Nachos in Paradise: Jose's Mexican Cafe & Cantina - 4 Year Anniversary Celebration of the Nacho Blog

Holy crap! When we started 4 years ago, I didn't think we would still be going this many years later. Who knew this many places would have nachos on such a small island? And what would Ignacio Anaya think of all the interpretations of his simple creation? The crazy thing is that our to-do list is growing all the time with new restaurants popping up and so many more yet to explore. I look back over the years and smile at all the fun nights we have had getting together for something as simple as nachos. Friendships have been forged and even a couple romances sparked. Many, many, many margaritas have been consumed and nachos from all points on the spectrum have been devoured. Thank you all so very much for coming to all the nacho nights and participating with the score cards. You make me smile, you make me laugh, and you are the best friends a gal could ask for. I feel truly blessed to have all of you in my life. Cheers to another year of eating chips with cheese!!!!

For the 4 year anniversary party we headed to Kaimuki to Jose's Mexican Cafe & Cantina.
Fun fact: For UH football games, you can pay them $40 and they will drive you on a bus to the game. You get to pre-game at Jose's and then get a ride back after the game. This price includes your ticket too! I am definitely putting this on my to-do list. We arrived about 4pm and they quickly set up a table for 20 people in the middle of the dining area. We asked our server, Brian, to just keep the pitchers flowing and that's what he did. Pretty sure we had like 16 of them before the day was done. Everyone paired up to share one of the three nacho options on the menu. Britt and I opted to go for the traditional: chips, cheese, and jalapenos, just the way Ignacio Anaya created them in 1943. The food came out quickly and was enjoyed by all. As the restaurant started to fill up with people there to watch the UH game, we began making friends with the tables around us. Nacho night is the best. Super bonus: Traci and Chris got us matching shirts so we could have a fun outfit for the nacho celebration. And how perfect to describe us since we are definitely nacho typical girls. Of course, once we had the shirts, we had to get tutus to match. It was also super rad to have dear friends from Carson City in town to be guest nacho connoisseurs. So happy you could join us Dana and Tina!

Macho Nachos - $14.95 - Corn tortilla chips covered with ground beef, beans, green chile peppers, oions, tomatoes, olives, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Jalapeno Nachos - $12.95: Corn tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and jalapeno slices

(NOT PICTURED) Jose's Nachos - $12.95 - Corn tortilla chips covered with refried beans, melted cheese, green chile peppers and onions

We took this pic for our buddy JOSE.

Nacho bffs

Aloha Dana and Tina visiting from Carson City!

Britt (3.5) – PRESENTATION: Nice spread…. I hate nachos that are piled too high so the chips on the bottom are lonely. These don't have that problem. RAD: Lots of jalapenos! LAME: Could be more cheese layered. Not a lot of chips and stuff for the price. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, lots of toppings, just not layered as well as they could be. A lot of toppings but not a lot of chips and for the low profile set up, the chips could have been better covered. Great accommodation for no reservations.

Caroline the Vegetarian Nacho Lover (3, Nacho Best, Nacho Worst) – PRESENTATION: Sweet and simple presentation. RAD: Whole pinto beans, cheese, onions, green chiles. LAME: Needs salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5. Great atmosphere and very accommodating to have this wild crew here.

Nacho Libra (3.5) – PRESENTATION: Traditional looking nachos…excited by the real cheese! RAD: Love the blanket of real cheese. They use green chiles instead of jalapenos, which are more mild, so I like them. LAME: The meat could use a flavor kick, but the salsa on the side makes up for it. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, tons of toppings! Pretty tasty! I was happy that there was spicy salsa on the side. Super helpful staff that accommodated our huge party without a reservation. The margaritas were yummy!

Chick808 (5) – PRESENTATION: They look delicious! Ready to jump right on in. Good amount of sour cream and guac! RAD: Was hot! LAME: Not enough chips. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, was more toppings than chips. Nice spot for happy hour and nachos.

Nacho Whiskey (5) – PRESENTATION: Well proportioned. RAD: Huge dollops of sour cream and guacamole. LAME: N/A. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5. Chips are fresh made crispy to the last bite.

Nacho Angels

Small town friends for 15+ years enjoying some nachos together in paradise

Connie from Canada (4) – PRESENTATION: Deliciosa. Lovely dollop of avo and sour cream. Mucho melted cheese! Lots of toppings! RAD: Webs of cheesy yumminess. The variety of tastes, textures and temperature. LAME: A few outliers. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, good balance between the crunchiness, spiciness and coolness. Happy joyous people!

