Get Your Mexican Food Fix in Kapahulu

What’s in a name? At Burgers & Burritos, well, everything.

January 24, 2018

Katrina Valcourt,

Burgers & Burritos, which opened on Kapahulu Avenue a few months ago, offers cheap Mexican food—and hot dogs.

Photos: Katrina Valcourt

At Burgers & Burritos on Kapahulu Avenue, you’ll find elegantly plated gastronomical wonders of upscale dining that excite the mind and entice the palate.

I’m kidding. You knew that, right?

Burgers & Burritos offers exactly what you’d expect: a selection of Mexican fare, all available for $10 or less.

That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with that, or the dishes aren’t done thoughtfully. Burgers & Burritos (or BBHI) uses locally grown ingredients, including grass-fed beef, and makes its toppings from scratch.

Though it’s only been open for a few months, BBHI isn’t new—you may remember its former incarnation, Beyond Burgers, from farmers markets across the island. At its first brick-and-mortar, next to Yakitori Glad, you’ll find nachos, tacos, hot dogs, brunch and the eponymous burgers and burritos. Plus, it’s BYOB with no corkage fee.The menu also offers fish and shrimp tacos and burritos, a portobello sandwich, quesadillas, taquitos, specials and more.

We ordered the spicy guacamole bacon burger ($10), a 5-ounce patty, cooked medium, with Swiss cheese, lettuce, grain mustard, aioli, an intriguing pineapple-mango salsa and a side of steak fries ($2 extra). Though the burger was juicy and the sauces creamy and fresh, I didn’t find it spicy enough, so I headed to the salsa bar in the corner, where you can grab Tapatio hot sauce, ketchup, lime wedges, radish slices, pico de gallo, and red and green salsas for an extra kick.

The spicy guacamole bacon burger with Swiss cheese and pineapple-mango salsa could’ve used a little more kick.

The Big Burrito lives up to its name.

Our favorite item? The Sonoran-style bacon-wrapped hot dog.

We also tried the Big Burrito ($10), with rice, cheese, onions, cilantro, lettuce, and our choice of pinto or black beans (we did half and half) and meat (beef, chicken or pork—we went with carne asada for $1 more). It’s pretty hefty, so a squeeze of lime will do some good, along with salsa. Guac and sour cream are each $2 extra, but $15 for a burrito seemed a bit much, so we kept it fairly simple. It wasn’t bad at all, but if you like your burritos packed with flavor, make the splurge.

The surprise star of the meal was neither a burger nor a burrito, but the Sonoran-style bacon-wrapped hot dog ($7). (Sonora is a Mexican state just below Arizona, where this style of hot dog is popular). The all-beef dog is heaped with grilled onions, mustard, pineapple-mango salsa, pico de gallo, bell peppers, guacamole and sour cream. Extremely messy, extremely tasty and gone in four bites. We’ll come back for this (and brunch), as will the four or five people who ogled our meal through the window, I can only assume.

760 Kapahulu Ave., open Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., park on the street or in the lot behind Pizza Hut, (808) 732-9490, burgersburritoshawaii.com