Yelp Challenge 365 # 196/365 This is my 366th review on Yelp. 2012 is Leap year with 366 days..... 366th review for 366 days in 2012! Here's my story: I am from the little town of Hilo and a long time ago, my first part time job was at a fast food joint then known as the "Snack Rack". Today, it's known as Hiro's Place so I was curious as to how and what the old joint Snack Rack evolved to. I was pleasantly surprised. They have bento lunches in 3 sizes: mini ($2.95) regular ($3.95) and supreme ($4.95) and they are all very very good. For no specific reason and knowing I would not be able to eat the entire meal, I tried the supreme size and YEP..... I had left overs which made my dinner. They have a hot counter also where you can order their prepared entrees and the food looked so good I wanted to order one of each..... (eating with my eyes can be a dangerous thing) I am told their specialty is the fried chicken. It was good. They fry the chicken and then dip the entire piece of chicken in some sweet sauce. The crispy fried skin holds its shape even after getting dipped into the sweet sauce. A definite must have if you are in the area. And be sure to try their macaroni salad. (The mac salad is not offered in the ready packed bento lunches.) Oh, I'd recommend their noodles too (instead of rice) AND the entire menu is priced RIGHT (cheap for the quantity and quality). One down side: their tables outside where you can sit and eat is not appealing. I'd order the food "to go" and head down to the beach which is a quick drive north of the store. read more

What this place has going for them is a) large selection of entrees b) big portions and c) low price. What it doesn't have going for it is a) staff is not at all friendly to tourists b) fried items are excessively greasy and c) food is warm but far from hot. Would I come here again? Probably not. Like another Yelper said, there's better places nearby. However, they seem to shut down earlier than Hiro's. So, if you have a hankering for some quick and cheap Hawaiian style food, I certainly wouldn't steer you away from here if this was your only choice in places to go at that time, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it if somewhere else was open either. One two item combo and one three item combo plus two medium drinks = $19. read more

Great food at a very reasonable price. Workers could be more personable but the owner is nice.

i ordered breakfast menu 2 eggs over easy it look came out 1scrambled egg, raw mash and little corned beef with and the french toast its not just how suppose to be read more

Hiro's is probably the best bang for your buck you can get in Hilo. They have the most reasonably priced entrees and bentos, amazing variety, and are open from 5:30 AM. They give generous portions (try getting the meatloaf and not use two hands to carry the plate), and everything is just like your mom made. They have great chicken katsu that isn't paper thin. Bentos which in addition to the best pricrs are among my favorite on the island. An assortment of bento sizes ensures you can feed your keiki or adults. Go early for those though, they can run out on busy days. They've got nori chicken which is among the bigger pieces of which I've come across anywhere, Filipino food, you name it. You can order off the large menu or from the steam table for instant satisfaction. The workers are always friendly and the owner Naomi, is a true gem of a person, working hard every morning with her employees. You gotta try this place. read more

Me and some co-workers was driving around on memorial day (yeah we worked sucks) and Hiro's was one of the only places open. There was some reasonably priced bentos that looked pretty good on the counter. I opted for the fried rice special..which consisted of two good size scoops fried rice, two eggs and (any meat of your choice) pork sausage. The service was fast, can't say it was too friendly, but the girl working there was pretty cute. The food didn't take long and it wasn't real good and certainly not bad. It would be place I would not object to trying again. Reasonable prices, decent good food, and eye candy what's not to like about it lol. read more

I ate here 1x for lunch on the last day of my stay while in Hilo for a week ...too bad, I should have eaten more often...couldn't believe the price for two choices...think it was under $5.00! Had the pork adobo and pork gisantes with fried noodles as my starch..portions were good...taste was deelicious! Whoever is cooking knows how to really cook! Gotta go there again---soon! read more

Came here to check out their loco moco. When in Hawaii.. Parking is plentiful as there is plenty of space in the strip mall out front. As I had never had loco moco before, I didn't really have anything to compare to. Service was a bit slow, but the food was pretty decent. It was a bit on the bland side, but this may not be a bad thing. it's comfort food. I especially liked the gravy. Mmm.. Seating is available outside (picnic benches), but it was a bit gross as there was dried ketchup and other food bits all over both the tables and seats. read more

Disgusting! We will NEVER eat at Hiro's again. At first, I brushed off the dried out fried chicken that looked like it was being heated way too many times. This is completely unacceptable! I ordered a loco moco in the morning, placed the plate in my chilled cooler. 3 hours later I take it out, microwaved for 2 minutes and the proof is in the pic. That is MOLD! All around the hamburger patties! Those patties are either old, or were not properly refrigerated! So nasty! read more

