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    Hilo Burger Joint

    3.7 (1.1k reviews)
    ModerateBurgers, Pubs, American
    Open • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Hilo Burger Joint Photos

    Business Info

    HILO BURGER JOINT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Live music
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Hilo Burger Joint

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    Reviews With Photos

    Sophia L.

    My family of 7 came on Friday around 8pm. Waited around 20 mins for a table. Definitely loved the atmosphere, there was live music. Little bit loud so we each to yell slightly to talk to each other. Food wise - we got bacon cheese burger, patty melt, BTL Kimchi, Big Island burger, loco moco burger, Cesar salad I liked that we got to pick the cheese and cook on the patties. I will say all the burgers were good besides the loco moco burger. It wasn't good, the gravy tasted premade. Also I wished they asked if we wanted the gravy on the side because the buns were so soggy.

    Chili Cheese Burger

    Service was great. Our waitress was very welcoming and friendly. Made great recommendations and all our burgers were delicious and a good size. Service was also quick, our server checked on us all time which we appreciated

    Yum
    Kat B.

    We came over to Hilo after a day of hiking around the volcano park. By the time we got here, we were starving, so we decided on a burger and on Hilo Burger Joint. When we arrived, we were seated promptly. The noise level was decently low, even with live music, and we were so happy for that. Here lately, every place we have gone has been sooo loud to where we couldn't have a conversation, so this was a nice touch. Our waitress came to grab our orders promptly and brought our drinks quickly. We decided on mozzarella sticks for an appetizer, a pesto burger no tomato with a garden patty, and another garden burger plain and dry, both with fries. Food came out decently swiftly, and everything looked amazing! The fries were piping hot and absolutely wonderful: perfectly crispy, not greasy, with flavor and perfect seasoning. The pesto burger was soo good. The pesto itself had a great flavor without being overbearing or oily. I loved the slice of fresh mozzarella. The burger itself was cooked perfectly, and the bread was nice and toasty without being hard. The mozzarella sticks were fantastic, not greasy at all, and were decently sized. I really liked the marinara it came with, which it was flavorful without being overbearing and the only thing we could taste. I assume the garden burger was equally enjoyed, for there was no conversation coming from that side of the table. Oh, and he stole the rest of my fries. Thief!! This was a great decision. The interior screams dive bar in an interesting way, but that food? Definitely not greasy spoon or quickly thrown together dive bar appetizers, that's for sure! We will definitely come back!

    Outside
    Julie D.

    Came to Hilo for an early dinner after hiking Puna Trail. Found this joint on Yelp, and stopped despite mixed reviews. WE LOVED IT. Great service, background music & food. The fries!!!! Recommends

    Billy J.

    Wow, yet again another surprise! We were just hunting for someplace to eat, and found this on yelp. It's just a little bit on the divey side, but not bad! We were very comfortable here! Great service! You'd think $27 for a hamburger is a bit high, except when It comes with two 6 ounce patties of hamburger, bacon, fried onions as well as peppers and mushrooms. Additionally, it came with a side of edamame, which was out of this world! Highly recommend, will definitely come back for over this way again!

    Green chile burger
    Emily H.

    Awesome burger variety and everything was delicious! Our server was so kind and attentive, especially helpful as our group had lots of questions due to some dietary limitations. We came in 20min before closing and stayed nearly an hour past, but everyone was very understanding about it and accommodating.

    Menu
    Michael S.

    This was a great experience. The guys at the fishing shop recommended us to come here and they were spot on. Nice little spot with a cool looking bar and great beer selection. They were pretty busy but got us sat at the bar and burgers to us in good timing. The flavor was awesome! Thanks for the hospitality!

    Turkey burger on the right
    Meridith M.

