12 hours in Hilo: Stop #1 Hilo Lunch Shop. Traveling with family for a cousin's funeral in Hilo. After landing at the airport and picking up the rental car, our first stop was to Hilo Lunch Shop- an okazuya. Just about a block north of the airport complex on Kalanikoa Street, there was a good amount of parking on a Saturday. HLS is hugely popular, usually the line snakes out of the building on work days. Today the line still stretched out in a lazy C to the second door into the shop. Shuffling through the line, I had a lot of time to check out the food. Struck by how reasonable the prices were. Got up to the head of the line and ordered. Paid and went outside to enjoy my food. Saw that the reason for good prices is that some of the portions like the spam musubi were for a half a musubi. But my eyes were bigger than my opu, and I had a lot to take as leftovers anyway. HLS's food is tasty and reasonable. How great is it to see another old-time okayzuya continue to survive! Will repeat whenever my travels bring me back to Hilo, and highly recommend! read more

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Hilo Lunch Shop is an great choice if you're looking an Okazuya near the airport. Like any Okazuya the earlier you go the more food/choices there are available. I've been here a lot of times and enjoyed the variety of food that I've eaten from here. There is a very good selection of different dishes and the service is just as great as well. I'm glad that they make Maki Sushi rolls here. There are some hit and misses on some dishes, but overall Ono and will satisfy your cravings. 4 Stars.. read more

I'm a huge fan of okazuyas, but I'm usually too late to snag the good stuff before it sells out. Hilo Lunch Shop did not disappoint! Easy to find, and we lucked out with a parking stall right in front. The variety of food options was almost overwhelming in the best way possible. Since we were heading to the airport soon and I knew I couldn't eat everything before my flight, I got smart and split my order between two small bento containers: shrimp tempura, sweet potato tempura, nori chicken, hash patty, tofu patty, and a small spam musubi. They also had Monster energy drinks, which was perfect since we were working overnight jobs and needed the caffeine. It was tough choosing what to get with so many delicious options, but everything packed perfectly for the plane ride home and made an ideal lunch later. One heads up: the spam musubis are cut in half, so ordering one actually gets you half a musubi. Good to know if you're really hungry! Practical notes: they accept credit cards, and thank goodness the receipts are itemized (great for expense reports). It wasn't too busy when we went either, which made the whole experience even better. Highly recommend this spot - just make sure you get there before everything sells out! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Spam musubi, hash patty, tofu patty, shrimp tempura, nori chicken - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Delicious, home-style food. Reasonably priced. Workers are very efficient and friendly. Popular place, but line moves efficiently.

So happy I finally get to try Hilo Lunch Shop during this recent trip to BI. The past 2 times I tried they were closed, I think I got there too late and they were sold out. This time we went after arriving at Hilo. The line was already long! It was a little confusing where the line starts and end but I figured it out. While standing in line I got to study the menu, look at the what is available for okazuya and chat with locals. Hilo Lunch Shop is really popular, after I got my order, the line got longer! Keep in mind that Hilo Lunch Shop is tiny so I can imagine the craziness but everyone got it under control, while waiting I can hear the locals chatting with each other, the true Aloha spirit was felt here! Although my very first time, I ended up only getting a few Okazuya, do regret not getting more since I was already there at Hilo Lunch Shop! hehe. I just didn't want to get too much and don't want to waste it. The only thing different I noticed here and Kawamoto, Hilo Lunch Shop doesn't have the set menu combo special, you pick and choose your items for your plate. My order was the breakfast plate sausage, eggs rice, it was really cheap! nori musubi, nori chicken, spam jun, hash, and bean sprouts. I wanted the warabi but sold out. The staff are so friendly and quick with getting my orders. The other half and I shared the breakfast plate and munched on some Okazuya, it really hit the spot, since it has been awhile since I had Okazuya. We enjoyed it but omg the nori chicken was the best I've tasted compared to 2 other spots I've tried. Next time I am getting a ton of them. The prices are low compared to Oahu, way cheaper here! Hilo Lunch Shop, I will be back! Super Ono! I love mom and pop shops, love Okazuya & just love visiting Hilo! read more

My favorite stop whenever in Hilo. Super close to the airport so I usually pick up my car and head straight over Go early, but not too early. Lol Food runs out fast but cone sushi usually comes out later. Haha good luck. Everything is good but, the "Nori Chicken" is one of my favorites. read more

