Chronic Tacos

For our April Nacho Night, we headed to Chronic Tacos on Kapahulu where you can build your own tacos, burritos, and most importantly NACHOS! The inside dining area is super small, so we took over the outside tables.  The line was long and out the door for at least 30 minutes while we and all the other dinner rush customers patiently waited for our turn to make a custom creation. I went last so I could be sure to score pics of everyone as they came out with their own masterpieces. When it was finally my turn, I was faced with my first decision: white queso or melted shredded cheddar?  I went with both.   Then you get to choose your meat and all the different toppings, including 3 different types of beans. I decided to do veggie nachos with pinto beans, creamy cilantro sauce, salsa verde, and shredded cabbage.  They were absolutely fabulous. It was a gorgeous evening to get to sit outside and eat nachos with all my friends. I would definitely go back and eat there again. I want to try the potato taco! 

My favorite part of the evening was when Jim was patiently waiting in line and wearing the nacho poncho when the people behind him asked why he was wearing that. He matter-of-factly replied, "It's Nacho Night." Duh. 

Nacho Day...Or is it?

The price varies with what you put on them.  Some meats are extra, guac is extra, I think mine were about $10

JQPineapple (4) – PRESENTATION: Toppings not spread out, heavily filled. RAD: Variety of toppings. The pickled onions were delicious. LAME: Chunks of fat from pork were gross. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4. Fast casual but nice outdoor seating area. Churro bites are delicious.  

Nacho Libra (4.5) – PRESENTATION: She did an awesome job evenly layering everything on top! RAD: Pick all your own toppings!  Two cheese options: white queso (ono!) or melted shredded cheese. Garlic shrimp. Free churros for checking in! LAME: Lots of empty chips…but honestly, I was so full that I couldn't have eaten them anyway.  TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4.5, there were tons of toppings! There were empty chips, but the ones with toppings had plenty. Would totally eat these again! Especially the white queso sauce!

Nacho Carbs (5) – PRESENTATION: Big bowl of nachos. Lots of color. Looks amazing. Can’t wait to dig in! RAD: Lots of fresh ingredients. Hot out of the oven. Big chucks of carne piled on top.  LAME: N/A. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, There were left over chips... but I was so full, I couldn’t have eaten them anyways. Really tasty and flavorful. I will totally be back here when I need a nacho carb load. I could stop trying to eat all the white queso sauce! BYOB, fyi. Staff was friendly. Indoor and outdoor seating.

Jim (4) – PRESENTATION: Toasted on top, good mix of color, red salsa on one side, green on the other with pico on top! RAD: Choosing all your own toppings, you don't like it, it's your fault. LAME: All the chips at the bottom, could be layered. No beer on site. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4 Good, but not mixed. Can't be perfect. Casual, inside or out. You choose.

Nicole (4) – PRESENTATION: Ample toppings!  As it should be since I picked them all out. They were so generous! RAD: Carnitas pork-yum!  Pre-melted queso - so yummy & creamy.  Generous with the queso.  LAME: I should have gotten the cilantro sauce…my bad.  TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, I had queso, carnitas, pico, guac, onions, medium green salsa, pinto beans, cilantro.  I feel like my combo would have been better with melted shredded cheese and cilantro sauce. I could have made it better. Free churro bites when you check in on YELP! YAY!

Joey (4) – PRESENTATION: Plentiful and colorful. RAD: So much for the price. LAME: I got it cold.  TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Tons of toppings. Slow service but maybe we overwhelmed the already busy dinner rush.

Brando & Julia (2.75) – PRESENTATION: Seeing as how we chose our own toppings, best presentation ever. RAD: Cilanto sauce. There is archeological evidence that cilantro has been enjoyed for thousands of years.  LAME: Toppings aren't mixed, not a very even dispersion, kind of like the US economy.  TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, we did get to the bottom and there were still toppings on the bottom chips! Not sure how the fuck that happened but it did. Pretty generic nachos, nothing fancy, but a lot of fresh toppings that were delish. Service was great. We were able to drink our modelos we got from Safeway next door. Although the manager was cool, and this is private property, it is not yet declared a BYOB establishment. Basically if you are going to bring a brewskie, be respectful.  

TANGO TANGO (incomplete) – PRESENTATION: It's like chipotle, ingredients to choose from. RAD: Adventure Nachos! You can choose your own toppings, win or lose, you choose! LAME: Hard to find a fault, nachos made to my desire, but BYOB? TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: incomplete.  Could use a house margarita.  Safeway is right next door. Two birds with one stone.

Kim (3.75) – PRESENTATION: Long lines, took a while, good selection of toppings. RAD: Carnitas meat was great. Refried beans and guac was good.  LAME: Not enough cheese and cheese not fully melted. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: Not spread out enough so too much toppings before you get to chips. Need more chips. Nice sitting outside. Constant line, but moved okay.

Shananigans (4.5) – PRESENTATION: Yummy! So many toppings I love. None that I hate. RAD: Fresh, quality ingredients. The white queso is heavenly.  LAME: I want more spice options, maybe some olives. The line is long, but that's okay for getting custom made nachos. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, every chip was covered with awesomeness.  ALL THE THINGS I LOVE.  Super friendly staff, lovely outdoor seating, small inside seating.

Let's get chip faced!

The Dream Team