I suppose it must be hard to find good talent in a commercial kitchen; their current faire lacks any finesse and now show cases factory style food.  We probably won't go back there just because it's now so mundane.  Yawn.  The chef, if they have one, doesn't have any heart in it, it's just a turnaround process with so so economy sourced ingredients and some fru-fru added pretense from the staff.  It was chilly outside on their lanai so I had a French onion soup to start, it was served in a teacup size ramekin with a soggy bread and cheese salamandered on top over some canned beef broth, 3 half hearted onion slices swimming within and served at room temperature... their choices for a main course were very boring, eggplant parm, "bone-in" pork chop WOWie-Zowie, that bone thing almost sold me on it, their fresh caught fish was Mahi Mahi which I do not care for, so we both ordered a chicken and mushroom pot pie that we've had before and enjoyed once upon a time.  But this time they made it with mushrooms that were watery huge thinly sliced shitakes, barely cooked, very toothy, and the chicken was funky scraps of brown meat, I found it almost inedible, the salad was an enormous pile of baby lettuce leaves and nothing else, with a plastic bottle squiggle of some mayonnaise based dressing on top, who with any pride serves mayo on a pile of leaves and that's salad???.  So, so much for Let's Pretend fine dining. read more

The food was delicious. We had the tiger roll (suggested by our gracious server - Alexandra) which was amazing. The fish and chip entree was also amazingly tasty. Local bars were suggested by the bartender Sasha who was friendly and most accommodating. The beers were a great recommendation - fresh, cold, and spot on with a clean taste. It also has a beautiful view. Highly recommend Hilo Bay Cafe - a gem in an island paradise. read more

Honestly, disappointed by this meal. The menu looked super tasty, but the overall execution was lacking. We made a reservation and still had to wait for a table as some guests stayed lingering after the check was delivered. The hostess did do a good job checking in with us and explaining the situation. Not the restaurant's fault, but when we arrive at the table, it took quite a bit of time for the waitress to arrive. By then, we were starving. Outdoor seating was lovely, but I had tried to time the meal to enjoy views of the water which is what appealed to me in the yelp photos. By the time we were seated, it was unfortunately too dark to really enjoy the views. My husband ordered the Lime in da Coconut which basically tasted like someone dumped a whole can of crème de coconut from a grocery store into a glass and squeezed a lime inside. There was no alcohol to be found. It was not good at all - and I am not picky at all about booze. He did not even finish it. After one sip, I was not surprised by that decision. Overall, the meal service was extremely slow. We were starving and ordered sushi as an app which took forever to arrive. When it did arrive, my spicy tuna had hardly any tuna. It was mostly rice. So much rice that I had a hard time even tasting the tuna flavor. We also sat for another lengthy amount of time before the main dishes arrived. I got the chicken pot pie which was the best thing amongst what our family ordered. My husband's steak was extremely well done and had a very high marble of fatty gristle in all the wrong places. Daughter ordered the fried chicken which was so heavily breaded that the inside of the breading was still uncooked. The restaurant just felt like it was trying too hard to be "fine dining" and missed the mark. I don't normally write a negative review, but it was an expensive meal and just didn't live up to the expectations. We always at least look at the dessert menu, but when asked if we wanted dessert - we were tired of sitting there and so disappointed in everything else we had tried that we didn't want to waste more time with another expensive and disappointing dish. The options in Hilo are pretty limited which is why I still rated it 3 stars as there isn't really another spot of this style to visit that I found to even compare it to. If there was any competition in Hilo to this restaurant like on the Kona side, I would have given it 1 or 2 stars. read more

Ambiance: We were seated pretty much on time. Nice table along the window. Ambiance was okay. Food: TERRIBLE!. French fries were cold. Crab cakes were almost cold. I returned the fries, but it tasted like they reheated them in the oven; still not good! My husband's yakisoba took around 40 minutes and it was terrible. We are so very disappointed with the food. Service: Terrible. Waitress apologized for the wait and the terrible food and said she will let the kitchen know. $100 dinner...We will not be returning! read more