Dana (5) – PRESENTATION: Looks good, good cheese coverage. RAD: Nice and hot upon arrival! LAME: Cost of living. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, great amount of cheese, beans, meat. Good nacho plate. Decent little Mexican joint on Oahu. Great service for the large crowd. Feliz quatro aniversario!

Tango Tango (3) – PRESENTATION: Melted real cheese! Not bad, looks to be a serving for two. RAD: The chips and salsa are on point! Homemade chips, cool/spicy salsa of excellent consistency! LAME: Tiny, hard to pour $10 for 2 pint pitchers of margaritas. Flavors (except salsa) 2.0/5.0. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Cheese and beans for the Jose's nachos honestly boring. Upgrade to the macho nachos is my advice. Mixed feelings. Nachos were lackluster. Salsa was spouse material. This warrants further investigation, perhaps in form of enchiladas or burritos.

Nacho Jose (3.75) – PRESENTATION: It is a full plate of nachos. Looks like a very filling dish. Melted cheese, guac, sour cream…yum yum yum. RAD: They used real cheese, not fake cheese sauce. Lots of meat on top of them. LAME: Toppings weren't well distributed. Onion pieces were too raw for my preference. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, looks impressive but most of the toppings were gone before the end. They tasted good, great for having with drinking. Atmosphere was nice. Margaritas were great.

Nacho Typical Male (3) – PRESENTATION: Looks ok, where's the salsa? RAD: Lots o cheese. LAME: Where's the salsa? TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4. Nice place and folks.

Velvet Elvis (3) – PRESENTATION: Took too long, but wonderful presentation when it arrived. RAD: Beans. LAME: Hangry, no sour cream. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Topping heavy without sour cream or guac. I have had better.

Shananigans (4.8) – PRESENTATION: Nicely plated. RAD: Love the option of the traditional nachos just the way they were invented with chips, cheese, and jalapenos. They did not skimp on the jalapenos…so many jalapenos. LAME: The cheese came off with one chips. That's the problem with real cheese, it is hard to keep on all the chips without coming off the others when you take your first chip. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, almost all the chips were covered. Brian was a most excellent server that took great care of our large party with a smile.

Dillard (4) – PRESENTATION: The cheese melt was amazing. The guac was a lovely color. Ready to dive in. RAD: So much sour cream which was amazing. LAME: The chips were a little over cooked after the toasting. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, the toppings were on point for the Jose's nachos. Not a fan of the beans but enjoyed the cheese. Atmosphere was good, had a good time. Service was slow but accepting of our crowd.

Nacho Mamma (4) – PRESENTATION: 8. RAD: All the guac and sour cream. HUGE! LAME: I don't like onions. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Toppings are plentiful! I just don't like onions. Fantastic, wonderful, nice, helpful service.

Chip (3) – PRESENTATION: Looks good. RAD: Perfect. LAME: Plastic. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Not enough chips, plenty of toppings. A 5 would have carne asada or carnitas instead of ground beef. Shannon was the best waitress ever.

Nacho Anonymous (4) – PRESENTATION: Scoops of sour cream and guac. RAD: Sooooo cheesy. LAME: The serve time. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Too many toppings to chips but everyone loves forks full of toppings.

Lizzy (4.5) – PRESENTATION: Melty cheese. Yum! RAD: I found a nacho buddy as picky as I am! They did a great job accommodating my pickiness. LAME: I think it should be like 3 times as big. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, toppings were perfect! I don't know how it would have been if I ordered them regular. Good but not a ton of nachos. Atmosphere was cozy and easy to hang out in.

Tina (5) – PRESENTATION: Looks hella good. Plenty of cheese and toppings. RAD: Hot and cheesy, very crunchy. LAME: Not enough sour cream and guacamole. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4.5, good balance of cheese, meat, and other toppings. Not enough sour cream and guacamole. Friendly atmosphere. Service was quick and accurate.

Macho Nachos (5) – PRESENTATION: Colorful! Yummy! Toppings well proportioned and neat on the plate. RAD: Still crunchy under all the toppings. LAME: N/A. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Macho nachos come loaded with toppings, just right and not too overwhelming. Good service, personable waiter.

Goldilocks (3) – PRESENTATION: Yummy, hot, melted beans. RAD: Lots of melted cheese. LAME: Not enough veggies. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Yup, good. More veggies would be rad!

Katia (4) – PRESENTATION: A lovely mountain. RAD: Lots o cheese! LAME: Nada. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4.5, cheese, olives, beans, peppers. Not the best but tasty. A gem! Mo nachos please!!