WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD, this city definitely holds its own … except when it comes to late-night cravings for Mexican food. Why we can’t turn out a decent taco is beyond me, but I’ve come to live with it. Or without it, as the case may be. As for being able to nosh at night, I do what everyone else does: head to Wailana or go home.

And if you think the city is slow on the midnight snack uptake, try finding more than a 7-11 musubi after 10 in Kailua. It’s not going to happen. Unless you happen to be driving home on a weekend when Beto, a genius with a taco truck, is parked outside Bob’s Sports Bar hawking his Mexican take-out to Kailuans who opted to go home hungry after a night out instead of trying to hit up a Honolulu diner. But who’s going home hungry now?

Beto, who parks his taco truck on Hamakua Drive from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, has the right idea. Whether the street eatery, called Beto’s Tacos & Platos, will see enough traffic in sleepy Kailua to make it worth Beto’s while remains to be seen, but a plate of tacos after the recent Dropkick Murphys show was the perfect finish to a long night.

Beto’s short menu includes just the staples: tacos, burritos, nachos and a few rotating specials (plates sell for about $6 each), but that’s all anyone needs at midnight. My favorite dish is the nachos, which are piled high with your choice of beef or chicken, cheese, beans, salsa, sour cream and finished off with a handful of shredded cabbage for nice fresh touch. The two-fisted burritos are good too, though they’re far from sophisticated, which isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s street food, and it is what it is.

Beto, who does all the cooking and serving, is friendly and welcoming … and quick with a tortilla. He’s got speedy service down to a science.

And he has a sense of humor.

Shining like a beacon in the night … but seriously, it’s like a beacon in the night.