Luquin's "very close" to opening

[Obie]

I'm disappointed.The urinal isn't gold.Plenty of seats right now.4 very loud drunk ladies at the bar right now though.

[Obie]

There is more table space than parking places.

[Mimosa]

Guinness Book of world records,

Longest wait time to get a permit for a restaurant bathroom on Hawaii the Island.


Mrs.Mimosa

[terracore]

So, did anybody go? What's the verdict?

FYI I'm talking about food/cleanliness/service not the urinal. Though if they have one of those gigantic mints in there is definitely a sign of classiness.

[Obie]

Food is about the same, they have added chile verde and chile colorado to the menu.
Everything is brand new so yes it's clean.
Service was a little slow.

They hadn't numbered the tables so orders were going out to the wrong tables.

Their computer program hadn't been updated with the new get tax, so the bills had to be figured by hand.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Luquin's still hasn't collected their insurance settlement for the fire two years ago. Lloyd's of London was the carrier:

The suit seeks payment of the replacement cost of the buildings under the insurance policy and unspecified damages for “negligence, insurance bad faith and violation of” the Hawaii law against unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce.

The claim involves the property at 15-2942A Pahoa Village Road, where the restaurant and theater, both owned by chef-restaurateur Salvador Luquin, were located. The facades of both buildings remained after the fire, but were later razed in the interest of safety.
The complaint states that since the fire Luquin “has been attempting to obtain payment of the amounts owed for the loss/claim, including the replacement cost

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/201...ire-claim/

We're not considering anything, but all options are on the table. - President Donald J. Trump 1/24/19

[randomq]

Finally had a chance to try Luquin's. I had only previously tried their food truck.

The new location is light on ambiance but very clean and convenient. Seating was quick on a weeknight and the service was prompt and professional. Chips and salsa were excellent. Lilikoi margaritas were delicious! The entrees we tried were just OK: The carnitas were missing depth, not seasoned adequately. The shredded beef was dry and similarly plain. The chile relleno was mostly batter, I got halfway through before discovering the pepper.

I don't think the quality of the food justifies the prices, $12-16 for most entrees, some of which don't even come with rice or beans. I will probably give it one more shot to try their chile verde or fajitas, but $10-12 at Lucy's generally buys more flavorful food.

[leilanidude]

Interesting that they had to install a urinal in the men's restroom but only have cold water for washing your hands and directly next to the sink is a sign advising on proper hand washing technique.

And as noted, the prices are really high. It was bad enough that they had the food truck using the same pricing as the old restaurant, but they have raised prices even higher with the new place. I note that kaleo's recently raised many of their prices by $2 each on food items.

[birdmove]

For east side Mexican food, I like Lucy's in Hilo. Closed on Tuesdays.

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[1voyager1]

We went by a couple of days ago.
The place was packed ~5pm.
We got the last open parking slot.
Those behind is had to wait for someone to leave.
Chose to sit at the bar instead of waiting for a table.
Getting a table for two might have been a problem.

We'd been working in the yard all day, hadn't eaten since b'kfast and were starving.
That may account for our being very happy with the food.
Plus, it had been quite awhile since eating out, and even longer since at Luquin's.
It did seem to be expensive for what it was, but that was the least of out worries.

If the rush ever slows down, we might go back for a recheck.