    We were starving and needed lunch, so we stopped at Hilo Burger Joint. Lucked out with street parking right in front of the restaurant, which was convenient. If it wasn't for that, I'm not sure where you park to eat here. The inside has an old-fashioned pub feel, and there's additional outdoor seating available. We chose to sit inside since Hilo's weather is hit or miss with rain. One minor issue: the tables are a bit narrow for the booths, so we had to lean in a bit to comfortably use the table. I ordered the turkey burger, which came with fries. The turkey patty was grilled and hit a nice middle ground - not too dry, though not particularly moist either. What really stood out were the fries: extra crispy and not soggy at all, exactly how I love them. Service was fairly quick, but it might be since we had a really late lunch, and the staff was friendly throughout our visit. A good spot for a casual burger lunch when you're in the area. My coworker also told me they have live band entertainment on some nights, so that's also a bonus if you're into that sort of thing.

    Chee hoo cocktail and beer 5/2025
    Sabrina S.

    This was our burger fix after hikin' Volcanoes National Park. Small tight parking lot in back, but noticed an outdoor patio area and large indoor eating area with bar. Think super casual. We had a nice table near the front window facing the Main Street. Ordered some drinks Chee Hoo (coconut rum, lychee, lilikoi, and lemonade) sounded sooo yummy and it was pretty, but was kinda underwhelming. The tropical flavors didn't quite shine like I thought it would. Beer was ok California burger- excellent! Burger was juicy, produce was fresh, bacon and avocado were on point, and appreciated the tomato aioli. I opted for the salad instead of fries and their house made lilikoi vinaigrette was quite nice. I had asked our server for more dressing, but somehow it had got forgotten and she apologized. Southern BBQ burger- good. The only thing not quite right was onion ring. It was huge, but inside contained a sliver of onion, almost like outside of an onion, and was inedible. Burger was nice and juicy though.

    Raymond J.

    A bar that called burger joint . Decent burger and fries. What made this place a good experience was the bar tender/ waitress. Super friendly and a pleasure to chat with. Some locals hang here. I'd come back and try something different

    I got Wagyu with fries and ranch. My friend got cordon Bleu, her mom got teriyaki salad, do not recall what dad got.
    Brandy C.

    Was pretty good overall. We had to wait about 45 min for our food despite being sat right away. The music inside was cute. I got a Wagyu burger and I think the chef is anti well-done so he burnt my burger to hell and back, and it was quite disgusting. They also forgot ingredients in my friends mom's salad. I would try this place again but omg the chef is a bit rude. The servers were amazing and the ranch + fries were good. Just please don't be vindictive when someone wants cooked meat. I've had Wagyu at hundreds of places in various states and countries and this was hands down the nastiest due to improper cooking.

    Ube mousse.
    Kealohanui A.

    Swiss burger was ono. Spouse got lava burger with jalapeños and bacon. Had to try the ube mousse - heard they just started serving this. Live music w Joel and friendly staff.

    Grilled cheese

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    2 months ago

    Great burgers, live music, amazing service! I would definitely recommend this place for evening out.

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    4 months ago

    Phenomenal find! Outstanding food, service, and ambiance. The menu is gigantic and the kitchen was quick. Six stars out of five

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    Hilo Burger Joint Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Hilo Burger Joint

    Hello guys -- someone mentioned that you have some sort of birthday special -- please explain it to me-- how do I get it --?

    Just walk in and mention it to the host or server. It is good grinds there!

    Are there any gluten-free items? Are the fries cooked in a dedicated fryer? Anything else you can share about gluten-free info? Thank you :-)

    I grew up way before the gluten thing.. Re. the fries, mine weren't hot.

    View All 4 Questions

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    I had The Hidden Nene bookmarked when I was planning out my trip to Hilo and I couldn't be happier…read morewith my experience at the speakeasy. My wife and I stopped by for pre-dinner drinks and we absolutely loved the drinks that we were able to try out. I started out with a cocktail called the "Spam Dram", a crispy Spam fat-washed barrel-proof bourbon, combined with seared Spam and nori syrup and topped off with a spam musubi garnish. As one might guess, this drink was presented in a spam musubi tin, and atop the bed of crushed ice was an *entire* spam musubi. The drink was a perfect representation of spam musubi in a glass -- sweet, savory, and full of umami. Props to whichever bartender put together this creative drink. The next drink I ordered was the "Smoky Bear", another bourbon based cocktail. This one had bird's eye chili essence in it, and was much closer than your traditional Old Fashioned, except it had an incredible amount of smokiness and a punch of heat to it as well. If you enjoy stiff drinks with complexity, look no further than this cocktail. While we were seated at the bar, we overheard somebody close to us mentioning a password special that had been posted on the Instagram page of The Hidden Nene. We checked their latest story posted two hours earlier and the password special for the day was a "fizz me baby one more time", a strawberry and yuzu gin fizz. My wife ordered this cocktail as her second drink and loved how refreshing the drink tasted. Overall, if you consider yourself a cocktail connoisseur, you owe it to yourself to check out The Hidden Nene if you're in Hilo.

