This place is a must stop if you are in Hilo! I will usually pick up their pre-packaged sets from…read moreKTA also but when I want their fruit mochi, I order ahead and pick up at their location. The strawberry mochi is always a favorite but we love the nectarine, pear, and melon ones too. Whatever is in season, I recommend getting! It is worth the price! Order ahead if you can, then you won't have to stand in line. And I always eat these up so fast that I forget to take photos!!

Don't do what I (tried to) do. They do not take same day orders…read more In Hilo for the day, and my awesome BIL agreed to take me to 2LK to get some mochi. Hubs has a sweet tooth, and I like the sweet mochi myself. The line to place my order was completely empty! All the folks standing around were waiting for their orders. I stepped in the tiny storefront and placed my custom order and then grabbed a tray of buttermochi that was ready to go. After paying, I asked how long was the wait time and the cashier said 20-30 minutes. Instead of standing around, I went back to the car and hung out with BIL and watched for the people who were before me to get their orders and leave. I waited outside for about 5 minutes before they called my name and my mochi order was ready to go. There were some tourists who came by who didn't want to wait for 30 minutes and were ready to turn around and leave, but I told them there were ready made packages that they could grab and go, the rest of us were waiting on custom orders. They were really happy to hear that and they bought their mochi and headed out. I will definitely call ahead next time I go to Hilo, the wait is small kine humbug, but the mochi is oh so ono! (translated: the wait is an inconvenience, but the mochi is very delicious).

Cute little bakery with lots of sweet treats. Went to Short n Sweet on a rainy Hilo day, so the…read moreshop was empty and there were lots of pastry options available. The shop keeper was friendly and patient as I browsed the pastry case. I've always been curious about the Dubai chocolate bar, so I decided to splurge and give it a try. Very pricey at $16 for a 4-5" bar, but it was worth it to try it once. The chocolate was smooth and high quality, the pistachio cream was sweet with a hint of pistachio flavor, and the kataifi was pleasantly crunchy. I would have loved more pistachio flavor, but it was a nice little chocolate treat. Looking forward to trying more things from Short n Sweet in the future. Will definitely be back when I want to treat myself to a gourmet dessert. :)

Right when you walk in, you're greeted by a beautiful display case of goods. To the left are…read moreshelves of refrigerated goods, followed shelves of non-refrigerated goods. The sweets are always really good. The crème brûlée is definitely our favorite dessert here! It's light and creamy and just overall delicious! We come here every time we visit and try to get something different but we always seem to revert back to the creme brulee. The staff there has always been really nice. We seem to always get the same lady every time we go and I feel terrible that I haven't gotten her name by now

My husband and I shared: - Turkey, Cranberry, and Cream…read moreCheese Popover Sandwich - Pastrami Popover Sandwich - Ube Donut - Lilikoi Butter Mochi Both sandwiches were fantastic. I love popovers and it's such a great idea to turn them into a sandwich. I think I had a slight preference for the turkey one, but you can't go wrong with either. The desserts were a little disappointing. The donut was dry and the butter mochi was just ok. If you're in Hilo, come here for lunch!

Wow! So good! Something interesting about Hawaii is they don't care for too much about the…read moreaesthetic and interior design. Upon walking in, you see a mom and pops with a weird table layout of their baked goods. But actually eating it is such a different story! Great value for lots of yummy breakfast

If you're into sweets, then this is your place! The interior is cute but seatings are only outside…read more My cousin and I tried the bing bong, lilikoi cake, and their brownie. If you have a sweet tooth then you're going to love it here. I, on the other hand, am not a sweet tooth. I found everything way too sweet for my liking. The brownie was just too rich for me. I did enjoy the lilikoi cake since the lilikoi gave a more citrus taste which masked the sweetness of the cake. Don't get me wrong, the cake was dense but also moist. My cousin loved her bing bong and ate all of it. Not sure why we didn't get banana bread, especially with the bakery called banananrama.

Bananarama is a hidden gem, and their lilikoi lemon bars are out of this world! The perfect mix of…read moretangy passionfruit and bright lemon on a buttery, crumbly crust creates the ultimate tropical treat. Every bite is fresh, vibrant, and unforgettable. The laid-back, welcoming vibe makes it a perfect spot to stop and treat yourself. Whether you're a local or visiting Hilo, don't miss out--Bananarama's lilikoi lemon bars are hands-down one of the best desserts on the island!

After a disappointing experience at a nearby restaurant, I walked to this grocery store. The only…read morereal vegan breakfast option on the hot bar was potato wedges, and they had some cold vegan food nearby that didn't look great either. So I opted to get this, which was also mid. Better than nothing, though.

