Polli’s Mexican Restaurant

Polli’s served the best Mexican food I’ve had since leaving San Diego. I had the seafood enchilada plate. The enchiladas were filled with shrimp and ono and covered with a white cream sauce. They made me think of Fidel’s in San Diego. The food was tame, not spicy at all. Mary Kay enjoyed the fish taco plate. I was put off at the door when the hostess seemingly tried to dissuade us from waiting, then took someone else’s name who arrived after us before putting ours on her list. She had told us we could expect to wait 20 – 30 minutes for a table, but when we said that was OK, she surprisingly found a table for us with no waiting. It was $ 2.75 for a bowl of chips and salsa. Both were tasty, and I thought both were made on the premises. I was also put off by our waitress (Kimberly) who «misheard» that we did not want the top shelf lilikoi margaritas and charged us $ 10.50 instead of $ 8.75. When we brought this to her attention, she said, «But they were good, right?» instead of adjusting our bill. Yes, trivial stuff, but one doesn’t like to feel taken. Thankfully, the food was great.

Aloha from Makawao,
This place is quite the gem, from it’s sign «come in and eat or we both starve» to the actual setting and staff.
The place has about 8 booths and some tables with about 6 bar seats in the back, the atmosphere is way laid back, and there is ample parking on the street or lot on the left.
The staff is great smiley and happy to get extra this or that, the drinks come right quick and the margarita is highly recommended. They also do carry a good selection of beers to go with your Mexican dish. The food is really good, big portions and spiced just right, nothing to chase you out the door but it does pack a punch from bite to bite. The sides are great, we choose the mushrooms which are so good I will be going back to get more, and the portions are such that you will get to spilt your entre and a side and still have leftovers to take home.
The chips are made in house so order the salsa.
Enjoy

Time for an update as I am on a quest to try more on their substantial menu. Slowly but surely we’ll make more treks up the hill to this quaint little eatery & bar.
FOOD:
Burrito Supreme — I am not ashamed to admit that I LOVE ground beef in my burritos, but that’s a difficult wish to be granted. I just prefer the texture of ground vs. shredded. This version is available with shredded beef, chicken, or a veggie taco mix, in which case I went with the beef. It’s a humongous portion filled with cheese, your choice of refried or black beans, rice which I omitted, and crowned with dollops of sour cream and fresh guacamole, and garnished with lettuce shreds and a pool of salsa all around. The flavor was mild, but just drizzle on some Cholula hot sauce and we’re good to go! I could only finish half, so the other half was saved for lunch.
SERVICE:
We had super friendly service from the female bartender and 2 female servers once we moved to our booth. They checked on us often and were very professional.
To be continued…

Five year old one star review, we can do better than that!
Over the years, I have come to accept Polli’s for better or for worse. They are a Makawao institution, the only place to grab a semblance of Mexican food or a proper margarita upcountry. It is a convenient location to meet friends for a casual meal in an environment that is unchanged in all of it’s thirty-​plus years.
Some of the wait staff has been around seemingly as long, and they let you know it! The bartenders are my favorites of the lot, and I am wary of the rest. Off days are masked by a pretense that they care. But at least they’re authentic, which is more than I can say about the food.
The deal with the food is that somethings are better than other things sometimes. Possibly this has to do with the steady turnover in the kitchen as the Craigslist advertisements would indicate. As with most things in life, personal preference is taken into account. At the time of this review I prefer the fish or the shredded beef tacos, usually ordered ala carte because I find it unnecessary to indulge in mediocre stomach filler, and put that space and money towards a margarita, which I do enjoy!
In conclusion, keep your expectations to a minimum and you won’t be disappointed.

We ordered the tostada for lunch and were very unhappy. The shredded beef was barely edible it was pure fat. The shell tasted stale. And they did not get our order right. The tacos also had no flavor.

Not really impressed, maybe because i am mexican and this was more tex mex even though it claims to be authentic mexican food. The tortilla to my enchilada was dry and no signs of the chile verde it was suppose to have on it. Decent taste, but probably will not go back. Margaritas were very good, which was the best part of the meal.

Not impressed with the food. It’s more Tex mex, than authentic Mexican. But they give you large portions of food which is nice, if ur into Tex mex

Being from California, I am spoiled with excellent Mexican food. With that being said, I also know what bad Mexican food is also. This is not good. Canned sauces and over microwaved food is not my idea of Mexican cuisine!
Great place for a drink maybe???

Oh my! We survived meal at Polli’s. Hence all the low ratings we have read. A watery marg that I sent back. Fish tacos were dry without cream sauce just gobs of lettuce and a cup of optional salsa. Be aware – no happy hour on weekends. Business seemed slow. Some may appreciate the vibe but better for us to stay by the water where the good restaurants are.

