Oahu Mexican Grill

"Drinking margaritas with friends is one of the best things in the world," I exclaimed overflowing with joy at so many people I love at one table laughing and loving each other.  "Especially at lunch!" Ashley added.  I hear that, especially at lunch. 

Traci and I came up with the master plan of meeting at Oahu Mexican Grill (OMG) for lunch after we finished the early morning Heart Walk at Kapiolani Park.  What better way to reward ourselves than nachos and margaritas with friends!  We figured it was Saturday, no one would want to join us, and that was A-OK.  Even if just the two of us showed up, we would enjoy the time together and the brand new queso that OMG was promoting on their Instagram.  And then a dozen people showed up.  We invaded OMG, beating the rush to claim the large table in the front.

When we first arrived, it was just Traci and I so we spent some good time talking to the friendly staff about the nacho blog and how excited we were to try OMG.  To kill time and put something in my ravenous belly, I decided to try one of their house margaritas made with fresh lime juice.  It was just what I needed to cool off after some time in the sun.  Once the gang arrived we all ordered nachos and shared them.  You can choose your meat and toppings at OMG which makes it fun and each order a unique creation.  Traci and I picked two different kinds of meat because we just could not decide.  The nachos come in paper boats which are convenient but do not offer the most flattering of presentations.  I loved loved loved the heat of the habanero salsa.

The owner's wife came out after a bit and asked us if we were the nacho bloggers to which we exclaimed, "YES!"  She asked if she could take a picture/video of us for their Instagram.  YES PLEASE!  After we stuffed our face with deliciousness and sad our goodbyes to Hiep, who was off to sea, we decided to move on to a new establishment so that we did not empty the margarita machine for the dismay of future customers.  If there is one thing the nacho friends love almost as much as nachos, it is MARGARITAS.

A very special welcome to the sweet Miss Caroline for her first nacho blog.  Say what?  All these years and you never made it to one of our nacho blogs?  Thank you for finally joining us!  #nachoblogvirgin #nachovirgin

Cheers Nacho Friends!

DYO nachos - Price varies...these were $13

That salsa so ono!

Nacho Virgin (Sweet Caroline) (3, solid) – PRESENTATION: Awesome fresh ingredients, colorful restaurant, giant table to discuss nachos. RAD: Chile con queso. LAME: Napkins suck, they are not absorbent. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3, sucked.  Had to buy more chips to enjoy the rest of the nachos.  Love friends!  Hiep's going away on a boat bash!

Shananigans (4.5) – PRESENTATION: Looks fresh, love the big pile of guac. RAD: Make them how you like them (I really dislike tomatoes and always have to pick them off.)  Big table is perfect for our nacho ohana.  Guac is super delicious.  Frozen margaritas are pleasing after a long morning outside. LAME: The table is hard to write on because of the tiles.  All the drinks are condensating and destroying the scorecards.  I would have loved to have olives on my nachos. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4.75, more toppings than chips.  They should almost come with a side of extra chips with all the toppings they give you to dip in your toppings.  So much fresh flavor.  Lovely atmosphere with hip music playing.  The staff was super helpful and kind.

Brando (3.5) – PRESENTATION: Yuge.  Wet. RAD: Potatoes in the veggies.  2 kinds of beans. LAME: Wet, not enough chips. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3, great toppings!  Not much bottomings.  It's hot in here.  So take off all your clothes.  Service = great.

Tequila Cat (5) – PRESENTATION: Beautiful, fresh, and homemade ingredients. RAD: New Chile Queso!  Fresh squeezed margaritas. LAME: Writing on this tile table is frustrating.  Shitty napkins. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, ran out of chips so got extra.  With toppings, more is more!  Why is this place so far from my apartment?!?!

Hiep (3) – PRESENTATION: American Mexican. RAD: Margarita. LAME: Wet taco. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3.

Nacho Libra (4.75) – PRESENTATION: Love how covered the chips are! RAD: Get to pick all your toppings!  Everyone had very different but equally awesome creations!  The spicy pineapple salsa is delish!  The queso is creamy cheesy perfect.  The aftermath looks like a Jackson Pollack. Love all the freshness and flavorfullness. LAME: Some of the chips got soggy from the awesome queso sauce - sad. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, generous scoops of all the toppings, some empty chips underneath, good for using up the salsa and extra toppings.  Sooooooo delicious!!  Def coming back!  Love the music!  The décor is colorful and super fun!!  The staff is friendly and helpful!

Tango Tango (4.9) – PRESENTATION: Made before your eyes!  Chipotle style ingredient selection.  Fresh everything.  One nachos feeds two people. RAD: These margaritas are fresh and awesome!  Loved our table-built in around a wall it can fit around 10 people.  Variety of salsas.  Décor is satisfactory! LAME: Even the burliest, sturdiest chips shall succumb to sogginess with so many toppings.  With margaritas, this became a pricey lunch for this venue.  Is there a happy hour? TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 6, OVERLOAD OF TOPPINGS.  Beans, rice, corn, cheese queso, pork, sour cream, and there were more options!  I wanted to shape the wax cardboard serving dish into a glorious Mexican cornucopia and squeeze everything out like a spicy slurry.  Get excited!  Come hungry with friends and order nachos and margaritas.  Awesome owner came up to say hi and offered us free salsa. And took our group photo!  :)

Ashley (4.75) – PRESENTATION: Very cool DYO (Design Your Own) Nachos.  Fresh stuffs! RAD: Pineapple salsa and roasted veggies. LAME: Not enough chips. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 2.5, toppings awesome, but not enough chips.  Very good margaritas (like real ones).

Dillard (4) – PRESENTATION: Great restaurant design with an amazing atmosphere.  Toppings are everything. RAD: Loved the cheddar queso, great choice! LAME: Seating for more than two groups would be difficult. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Amazing, the guac was enough for two.  Service with a smile was amazing so I loved it.

Roberto (10! Best nachos ever!  The new King of the Nacho Blog) – PRESENTATION: WOW!  Looks really fresh and delicious. RAD: Build your own nachos! LAME: Not enough chips for all the wonderful toppings.  TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, need more chips, perfectly mixed together.  Very cool atmosphere.

Condensation kills...

So many options...

The aftermath