Kilauea Lodge Restaurant is still a favorite dining option when we visit the Volcano Area…read more As Big Island Kamaaina we come to the village and stay often. Our favorite place is this lovely location and we return to enjoy most meals while there. The ambience, great service staff and uncomplicated menu help us make decisions about what to order; everything is consistently good! Don't forget to tip your service staff. Aloha!

This may be one of the best dining spots in the Volcano area. The menu is relatively small, but…read moreevery dish is thoughtfully prepared and executed exceptionally well. The food, service, and ambiance all deserve 5 stars. A special shoutout to our waiter, Adam, who provided outstanding service and made our evening even more enjoyable. Despite being in a popular visitor destination, the restaurant doesn't feel touristy. Instead, it has a welcoming atmosphere that attracts both visitors and locals looking for a great meal. Parking is free and convenient, and there's also a charming little shop next to the restaurant that's worth browsing before or after dinner. Highly recommended if you're visiting the Volcano area.

Finally got to try Two Ladies Kitchen and they didn't disappoint... there's definitely a reason…read morepeople line up to buy! I knew there might be a line so I planned ahead and placed a phone order. There's a separate line of phone orders too which was really nice. But if you wait in line they do come out with samples - just saying. Also they have pre-packaged mochi packs - which make great gifts. I bought a bunch of mochi to take home to mainland (I froze it after buying) and took it to my parents house where we cut 10 pieces into 3 pieces to do a mochi tasting. Honestly all of them were great, but top 3 were: - shiso - I didn't know what to expect, but the flavors works so well together. Such a unique combo, with subtle shiso flavor! Highly recommend. - kamato - I didn't know if I'd like it so only got one piece.. after trying I wish I had more. - peach - this is my perfect mochi. The white filling just works and it's not too sweet. I know the strawberry is their #1 seller so I tried it and it's really good, it was maybe my 5th favorite of the mochis tried. All in all a great mochi shop that's I'll definitely visit again!

Never have I ever tried mochi with a fresh fruit filled center so if you haven't either, then Two…read moreLadies Kitchen is a must stop if you're visiting Hilo. The mochi is made fresh daily, and it's highly encouraged to place an advance phone order prior to pickup so the shop can manage the high demand. The space at the front counter is very limited, so expect a wait outside to order and/or pickup. Their fruits menu changes seasonally, so we just had to try 1 of each item: - Strawberry - Mandarin Orange - D'anjou Pear - Bing Cherry - Green Grape - Cotton Candy Grape - Nectarine - Strawberry Short Cake We also had to order their Peach and Lilikoi flavors. Everything was so pillowy soft and mochi-licious!

Everything, food and service, was fantastic! This is more than just a cafe, it is an experience!…read moreDon't miss the secret garden and all the beautiful artwork from around the island. So glad my daughter found this on a whim after visiting the volcano.

The cafe is located about 10 miles from the entrance to the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, and we…read moremade our stop here first before heading to the park. It has a secret zen garden and two resident bunnies that you can spot if you're lucky. They have an art gallery/shop featuring work from local artists. Stunning pieces of work! The cafe itself is so cozy and has outdoor seating as well. We got their daily special - which was a chickpea coconut curry with a side of rice. It came with a soup (miso or corn and potato chowder, a side salad and garlic bread). Everything was vegan and so warm and filling. The cafe however does serve vegetarian and vegan options. I'd definitely recommend this as a stop before you head into the park. We'll definitely be back.

This was one of the stops on the way to the volcano. It was recommended by a coworker of mine, so I…read morewas glad the stop was part of our tour. They're known for their sweetbread and malasadas, but they also have hot food and ice cream. We shared one of their pork platters. It was pretty good. Pork was super tender! There were 2 portions of pork, which seemed a lot, but I was left wanting more. We also got one guava malasada. This one is just their flavored sweet bread, coated with sugar, no filling. It was so light, fluffy, and delicious! Not heavy or oily. Dare I say these are better than Leonards in Waikiki? I regretted just getting one, because getting in that line again to order more would take too long. Oh that's another thing... Your mindset needs to be on island time because you will wait more than 10 minutes for your food. The place is small, but the property is huge. All dining is outdoor in their patio and two gazebo-like structures. There are two lines to place your order, which helps with the crowd: one by the main door, and the other by the patio. If you like up by the main door, you'll find all their sweet bread loaves, rolls, and snacks. If you line up by the patio, you'll find their pastry case. Either way, you're doomed to pick up more than you came there for. This place is a must! Make the drive. It's so worth it!

A tale of two experiences…read more.. The service? Let's just say the malasadas were warmer than the welcome. We asked for the custard-filled malasadas and the aunties in front ranted "why everyone calls it custard, it's not custard, it's vanilla" in a very annoyed voice. We also felt a little rushed while ordering, which caught us off guard. I was expecting a little more aloha and a little less hurry. Now the malasadas? Oh my goodness... absolutely worth the trip. Call it vanilla, call it custard--I honestly don't care because it was delicious. Soft, fluffy, filled with creamy goodness. I'd happily come back for the malasadas. Hopefully next time the aloha is as warm as the pastries. Mahalo!

