At first I was afraid to try this place because I saw several negative reviews from Indians and overwhelmingly positive of reviews from white people. I am married to a woman from India and I can tell you that home prepared Indian food is really the best. Generally, restaurants will often tone down the spice level and heat on the food. However, this restaurant served a really good food. My wife said that the samosas tasted almost like how her mother makes, so it is authentic. The food was prepared to my spice level which is extremely spicy. I don't know if the restaurant recently changed ownership, management, but I don't understand some of these negative reviews because the food and the service was really good. We had vegetable samosa, chicken biryani, chicken kadai and garlic naan. read more

Very yummy! Restaurants and good food are slim in Hilo. But this one's definitely a gem!

I would give it negative 5 if I could. Ordered the thali and every curry was the worst I ever had in my life! The samosa tasted of old oil, the chicken tikka masala for some reason had so much sugar that my rice pudding tasted bland after that! I understand asking for very good Indian food in island is far-fetched but serve decent food at-least please! The rice pudding and pickle were packed in the same box!! I had to throw away the whole thing it was such a mess! read more

Food was good. Had the papadums, butter chicken, and garlic naan. It came with basmati rice. Papadums always make me think of tortilla chips in a mexican restaurant. The sauce with it was OK, not great. Felt like it was from a jar. The butter chicken was pretty darn good. Would definitely get it again. Service was OK, I had to make eye contact, but then someone always came over promptly. Atmosphere felt a little off, like a cold empty warehouse. read more

Kamana kitchen makes incredibly delicious Indian food packed full of flavor. It's truly authentic. Definitely my favorite restaurant on the Big Island. The Kona restaurant has a great ocean view. Don't forget to try the papadum as a pre-meal snack/appetizer and of course the samosas. Tikka masalas & Baigan Bharta are my go tos. The Daal Makhni is like an Indian chili. Mmm mmm mmmm!!!!!!!!! read more

Horrible food. Seems like they use canned products (tomato puree). Aaloo Mutter and Daal fry had overpowering tomato puree taste. Stuff inside Samosa looked bad (was seeping so bad). I would definitely avoid this place. Vegetarian thali for $23 (with tax) is not even worth $5. read more

Been here a couple of times and the food is very inconsistent but not many Indian choices in Hilo. On the latest trip here for a takeout order we were lied to and treated terribly for their mistake of giving out order to another customer then trying to charge us for their order and making us take their order. WTF who does that. Shady mofos here. You've been warned. read more

I thought I wouldn't find good Indian food on this island. Here I ordered a lunch special which was a platter with different lentil curries, naan, jeera rice and it tasted great! Fast service read more

Kamana Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Yummy Indian food when you like spice. Not always hot spice but spice. We all loved it I. My house.

YUMM YUMM YUMM!! it was our first time trying Indian food and we were really impressed. everything tasted so delicious! there were so many different flavors and it wasn't too spicy. i really enjoyed the butter chicken and my husband enjoyed the chicken tikka masala. oh man! the vegetable samosa was bomb com!!! I'm glad my husband didn't want it, got to have two! especially with the dipping sauce, ahhhhh...so good! we both enjoyed the garlic naan too, we wished we ordered two orders because one wasn't enough. the employees were really friendly and enjoyed the interior too. if you're a kama'aina, you receive 10% off your bill. this place is a must try!! foods ordered: garlic naan vegetable samosa butter chicken chicken tikka masala some type of fried rice read more

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We had an amazing first experience dining at Kamana! As possibly the ~only~ option for Indian food on Big Island, Kamana did not disappoint! Our waiter was beyond friendly and accommodating! He even treated us with a free dessert! The food was absolutely delicious, can't wait for our next visit to Kamana Kitchen! read more

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Pujan lamichhane served us. So friendly. Food was great. Server made us smile!!!! Recommend lamb saag. Naan was the best we have had read more

