Ro's Recz

Address: 108 Hekili St #107, Kailua, HI 96734

One cuisine Hawaii is not known for is Mexican food, so I was pleasantly surprised when I recently ate at Taqueria El Gallo Rosa. El Gallo Rosa is located in Kailua, but it is well worth the drive from in town or other parts of Honolulu.

I did takeout from Taqueria El Gallo Rosa, and it was able to hold up nicely even after a 25 minute drive or so. The menu at Taqueria El Gallo Rosa is relatively small, and they only really have tacos and quesadillas. They have different meats that you can put in these, ranging from el pastor to fish to carne asada to chicken.

While the tacos are decent at Taqueria El Gallo Rosa, it is really the quesadillas that are the standout dish. I had both, and the quesadilla was far superior in my opinion. I got the steak quesadilla, and it was one of the best quesadillas I have had. It is different from a traditional quesadilla, as it is just one big slice (not cut up into four pieces or so). Also, the quesadilla seems to be prepared a bit differently, and the cheese is better than in a normal one. It is a bit difficult to describe what makes it so good, but it was better than most than I have had even in Southern California.

Taqueria El Gallo Rosa was the first Mexican restaurant that I really enjoyed in Hawaii, and I would highly recommend checking it out! I heard they might be opening up another location in Ward (not sure if this is confirmed or not), but be sure to look out for that as well!