I love a good okazuya for breakfast! Decided to try this place out during my trip to Hilo. As expected, wait times were a bit long. But that's how you know it's a pretty popular joint! I got a bit of everything in my takeout box including the nori chicken, ogo salad, bean sprouts, maki, spam Musubi, shoyu hotdog, tempura fish cake & corned beef hash. Everything was amazing. We'll definitely come check it out again when I'm back on island. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

food - a must visit everytime i'm in hilo! classic hawaii okazuya food, with many options. my favorites are the nori chicken and shoyu chicken. service - quick and easy! ambiance - small hole in the wall with only a couple seats inside, this is more of a takeout spot. ample parking in the lot out front. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Time to update my review of da world FAMOUS - Hilo Lunch Shop in sleepy Hilo town. Whenever I eat okazuya, I can't but help to think about my Yelp buddy - Bruddah Dan O., as he is da KING of okazuya! Lol! While working in Hilo two weeks ago, I made it appoint to stop by one of my old favorite stomping grounds, as you never can go wrong by coming to the Hilo Lunch Shop. The okazuya selection is pretty immense, and while I was waiting in that long line to place my food order, one can just go nuts thinking about what to order when you see all that deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicous food! At the end, I ended up getting - 1. Korean Chicken 2. Egg Omlet or Egg Foo Young 3. Nori Chicken (I got 2 pieces) 4. Shrimp Tempura (I got 2 pieces) 5. Vegetable Tempura 6. Nori Musubi Outstanding prices for all this food, as it was just $12.00 bucks & some change. Can we say - DEALAGES Yo!!!! Parking is easy, as there is a pretty large private parking lot. There is no inside or outside seating at this place. It's basically a grab & go kinda joint. A very POPULAR eatery, as da locals really dig it! If you like ono kine GRINDZ, this is definitely a place you should check out! read more

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After a stay in Kona I was flying out from Hilo (long story) so on my way to the airport I stopped here for lunch. It was already around noon so they were out of many things but got the fried chicken, inari sushi, lau lau and some nishime. The fried chicken was ono but the real standout was the nishime. I never liked the nishime my grandma made every new year's lol so had low expectations but so good. I wish I had their receipe! While I liked the flavor of the inari sushi, it was a little too juicy to the point they fell apart when trying to eat. Finally, lau lau was good but the pork maybe could have used a bit more fat. Overall, it was a real treat, service was fast and the prices are amazingly low. Highly recommend read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Delicious and yes I ate some of this in my rental car lol - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The place to go for locals - so you know it's good. Go early because they say they are open til 1:00 - but once they run out of stuff, they are out. You can order a bento or a box of items. Everything is "to go". They pack chopsticks or forks and napkins for you. Be prepared to wait in line. It goes pretty quickly. I could tell I wasn't a local because they were all there in their zoris. Service is efficient and nice. You order at the counter as they fill your box. We had 7 pieces of chicken, 6 pieces of sushi and macaroni salad for a total of $23. We ate it for lunch and dinner. You can't beat it! I would call to make sure they are open, because they close for catering done days. We got lucky! read more

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Love the choices and food is tasty. Line can be long but it's worth the wait. One of my favorites is the nori chicken

When we entered, there were three people ahead of us and after we entered, more than 10 people were behind us by the time our order was taken. Service was fairly quick. The girl putting together our order was nice and attentive. We chose so many items. They were out of the inari and maki sushi but we waited for fresh made ones which didn't take that long. Everything was affordable and delicious. The memorable standouts were the eggplant spam tempura, warabi (pohole) salad, shoyu chicken and inari (cone) zushi. We also got a reusable hilo lunch shop eden with love bag. Inside was clean, spacious, and inviting. We showed up after 9:30AM and although it got busy after we arrived, the line and service were organized and efficient. This will definitely be a go to place in the morning when we arrive into Hilo. Food is great, affordable and service is excellent. This was my first time there and it won't be the last. read more

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We bought 14 cone sushi's and it was Terrible. No taste, mushy rice and the cone had a blah taste to it. If I was living in Hilo, I would have taken it back but I bought it and brought it back all the way to Waimea. Very disappointed. I tried calling them and they don't even pick up the call. read more

Wonderful spot for an uncomplicated box lunch. Go here if you want a good meal with no fuss and a lot of flavor. I forgot to take pictures but I ordered the lunch plate with two spam musubi, nori chicken, shoyu chicken, cucumber Kim chi, and tuna salad. All of the flavors were wonderful. No seating but the service is quick and everything is packed well. I appreciate how they use the to-go plate compartments to shield the meats and musubi from the Kim chi. read more

Small okazuya in Hilo, but very popular. Long line, but moves quickly. Food is consistent and so ono. One of the best okazuyas in Hilo. I go as often as I can when visiting Hilo. read more