This store is awesome!…read more This is the original island naturals market, the second location is in Kailua Kona. It's easy to find, located in a shopping center with parking. There are outside tables to eat. Inside is full of so many great items and their own deli foods and bakery items. The employees are nice. I highly recommend going here!

We stopped by the Booch Bar on our way into Hilo before a day of adventuring, and it was a great…read morelittle stop for breakfast. We tried the simple breakfast plate and a breakfast sandwich, and both were tasty and really hit the spot. Since we went on a weekday, it wasn't too busy inside, which made for pretty quick service. Overall, it was a solid breakfast stop and a nice place to grab a bite before heading out for the day.

We had an amazing vegan dish here for our little brunch we did in mid morning earlier today…read more We saw this restaurant yesterday when we were browsing Hilo a few nights ago. We didn't think of anything when we saw it the first time. By just looking at the name of it though, my immediate reaction was, "Is this a kombuchas bar??" Well, it is but it's not just kombuchas they serve; it's more than that. The breakfast/brunch dishes they serve (although they don't have a huge selection) are quite diverse. I do incorporate a lot of vegetarian/vegan diet into my daily meal routine so when I saw the Verdant Vegan I simply couldn't skip it. As my daughter and I usually split a plate when we dine together she agreed to this option of mine. Glad we did. This plate has all sorts of goodness included in it. Sautéed veggies, house-made lentil walnut chorizo, ginger beet kraut, fire-roasted jalapeno cashew crema, fire-roasted tomato salsa, and it's topped it off with sprouts. This whole thing comes with either purple sweet potato home fries or red rice (which we went with the purple sweet potato fries and ended up getting a side red rice. We also got the side kimchi and one egg sunny side up.) And we shared a 16oz Ceremonial Matcha latte as well. This vegan plate is way more than vegan. It's mighty as hell. For those who are still not sure about vegan options will definitely second guess it for something that isn't vegan/vegetarian. It's truly nutrition packed in so many different ways. If I lived close to this cafe, I would eat here once a week to enjoy this delightful meal. I am not kidding. I enjoyed the matcha latte very much although my daughter rated it as "okay". She likes her matcha in a very particular way so it unfortunately didn't impress her. This is not to say that she disliked it. She said it wasn't bad either. This place is a "walk in, order upfront, pick a table where you want to sit and one of the staff will bring your food to you" style cafe. Water is self-served. Once you are done with your meal you'll put your dirty dishes in the designated tub. I like this efficient style of serving food. This place has great vibes as well. A bit hippie-ish where bright dark colors such as purple and red are incorporated into the interior. There is even a stage where bands perform on certain days/times. Quite cool-looking. If you are visiting Hilo soon then put this place on your "must visit" restaurant list. Friendly staff, reasonable prices and quality food will entertain you for sure.

I ordered cupcakes for my families 4th of July BBQ. I was more than blow away when my expectations…read morewere surpassed with the beautiful red velvet cupcakes, blue frosting and white edible pearls (red, white and blue) not to mention how delicious they were! Cupcakes by Coley is very reasonable and very accommodating with the elaborate varieties and custom options available. I had a very pleasant experience and suggest you give them a try. I definitely will be using Cupcakes by Coley again and have suggested my family and friends to use them as well. Two thumbs!

Cupcakes By Coley are amongst the Very Best cupcakes that my husband and I have ever had! Personal…read morefavorites are Cheesecake cupcake, and fresh strawberry cupcake, but every one is fresh and delicious. A much welcome addition to Puna!

Friendly people... coffee and sandwich amazing!!! Love walking around to look at art while I wait…read more Love the atmosphere- cute and inviting!

Such a cute cafe in downtown Hilo! I was looking for something sweet after having lunch and found…read morethis was the closest place to my location that was open on a Sunday. The cafe is located in the back of a boutique / art gallery that sells crystals and prints and has a cute and lively interior. I ordered the chakra latte, which consists of matcha, milk, and your choice of either rose or ube. My mom ordered a heart chocolate (a hot cocoa with milk and cardamom) and a chocolate chip cookie. She really enjoyed her drink and finished it within ten minutes, so it got her stamp of approval. The cookie was harder on the outside but chewy on the inside, which we also like. When I ordered my chakra latte, I was delighted to hear that the milk options include whole milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and macadamia nut milk. I ordered mine with macadamia nut milk and the barista agreed that it was her favorite option to have with the latte. The drink came out with two edible hibiscus flowers on the straw; it was a sweet treat and great detail! The drink was absolutely delicious! The service was also excellent, and the barista that was staffing the counter was very knowledgeable and great to talk to. Cafe is located downtown so there's free parking outside, as long as you can find a stall. I'm already looking forward to my next visit!