Big Island Brewhaus & Tako Taco Taqueria

Resuin

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25 | $$

This place was great - very relaxed atmosphere, a decent amount of their beers (maybe 10-15 on tap). I tried all their beers I hadn't tried before via 2 pints and a 5-beer sampler in 3.5 oz servings. All were tasty, the Pau Hana Pale Ale was incredible.

The brew-pub also serves Mexican food, and it was very good, especially for Hawaii (Hawaii is not known for their Mexican food). I ordered the taco plate (beef & steak) and it was fantastic. Other dishes people ordered included enchiladas, burritos and fish tacos. Everybody loved their meals, and definitely enjoyed their beers. The prices weren't ridiculous and the service was great.

This place is a little out of the way, but well worth the trip if you are on the Big Island. Highly recommended. I hope they start bottling their beers, but I did leave with a growler of their Pau Hana Pale Ale which I enjoyed later, the next day.

02-12-2013 01:42:21 | More by Resuin

human24

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Brewmaster Thomas Kerns and crew hit the mark on an array of masterfully crafted styles (13 beers on tap!), including Golden Sabbath, a world-class Belgian, and White Mountain Porter, an island treasure with local coffee and toasted coconut. A solid menu of Mexican dishes is a great complement to the brews.

03-13-2013 03:11:13 | More by human24

pod4ski

California

4.45/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Sat at the bar 2 pm on a weekday. THe place was happening. Alot of customers filling growlers and jars, and why not. great beer at very affordable prices. I had a taster and enjoyed their Overboard IPA the most. Very nice belguim, Dark Sabbath .... if you like Belgiums. They had 14 home crafted beers on tap, all theirs. Wow, would I be in trouble if I lived nearby. THe foot was reasonably priced Mexican foot with locally grown beef and produce. And the fresh fish tacos were awesome.

This is a place you cannot miss if you are a beer drinker visiting the Big Island, about 45 minutes from Kona.

11-20-2012 04:18:18 | More by pod4ski

ejb8910

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $

Stumbled upon this place while taking a mountain drive on 6-25-2012. I loved the atmosphere. They had about fifteen beers on tap and the staff was very helpful. I tried the Hoptopias and it was very tasty and hoppy. Girlfriend drank the Overboard IPA and she enjoyed it as well. The place has Mexican food and is very reasonably priced. Pints are five dollars and premium pints are 6.50. I believe it is going to be hard to find a better place on this island with fifteen varieties of beers I have never tried.

06-26-2012 19:04:15 | More by ejb8910

jamex

California

3.08/5  rDev -23.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 2 | $

April 2012

Stopped here for a bite to eat and some brews. I was getting tired of drinking Kona Brewing beers (bought at the supermarket) so I looked forward to some other brews.

The place is small and unassuming - there is a small patio outside and inside room for about 30. Since the place claims to be a "taqueria" I ordered the grilled fish tacos. Others in my groups ordered similar Mexican food.

Well, being from San Diego sure didn't help. We have some of the best Mexican food here, so when we took bites of our food we were all disappointed. Flavors were bland and just "meh."

Moving on to the beers. I ordered six samples in this order:
White Mtn Porter: Really good
Macadamia Nut Brown: Also good
Mandarin Gold: Good (wow, this place is great)
Golden Sabbath: Yuk
Dark Sabbath: Yuk
Overboard IPA: Yuk
I then ordered a red beer half pint and drain poured it.

So if you come here, stick to the porters and browns - it must be their "thing."

Prices and service was average. Left there disappointed.

04-13-2012 18:38:45 | More by jamex

July2Nov

Hawaii

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Went there 3/9/2012 around noon, the day before the Kona Brewer's Festival.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the parking lot holds about 12 cars in total, but (Hint*) there is extra parking to the left, near the church.

When I first entered I was wearing my Maui Brewing Co. hat and was rewarded with a free beer, not just because of my devilishly good looks ( which normally gets me thrown out of establishments), but because the Maui Brewing Co. crew was there drinking and eating with the head brewer of Big Island Brewhaus. Cheers Maui! Your the best! So if other brewers go to this place, then you know it's going to be good!

