Smash burger is melt in your mouth - excellent quality beef sourced from a local farmer. Large…read moreselection of sweet treats - the ube cake was a bit dry (likely days old) but very tasty. The juices were fresh tasting. This place has a limited menu and hours due to recent storms affecting the property but quality of food and service was outstanding. Be patient while they repair and rebuild (including the town/roads getting here). Would return not just for the novelty of eating at the "southern most" US restaurant but for all the reasons a diner would frequent a food establishment.

A Little Hidden Gem Filled With Aloha…read more Hana Hou Restaurant was honestly the best food experience we had during our entire 8-day trip to the Big Island. We stayed in Waikoloa Village and explored Kona, Hilo, Volcano Park, South Point, the Green Sand Beach, and the Black Sand Beach, so we had plenty of opportunities to try different places. And somehow, this little hidden gem ended up being our favorite. We're from the Los Angeles area and were traveling with my husband and our teenage son, and from the moment we walked in, we felt something different here. The service was genuinely friendly, the employees seemed happy to be there, and there was such a warm aloha spirit throughout the restaurant. That kind of genuine hospitality was missing at some of the other places we visited. Even something as simple as sitting down for a cup of coffee on the morning of Day 5 of our trip felt like a pleasure. The vibe was relaxed, welcoming, and local. You could feel that this was a place connected to the community. And the food was AMAZING. My son ordered the pizza, and it was HUGE -- so big that he had enough left over for the next day. My husband had the chicken, and I ordered the noodles. Everything was delicious. But I have to talk about the papaya. I do not like papaya. At all. I was just craving some fresh fruit, so I asked what they had, and they told me they only had papaya. I figured, okay, I'll try it. It was HANDS DOWN the best papaya I have ever had in my life. I loved it so much that later in the trip, when we stopped at a fruit stand and I bought papaya, I was immediately disappointed because it wasn't even close to the papaya we had at Hana Hou! We've been to Maui and Oahu before, and this was our first trip to the Big Island. If you're traveling around the island, I highly recommend making a stop here. Don't let the fact that it's a little tucked away fool you -- this place is a true hidden gem. We're so grateful we found Hana Hou. The food was wonderful, the people were wonderful, and most importantly, we felt the aloha spirit here in a way that really stayed with us. Mahalo, Hana Hou, for being one of the highlights of our trip!

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!

They do an amazing job I keep getting the katsu curry alls perfect. Flavor rice texture curry…read moreflavor. I highly recommend you check them out. Great prices as well.

Good food stop before heading to Volcano National Park…read more This place was better than the fancy one in Kona we had lunch at the day before! I'd definitely stop here again, the ladies were all so nice and service was great.

Clean bathrooms. Delicious honey tastings. Ducks wandering. Parrots…read more This is an interesting place. We enjoyed it, they were friendly. We bought honey.

This is a must-see stop on the way to South Point. Admission is free, and you can wander the…read moregrounds filled with lush plants, birds, and an art gallery. Grab a bite from the food truck or enjoy the samples in the store. The macadamia nuts are absolutely addictive, and the thoughtfully crafted honey is just as incredible. We left a generous tip for our sample guru and went home with bags of macadamia nuts and a variety of honey. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable, and I loved learning how the honey develops its unique flavors. Best of all, it feels great to support local farmers!

Got 1/4 lb of a few different pokes to try. We got the salmon poke, southside sweety poke, shoyu…read morepoke, wasabi poke, slippery Hawaiian, and dhawaiian poke. The salmon and tuna were all very fresh and everything was very well seasoned. The names are very accurate in describing the poke flavor. Our favorites were the salmon poke and the slippery Hawaiian poke, saucy and great balance of savory, salty, umami, and a bit of sweetness. The wasabi poke had a very very strong wasabi flavor, so be warned! We also tried their ube lemonade and Mac salad. The ube lemonade was a nice purple color, but it didn't taste much like ube and the lemonade didn't taste fresh either. The Mac salad was a bit too creamy and dense in our opinion. So we'd skip these but definitely get the poke + rice bowl!

Don't miss the poke plate here. Aunty Lehua was the sweetest! Daughter and I shared the poke…read moreplate which comes with your choice of 4 poke and 4 scoops of rice. There. Is a condiment station loaded with all the goodies. Shoyu and furikake. There are so many choices and something for everyone. It was hard to pick just 4z

Food, phenomenal. Service, sensational. Ambiance, extraordinary…read more Marcus is the best Hawai'i has to offer. He embodies the Hawaiian spirit. He also makes a mean glizzy.

Since the hurricane's He has moved his hot dog stand to the south point U cart parking lot! Go see…read morehim - he makes amazing hotdogs.

Holy smokes, this Chinese restaurant is legit! We attended a funeral and came here with a large…read moregroup as they catered us buffet style. Everything was delicious! Better than a lot of the take out spots on Oahu! I was shocked on how good it was. Great flavor, authentic, fresh and enough seasoning. It's not overpowering where a lot of Chinese slots could get. Even had their smoothies and it was delicious! Will come back when we're in Kona!

My friend and I found this spot since it was one of the few still open later. As we were here near…read moreclosing, they only had take out options. The restaurant is relatively spacious. The food here is affordable and the portions are great! I got the furikake chicken bowl, which was around $10. They really load it up with chicken and rice. I didn't taste a lot of furikake in my chicken, but it was still good overall. The plaza has lots of parking and the service was quick. If you are in the area, I recommend stopping by.

Food was awesome, including the barbecue sauce. Chatted…read morewith Randy. Great guy. A must stop.

Thursday and Fridays until they run out. There was a line but the women are so efficient and we…read morereceived our food while paying. All the meat ribs, chicken and brisket are all flavorful tender and juicy. The Mac salad is a must try!! The Mac & cheese was good, I believe it has chicken in it (I could be wrong) so you get a meaty taste. There is covered seating. Bbq sauce wasn't my favorite basic sauce but the meat doesn't need any sauce

Food was great. The flavors were great. I really miss seeing them. I hope they will have a truck…read moreagain.

This is the dream -- the hole-in-the-wall restaurant with good prices and amazing food. It's not…read morewhat you expect in a strip mall.

This food is freaking amazing! Totally off the beaten path but well worth the visit you'll love…read morethe food!

Best BBQ I've had in Hawaii I live on Oahu and can't find anything close to it I have I fly over…read morejust to have a piece of that brisket and the staff very kind and I know it's Texas style but I can really taste the aloha