When I'm in Hilo, I always love visiting Big Island candies. It's always fun seeing the factory…read moreprocess and seeing the cookies dipped, but what I enjoy most is the complimentary samples. This place is a piece of heaven. Those cookies, brownies and rocky road are things I dream of. I do prefer dark chocolate over milk, but milk chocolate stuff is really yummy too. Who am I kidding if only milk chocolate dipped cookies in front of me I'd totally take them. The packaging is also beautiful, but if you just want cookies for you or to make goodie bags save a little money and get the bagged cookies vs boxed ones. And if you have any product questions, make sure to ask the friendly staff.

Bigger of an operation now compared to back when I was growing up in Hilo. But they have always…read morekept the fact that you can walk in and see the workers hand dipping cookies and whatnot. They've not changed much besides having newer items here and there. They've classic chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are always a winner. Best part about visiting is that you get samples of their products if you just ask kindly! The staff are always so friendly and helpful. I wish they would bring back the Peanut Butter Crunch Bars!

Really cute candy shop with a massive selection. Overpriced but you pay for the experience. They…read morealso a fridge with a wide selection of fun drinks. Unfortunately, didn't get a picture but worth a stop by!

The sweetest candy shop, located on the main street in downtown Hilo! Gummies, chocolates, taffy,…read moreBig League Chew (hello nostalgia!), and so much more...there's something to satisfy every sweet tooth. I went in with one mission: to find the elusive (and discontinued?) Peach Penguin gummies. Does anyone know these? I've not had them but a friend who grew up in the Bay Area raves about them, so it's my mission to find them (other than on the internet). It's not surprising that we didn't find them, but we did find every other gummy candy under the sun, including gummy peaches and sharks. It was still so fun to look at all the sweet eye candy. If you're visiting Hilo and searching for a sweet treat, definitely check out Sugar Coast Candy!

Sure, they are very similar to Big Island Candies in ways, but yet they have their own specialty…read moreproducts which I enjoy. The gift shop in Hilo is small, but easy to navigate and purchase. Great place for gifts! Who else makes heart-shaped arare?!

I love their energy bars and go often for them. So I was glad to know that I could reserve them…read moreahead of time for the holidays. The Staff is always friendly and helpful. They give more individual aloha to you then Big Island Candies.

I love Bruddah pops and usually purchase them from Cafe Kalawe in Kaneohe. Bruddah pops are frozen…read morejuice bars with lihing mui frozen inside and come in various flavors. Since we were in Hilo I wanted to find J & R's to buy the bruddah pops for omiyage. It was hard to find at first because the store was renamed Full 9 yards, but my wife spotted the Bruddah pops sign in the window. Great place to buy omiyage. You can buy the pops frozen or defrosted, but if you are planning to buy them and take them on a plane they recommend buying them frozen which we did. My new favorite flavor is cherry which I never find on Oahu. I am slowly making a list of omiyage from Hilo for my next visit and I am sure to stop by Full 9 Yards again. They are located in the same parking lot as Hawaiian Style Cafe and there is plenty of free parking.

R&J Lollipop's and things are far more than our favorite bruddah pops. They have a large variety of…read morelocally made hand crafted items, large selection of Hello Kitty items, Baby, Hawaiian and Sports items. Not to mention holiday themed gifts. Its always fun and the staff are top notched!! Their prices are also hard to beat!!!

Loved this shop! Located in the Ali'i Gardens Marketplace, this little shop sells yummy treats that…read moreare local from Hawaii! We stepped in and were greeted immediately and offered samples of several items, including the Hamakua Toffee, apple banana, furikake rice crispies and white chocolate with cacao nibs. Everything was delicious and we ended up purchasing several items. Great customer service and a nice spot to pick up some local, tasty gifts for friends and family (or yourself hehe).

Great mix of products! Hawaiian made and delicious!…read more It's only been open for a few weeks so this was a cool new find. I see I get to be the first to review! Every product in Yay! Candy has a story of local history behind it that the store owners/operators are happy to share. They are very local focused and said they have a very strict policy to only carry products from Hawaiian companies. The owners said they seek out vendors where everything is made on one of the islands and ingredients are source locally when possible. Fair trade when not. So no cheep imports here. We checked a few and couldn't find anything that didn't meet this criteria. The store is ran by a super sweet couple that reminds me of my grandparents and make you feel super welcome when you come in. They have a bit of a sense of humor about their store as well it seems. They have a secret dentist discount. So all you dentist with a sweet tooth, we found your spot. Samples! They have samples available for most products. So if you're unsure you can probably try it, but be warned if you sample it you will want to buy it. Chocoholics be warned! I saw over half a dozen local grown and made "bean to bar" as they say, chocolate crafters on their shelves and each with multiple options. Farm to table tarts. And a wall of small farm macadamia nuts options, including chocolate covered varieties, and the best friggin toffee I've ever tried. Lilikoi, Li hing, coconut options in everything. Even organic cotton Candy?? My new favorite candy store! The only negative is I don't live on the island, so I have to wait for my next visit to get my next fix.

Love this little locally owned shop. Great snacks and drinks. Perfect place for locals to get all…read morethe food they love and great place for tourists to try new unique food and to buy snacks to take back as souvenirs.

One of the best discoveries! She was so nice and friendly and the cookies were delicious. This will…read morebe a must stop on future trips.

My favorite! Every trip to the big island I buy several packages. Made with only fresh…read moreingredients.

Not really into toffee at all, to be quite honest. Lots of sugar, hard on the teeth. But here, all…read morethe way out on the Hilo side of da Big Island, I had to make a serious exception. This is a charming little shop that makes and sells one thing: toffee. And theirs is exceptional. Love their merch, too! Bought a couple of bags and was seriously considering buying a hat, but I've got too many in the rotation right now. Met Kegan who is the owner and was working the register. He gave us a brief history of the business and how it was passed down from family. Right inside the store, there's an impressive scale model that depicts the history of the company in case you'd like an even more thorough presentation. Back to the toffee. Kegan was nice enough to give our large group samples. That sold me for sure! Nice guy! Super tasty toffee. I ate like half the bag on the way back to Kona. This just might be the best toffee candy you'll ever have. Check out this place if you're on the Hilo side. It's worth it!

So yummy. We happened to drive past this place and decided to stop by and check it out. Toffee is…read moreso good. Super fresh and perfect.

Great food! Great service! Great getting to know the owners Robyn and Mike!…read more On our first visit to Hilo, coming here was such a great experience into the feel of the community. Robyn and Mike were so hospitable and friendly that we talked about the conversation we had long after we left. The Korean Drama dog was delicious! What started as "let's find a place for a quick bite", turned into way more. If you're in the area and want delicious food that's a local "mom n pop" place, come here! We'll definitely be back

Best hotdog in the island! Loved! Also had katsu & fries! Everything was delicious!…read more Stopped by here to get food to go before we headed to LiliuokalaniPark and Gardens. Service was great! Really friendly people! Asked for reco on what to order & they did not failed. Place is small but cute for some quick photo ops. The cashier set up is very cool looking like a small window! Def will come here when we visit this island again