Polli’s is one of our favorite places to eat on Maui. The ambiance of the restaurant is cozy and inviting and the food is amazing! I have tried many items on the menu and have never been disappointed. My husband, on the other hand, ordered the chimichanga the first time we came here and has never ordered anything else. I recommend this place to anyone who will listen and I always hear back glowing reviews. If you live here or are visiting and decide to make a trip upcountry, Polli’s is the place to go. And don’t forget to try the lilikoi margarita.

Delicious cocktails. I had a few there on Christmas eve.

The chips and salsa are fresh and homemade. I didn’t enjoy the rest of my dinner, and my experience wasn’t really pleasant even though the restaurant was never on more than a 5 – 10 minute wait. The staff are not friendly, and j felt as if they resented having to work.

What a surprise. Full disclaimer we tried this place because it had the same name as us, Polli. That being said we loved it. We got there at 11:15 and there was only one table left, that’s a good sign! I had a Top Shelf margarita on the rocks, hubby had a Maui Mana Wheat.
My margarita was perfectly boozy.
I had the Taco Enchilada plate, hubby had the Seafood Enchilada plate.
Both were excellent.
I had beef and it was tasty, tender and the rice was good. Plenty of food for $ 12.
He says his had plenty of seafood and was also one $ 12.
Food and drinks came fast, chips were tasty as was the salsa.
If in Upcountry I would stop in and have at least a Margarita! Olé!

Wish they could get a zero. Margarita was way too sweet. Cheese enchiladas were made with a thick not tasty red sauce. Had a card for free nachos and they said it was meant to be for free cheese chips. Card clearly says «free nachos» though.
Locals don’t go there for a reason. Probably for their incredibly slow service! Stay away!!!

3.5 stars
Ah, Pollis.
Last thing I remembered about this place was the time spent
Waiting for my meal to arrive. It was at least a good hour.
Other than that, the chips and salsa were dandy.
We ordered a giant wet burrito to split. That was also tasty.
Thank God the food was their Moses.
Now, on a more serious non serious note,
I swear their vicinity is an illusion, like the time willy wonka crammed all the
Winners in a tiny room and with the turn of a key, unlocked the door that led to a never ending chocolate filled wonderland.
Pollis from the outside looked like it could fit 3 employees, a couple of customers and maybe a basket of kittens.
Nope!
It was a humble size. Not too big and not too small.
A goldilocks.
I wouldn’t mind eating here again if I didn’t have a schedule.
Bring a sudoku puzzle, gameboy, or a sketch pad.

Doesn’t look like much from the outside. A group of local guys hanging out at the bar… and an over abundance of Mexican décor.
We had a bean & cheese burrito and the pork verde burrito… yum! The bean burrito was really basic but NO way could I eat it all. (And I haven’t eaten for 8 hrs). Hubby LOVED the pork verse burrito. And the salsa is really really good!
Would definitely come agin if we’re ever back this way.
Update: We DID go back before we left Maui. Just as good the second time. The chips were weird… some crisp and some kind of chewy… Pretty basic food but good.

I usually Unilocal first and ask questions later, but I was really hungry and tired of tromping around as a tourist. I opened Unilocal and I couldn’t believe this place averages only 3.5 stars. We stopped in at Polli’s for a snack and drink at happy hour. We were pleasantly surprised by the nice mix of locals and tourists. Five stars for friendly service, delicious food and drinks, generous helpings, rock-​bottom prices. This place is a great value for the money.

Finally ventured in after many years of looking. For the island it’s not bad mexi food, however I am blessed with mexi food in my town so this place wasn’t to inspiring.
Had the fajitas which had taste but meat wasn’t the norm & onions & peppers was cooked down to much. I’d recommend if your not picky and in the location. Give it a chance at least for drinks they look fantastic.

I Live here in Maui and don’t really get up here in makawao as often. A friend of ours took us here and I’d have to say I’ve had one of the best chips and salsa I’ve ever tasted. Chips were fresh and so was the salsa. (Like home made kind of a taste). I had the seafood burrito (shrimp and Ono) and was cooked just right. The special kind of sauce that was added on top of the burrito was also delicious.
I would highly recommend this place for locals and tourist. The ambiance is pretty neat too, reminds me of a rustic town in the middle of Mexico… Service was just ok, but it’s a given I’d come back again just for the food.

This is not your high end tourist restaurant but it quickly became our go to for a quick drink, snack or full meal.
There’s a reason the locals pack this place and its all about comfort.
PS: make sure you try their blended ago margarita.