The Mi Casita Mexican Restaurant tradition continues at a new location in Suite D of the Waipouli Plaza, 4901 Kuhio Highway. The former King & I Thai restaurant space is next to the Waipouli Variety Store.
Mi Casita is Spanish for “my cottage” or as the restaurant puts it, “our little home.” The return to the original business name is another way to let people feel at home in the restaurant.
“It’s really homey, cozy and comfortable,” said Ana Muñoz, wife of owner Omar Muñoz. “People come in here and get treated like family.”
The owners closed their former La Bamba restaurant at Kukui Grove in October after 18 years in business. They opened Mi Casita’s on Feb. 13.
Roxy Kua, of Anahola, said she misses the La Bamba’s, where she would meet friends after finishing work at her salon. Now, she stops by at Mi Casita on the way home to have dinner with friends.
“Everything they have here is delicious,” Kua said.
“This is the best Mexican food on Kauai,” said Brandi Donayri of Wailua.
Mi Casita’s is a family restaurant. Omar’s and Ana’s two sons, Angel, a college student, and Christian, in high school, are among the seven staff. They also have a younger daughter, Mariana, with special needs.
A new restaurant is a lot of work, and it’s more difficult since Ana has had to step back for health reasons. She is accustomed to working seven days a week and says it’s frustrating to watch her family pick up the slack.
“It has been a very difficult road but not one that is unbeatable,” Ana said. “I have been getting support from church and friends.”
Omar honed his Mexican culinary skills in California two decades ago. Ana transitioned her customer service background to the couple’s first Mi Casita restaurant in old Koloa town that ran from 1998 to 2006. They also had a Mi Casita’s on Rice Street for five years before opening La Bamba’s at Kukui Grove.
“We are the restaurant that survived the longest by God’s grace,” Ana said.
While La Bamba’s was more of a destination restaurant in a mall setting, Mi Casita’s catches more commuting traffic, and local residents and several resorts and hotels are within walking distance.
“I would like to first thank God, who has given us an opportunity to serve our community in Kauai as well as our visitors,” Ana said. “Without him we wouldn’t be able to overcome our trials in business and in life.”
There are weekly specials.
The Mexican pizza is a fried flower tortilla with choice of shredded beef, chicken or seafood, topped with tomatoes, olives, sour cream and melted cheese.
“It’s like a double-decker tostada with lots of cheese,” Ana said. “We can do a vegetable-only Mexican pizza, too.”
Other new items include the chili verde tradicional, with roasted pork marinated in a spicy fresh green sauce. The restaurant grows their own Serrano chilies to use with the new chile relleno and other dishes.
The chili relleno, or any item, can be served with a vegetarian green sauce to substitute for the chicken-based ranchero sauce.
The tamales are made from masa (cornmeal flower) and baked for three hours in a big steamer pot. Then chicken or shredded beef is added and it’s baked a little longer before the homemade enchilada or ranchero sauce is added.
“People come back because they love our food,” she said. “We make everything from scratch. It is consistent, very flavorful and the presentation is good.”
Most entrées come with Mexican rice and refried beans. There is no lard in the vegetarian beans.
Repeat customers tend to order the same dinner items, Ana said. This is one reason the large menu has variety and the staff remembers them for what they order.
Part of the reason people come back is the service, she added.
“We take employees in as though they are part of our family,” Ana said. “We teach them how to love to work and value our customers.”
It wouldn’t be a Mexican restaurant without the variety of bottled Jarritos sodas. They plan to bring in horchata, a cinnamon rice milk drink.
“We are getting some requests,” she said.
The two-section dining room seats 50 comfortably.
“We remodeled quite a bit,” Ana said.
The walls are lined with the paintings of local artist Sheadon Ringor. Twenty-five percent of profits from art sales goes to a nonprofit that will support special-needs children.
Mi Casita’s will eventually pursue a liquor license. For now, customers are invited to bring their own beer and wine. There is a $10 corkage fee for wine.
Mi Casita’s is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Info: Micasitakauai.com or 822-0022.
