Overview
Alebrije Mexican Restaurant & Bar is a Mexican restaurant and full bar in the Mauna Lani area on the Big Island, with Google listing it at 68-1330 Mauna Lani Dr #111 in Waimea/Kamuela. The business is marked operational, and the current web presence strongly suggests the restaurant now operates under the name Tequilas while still matching the same address and phone number, so identity is probably stable but branding has drifted. (alebrijehawaii.com)
For travelers, it reads like a resort-area Mexican dinner option rather than a casual roadside taqueria: table service, full bar, reservations, and a menu that emphasizes tacos, enchiladas, ceviche, fajitas, and margaritas. It appears aimed at visitors staying around Mauna Lani/Waikoloa who want an alternative to hotel dining. (tripadvisor.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
The menu is broad enough to cover appetizers, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, salads, a burger, dessert, and a full drink program. The cooking style is presented as upscale-leaning Mexican with some regional cues: fish ceviche, pozole/soup specials, Baja-style fish tacos, achiote pulled pork tacos, Swiss chicken enchiladas, soy-chorizo and cauliflower options, plus margaritas and Mexican beers. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Overall menu style: Mexican with a somewhat polished resort-dining angle, not an ultra-casual taco stand. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Notable dishes/specialties supported by the menu and reviews: chips & salsa, guacamole en molcajete, Alebrije ceviche, fresh catch Baja tacos, poblano chicken tacos, achiote pulled pork tacos, carne asada tacos, Swiss chicken enchiladas, fresh catch plate, sweet corn tamal, and the house soup/pozole-style soup mentioned in reviews. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Drinks: full bar, margaritas, Mexican beers, beers on tap, happy hour, and tequila/mezcal-oriented social posting on Tripadvisor snippets. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Price expectations: Google does not list a price level, but Tripadvisor places it in the $$–$$$ range; menu prices shown online suggest a midrange-to-upscale bill for the area, especially for tacos, fajitas, and seafood entrées. (tripadvisor.com)
- Dietary usefulness: there are clear vegetarian/vegan-leaning choices such as veggie tostadas, soy-chorizo tacos, soy-rizo enchilada, and a cauliflower Baja plate. The menu also suggests flexibility for add-ons and sides. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Dietary limitations: the core menu is still built around meat, cheese, and seafood; gluten-free accommodations are not explicitly advertised in the sources reviewed. (alebrijehawaii.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This is a second-floor restaurant in the Shops at Mauna Lani, which multiple reviewers describe as a “hidden” or not-easy-to-notice location. The setting seems more resort-center than stand-alone destination, with a sit-down experience, bar service, and enough polish to be framed as a dinner-and-drinks stop rather than a grab-and-go counter. (tripadvisor.com)
- Service model and seating style: table service, reservations accepted, dine-in and takeout. (tripadvisor.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: described as having “nice ambience” and a resort-adjacent feel; the official site leans upscale and polished, while reviewers note the upstairs location and lighter signage. (tripadvisor.com)
- Practical features: full bar, happy hour, wheelchair accessibility on Tripadvisor, and daily opening hours listed on both the official site and Tripadvisor. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Best fit: dinner with drinks, a relaxed resort-area lunch, or a meal when staying around Mauna Lani/Waikoloa and wanting something other than hotel restaurants. (tripadvisor.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers looking for very low prices, a highly casual fast lunch, or a place that feels immediately obvious from the street. The location and resort setting are part of the appeal, but also part of the friction. (tripadvisor.com)
History & Background
Public background is limited, but there is one notable signal: the current official site footer says “Est. 2025,” while Tripadvisor review timing shows the restaurant operating by at least spring 2024. That mismatch suggests either a site refresh/rebrand date, a new ownership or branding phase, or simply a website claim that does not match the first visible customer activity. I would treat that as a real drift signal rather than settled history. (alebrijehawaii.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
The strongest positive pattern is about flavor, freshness, and more-than-expected quality for a Big Island Mexican restaurant. Multiple reviewers praise the tacos, guacamole, ceviche, enchiladas, margaritas, and the overall idea that this is more regional and less Tex-Mex than nearby alternatives. Service is also often described as friendly, personable, and fast. (tripadvisor.com)
Common Gripes
The main downside is inconsistency in expectations versus reality. One reviewer felt the restaurant looked more gourmet online than it felt in person and thought the food did not match the website; another criticized blandness, small portions, and weak sides, although that view is not echoed everywhere. So the negative signal is real but mixed rather than universal. (tripadvisor.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Google shows daily hours of 11:00 AM–9:00 PM, while the official site also lists lunch/dinner service daily and says the kitchen closes at 8:30 PM; plan earlier if you want the full menu. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Tripadvisor currently shows breakfast/brunch hours in the listing, but review text suggests breakfast has been dropped and the restaurant is now mainly a lunch/dinner operation. Treat the breakfast signal as stale unless confirmed locally. (tripadvisor.com)
- Reservations are available, and the setting in the Shops at Mauna Lani may make this easier to treat as a planned stop than a walk-in impulse meal. (tripadvisor.com)
- Expect a second-floor location with somewhat limited signage; reviewers specifically mention having to look for it. (tripadvisor.com)
- If you care most about a standout order, the most consistently praised bets are the guacamole, fish/fresh-catch tacos, ceviche, enchiladas, and margaritas/happy hour drinks. (alebrijehawaii.com)
Verification Notes
- Official site and contact page match the Google baseline on address and phone, but the website branding now reads Tequilas rather than Alebrije. (alebrijehawaii.com)
- Google shows the business as OPERATIONAL at 68-1330 Mauna Lani Dr #111, Waimea, HI 96743, with phone (808) 731-4099 and website
http://alebrijehawaii.com/. (alebrijehawaii.com) - Tripadvisor and reviews place it in the Shops at Mauna Lani / second floor area, which helps resolve the “Waimea” vs resort-location confusion. (tripadvisor.com)
- The official site’s Est. 2025 claim conflicts with customer-review timing showing active service by 2024; this is unresolved branding/history drift. (alebrijehawaii.com)
Sources
- Alebrije/Tequilas official website homepage —
https://www.alebrijehawaii.com/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for official identity, hours, bar service, and the site’s own description of the menu and positioning. - Official contact page —
https://www.alebrijehawaii.com/blank-3— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for confirming address and phone and spotting the Tequilas branding drift. - Official menu page —
https://www.tequilashawaii.com/menu— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for the current menu structure, item names, prices, vegetarian/vegan options, and kitchen-close time. This is the same business identity but under a newer web domain/branding. - Tripadvisor listing for Alebrije Hawaii —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60588-d27423539-Reviews-Alebrije_Hawaii-Waimea_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for traveler-facing review patterns, location clarification, service style, price band, and mixed downside signals. - Tripadvisor review detail page/snippet —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60588-d27423539-Reviews-Alebrije_Hawaii-Waimea_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for specific review evidence about breakfast/brunch history, menu evolution, hidden upstairs location, full bar, takeout, and the 2024–2025 timing clues.