We've eaten at Kamana Kitchen many times, and would count it among our favorite culinary destinations in Hilo. This review will be based entirely on one standalone dinner. The decor and layout of the interior is basic and humble; something about it feels incomplete, fortunately it doesn't detract from the fantastic flavors you can find here. There's something funny we always notice about the booths, where you're not quite close enough to the table. We started with the Mixed Pakora, and couldn't really distinguish which were the vegetable versus cheese (paneer). The sauces that come with the pakora - a mint and a tamarind - are always to die for; it's tempting to lick the bowl clean or ask if they sell them in a bottle to bring home. We also had the Daal soup as a starter, which was fragrant, hot, and extremely flavorful. It's something we order often, and is consistently delicious. We ordered a bottle of white wine and enjoyed that it came in an ice bucket. It's a convenient touch that this restaurant offers alcohol as it's common for smaller restaurants in Hilo to not have a liquor license and instead you bring your own alcohol. The wine we've had at Kamana has always been selected thoughtfully and is a delight. The main course is brought out on a cart, and makes for a very grand presentation. We had Garlic Naan, Matar Paneer, Chicken Korma, and the Mixed Grill Tandoori (lamb, chicken, shrimp). Everything was ordered at the medium spice level, and that seemed perfect for our palates. Their naan is always great and you somehow always end up with the perfect amount. Overall, their flavors are easily a 10 out of 10 - if you're not sopping up sauces with your naan or enjoying it over rice alone, your taste buds are broken, seek help. The Matar Paneer was perfection, we wouldn't change a thing. The actual pieces of chicken within the korma were a bit dry, and easily salvaged again by the strong flavors. The mixed grill was very appealing, served hot off the grill and crispy, with a separate scrumptious sauce. The lamb was quite tough, so again the sauce was the hero of the evening. The food is easily worthy of five stars, but the environment and service cannot permit us to give that rating based on this experience alone. We were sitting in the back of the right side of the restaurant, which is cut off from the more open main section, and it was uncomfortably warm. This was exacerbated by the steaming food and warming spices (but relieved by the chilled wine!). We asked the waitress if she could turn the fans on (ceiling fans sitting static above us), and she abruptly said, just, "No." This felt jarring, and a basic apology and explanation would have provided us with some understanding. It seems that the air conditioning was turned on shortly thereafter, though we were already sweating and uncomfortable. A little more attention and thoughtfulness from the wait staff and some slightly more tender cuts of meat would have made this experience a five-star one. read more

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Legit Indian food with an extensive vegetarian menu. I LOVE Indian food but only eat it once a month because it's a bit heavy for my digestive system. But since I've found this place, I CRAVE it! We love the saag, veggie korma and the dal. Their samosas are super yum as well as their naan & paratha. Service is also on point. Very kind and high vibe. It doesn't get better than this. read more

I've been craving authentic Indian food since I moved to the Island, Kamana kitchen hit the spot! Both the chicken curry and chicken tikka masala were delicious! You can choose the spice level and don't forget to try the garlic cheese naan... I'll definitely be back! read more

Food is good, depending on what you order a solid 3.5 to 4 stars on 5. Ambience is ok, a bit hot but manageable They prioritise to go orders over dine in, so much so that they save containers to store semi liquid food items like curries for only to go orders. If you have left overs you want to pack - even if it's curry they give you boxes Also be prepared to wait an inordinate amount of time - we waited a good 70 min till all our orders came in. Between their broken ordering system ( the order taker told us sometimes some orders don't go to the kitchen from the device and have to be resent and hence ours got delayed an extra 30 min ) and their prioritisation of to-go orders ( we arrived when restaurant opened at 5pm and ordered by 5.05 pm but they packed and sent 8 to go orders before we got our first item) Their service is very slow and if you have tour plans or are in a rush this place is best avoided If you have enough time to relax - like a hour to wait for food - then this place is above average The men's rest room is very unsanitary and unhygienic and is best avoided read more

Pretty good Indian food when I didn't even expect to see Indian restaurants in Hawaii :P Also, they were open on holidays, so definitely a huge plus! I loved their methi mutter mushroom and highly recommend trying that- it was my favorite. Due to Covid, they are serving everything in one-time use paper plates, cups and cutlery, which can make some people feel safer, but I think it is a little overkill. Their seating wasn't conservative, improving upon spacing for tables or leaving alternate booths empty would make it safer to dine here. read more

I'm most positive our appetizers were made a while ago. The samosas came out faster than they should and wasn't as hot as they should be, comparing them to when they're freshly cooked. The Pakora mix was overcooked and burnt. It was terrible. The sauces that they usually give with the samosas and pakora isn't the same like it used to be before. The green sauce usually is a darker green and now it's a bright neon green, a unnatural color for a sauce is a big turnoff. The red sauce isn't as thick as it used to be and it tasted stale. Everything was served in disposable things. Not even good looking ones. It gave a very non-classy look and vibe. Our plates we used were disposable paper plates, the utensils we used were disposable plastic, the water cups were clear disposable plastic cups. How much more classless could it get? The sauces were served in single use disposable plastic containers, the curry dishes were served in disposable take out containers, the jasmine rice was old and you can taste and see that it's old. Also served on a depressing piece of cardboard plate. Everything used to be so good and fresh, it went down hill BIG TIME. I'm talking like straight down not a gradual decline, like from 100 to 0. If they are worried about spreading COVID around and decided to use disposable stuff then I guess it's understandable but what is NOT OKAY is people in the kitchen NOT WEARING ANY MASKS. Seeing that food is high probability that it's old and reheated indicates it's sitting around somewhere in THAT kitchen. Add the people in that kitchen not wearing masks and the food open to air that is circulating in that kitchen then that food is CONTAMINATED. Kamana Kitchen, if you can read this then how dare you. How dare you try to take "precautions" with using disposable dishes but take no precautions in the kitchen? Yes you're decreasing your chances of getting it but what about your valued customers? That's high and mighty selfish of everyone of you at the Hilo location. Inexcusable. We'll probably eat here again when this entire pandemic is over, maybe til then you guys can shape yourselves back up. Kona side will treat us better. read more