Hiro's Place - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I've been going to this place for years. I live completely on the other side of the island in Kamuela and I will drive all the way down to Hilo just to eat some of their Filipino food. it is delicious wish they had a store closer so I could eat more . A Local that loves eating good food. read more

Go to spot for grab n go bentos. Breakfast is reasonably priced and delicious. Highly recommend

Amazing unassuming local spot in the strip mall next to KTA. I had the chicken mushroom with the roast pork and the meat was so soft, juicy, as great as the friendly staff there too. read more

After all the reviews and ads regarding Hiro's Place, I was hyped about ordering from here. My husband had the 2 choice and liked his choice very much, however i thought that the adobo was a little too vinegary. I was a disappointed in my order consisting a teri burger, fries and mac salad. The teri burger...guys really, teri burger is usually made with beef. If you are going to serve a teri burger than it should specify with hamburger patty. The fries were warm but stale, and i mean stale and chewy....really? The mac salad was bland. But i do believe in giving an establishment another go,...in a month or two. read more

Clearly many people like this place. It just wasn't me. Not adjusted to the time change (yes, mainlanders), my boyfriend and I kept seeking out different early-morning breakfast spots, and heard about Hiro's. It's a greasy-spoon assembly-line joint, and regulars abound. The menu is stupefyingly large and somewhat hard to decipher if you haven't been before. My bf was smart and grabbed a supreme bento (a rolled egg with seaweed, potato [sweet?], pork and fried chicken). I got the mini breakfast, which consisted of egg, a square of greasy hash brown and a couple of slices of flavorful if floppy bacon. We both got POG slushes (which were more ice than slush; we had to wait about 1/2 hour for them to melt down). I guess I don't see the appeal. We ate at many other, better cheap places for breakfast during our trip. Hiro's did not save the day. read more

Located in a busy strip mall where the KTA supermarket is. Ordered the loco moco and was surprised how generous the portion was. The rice was good for 2 people or maybe even 3. The burger patties were a bit tough but other than that I enjoyed my food. Noticed a lot of people buying to go. read more

Hiro's Place - Loco moco $6.50 - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Always remember service matters. Although the laulau was great the Mac salad was great service could ruin everything. Instead of just picking up the food and walking away, take the 5 seconds to say "I'll be right with you" read more

Pretty good food, at very reasonable prices. 1 plate lunch (2 scoops of rice, Mac salad, and entree) for 6.75. I got the Korean chicken and the Nori Chicken. Ehrrrr... I think that's what it was, the lady wasn't very open to questions. She had the expression of "I hate my job - thus I hate every customer". Too bad, as this place does have some tasty food. Just the people manning the hot foods under the heat lamp need to go. I even watched a nice guy, say "please.." And "Mahalo..." And then tip!!! And she still gave him the "I gives a F--k face. My family was starving, so I couldn't leave as we took a 10 min detour just to get here. I was dreading my turn, so I THOUGHT - go with something simple and on the menu. She approached, me and said "what you want?"... I replied "two plate lunches", and a loco moco. She replied, wait --- and yelled - "hey can you cook loco moco?".. Silence... And she said "no - pick something else".... I was shocked. It's a Hawaiian restaurant! You don't serve loco moco? I could see the burger patties under a warmer. I was thinking, crap... So I picked something and pointed to Korean chicken. And then I asked for Teri Chicken (also on the menu). She replied, wait -- and again yells, "can you cook chicken?", no response. And before she could say it, I just pointed to something else, which looked like beef calderetta. At this point, I just wanted to stop interacting with crazy lady.... I wonder if there was even anyone there? We ate outside on some picnic tables. It was funny, as a lot of folks passed by and she just stared them down, so many people walked in and then walked out... She even had what seem to be a nice family walk in with smiles, then she immediately walked away- as they were walking IN - she saw them and they saw her!! And she never returned. They walked off pissed and shaking their heads. Definitely no Aloha spirit at this place. If you are blind, starving, and have no choice then go here. Or if you want verbal abuse and are into S&M and want a "Soup Nazi" experience (Seinfeld reference) then go here. Otherwise any other place should suffice as you are in Hilo not Waikola. So you have choices, I suggest you take it and not go here. read more

Hiro's Place - Lunch plate combo - good food.. Horrible service!!! - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Awesome bentos. Also the loco moco is real solid here. Its quick, easy, and delicious!