Food: 5/5 Portions: 5/5…read moreCleanliness: 5/5 Customer service: 5/5 Speed: 5/5 Price: $$ Takeout: yes Outdoor seating: yes ADA access: yes Dogs: yes- outside Kid Friendly: yes Vegetarian options: yes Vegan options: yes Ambiance: casual Pros: delicious fruit, friendly staff, super large portions

Ice Cream 5/5 Not usually what I go for but it was delicious…read moreand different! I ordered the Unicorn which is the ube & dragonfruit combo. They're more on the icier side than creamy. Service 5/5 Standard, nothing special. Ambiance 5/5 Indoor seating. We were the only customers so it was a nice peaceful treat for us. It was raining that day and humid so my ice cream was melting faster than I could eat lol.

Great bread (bake their own). Super (and large sandwiches). Can't say enough nice things about them.read more

So the Eagles Lighthouse Cafe is no more. Let this be a eulogy then. For starters, let's go with…read morethe praise. The food was great. Nice down home cookin', reasonably priced. Now for this. The place was festooned with Bible quotes, Biblical vignettes in the windows, and the three flags of Christian Nationalism garishly out front - the US flag, the Israeli flag, and the nationalist "Plea To Heaven" flag. All paradoxically in tatters and never taken in for good keeping. It did not give off a welcome Biblical vibe though - just one of "agree with us or take it down the road." The kitchen and counter personnel were usually fairly nice people who gave great service. The owners, when they were present, gave off something entirely different. Like you were inconveniencing them by being there. Short tempered and terse if they took your order. If you read the earlier comments, you will hear of them coming unhinged and screaming at some customer about something either overblown, or imagined. They refused to pay their employees properly, with something even close to a living wage. When the Hawaii legislature finally hiked the minimum wage, they stuck out an alarmist notice written in childish green marker that they were sooooo sorry but they "had to" raise their prices a bit because the mean old Hawaii house raised the wage. And of course taxes under Biden, yada yada. In the end, the ELC was a victim of the owners' disposition. It's a very bad business model indeed, when politics, religion and greed actually get in the way of doing business. My best wishes to the employees, I really hope they can find something decent to replace this experience. For the self righteous, sanctimonious greed of the owners and operators - as Jesus said, "Yeah verily, you have your reward."

Great service and food…read more I had the fish tacos - they came with just the right amount of coleslaw on the side. Also had the lilikoi cheesecake which was an explosion of wonder on my tastebuds.

We were staying in the Volcano area and decided to try several restaurants in the area during our…read morevisit. Service started off friendly and attentive, but after large parties arrived, the staff seemed overwhelmed and probably was not on their A-game. The burger and fish and chips were both good. However, the "local" dishes like the saimin and kalua pork were disappointing and didn't quite meet our expectations. The restaurant has a casual, chill vibe with lots of free and convenient parking, which made it an easy stop while exploring the area. Overall, a decent option, especially if you're in the mood for burgers and fries but we would probably skip the local favorites next time.

My wife and I stopped by Hirano Store around 10:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning to grab a quick bite…read more We picked up a bowl of chili (without rice) and a bowl of mac salad. Since both items we ordered had been prepared beforehand and didn't require additional cooking, our order was ready in about three minutes. Overall, I thought the chili was just ok. Although all the ingredients in the chili were properly cooked, the chili as a whole lacked depth of flavor. Additionally, when I opened the container, there was an unappetizing amount of oil that had pooled to the top. I am not used to seeing olives and mushrooms mixed into chili, but these additions added some more texture to the chili. The mac salad was a big miss for me. I thought the macaroni was slightly overcooked, the salad lacked salt, and there was just too much mayo mixed in. I'm genuinely curious if I ordered all the wrong items, because other folks seem to really enjoy food from Hirano Store. Based off of my single experience today, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit Hirano Store again.

Yeahhh so good!!! Everyone said to get the chili with the Mac salad and/or mayo, and they were not…read morewrong. I had never had chili w olives and mushrooms but it was pretty dang good!! The loco moco was a great deal for all the food, but the patties could've been better.

Best bang for your buck. The shaved ice here is HUGE!! We couldn't even finish it…read more Lots of shaved ice flavors and ice cream flavors. HAPPY ICEING!!

After snorkeling with turtles, a sweet treat before driving back to Waikoloa was necessary. Da…read moreHawaiian Brain Freeze was worth the wait. It took about 15 or so minutes to get three halo halos, but the flavor, and love thats put in them was delicious! Thankfully, after being in the hot sun there was AC in there as well as seating.

Puna Chocolate Company is one of my favorite local chocolate artisan shops, conveniently located in…read moreDowntown Hilo. Since my time away, they have beautifully renovated the interior to have a sit-down booth area. I love the abundance of nene decor honoring our state bird, along with high quality chocolates made in Hawaii. The store clerk was very knowledgeable and described how each cultivars of chocolate differ in their taste profiles. We had the horchata 50% milk chocolate bar, and I don't have a picture because we devoured it in one sitting! Overall, Puna Chocolate Co. is an elegant, delightful, and elevated experience that rivals big names like Big Island Candies and Dandelion Chocolates in San Francisco. Highly recommend in stopping by!

Apparently I was wrong about the service! Lol. The owner angrily ranted at me about how there…read morewasn't any AI in his shop, despite the fact that when I visited, nearly every single poster on the walls advertising events either utilized AI generated art or was wholly generated by it. You'd think that as the owner of a small business, he'd want to support the many local artists to create promotional material and consider customer comments with some grace and humility, but I suppose this isn't that kind of place. Genuinely embarrassing for the owner and the company he's representing.