We were in need of some quick breakfast/lunch before our hikes for the day. This place really delivered on our needs. They have prepackaged bento boxes in the morning with a good variety of entrees. We grabbed 4 different ones and everyone in our group was happy. We added on some rolls as well. The beef one was really good. As far as the entrees the egg was my fav. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Hilo Lunch Shop is ALWAYS one of our first stops when in Hilo, especially since it's so near to the airport. They have their own parking lot but during morning and afternoon rush hours it does tend to get pretty busy. It is small inside with probably only one table with two chairs. When you get to the front of the line, it's all local guys and aunties taking your order. They're usually nice but sometimes they're a little cranky or you can tell they have an attitude. But don't let that make you afraid to ask what the dish is in front of you or if they have spam musubi and cone sushi in the back. One thing we did notice though is that the cone sushi did get smaller but still super tasty. They make everything fresh and sometimes what they have out front varies, but some of the stuff we got was: sweet potato tempura, eggplant tempura, veggie omelette, spam musubi, Nori chicken, cone sushi, yakitori chicken, long rice, cucumber namasu, bean sprout salad, fishcake, Korean chicken, shoyu hotdog, and corn beef hash. Everything that we've tried is super delicious and we've never had any complaints about the food. Overall, it's one of our favorite places to stop by when in Hilo and we will definitely be coming back again and again. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We've been here a couple of times when we were cruising Hilo side. Prices are good and the food is pretty good too... (except my fried chicken was super dry like jerky) other than that, food is tasty. Workers are pretty nice too. Lines are long depending on the day and time you go but be patient, it's worth it. We will be back! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Yum - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

the nori chicken is DELICIOUS!! and they have a good mac salad. the korean chicken wasn't the best, but still pretty good. very kind staff ^-^ read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Long time Hilo establishment conveniently located right off the main road. One of my "gotta go stops" in Hilo. Served okazuya style. My favorites are the shrimp tempura and sweet potato tempura (which I bought the 3 last ones). They run out of the top items pretty quick and the line can be long (luckily they move the line efficiently so it goes quick). Their tempura batter is a bit on the heavier side, more similar to Okinawan style, but that's why I like it. Always a recommend, just go early read more

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Awesome food! I'm a pescatarian, so plenty of fish options for me! Queue was kinda long, but the staff worked as quick as possible.

Since my son moved to Hilo a few years ago I've been visiting about four times a year and have been discovering all the great places to eat. I always wanted to go to Hilo Lunch Shop forever because I love okazuyas and I realize that someday there will be none left. When we got there there was a full line inside the shop. My son told me that sometimes the line is out the door, but the line moves pretty quick. It was nice that when customers ask if there are anymore of a certain dish, they would replenish their goods with trays from behind the counter. There are enough employees to handle these big crowds. And, some of the customers order huge portions of food. The food here is excellent, everything was delicious. My favorites were the vegetable tempura, the hobo salad and, of course, the hash patty. I definitely will be back, this place is a winner. read more

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U like ono grinz go early or no go! Best place to get a box before heading to Kona. I go back every-time I'm back in HILO

this place is poppin! great food and service. if i was in town for longer i would definitely make multiple stops to try all the food. also best prices i have experienced in hilo so far!! read more

The food was delicious and the service was fine! We ended up with a great bento lunch which we ate in a park!

We arrived at around 8 am and while there was a line of people, we were helped very quickly. There were also quite a few people behind us. However, I feel like the workers here are very efficient. The shop always provides that warm nostalgic atmosphere. We ordered a box with nori chicken, fish cake, vegetable tempura, shrimp tempura, hash, and ono tempura. These are my family's favorites and go to choices here. As always, it tastes amazing and somewhere I always make a point to visit when I come back home to Hawaii. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Lunch Box - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Food is always good. Service was fast! Ambiance was amazing. Always a must try in Hilo!

Long time established business to get okazuya . Hilo Lunch Shop has been a local's favorite place that to this day, the line is still out the door. The fact that we got all that food for $17 is such a steal! Come here early or plan accordingly. Parking lot is quite small. Despite the line, service can go by fast as long as you know what to order before you get to the front. read more

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This place is all heart and no bullshit. The food is great and affordable. Service is prompt. Place had a steady line when we were there, and once we dug into our food it was easy to see why. Basic hole in the wall deli atmosphere. Take out only it seems. read more

Need omiyagi to bring back from Hilo? Try the fish cake. This is one of family's go to. Nice and fresh and so delish. Need to call ahead or go in person to preorder. The rest of the okazuya is killers too! read more

Unreal fresh! Unreal taste! Unreal options! I will make sure I get here everytime I am in hilo!