I don't really know how to rate our experience at the Hilo Bay Cafe. Fist I will start with we had a reservation to celebrate my brother and his wife's 31st anniversary and their last night on the island. We got a beautiful table with a view of the bay and enjoyed watching the paddlers. We live here on island and wanted to treat them to a celebration. The food was amazing! It was prepared perfectly and the presentation was stunning. The service well not so great. our server did check on us when we received our meals but our water glasses were not filled regularly and since we are not drinkers this is troublesome. The music , although pleasant, was really too loud for the space and we found it difficult to carry on our conversation without asking for things to be repeated. The restaurant is beautifully decorated but because of the layout the acoustics leave something to be desired. We were glad our dad was not with us as he is hard of hearing and he would not have been able to participate in our conversation at all. Did we get a complimentary dessert in celebration nope I find this simple sad. We only drank water our bill was almost $200 and not even a dish of ice cream in celebration of 31 years of marriage. read more

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This is a favorite of mine whenever I am visiting Hilo. The cafe is set on stilts (no doubt a vestige of the old days when the building needed tsunami protection), and you enter via a long staircase (or by the elevator in the back). They have a private lot for you to park in. Inside, it's fresh, modern, and tastefully decorated. It's a casual dining vibe, but you'll likely see a lot of Hawaiian/polo shirts. If the weather is nice, see if you can sit out on the patio, because the view of the bay is gorgeous, and there's nothing like enjoying a meal al fresco while the sun is setting. They serve complimentary popcorn, which is a tasty treat to munch on while you wait for your food to arrive. I had the duck with carrot ginger puree. The dish was plated beautifully (see attached picture), and the flavor combination was simple, but delicious. For dessert, I had the chocolate lava cake--it was adorable. The lava cake is topped with a strawberry coulis so it looks like lava flowing down a tiny volcano. And it comes with a scoop of coffee ice cream. The perfect ending to a perfect dinner. I will certainly be back, many times to come. read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - Molten lava cake - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Prior to flying over to the Big Island I'd heard restaurant reservations were hard to secure due to the mandate of less than 50% occupancy. With that in mind I started looking online. I found Hilo Bay Cafe which came in as a finalist In Honolulu's Magazine best restaurants 2021. We were driving over to the Hilo side from Kailua Kona so I succeeded in making a lunch reservation yesterday on Saturday. The three of us sat out on the patio with a nice view of the water. The restaurant was very diligent with Covid protocols. There's a staff person posted at the bottom of the stairs. We gave our name & reservation time. Halfway up the stairs there's a hand sanitizer station. Once inside you're led to your table. We were handed laminated lunch menus. Our server Sierra greeted us. She was very sweet and very professional. We ordered our cocktails & beer. For starters we had the California roll with crab & the tekka maki roll. Both rolls were delish. My daughter & I both had the fish & chips. The fish was Ono. Hubby got the mushroom curry chicken pie. Food portions were very generous. The only con that took away from our leisurely lunch was this threesome who sat about two tables away. Their conversation was overbearing. Luckily we were almost done eating. Definitely no dessert for us with all that white noise. Should we have notified management to intervene? They seemed to be regulars. Overall a nice sit down lunch. read more

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Seating hostess and bartender very kind**** Very attentive Ambience is spread and nice Large bar seating Ahi poki no chips today ... served with sushi rice ****. Delicious!!! read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - Ahi poke - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Went to Hilo Bay Cafe for my birthday yesterday & it was the best. Lanai view of the Mauna, Great waitress - Nancy, food was delicious, best restaurant I've been to in Hilo after living here for 20 years. read more

This restaurant has decent food, just over priced and small portions. I get it's Hawaii but the food is not higher quality than what I could buy and cook at home. read more

This is my favorite place in Hilo. Atmosphere is awesome especially view from lanai. My husband and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary and it did not disappoint. Food was superb absolutely everything was delicious!!! read more

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The crew@HBC are phenomenal! Special "shout-out" to Jess& Seaira for the upmost attention to details& service making my grandson Kilis birthday dinner a huge success! The food, the environment& esp the service will definitely bring us back! Kudos for excellence from everyone working Tues the 14th! ~Aloha Pu Me Hanas read more

