Serg's Mexican Kitchen just opened its third location in Kalihi, moving into the former Guieb Cafe space and celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1. The new spot joins the restaurant's original Mānoa location, where it has operated for about 17 years, along with a stall at the Midtown Eats food hall in The Park on Keʻeaumoku.
According to Aloha State Daily, owner and chef Sergio Arellano says the Kalihi expansion came together in about a month and a half. Arellano told the outlet that Kalihi may be more central for customers who find Mānoa difficult to reach, giving longtime fans another way to get their fix without the drive up the valley.
Same Menu, New Neighborhood
Arellano says the menu is identical across all three locations, and he describes his cooking as Mexico City-style, built around family recipes. That consistency traces back to his own upbringing — in a 2011 profile with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Arellano said he was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Mexico City with his family, always in the kitchen with his parents and grandparents. He told the paper that all his salsas are made fresh, crediting his grandmother's recipes for the flavors that still define the restaurant today.
That same 2011 piece noted Arellano first brought a taste of Mexico to the islands in 2009, when the restaurant operated out of locations in Manoa Valley and Waimanalo. The brand's footprint has clearly shifted since then, now spanning Mānoa, the Midtown Eats food hall and, as of this week, Kalihi.
What's on the Plate
Arellano calls the flautas his signature dish — homemade flour tortillas filled with a choice of meat, fried, and topped with fresh-made avocado salsa, sour cream, queso fresco, cilantro and onions, served alongside rice and beans for $16.95. The sopes, also $16.95, feature masa corn cakes topped with beans, sour cream, queso fresco, cilantro and onions, and Arellano notes customers can choose a mix of meats on them.
The garlic shrimp plate runs $18.95 and comes in traditional garlic, garlic cilantro-lime or chipotle garlic preparations. Chimichangas, priced $16.95 to $17.95, pack a 12-inch deep-fried flour tortilla with beans, rice and a choice of chicken, steak, pork carnitas, al pastor or sautéed vegetables, served with sour cream and guacamole or pico de gallo. Burritos, also $16.95 to $17.95, are stuffed with guacamole and pico de gallo and come with beans and rice, while tacos run $5.50 to $6.50 each on grilled 6-inch corn tortillas topped with cilantro and onions. Protein options across the tacos and burritos include chorizo, pork carnitas, grilled chicken, grilled steak, al pastor and sautéed vegetables — and per Arellano, al pastor and carnitas are probably the restaurant's top two proteins. Enchiladas are listed at $16.95 to $17.95, and every table gets access to housemade salsas in mild, medium, hot and super hot levels.
Weekend Breakfast and Hours
On weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Serg's Mexican Kitchen serves a full Mexican breakfast menu. That includes huevos rancheros for $13.95, breakfast burritos for $13.95 to $16.95, omelets for $11.95 to $13.95, and machaca — scrambled eggs with shredded beef — for $13.95. Menudo, the traditional Mexican tripe soup, is also $13.95; the restaurant's online menu via SpotOn notes it's served with cilantro, onions and two corn tortillas, and only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The Kalihi location is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, at 1311 N. King St., Ste. 6, in Honolulu. With three spots now serving the same recipes Arellano learned from his family, Kalihi diners can get a taste of the Mānoa original without crossing town.