We ate inside which is rather small, but they have a huge deck area...so fear not if you get there on a busy day. The service was good, but don't expect crazy fast service if it is on the crowded side, however be thankful that your in Hawaii and your enjoying Hawaiian time. The food was both fresh & tasty. The chips and salsa were good and appeared to be made in-house. I had the Baja fish tacos which were awesome and bigger than what I expected. Delia got the chicken quesadilla that she apparently liked, since it was all finished when I was looking for a bite to try. Honestly, the food was a side note in my mind before coming here as beer was what I came here for, but the food was a really pleasant surprise.

Check their website for the current beers on-tap, but most of the standbys will be on the list with some special/seasonals on board. I started with a flight of five and then chose half pints and full pints later from the ones I enjoyed. Don't forget they have growlers and other sizes of mason jars to go. The beers here are some of the best from the islands and are award winning. So go crazy and bring what you liked the best back to share with some friends (my choice is the White Mountain Porter).

03-17-2012 04:43:25 | More by July2Nov

beefmental

Iowa

4.34/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This is a small place, but super easy to find – right on the highway. Inside there are 5 small tables and one large table. The bar sits approximately 8 people. We found the atmosphere friendly and easy going. There are currently 13 brews on tap ranging from pilsner to stout (also Octoberfest, 2 Belgians, Pale ales & IPA’s). Our group enjoyed 2 flights of samplers and found the beer to be of good quality throughout the entire flights.

Our waitress was pleasant, beer knowledgeable, and friendly. The service was very good. The menu features Mexican food along with salads. We didn’t eat while we were there; we were simply there for the beer. Normally there are growlers available (they happened to be out when we were there). They also offer quart and half gallon jar refills.

I’d recommend stopping here if you are on the big island.

11-20-2011 22:24:26 | More by beefmental

jdaelhousen

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Comfortable atmosphere with some authentic mexican flare to it. They had 8 of their own taps and a few guest brewery taps (maui, SN, Kona).

The beer was very good I thought. Had a red ale and a maibock on draft. They didn't have any "big" beers on tap but there were a few fermenting. An imperial IPA, imperial stout, and an Octoberfest.

The food was all Mexican, as the Tako Taco establishment was around well before the brewery became part of it. I only ordered an appetizer of quesadillas, but they tasted very good with a homemade lime guacamole that was a nice complement.

Service was a bit slow but it is Hawaii afterall. Got to talking to the bartender trying to decide what growler to take home with me, and he provided me samples of anything I wanted.

If you're taking a trip to the Big Island, definitely check this place out. I stayed in Kona and it was about 50 minutes to get over there.

07-09-2011 13:59:57 | More by jdaelhousen

slyke

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

This place has been around in Waimea/Kamuela as Tako Taco for several years, but in the spring of 2011 current owner, Thomas Kerns, began brewing in a building out back. They are transitioning to the new name "Big Island Brewhaus."

The atmosphere is comfy and inviting with bright colors inside and a covered outdoor seating area. There are open mic. nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays with live music some other evenings.

Beer quality is very good. On my recent visit to Hawaii, they had eight of their own beers available and four guest beers from other breweries in the islands. I had at least a pint of each of their eight beers in the course of six visits over two weeks - easy and safe to do since we were staying within walking distance. Each beer ranged from good to excellent, but I did not take any tasting notes.

Service is friendly but sometimes a bit slow; this is Hawaii so that isn't unusual.

Selection of beers were good, at the time of our visits they had a pale lager, two pale ales, a red ale, an IPA, a porter with coconut, a dry stout, and a Maibock on tap. A wheat and a pilsner were conditioning.

Food is basically the same Mexican menu that was offered here for years. I can't speak to it's authenticity, but it is decent.

If you are on the Big Island, give this place a try.

07-06-2011 21:24:56 | More by slyke