It’s not every day you come across an Irish-themed pub that serves Mexican food.
But that’s exactly what Pablo McGinty’s is, a pub-slash-cantina that’s popular on the Mainland.
Too bad that’s not what opened last month in the space vacated by Compadres Bar & Grill in Ward Centre.
Instead, we have Pablo’s Cantina, a Mexican-style restaurant with maybe a couple of Irish-themed dishes such as Guinness beer-battered fish and chips and a solid lineup of beer. Not that I’m complaining — but the fusion would’ve been interesting.
The principal owner, Oahu native Steve Hamile, is a part-time Lanai resident who wanted to move this Long Beach, Calif.-based chain of Irish pubs to Hawaii. He saw the void left by the closing of Compadres, a fixture in the Ala Moana area and famous for its Taco Tuesdays, which offered cheap tacos and drink specials. (Pablo’s is bringing that traditional back, by the way.)
In all, the food was, well, good enough. It didn’t blow my mind, but Pablo’s did offer some unique dishes that are worth trying. And you can’t beat the prices — you get a lot of food for a fairly reasonable price — the hours — open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. — or the bar selection.
It’s a great place for hanging with your friends — there was ’80s music by Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel and The Cure playing on the house speakers — or meet with coworkers. Not the best date spot — but still, a fun restaurant to check out before watching a movie or heading home after a long day at work.
Here’s what we ate:
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Pablo Cantina, Ward Centre, 1200 Ala Moana Blvd. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Phone: 808-591-8307
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10 Comments
Hey Cat ,
Hate to be a party pooper but we were just there last tue and nothing was very good, in fact disappointing. I’m curious what other think?
Pablos had me with the Negra Modelo sign outside the door. Just the thing to slake my thirst for a brewed beverage. Una cerveza no es nada; dos, dos son la mitad de una; tres, tres son una; vamos a empezar…
You mean they serve food too?
What no corned beef & cabbage burritos? 😉 The steak and al pastor look ono, and desserts sound good. Looks worth a try one of these days.
I’m a little wary about ethnic food in cities where that particular culture isn’t really established. kinda like eating seafood in Kansas City. One of the good/bad things about living in California is that I was introduced to good Mexican food. the bad thing about it is my local carniceria has spoiled me for chain type mexican food.
I’m always leery of heavy handed, large scale, high concept, in-your-face Mexican restaurants. I’ve usually found them to be too long on color and too short on cooking. They seem to have gimicks, like blue corn tortilla chips or margaritas the size of your toilet.
As a long time Texan and anglo-wetback, when it comes to Mexican food, I’m a poverty snob. The cheaper it is the better it is. Like the awesome asian holes in the walls of Honolulu, small dives that can bring tears and humility to the most exacting gourmand, the little Mexican restaurants in places like east Austin, or El West Side, San Antonio know how to get it right.
I’m surprised there are not such in Honolulu, cause, y’know, Mexicans are really Polynesians who got there first.
Hello Cat!
Fuud pixs Friday!
I have tickets for Ward Center this weekend for the Festival of Giving. I will be checking out the discounts the merchants will be having all weekend long!
Yikes, those are some wimpy looking tacos!
Yay for the magaritas
wait, why is it ‘curious’ that cheese was placed atop the black beans? and was it feta for sure? it is very customary to serve cotijo or anejo cheese atop black beans, which is often mistaken for feta. i’d say there’s nothing curious about that. hmm… curious, but not enough to ask the server?!
Fuud Pix Fridays!
Next time, check out their nachos. Its HUGE. Wound up splitting a set of chips/salsa, a plate of nachos and had a margarita. It was plenty for the night. I’ll try the fajitas next. Great place to kick back on Friday afternoon before starting the weekend.