Really, really good for the price! It's very cheap but very tasty. We ordered delivery on Express Waiters. I got pancakes with egg + hash brown and my friend got french toast with bacon and eggs. Delicious and filling read more

Late for work? Forgot to pack lunch on an manic Monday? If you can scrape up at least $4 out of your cup holders problem solved. Probably the quickest way to grab lunch at 5am and the foods good for the price you pay. The food. If you are looking for a healthy alternative or fine dining you are looking in the wrong place. I'm not sure why many people have a problem with this. Obviously you will not find vegan quiche lorraine at 5:30am in a hole in the wall attached to KTA. I don't even think you can find a place that serves quiche lorraine in Hilo. Well enough rants, Ive had the breakfast and every one of there bentos at least once. It is what it is. Greasy foods and large portions of rice. The food's good and it lasts the work day. The price. the cheapest bento is 3.95. The regular is 4.95 and the jumbo is 5.95. They have a seafood bento which is 5.95 as well but i do not suggest it unless you plan on putting in a cooler than warming it up after. That is the one bento that doesnt take sun well. Every bento has a fair portion of food for the price. I can be a big eater and the regular bento is usually enough. The jumbo will make me full. The spam musubis are a little skimped as the spam is sliced too thin. The service. In honesty I get lunch from here at least 2 times a week. I procrastinate then fail to wake up on time and often don't have time to fix lunch before work. There are stacks of bentos on the counter as soon as you walk in and all you need to do is just grab one and pay. They also take credit cards which is an added bonus to some one as potentially unorganized as myself. I often carry less than 5 dollars cash. They never have a huge line which is surprising, they only have one person up front working the register. One silly thing i can't help but mention. The girl in the front seems to take her job too seriously. I don't think ive ever seen her smile either. Don't get me wrong she is pleasant and polite and is quick to service. I also find it mildly humorous that she is always scolding the people in the back like she's their mom. read more

Went over to Hiro's during our vacation in HI, and tried their Korean Chicken, which came with a side of mac salad and rice. I noticed that it was fried chicken dipped into sauce, but it was still yummy. My only complaint was that the chicken was hard; hard like it was left out for a while. The mac salad, which had a good hint of black pepper, was probably my fave out of the whole meal; either that or the sauce that the chicken was dipped into. My hunny got a loco moco and a cheeseburger, which he said was ok. I think all that along with a medium drink came out to $16. The gentleman that was helping us out was very pleasant, and picked up right away that we were not from the area after he nicely told us that it is $0.05 per plastic bag. I might give them another try if we're ever on the Big Island again. The pics I saw from other Yelpers looked very promising. We may have just picked the "ok" items on the menu. read more

It's hard to pass KTA without wanting to run into Hiro's to grab a quick breakfast or plate lunch. My weakness here is the sweet sour spareribs. They're sweet, sour, salty, and savory - flavors that the local palate loves! You can either order from the counter (Chinese takeout style) or from the kitchen. I've never had anything bad from Hiro's! read more

It's just okay, it's hard to know what to order too many choices. French fries were too salted. Katsu chicken was a lot of chicken skin, as was the Korean Chicken. Tempura Fish was not crispy. It's a locals favorite. read more

Cheap local breakfasts and plate lunches!!! For a local flair and taste, try this place!! Heres a little secret: Their Banyan Burger is a great sandwich!! Basically a bacon cheeseburger w/ a fried egg on top!!! Onolicious!!!! Their turkey-tail adobo is also mean!!! Call for specials!!! CHEEHUU!! read more

Out of 5: 3.0 - chicken katsu 2.0 - eggplant and chicken 3.0 - white rice 3.0 - value 0.5 - service: rude but fast read more

Cheeseburger and fries are really good and great price. Bentos are also good and priced low. Service is okay, food is prepared quickly. read more

Hiro's Place - Chicken bento - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Rude worker behind counter didn't want to answer any questions. Food was extremely greasy and salty. If you're not a local definitely stay away. You're better off at Starbucks or jack in the box. read more

Cheap good bentos. I had time to kill while my mom was grocery shopping inside KTA. Waiting outside, I got hungry. Saw Hiro's Place. It was around brunch too! I was defo hungry. Went inside and they have premade bentos already. The smallest one they had had spam musubi. But I got greedy and got the chicken katsu grande venti bento. It had hotdogs, spam, eggs and of course, chicken katsu. It was actually delicious! I enjoyed the chicken. It wasn't burnt, wasn't to breaded and actually used chicken meat. LOL. Would defo come back. Defo. read more

honestly, the $5 meal described by another reviewer drew me to this place. It is definitely a hole in the wall and the restaurant itself probably can't accommodate more than 10 people standing up since the ordering area is really really small. However there is some outside seating. I got the lunch box with 2 items. You start with white rice, fried rice, or chow mein plus mac salad. Then you get two sides from the steam table. together it comes to be $7.03 after tax (a bit more than i thought it would be). I got the shoyu (soy sauce) pork and the chicken katsu. The pork was really good, very lean and delicious. the fried rice and mac salad were also tasty. The katsu was good, but they didn't give me katsu sauce, and instead gave me ketchup, not really a good replacement in my opinion. This place is definitely worth a second try. The food is good and fast. 4 stars as a fast food restaurant. You'll appreciate coming here rather than the mcdonalds or jack in the box nearby. read more