    The coastal town of Hilo hides the fantastic speakeasy, The Hidden Nēnē. Head down the stairs by…read morethe green door, and it becomes less hidden, and you can see the sign for the basement level bar. The underground space is low green lighting, a long bar, and green velvet bar chairs. We went during the day, so they were not busy, and were able to sit at the bar. The service was quick, relaxed, and friendly. The cocktails are upscale priced, but well made. They do offer a full food menu, we did not order any food on our visit.

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    TIKI DAVE of TIKI DAVE TRAVEL / TIKI DAVE'S TERRIFIC TRIPS highly recommends PINEAPPLES!…read more There is a reason this place has such great reviews. You definitely want to make a reservation in advance, especially if there are cruise ships in port. Otherwise, you're going to wait in line. I would say that the very best thing on the menu is the Teriyaki Flank Steak Appetizer ($19)....this thing is SICK. We ordered the appetizer and it is the most unique Teriyaki steak I have ever had. The teriyaki sauce is rich and just amazing. Just order it. I am still craving it. We also ordered the Lilikoi Hoisin wings and SON OF TIKI DAVE ordered the Lemon Macadamia Chicken ($28) which was delicious, too. They have a full bar and the Mai Tais are awesome. We ordered a couple a piece. Ambience and service is great. And with your receipt, you get at 10% discount at Wilson's Shave Ice across the street. TIKI DAVE from TIKI DAVE'S TERRIFIC TRIPS absolutely loves PINEAPPLES! I will be making a video of my experience so...and here it is! https://youtu.be/yVi4ZEcMw3g?is=0GTf-vESLcn0BX0_ Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/@TIKIDAVETRAVEL And follow! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565274777775&mibextid=ZbWKwL https://www.instagram.com/tikidavetravel/?__d=1%2F%3Fhidemenu%3Dtrue

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    Had a great experience with our server Jon. Not only did he help us with our beer selection, but…read morehe helped this tourist group navigate the vulcano must sees and hike, full experience. We had the macadamia nut crusted fish with fries. The crust had a crispy crust and our friends said it was delicious. We had the penne pesto pasta and added some grilled shrimp, added price. The shrimp were (thumbs up) dollar size. The pesto pasta sauce had a great flavor, but it was very watery. Would have loved for those flavor to shine a bit more. Overall we had a great time, with good food and a great server. Definitely recommend

    In past years when I did the circle island tours we always came here for lunch and it was always…read moregreat, so when I planned a family trip I reserved dinner here as I knew we'd have a good view of Kilauea. The food was good overall - but you are paying touristy prices. Things my party tried: - Kona kampachi and lobster - this was my pick and it was great! The fish was perfectly cooked and loved the sauce. They include ginger and Japanese pickled veggies, which I love, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. The lobster tail half was also a good size and hit the spot. My only gripe was I didn't have a small lobster fork, so had to dig into the lobster with my fingers. - my BiL devoured the rib eye and said it was good. - my brother really enjoyed the stuffed chicken. It was my second option.. and I won't lie it looked really good. - my SIL for the pesto pasta and added steak. The pasta was meh, but the steak was great. - the kids menu were hits. The mahi mahi comes with fruit, but the hot dog doesn't. It was just odd that fruit wasn't available for all kids menu options. - shrimp scampi pizza was pretty good. Nice flavors. All in all a great family dinner spot with great views. The staff was really friendly too! Would I come back - definitely!

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    Hilo Burger Joint - burgers - Updated September 2026

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