, $15 carne asada).
There are a few tables in the parking lot for customers to sit at. Customers can choose from three different salsas, including a new, light green-hued one that should not be mistaken for avocado crema or salsa.
“I didn’t think anyone would like it because it’s so hot,” Serpas says. “It’s jalapeno with serrano (pepper) … it’s so good. The first time I put it out, I put 'Caution: try at your own risk.'”
For larger orders, Serpas encourages customers to call or text ahead of time so they can adequately prepare.
“I want people to have a good experience eating it,” he says.
CONTACT
Pueblo Honolulu
1221 Piʻikoi St., Honolulu
808-728-2897
Instagram: @pueblo_honolulu
Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 4-9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
