Nachos in Paradise: Ceviche House

We took full advantage of our bonus day off of work by meeting on the North Shore to hike Kealia Trail. OMG do not hike this trail in the summertime after like 9am. It is so damn hot with no shade. I died the entire way up stopping in every tiny bubble of shade to drink water. On the way down, there was even less shady spots as the sun had risen even higher in the sky. I was sweating so much, the sunblock was not staying on well so now I have these really great criss-cross stripes all over my chest and back from the backpack and tank I was wearing. After surviving the hike, we drove to Ceviche House in Wahiawa for some post-hike and well earned snacks. This tiny little gem is located at the end of that little strip mall that has the Kemo Pub & Grill on your way back to town, just near Schofield. The restaurant seats about 15 people maximum and is adorned with cute beachy decorations. The same family owns El Palenque. We arrived just after another party of 6 and there was only one lady working. She hustled her ass off not just taking care of the customers at the table but also preparing all the food.

The Ceviche House, as its name implies, has a plethora of ceviche dishes (cured and/or cooked). If you don't like fish and seafood, you will not be happy here. We came specifically for the Marisco Nachos but everyone ended up getting something different and everyone was super happy with what they ordered. Chris got the Especialidad De La Casa because it was just like the nachos but served on a bed of chicharron instead of corn tortilla chips. The food came out one at a time as there was only one magical lady working (she told us there are usually two of them scheduled). Every plate came out well-portioned for what we were ordering so we didn't think the nachos would be much different. OMG they were so huge. Like enough for our table to eat before all that other stuff we ordered. It's a good thing they came out last or we would not have had any room for anything else.

There is no cheese on these seafood nachos, which although somewhat sacrilege, we accepted and embraced because of the uniqueness of them. They came served on a large tray with a huge bed of corn tortilla chips that had been tossed in red pepper and paprika. Although not homemade and obviously from a bag, the addition of the red pepper and paprika made these chips delightful. Piled high on top of the chips was a bunch of cooked shrimp and cooked octopus, some sort of pico de gallo that we think had jicama in it, a chipotle drizzle with a kick, and last but not least a scoop of guacamole. They were magical and abundant. The flavor combinations were the likes that I have yet to experience in all my nacho explorations. The chipotle sauce was spicy, creamy, and smoky. I have a hard time with eating things that I can easily see that they were recently alive, so I struggled with the octopus that had all the tentacles on it. But it tasted wonderful.

If you are in the area and any kind of ceviche fan, you must check out the Ceviche House!

We mustache you to try the Ceviche House!

Shananigans (4) - PRESENTATION: Holy shit that's a big plate of nachos...there is no way we can eat that. We are all already full from our personal snacks. RAD: Creamy smoky heat of the chipotle, cilantro, guac. LAME: I can see the tentacles, too many tomatoes for my tomato sensitive tummy. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, very well distributed. No cheese but it works. Way bigger than any other items we ordered. Loved the seasoning on the chips. Only one lady working but she hustled it and with a smile the entire time. In love with the cucumber lemonade, so refreshing after the hike.

That look of excitement when he found out it was one giant chicarron and not a bunch of chicarron "chips"

Curious if the man in the back is curious about what we are doing. Also if you are curious about Chris' shirt, you should be. It has a unicorn and a rainbow on it and reads DEATH METAL