Unit E,
Moana Court,
Orewa
Auckland,
(09) 427 4652
The ViewAuckland Review
4 out of 5
Sensibly, Orewa’s Hola! Mexican Restaurant is not trying to be anything it’s not.
A humble and colourful suburban eatery 40 minutes north of Auckland, Hola is lively, friendly and tasty.
If you’re visiting on a weekend be sure to book, but mid-week getting a table is no problem. Bright and colourful, this converted café squeezes in about 50 diners, so prepare to knock elbows.
After gobbling our complementary corn chips and cold spicy salsa, we started with a festive margarita (which needed an extra shot of tequila) and a shared tostada—a fried flat tortilla topped with a chicken and salsa combination, beans and melted cheese ($7). It had all the essential elements of good Tex Mex—cream, spice, oil and crunch.
All the usual suspects are on the menu: nachos, quesadillas and tacos, and we chose enchiladas ($14) and fajitas ($17).
The fajitas came as a fun, messy prepare-your-own meal—a plate of tomato rice, refried beans, salsa, steak and guacamole, with warm flour tortillas in which to wrap everything.
But the enchiladas were the stand-out meal. The beef was piping hot, slow-cooked, moist and shredded, and everything came with sinful amounts of melted cheese. Each part of the meal was very simply seasoned, but together each mouthful was divine. Just watch that bean/rice combination—a little goes a long way.
Hola! Mexican Restaurant has been reviewed by 9 users