Ambiance was great...gorgeous bay view and clean modern decor. The dining chairs were plastic like outdoor patio furniture. Food was okay. Inconsistent cooking in the ingredients in the dishes like the shrimp in the salads, potatoes and ulu in the gratin, and dough on the pot pie. Service was nothing spectacular. We felt more of an afterthought during dinner. read more

This is my fav restaurant in Hilo. I do recommend a reservation. Especially if you want to sit on the lanai with a beautiful view of the bay. I first had HBC when it was located by Wal-mart and got hooked on their pot pies. But, now I usually go for their sushi. Last night I had the warabi roll (fiddle fern), uni and the house salad. To wash it down I tried their Mai tai. It was a little less sweet than most Mai tais which I prefer. As you can tell from pot pies to sushi the variety is unique. But everything is well crafted. read more

There was a huge line and the lady said maybe a 30 min wait. After about 3 mins, I heard her announce that if anyone wanted to sit at the outside patio, she could sit them immediately. We jumped on that. The patio was nicely shaded, there were lots if cars driving by but we didn't mind. Our server was super friendly and have us tips on how to drive to kona because it was our first time. Honestly this was the best breakfast we had in Hilo in our 3 days of being there. My husband ordered the steak and eggs and his steak was cooked perfectly. My order was a smorgasbord Loco moco but everything was tasty. Great place read more

The food! The service! The view! We had a wonderful dinner at the Hilo Bay Cafe tonight. It had been recommended to us by locals with great taste, so we went and we are so glad we did! We sat on the veranda and watched the sun go down while our amazing server (Kristie?) gave us great recommendations and made sure we had a good time. The food was so good! There were 4 of us and we enjoyed every morsel. We shared sushi and the fried brussels sprouts as starters. We probably should have ordered more sprouts. We all went nuts for them, and the sushi was fresh and delicious. We enjoyed all our entrees and then indulged in the big pan cookie with ice cream for dessert. It was just right. I can't wait to go back! read more

I was visiting Hawaii and came across this place after visiting Carls smith beach. I forgot to take a picture of my roll, but it was amazing. I had the curry pork roll. I'm not really a fan of sushi so this was as good as it got for me and it didn't disappoint. This place overlooked the water and it was quiet and our waitress was friendly and attentive. read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - Menu - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Unlike another restaurant claiming fine dining on opposite end of Banyan, this establishment lived up to their high reviews. Atmosphere was casual to dressy. view was spectacular and even with soft rain, it just created a special haven to enjoy the moment. Servuce was prompt and friendly. Prices reasonable for the quality and presentation of food. Drinks were interesting and delicious. No complaints on food. everyone in party enjoyed themselve. read more

We had eaten here years ago when they were located elsewhere. Love the new location overlooking Hilo Bay. We were thankful there is an elevator since one of us walks with a cane and can't do stairs very well.. The guys got the chicken curry pot pie served with a salad and the gals got the special which was a short rib meat French dip. We think the dip was their French onion soup. This was served with a jicama and radish salad with lilikoi dressing on top. Our server could have come back and filled our drinks more, but overall a great experience. read more

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If you are in the Hilo area. I highly recommend to book in advance so that you can get a seat outside with the beautiful sunset in the evening you will not regret it. I sat at the bar with the window view. Bartender suggested the drink and it was very refreshing. Fried chicken was well seasoned and the pickles give it that tang! Corn bread was moist and with the sauce on top it all just went together. Poke was fresher than fresh. A MUST WHILE IN HILO! read more

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This place was amazing from the moment we sat down on the patio. We were greeted by the most amazing waitress so cute and friendly, thank you Cayenne!! The drinks were great and my Crab Cake salad has probably been one of the best salads I have ever had! We will be back for sure! read more