This is for us a gem in Hilo - consistent and some of the best Indian food we have had anywhere. Quality of ingredients and flavors are great - we mostly do takeout since we discovered this place during Covid, the dining room is a bit dark for us. Our go-tos are saag dishes, chicken tikka masala (of course), eggplant, mushroom, all very good and you can ask for spice level - I like medium but I like my food a bit spicy, my husband prefers mild. Prices are not low but definitely worth the quality. Can recommend every dish we have had with the exception of Navratan Korma which didn't have the same nutty/sweetness we are accustomed to--instead creamy. read more

We wanted to sit down as a group of 3 and were denied a booth and were told to sit at a table that was not a dining table, it was a table used to hold supplies and just a small coffee table to the side. It could barely seat 2. There was a booth open but we were told only 4 people could sit there but there were parties of 2 sitting at the same booths. We offered to wait until another booth opened but they refused. 20 minutes later, another family of 3 enters and they were seated immediately at the booth. This was outrageous and clearly this restaurant does not value customer service and experience, they just want to maximize profit without caring about good or even decent customer service. read more

The food here is really not good at all. Everything was pretty bland, which is hard to do with Indian food, but I guess anything is possible. The naan bread and rice were dry and flavorless. All of it was just less than ok. We ate what we could then threw the rest in the trash. There was no way we're gonna eat that for leftovers, which was disappointing because we ordered enough for later. This place gets pretty good reviews, so I'm not sure if we went on an off day or maybe they've lost their spark, but everything was unpalatable. I've had better frozen food. 2 stars since they were polite and food came out quickly. read more

This is the only Indian Restaurant in town that I know of so it's a relief that it's good. I would give them 5 stars but their service is pretty bad. read more

We had food brought in from this establishment for a work meeting. It was my first time eating "authentic" Indian food. It was so DELICIOUS! I had the chicken Tikka Masala, garlic naan, and veggie samosas. OH.MY. GOSH! The flavor intensity in the sauce was incredible! Everything was so wonderful that not only did I not have any leftovers, but here I sit, three days later, searching you tube like a mad woman to find recipes that look like what I eat. I will be back! Repeatedly! read more

The Samosa was delicious, The tamarind chutney was wonderful, if you like spicy ask for medium it was good but not too much to handle. Our group ordered the curry chicken , tiki masala was so good, and my friend had the coconut fish curry which was also yummy. I think a non-bread was probably the best we've ever had. We will definitely eat there again. Yummy read more

Kamana Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Open for dine in as of 10/20/20. Wonderful, clearly marked vegan options. I loved the samosas here, and the baitan bartha, as well as the aloo matar (which can be made vegan). Although not marked as such, the roti can also be made vegan if you're looking for some kind of bread to accompany your meal. The curries come with rice. Super friendly, fast service and it's VERY clean. They are happily enforcing their mask policy and provided one to a customer when he came in to pick up food without wearing a face covering. Can't wait to come back for more. read more

This place was fantastic. The host and server were attentive and I felt welcomed. My order was taken quickly and my food also came rather fast. I had the chicken masala with no spiciness. It was delicious! The portion was big, so I took some to go. I did end up eating most of the rice though. The naan bread was exquisite, I only had the regular one. I also had their mango ice cream, it was to die for, if you go you must try the ice cream. I had never tasted anything like it and it was delicious. I do not think it has dairy at all, as I have an allergy to dairy but I had no reaction after I ate it all. I walked over from where I am staying but there is plenty of parking available in the area. The decor of the place is lovely so it would be a perfect date spot. I totally recommend it. read more

Yummy!! Food is fragrant, flavorful and affordable. Cute ambiance! Will be back soon!

