A year after fleeing Maui, the family behind Lahaina Tacos has turned a food court counter in downtown Honolulu into both a business and a shrine to everything they lost. Owner Pedro Haro and chef Ana Haro are serving up birria tortas and pork tostadas at Pioneer Plaza while keeping their father’s memory alive through a Día de los Muertos ofrenda built from his photos and favorite dishes.
The restaurant found its new home after relocating from Maui, according to Hawaii News Now, which reported the siblings joined its Sunrise program to showcase their signature dishes alongside the tribute to their late father. Pedro Haro and Ana Haro did not start Lahaina Tacos themselves — their brother, Armando Haro, originally launched the business on Maui before he returned to Mexico, leaving Pedro and Ana to take over.
A Family Story Rooted in Tepic and Lahaina
The Haro family’s roots trace back to Tepic, Mexico, where they ran a taco stand before moving to Maui in 1988, the station’s earlier report noted. They settled in Lahaina in the 1980s and stayed for decades, until the wildfires of August 8, 2023 destroyed five family homes and scattered 16 family members across Oahu, per the same account.
That loss sits behind everything on the menu today. Pedro Haro has said the restaurant represents a shared family dream, one that connects their original home in Mexico with the new one they built in Lahaina. The tortillas served at the Pioneer Plaza counter are handmade using the same method the family’s grandmothers used, according to the restaurant’s own site, lahainatacos.com.
Recipes That Travel Through Generations
Those family ties extend well beyond the dough. “It’s the exact same way that my mom made the tortillas, it’s the exact same way that my grandma made her beans. It’s the exact same way that my sister makes her salsa,” a family member told KHON2. The birria torta is seasoned with garlic, onions, tomatoes and spices and comes with dipping sauce based on recipes passed down from the siblings’ mother and grandmother. Pork tostadas are layered with refried beans and fresh lettuce.
Honoring the Dead While the Dishes Tell Their Own Story
This week’s ofrenda carries particular weight. Pedro and Ana built the display around photos and favorite dishes of their father, who died three years before this year’s report. Día de los Muertos traditionally begins November 1 to remember children and continues November 2 for adults, a period meant to honor departed loved ones, as Hawaii News Now’s report detailed…