We ordered the curry chicken bowl. $18.00 Taste 9/10 Presentation 9/10 Portion 8/10 Service 8/10 Speed of service 9/10 Price 8/10 Environment 9/10 Cleanliness 9/10 Notes: Delicious crispy tender chicken with a light curry. A well balanced dish. Service was great, our server was Jessica. Despite not making a reservation we were quickly seated. Food came quickly, and was fresh, hot. Environment was as peaceful and clean. 9/10 would recommend this restaurant for a special treat. read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - Curry chicken bowl 9/10 - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great social distancing here. All workers wear masks and tables are very far apart from each other. There is hand sanitizer on the stairway before you enter the restaurant and masks are required inside. You can take it off once you get seated. Food was delicious and service was great. We had dinner here and I'm sure it would be wonderful to have a meal here during the day when you can enjoy beautiful hilo bay. Guess that's means we have to come back! When you check in for your reservation (which are recommended because when we called for the day of, their earliest res time for dinner was 7:30 pm), there is a QR code that you can scan to get your menu! You can choose between that or a regular menu but we choose to use our phone camera to scan the code which led us to a webpage with the menu. Pretty cool. So many things just sounded so good but we decided on the bulgogi mushroom lettuce cups and the Brussel sprouts and mushrooms as our starters. I was expecting the lettuce cups to have meat since usually bulgogi is followed by the word beef but these were both veggie dishes. Which were both so good! I got the sashimi somen salad, my son got the cheeseburger, and my husband ventured out and got the cauliflower au gratin. There was only 2 choices for kids (chicken nuggets and pasta) so my son decided to get what he called an adult dish lol. I was trying to be on the healthier side which is why I got the salad but my sons burger was so good I ended up eating half of that. My husband surprisingly enjoyed his cauliflower dish (and he's totally not a vegetable person. He's a total carnivore so I was surprised that he picked this dish!) which came with a side salad (with yummy dill yogurt dressing!) and some garlic bread. Here's a tip - if you get this dish, put the cauliflower ON the garlic bread, it's delicious together! We were stuffed but I can never say no to dessert. We got coffee ice cream and a mango lychee sorbet. Ok and this is the best part...they have no contact payment!!! When your receipt comes, there's a code on there if you opt to pay that way instead of doing the normal transaction with your server! You just scan the code with your phone and it pulls up your receipt. Whaaaaat!? For real. It was so easy. Hope more restaurants do this soon! read more

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Service and food was amazing. The view of the bay was spectacular. Definitely will return when back visiting Hilo.

Food is always ono!!! I had the duck duck demy and I will order it again. Service is always great. Ambience is truly amazing, it has an an outside seating overlooking the beach. Perfect for dinner dates read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - Duck duck demi - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Excellent menu. Enjoyed the short ribs, edamame and jalapeno cornbread in cast iron pan. Service fast and efficient. Great ocean views with a choice of indoor and outdoor seating. Definitely a winner. read more

The food was fresh !!!! And the service was top notch had the best time there would definitely go back again when in Hilo.

This place is nice and the food is good. The service could use some improvement. Our server started off strong and we made sure our orders were correct plus Sierra repeated it back to us. However when they brought our food only two orders were correct the chicken pot pies. Sushi had to be corrected and instead of bringing my tataki salad they brought a shrimp noodle dish of some sort. Sierra apologized for the mishap but we don't understand how simple orders could be mistaken from one table to another. This type needs fixing and the reason for three stars is the food plus the ambiance of the restaurant is good. Very nice and plenty of room but do make reservations. Tried it once was good. read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We had several small plates. All were delicious. Service was very good and friendly. Southwest salad was very good, bread, yum! Slaw and broccolini also tasty. read more

We popped in for an early lunch and were excited to find they could accommodate us as walk ins. The service was impeccable! We were given options and time to peruse the menu. We enjoyed a couple of the cocktails and some warm bread as an appetizer. I had the fish & chips and my dining companion had the bbq fried chicken sandwich special. Everything was well seasoned and delicious. The views were phenomenal. It would definitely be worth getting reservations to sit on the lanai for the next time when we come back. read more

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I came in a week ago with a party of ten. Special event in Hilo that day so we were dining afterwards. The place is nice. Modern, clean, kind of that Japanese minimalism thing going on. Great views of the bay. The food, I'll give 6/10. Nice selection on the menu. I got some sushi and the french onion soup (a local favorite, I'm told). I liked the selection of Japanese sakes. What wrankled me was the service. The staff seemed short tempered for some reason, almost like they had something against our party. We were pretty eclectic, some lawyers, business owners, county workers. I'm not sure why we got this vibe. The place was only about one third full and the food/drinks took inordinately long to get to the table. Not good for a place with such an otherwise good rep. read more