The guy who seated was so nice. First he told us it was 45 minutes wait due to social distance of the tables. Few minutes later her was cleaning an empty table close to the kitchen and my friend and his daughter we were seated.. I've never had Indian food in Hawaii. I give 5 stars on the service. read more

Good Indian food you can find in Oahu. They have a good variety of Vegetarian items including Thali. I would suggest to park in the below location, parking is $0.75/30mins and $3 for 2hrs. Also, it is a block away from the Kamana Kitchen 1099 Alakea St, Honolulu, HI 96813 read more

Kamana Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Kamana Kitchen isnt what it used to be. The new staff is slow and can't take your order properly. They really need to write the order down and repeat the order clearly for you to double check it.... thank goodness I double checked what I had ordered as the waiter placed the wrong order with the kitchen even after double checking with me twice. 7/2018 UPDATE I have increased my rating from 3 to 4 stars. The taste and service has improved since that last time that I visited. read more

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very dirty restaurant we went to Hilo location. Owner need to update bathroom sofa and restaurant should be do very clean.

Good food, blah atmosphere. Open Monday which is ca plus in hilo. They also seem to do a brisk takeout business. Would return.

They asked my disabled friend if her vested CLEARLY marked service dog was indeed a service dog, not once, twice. The second time, their male employee told me that the dog [laying at my friends feet, per training] was scaring him and needed to leave. We went and ate a Lucy's, who would never treat any disabled person or their service dog like second class citizens, and probably educates their employees on these matters. Discrimination towards people with disabilities...poor form. ~The owners still have not reached out to my attempts to allow them to address this (November 2018). I sure do miss Indian food. read more

COVID-19: They are open for dine-in, no reservations needed, just walk in. Food here is good, authentic flavors, good variety of menu choices. Works if you're looking for something different and out of the ordinary. Pick up order is available, delivery available by Express Waiter. Disappointed but understood, given COVID-19. We were served with paper cups and paper plates, plastic utensils, no waiter/waitress service except taking your order. This not going to work if you're looking for that authentic Indian dine-in experience. Not sure how long this paper plate plastic utensils going to last but I know for sure I am not returning unless service is back to normal. Wine served with regular glass wine so that a plus. read more

Time passes, much changes, but one thing remains... My visits to Kamana. It's been years I come by and enjoy their food, probably ate everything the have listed in their menu, but certainly have my favorites. Also my favorites are the people there, I always feel welcome and home, Chakra and Matrika are always kind and give you attention and care. Folks in the backstage are always rocking and cooking that amazing food, some even come by saying hi, they're great. Highly recommended! read more

Well flavored food. Can be spicy but not overly so (for Indian palate). Favorites were the malai kofta, palak paneer, paneer tikka masala, and bangan burtha. Good service, nice ambiance. Large space. read more

Here I am driving down the street and thinking to myself damn.. I'd want some bomb Indian food so I search it up and I see this place. First impression: Authentic place with mild lighting and has strong smells of delicious aroma around the room. Food: I ordered two things, first was the chicken tiki masala and I'm thinking damn I'm from California how good can this be? Honestly, shiz bomb af and I was like mahalooooooo for this place breh. Ordered buttered chicken as well and I was like damnnnnnn mop this plate up yo. It was so good I couldn't even handle the flavors in my mouth. Price for dinner was around 15$ and lunch 10-12$ with some sides as well. They also are pretty cool with mixing the naan bread; don't just get garlic or cheese: make sure to get that combo because it's literally flavor explosions "cue Katy Perry songs" The only reason this place doesn't get 5 stars is because every time I order to go from this place, they just take forever and I'm calling them like 20mins and taking my time getting there but still somehow wait another like 10-15 mins? I'm like yo man guys got places to be and this place isn't really packed so I'm just thinking breh... For location: located right next to island natural a little in the back next to the nail salon so it's semi hidden ish but you can spot it. Still overall 4/5 because the food is pretty legit so if you're ever in town or in kona side make sure to get that fix! read more

Kamana Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Very very bad.. as a topping on the salted lassi we had bugs Never eat again ! Food health and hygiene department should look into their kitchen. Also I was spoken down upon by a server called bibash, whose recently been employed and when I spoke to the manager complaining on how disrespectful bibash was he said he has received other complaints from many customers too but still has not fired him. Over all food below average, service very bad. Asked to owners details - Tirtha luitel but he was in japan opening another venture. read more

Kamana Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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I have gone to many Indian restaurants before throughout the mainland. None have held a candle to this place. This was by far the best Indian restraunt I have ever eaten at. Highly highly recommend! And don't miss the cheese garlic Naan! read more

Convenient location in a strip mall where Island Naturals is located. Friendly service and relaxing ambience. Very tasty Tandoori chicken Will be back!!! read more