Monico’s Restaurant Bar & Taqueria abruptly closes in Kapaʻa after court-ordered eviction

Monico’s Restaurant Bar & Taqueria unexpectedly closed its operations Friday after being evicted from its Kapaʻa location, leaving customers surprised.

Posted on the front door were two notices, one an eviction notice and one stating: “These premises had been returned to the owner per county order.” Also posted on the front door were two court orders, with the effective date of Nov. 24.

Monico and Kathleen Hernandez-Martinez, owners of Monico’s Restaurant at 4-733 Kūhio Highway, Building 1, have served the community since 2009, making it a local favorite.

The family-owned restaurant announced its closure on social media on Dec. 19, the same day as the eviction.

“We sincerely apologize to all customers who had upcoming reservations and plans with us,” the Instagram post said. “We know this disruption is disappointing, and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused.”

Monico and Kathleen said the plan was to keep the restaurant operational in Kapaʻa. But the restaurant was struggling financially due to a combination of factors that included the effects of the lost business during the COVID-19 pandemic, skyrocketing food costs and its high lease rate.

“From COVID to the large corporations, it’s been hard to compete,” she said. “Tourists now land and go straight to Costco, or Walmart, to buy groceries and cook in their rooms. We’re competing with other Mexican restaurants in Kapaʻa, so it’s been tough.”

She said she and her husband went “back and forth trying to come to an agreement with the landlord. Unfortunately, nothing came to fruition. … We went through our lawyers, and we lost. In the long run, we lost,” she said while sobbing.

She added: “We hope to tie up any loose ends on that property promptly.”

The building is owned by Borales Properties, LLC, and is represented by Attorney Shiraishi Sherman. An employee who answered the phone at Sherman’s law firm said Borales Properties did not want to comment at this time.

The restaurant posted on social media: “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of our journey. See you all in 2026 at our new location in Kōloa, Kaua’i.”

Monico’s Restaurant Bar & Taqueria is expected to open at Kōloa Village in 2026.

Wailua resident Tai Erum, who was parked in front of the restaurant in Kapaʻa with his family on Sunday, was surprised by the restaurant’s abrupt eviction.

“We are here thinking about where we are going to go next,” he said. “We knew that they were closing towards the end of the month, so we thought we’d get one more deal right before the holidays, but I guess not.”

“I’m sure they’re bummed, especially right now during the holidays. We wish them good luck with the new location, but we’ll miss them.”

Monico’s Instagram post received more than 50 supportive messages. “Sorry to hear! We will drive to Koloa if we have to,” read one message.

Another message reading: Kapaʻa location will be missed, but we will make it to the southside to see you.” Another message added: “I’ll drive anywhere to see you guys.”

Monico’s Restaurant thanked the loyal community for the years of love and support and for their trust via social media.

Kathleen Hernandez-Martinez said Monday: “We truly apologize to our customers for the closure. … It wasn’t what we had planned. We are grateful for the time that we did have with all of our people and all the great times we enjoyed. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

“Again, to everybody, all our families, our community, we pray to God, and we look forward to seeing you in the future.”

Editorʻs Note: This story was updated Monday with comments from Kathleen Hernandez-Martinez, co-owner of Monico’s Restaurant Bar & Taqueria.