Had lunch at HBC on Saturday, and the food was very good, as usual. Our server,Cayenne, was a disappointment, inattentive at best. When tables that were sat after ours are getting their food of course you start to wonder.... Why not be honest and just say you messed up and didn't put in our order? That I understand. But to just shine it on and act like 45 minutes to get a salad and a veggie sandwich is normal? When you live somewhere that survives on the tourism and restaurant industry, you can bet that a good percentage your customers have worked or are working in the industry as well. And know what's up. Maybe make sure your servers are properly trained before getting a section of their own. read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I like the elevated restaurant here. I walked up a long flight of stairs and ended up getting seated at the bar. Purchased a lime in da coconut and moku ola iced tea. I enjoyed how clean the place was. Also the view from the bar wasn't bad. The drinks were amazing and I enjoyed the food. read more

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My boyfriend and I were enjoying Liliuokalani Gardens when we realized it was dinner time and noticed Hilo Bay Cafe. Without knowing much in advance, we ended up having our most favorite dinner in Hawaii. We were accommodated with last minute outdoor seating since we didn't have a reservation. I had a yummy Taro Burger and, though I rarely drink, I ordered a cocktail that was also excellent. The staff was kind and helpful and our view was lovely. We intended to return for another meal, but it is closed Sundays and Mondays. Nice for a romantic evening out. read more

During the three days we stayed in Hilo we went to Hilo Bay Cafe twice for dinner! This is a beautiful restaurant with incredibly friendly service and delicious flavorful food. They have a fair number of plant based options so there is food for everyone to eat. The vegan sushi and poke were delicious, but my favorite was the Brussels and mushroom dish. There is also a farro/kale/mushroom side that was delicious. Portion sizes are substantial and there is also a decent wine list. Obviously I will be back next time in Hilo! read more

We drove over to this side of the island to visit resident friends and they treated us for dinner here, their favorite restaurant. Wow, we loved every minute! We were welcomed warmly as we walked in (they clearly knew our friends as regular customers) and were seated at an outside table overlooking the beautiful bay. We started with drinks (we loved their Big Island Brewhaus Overboard IPA) and orders of edamame and a rainbow roll to share. We loved our appetizers but the real star of the show was my main. I had the Ocean Special and I was lucky that the fresh catch featured on the day we went was my favorite, ahi! It was so fresh and delicious, served over creamy polenta, and beautifully presented. Our server was top-notch, too! We would definitely come back. read more

Hilo Bay Cafe - Ocean Special - New American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Great option for dinner and drinks. Make a reservation in advance and sit outdoor on the balcony facing the water. We ordered the following: - Fries 5/5: the truffle mayo was delicious. Very generous portion to share. - Spicy Tuna Roll 1/5: just a personal preference. I think you should skip the roll and go to a sushi restaurant for sushi. - Ginger Chicken 3/5: a bit burnt, but it was a nice large portion. - Mushroom Pot Pie with Chicken: 5/5: absolutely delicious. Very large portion with a side salad. Our only challenge was the fries came out and it took a while for our main dishes to come out. We got full off of the fries. We didn't realize how large the potions would be so we didn't finish our main dishes. We stayed at a hotel without a microwave so we couldn't take home leftovers. read more

Food was great and we were able to get seats at the bar. Was a little chilly at night (they keep windows open for the breeze). I'd eat here again read more

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This is the place in Hilo for amazing food with a view to match! Going to a new city for dinner can be a bit challenging while on vacation.. if you find yourself in Hilo and are looking for a beautiful restaurant with equally amazing food, Hilo Bay Cafe is for you! Their sushi was amazing, their entrees were delicious and the service was amazing. Considering options for an elevated meal in Hilo? Here you go! Enjoy! read more

Food: Nothing exciting. Taste was OK but we expected more. Minimal seafood selections for main dishes, only one special for seafood. Salads had crab cakes or misoyaki fish. Service: Exceptional. Our server was attentive and very nice. Ambiance: Very nice views of Hilo Bay and Maunakea. It was a muggy evening. With no AC, we were a little uncomfortable with the heat. read more