Cholo's Homestyle Mexican Restaurant

Came in after lunch on Friday- had a blast! Don't care for all the chickens - it's just waayyy more than a couple of years ago. I ordered the burrito with shredded beef - that was great - very filling for someone my size, that's important. Lots of beef and cheese - I ordered the side of sour cream because that's how I like it. Service was great anticipating our need before we had to ask - several refills and check backs. But the chickens man, some tourists may like them but for me, they just noisy and shit everywhere. But aside from that - I would eat here again. Good value.

Meh. If this is the honestly "home style", then their home must have been a fatherless family of 15 siblings who had to scrap for food. Taco shells not cooked, straight out of the Sinaloa package to the plate. Canned refried beans and not even the El Paso, these are the "American Pride" brand found on the lowest shelf of a dollar store. Oh and that is for $24 a plate!!Margaritas was on point tho

I'm giving Cholo's 4 stars for food and service, but a 0 for cleanliness. We've eaten here several times over the years. The menu is pretty standard with a little extra seafood (e.g. ahi) to make it a little more North Shore. First, the rant. We were sitting outside and observed a couple of nearby tables covered in debris and food scraps, napkins under the table, etc. from previous parties and as a result, birds were having a field day. The staff repeatedly walked past the tables while ignoring the mess. They even removed a high chair and menu from one of the tables without addressing the bigger problem. Minutes went by with no other action. Finally, all of the debris was scraped to the ground with the edge of a menu by the next party to sit there. Ewwwww! It would have been a little understandable if the restaurant was covered up, but that was not the case. The positives: Service was friendly and fast. Food was served in just a few minutes. We both had the enchiladas verde, which were generous and came with delicious black beans and typically so-so Mexican rice. A couple of different cheeses were sprinkled on top rather than the plastic "cheese sauce" used by many other restaurants. A very nice detail was the use of fresh whole leaf spinach rather than the shredded frozen spinach often used by others. . In summary, the service is good. The food is good, if not overly imaginative. MESSAGE TO MANAGEMENT: Teach your staff how to clear and clean tables ! ! !

Ok so I can't really talk about the food because we stopped for a drink and a small snack. But what I can say is we LOVED our margs. They were fresh, smooth and perfectly balanced. What I liked most is you could tell there was tequila in them but it was good. We enjoyed to the last drop. Chips had a hit of salt, thin and crisp. Salsa was great, it had a small kick to it which I loved. The only down side to me was the guacamole really had no flavor, and after the margaritas, chips and salsa I had high hopes. We sat at the bar and the bartender was had great service. Quick to serve all at the bar and her server's. She had a smile the whole time, and just never stopped moving. Ambiance was festive but kinda typical. Great outdoor seating. Bar area was also comfy.

I was skeptical on coming here to begin with (my normal spot is closed on Mondays) but I thought eh why not. I should have trusted my gut and either went to my other place in Haleiwa or waited until tomorrow. I have been here once before and the spinach and cheese enchiladas plate wasn't bad at all. Everything came out quickly, it was hot, the portion was big as well. The flavors were really good.This time? Not so much. I ordered the chile verde plate and the meat was good, the portion was big but that was probably the only good thing about it. The beans were cold. Which is probably why the cheese never melted. Also, please melt the cheese beforehand! Lol, PLEASE. Who wants cold cheese on what is suppose to be hot beans. The beans also tasted like they were from a can. The rice was lackluster and lacking flavor but that was warmer because of the chile verde on top. The dish could have used more sauce as well, it became very dry very fast. I was so disappointed, I couldn't finish lol. I did eat my tortillas it came with. The chips and salsa weren't bad either, the chips weren't stale, salsa had good flavor and wasn't watery. But my poor dish. Food is everything and this was not. I will definitely not be coming back lol. $25 for disappointment, definitely not worth it.The service was great though! Super attentive and very welcoming (the stars are for them). Plenty of parking available too. If you want authenticity, this isn't the place. But plenty of seating inside and outdoor, one of the few mexican restaurants in Haleiwa. So, best of luck on if you decide you want to try for yourself! I think they have the chance to be a really good place but what is a restaurant without amazing food?

I regretted coming here but we wanted to be seated pretty quickly as we were hungry. This place had opened seats so we came in. We ordered the chicken tostada plate, steak fajitas and the double chicken taco plate. I was considering the shrimp tacos ala carte but it was at a high price point just for that so went with chicken tostada. The chicken is flavorless and the beans, lettuce, cheese and olives are just dumped on top. It's a hot mess and the only way to eat it is by picking at it with your fork. I wouldn't mind doing that but the flavors were not good. Rice and beans tasted dry. We ordered the bottomless chips/salsa for $4 and the salsa was watered down and didn't have much flavor.Service was okay, they were out of horchata and our server forgot to bring our sugars for the iced tea when we asked initially. It took awhile to get our food and the ambience in here is a bit run down. We're still on the hunt for good Mexican food in Hawaii but unfortunately... this place wasn't it.

Cholos has been around forever and part of the North Shore experience. I feel like this restaurant has seen better days. Interior is run down, not the cleanliness and light fixtures are out but maybe they are trying to give the true Mexican restaurant vibe. The best parts of Cholos are the bottomless chips and the super nice staff. On a busy weekend, the hostess was super nice and courteous. Our waiter was friendly and chatty immediately asking about our drink and offering us bottomless chips for a low price. The bottomless chips are addicting so by the time your meal comes you are very full. The actual meals that came are not good. Little overpriced for the taste..although the quantities are decent. Quesadillas were cold and something I could make at home with a microwave. Salad was warm and shell definitely quite stale. We honestly could not finish our food...pretty tasteless and unappetizing.It was nice to stop over on our North Shore drive but will not be back. Not enjoyable food and definitely will not be back.

I'm really disappointed with how the quality has gone down over the years. I paid for $5 for guacamole, only to get this mini cup. And I had to pay an extra $6 for chips. It used to be included with the meal.

I should have listened to the reviews on yelp and not google. I decided to try Cholos this time, for the food. Drinks were still good but no happy hour and the food was bad. It was so bland and underwhelming. I didn't even eat the taco salad... after I added salsa and hot sauce for flavor, I boxed it up and took it home so I could maybe do more for it. The bowl fell part, it was mostly beans, then the bowl was so soggy is just stuck to the plate. The carne asada burrito was mostly beans and guacamole. Our server was nice but that was the only saving grace here? That and the dog friendly patio. I won't be giving them another shot!

This place is dirty! Tables are not wiped down after customers. Food was terrible and the famous margaritas are not good at all.