I like their beef stew and chicken zucchini, price is the cost of living in this overpriced State--nothing to do with distance, ask our local farmers--because of politics! I suffer because I paid for being here (ancestrally), businesses pay for being here too, ergo, the star rating given is applicable to our dire dilemma. read more

I ordered a 2 choice plate on Saturday 10/20/18. When I got to work & opened the cover, the chicken hekka had no chicken, just a large sliver of ginger. The pork tofu wss 4 large pieces of tofu with only 1 long, tough piece of pork. I called Hiro's to explain what happened, but the owner Naomi was out so I left a message to have her call me back. I called again on Sunday but she was still out & I was told she would call me back on Monday. Well, no callback all week so I went in today, 10/26/18. Naomi was there & after explaining what happened, she had the nerve to tell me that since I didn't bring the plate lunch back, i can't get a refund but she can either give me 50% off another 2 choice plate or a small bowl of chicken long rice with rxtra chicken or the exact same 2 choice plate. With that being said, there was no chicken hekka which I pointed out to her. She then stated that she can't give me another 2 choice plate since the exact choices were not availabl. HOW STUPID IS THAT!!! SO NAOMI EXPECTS ME TO PAY HALF PRICE FOR ANOTHER PLATE AFTER RIPPING ME OFF & NOT PROVIDING ME AS A CUSTOMER WHAT I ORDERED!!! She then only gives me a SMALL BOWL of chicken long rice. Just lost a long time customer. Unfortunately my husband goes there week but NOT ANYMORE!!! read more

I stop at this place every time I fly out of Hilo- their bentos make the best airplane food going back to the mainland. Really good specials, too. read more

We had the Korean chicken and chili frank. Couldn't put the fork down ;) They open really early - so if you plan on taking a day trip, stop here first and pick up your kaukau! read more

Didn't want to go grocery shopping hungry so we stopped by Hiros. Ono food, generous, portions, and good prices. read more

Hiro's Place - Mom got the pinacbet. So ono! - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We were in Hilo to go ziplining and need to grab breakfast. This place was cool. My eyes caught the specials "pork adobo", "s/s ribs", "meatloaf"! Aaaah too early for those though! I ended up ordering the breakfast plate which was super cheap. I ordered corned beef hash with egg and fried rice. I was stuffed! The corned beef patties were shaped like small pancakes but were good. With 2 coffee, my bill is only $8. Can't go wrong with that. This place is so local. Highly recommended. Next to it is the KTA store which is also good for quick bites. read more

I'm reviewing only the chili. The worst I ever ate. The rest of the food is great. I waited long time for the chili. It's very disappointing. read more

I came here for just a quick snack, and ended up getting the fish sandwich. It was just ok - a pretty small sandwich with a fair amount of grease. At least the fish tasted fairly decent. The service was quick - I got my food in a timely manner, making it an easy to-go snack. read more

Mixture of cuisines with pre-packaged Japanese boxes, Chinese food spooned from cafeteria line chafing dishes, and Hawaiian mocos ordered like fast food. We grabbed a container of nori-wrapped rice with sliced pork tonkatsu. The pork was average but the rice was the best during our stay (despite the thin human hair). Quick with no waiting line and cheap. Convenient with plenty of parking in the shopping center and covered picnic benches in front of store. read more

Stopped here on the way to volcano national park. Great quick stop with great food. We had the loco moco with Portuguese sausage, pancakes, and omelets and everything was great. Prices were great, staff was friendly and service was fast! read more

What a cheap but fantastic place to grab a quick lunch! Their cheap pre-made lunch box reminded me of what I used to eat back in Asia. It's tasty with everything you need (veggies, rice, meat). You can also choose the items (the setup is like those Chinese fast food joint) to make your own lunch box. I liked the Adobo meat dish a lot! They are not cheap about giving you plenty of meat. You get plenty full here at a super cheap price. True, the food is greasy and the place looks pretty ghetto. However, for the price you pay and simply for what it is, Hiro's Place is plenty awesome! read more