“Sobaritto” is the first item I noticed on the Tacos 4U menu. The Tacos 4U food truck is the sister business of Tako 4U — which specializes in takoyaki — and operating general manager/executive chef Ken Maeda says the taco truck is the only place you can find yakisoba burritos.
“People have never heard of a sobaritto before, but we have a good yakisoba, so we figured we might as well make it,” he says. “You know how they have yakisoba pan? We said, ‘Let’s do it in a burrito.’”
The yakisoba burrito ($15) features a 10-inch flour tortilla with nacho cheese sauce and shredded cheese, the business’s yakisoba, red onions, cilantro, your protein of choice and crispy tempura crumbs to add some crunch. Then, the burrito is folded and grilled.
“We get our noodles from Sun Noodle; it’s a little thicker yakisoba,” Maeda says. “We have a homemade yakisoba sauce. When people ask, ‘What is a sobaritto?’ and we explain it to them, then they order it. We recommend the chicken or spicy pork (as the protein); it goes best with that.”
Tacos are sold in pairs — two for $14 — and are all made with 6-inch flour tortillas. Protein options include spicy pork, kalbi, chipotle chicken and spicy garlic shrimp.
“The most popular taco right now is the spicy garlic shrimp or kalbi,” Maeda says. “We have premium-grade kalbi; we marinate it overnight and grill it up. The shrimp has a spicy chili garlic sauce that’s made from scratch.
“Our spicy pork changes from time to time,” he adds. “Sometimes, it’s sisig with Thai chili peppers and serrano. Our spicy pork for today is pork belly kimchi.”
After the open-face tortillas are topped with shredded cheese, proteins, onions and cilantro, they’re drizzled with a house sauce before they’re folded. Shrimp and kalbi are finished with a creamy garlic aioli; the chicken gets a housemade chipotle sauce; and the spicy pork is topped with a serrano cilantro salsa.
Customers can also get combo meals ($14), which include chips, salsa, two tacos of your choice and a drink.
If you’re looking for a shareable appetizer, go for the nachos ($12). Sinaloa tortilla chips are loaded with cheese sauce, shredded cheese, onions, cilantro, a protein of your choice and jalapenos. Maeda recommends the chicken with chipotle sauce as the protein.
“When creating the menu (for this second business), I said, ‘Let’s try tacos,’” says Maeda, who acknowledges that there are many other taco businesses on Oʻahu. “We’re different; we’re a fusion taco truck, we’re not authentic. We have pork belly kimchi and spicy garlic shrimp — flavors that most people don’t get to try (in a taco).”
Free meals are provided to children under age 12, as part of the business’s mission to support kids in Hawaiʻi, according to Maeda.
Stay updated with Tacos 4U’s schedule by following the biz on Instagram. Maeda notes that the biz is usually open from 5 to 9 p.m. wherever it pops up.
CONTACT
Tacos 4U
Various locations
Instagram: @tacos4u808
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