LUNCH time. My friends and I ventured to the Big Island for a weekend getaway recently. Thanks to Yelp for helping us find a local breakfast place. COVID PRECAUTIONS: 1. Staff wearing masks. 2. Social distancing while waiting 3. Face covering/masks required for entry 4. Limit of people entering enforced; please wait for a staff member to call/wave you to enter. 5. 1 door used for entry and another used for exit. 1. Yes, there's parking. Although the lot can fill up fairly quickly as we discovered on the day we visited (1/15/22). 2. Yes, the menu can be daunting and overwhelming for first time visitors. We passed the time waiting compiling a list of our order. The menu is listed behind the counter and is ala carte (please see photo attached to this review). Basically, customers order menu items and "create" their own bento box so to speak. 3. Yes, the food is awesome! My favorites included the cone sushi (so good!!), nori chicken, hash, and the fish cake. Highly recommend the cone sushi. 4. Yes, the staff is very friendly. The guy that was assisting us with our order was so patient....and even more patient answering our questions about the food. 5. Yes, they take card! After filling up our bento box, I handed over my card to pay and we were off to enjoy the delicious foods of HLS. BOTTOM LINE: Friendly staff. Delicious food. Recommended. read more

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Great food, super friendly, and amazing prices. Definitely worth checking out. A real gem in Hilo.

Food is really good, service very nice too . Place is very clean . High recommend for this place

In an effort to find out who is the "best" Okazuya place in Hilo, I went to both Kawamoto's and Hilo lunch shop. What I found was interesting... Hilo lunch shop has parking! Parking was easily found and there was a similar line as found at Kawamoto's. Hilo lunch shop though was much faster and efficient! The line moved and in possibly half the time, I was inside. Once inside there were lots of choices. Almost mind boggling on how many items were available. Even lau lau, kalua pig and poke were on the menu! Warabi salad, tofu salad, mac salad and more were available. All the usual items like nori-chicken, shoyu pork, roast pork and more were available. There were so many choices!!!! All looked good! Once home, I found the food to be delicious. I though that Kawamoto's cone sushi was more tasty overall than Hilo lunch shop, but the roast pork from Hilo lunch shop was awesome! But then the shoyu pork was dry..... too dry. But the poke was great and the mac salad good! Finally the service was fast and efficient and friendly! Based on this, I can understand why Hilo lunch shop is one of Hilo's most famous and visited okazuyas!!!!! What a great place! read more

Stopped by this lunch spot while I was in Hilo. We sadly couldn't try a lot of things such as their poke because we came in too late! So for advice, if you want to try their wide range of food, come early! During our time here, I felt as if we were rushed to get through and order what we needed. Understandable, if you're on your lunch break and you're trying to get back to the office. This place is great for a picnic though. We ordered their nori chicken along with their spam masubi. We would have ordered more if we had a chance to just see their menu, which wasn't quite so clear. I would suggest having that menu online so people know exactly what they want and can get out of everyone's hair. Or at least have the menu for the day posted outside so people can decide what they want and so there won't be any slow down in ordering. Overall, both the chicken nori and spam masubi were pretty delicious. The chicken was well seasoned and I enjoyed the spam masubi. Simplistic, yet filling for sure. Our orders did consist of a lot more chicken though and I'm glad it did. Would definitely recommend to come here early and take it and go to a park and eat while staring out at landscapes! I rather have this every day instead of corporate fast food. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Chicken Nori & Spam Musubi & Laulau - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Found this place on Yelp and stopped by to grab some goodies for breakfast and to-go lunch for the flight home. There was plenty of parking, and lots of fresh food. We got a box and just ordered whatever we wanted. Everything was delicious! I especially liked the spam musubis, chicken nori, and Portuguese sausage. The corned beef hash bites were just ok, more potatoes than beef though. Staff were kind, and service was great! Would definitely stop in again next time! read more

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Local style okazuya. Take out only. Always a line but it moves fairly fast. Staff is always friendly. Food is always very good. Lots of choices but my favorites are the tempura ono, nori chicken, spam musubi and cone sushi. Almost every time I come to Hilo this is one of my favorite stops. read more

My first trip to big island in about 10 years. Right off the plane my boyfriend was adamant that we go Hilo lunch shop for breakfast. The nori chicken seems to be the best seller so I had to try it along with the yakitori chicken, vegetable tempura, and hash patties. The food was ono and we ate breakfast on the bay front down the road. Breakfast with a view....yes please! Check them out!! read more

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