Food was bad. Service was HORRIBLE. DISGUSTING AND RUDE KITCHEN STAFF. Not a great place to have food at. 1. Staff is very rude when complained about sour palak paneer (probably due to cream), under cooked lamb, undercooked peas, sour mango lassi, burned veg pakora they said next time food will be better. On requesting if they can cook it again for us, they rudely declined. This is tourist place where we will not come again. 2. Ambiance was not welcoming. When we complained to the chef and manager they were more interested in cutting the talk about the food and doing small talk about where we are from. Bathrooms, sitting area as unclean and unhygienic. Unfortunately there aren't any other Indian food options on Big Island otherwise their business would have shutdown already. Their other branch in Kona has really good food. Probably the kitchen staff including the cook are good people who know their job and are good reasonable human beings. read more

Food was bad. Service was HORRIBLE. DISGUSTING AND RUDE KITCHEN STAFF. Not a great place to have food at. 1. Staff is very rude when complained about sour palak paneer (probably due to cream), under cooked lamb, peas, they said next time food will be better. On requesting if they can cook it again for us, they rudely declined. This is tourist place where we will not come again. 2. There were three table and all had some or the other food complain. Not properly cook peas and under cooked and extra spicy lamb. Sour mango lassi. Burned pakoda from vegetable thali. 3. Ambiance was not welcoming. Chef and owner when we complained were more interested in cutting the talk about the food and do small talk about where we are from. Bathrooms, sitting area as unclean and unhygienic. Food is not fresh period! Unfortunately there aren't any other Indian food options on Big Island otherwise their business would have shutdown already. On the contrary their other branch in Kona has really good food. Probably the kitchen staff including the cook are good people who know their job and are good reasonable human beings. read more

Phoned in a takeout order of pakora. Was told it would take 25 minutes, so I arrived 30 minutes after the call. It took over 20 minutes just to be seen by one of their workers, and then found out that it would take another 10+ because the pakoras were not cooked yet.. Absolutely horrible service. Ended up demanding a refund. read more

We have had the Kona location many times now and have never been disappointed so decided to try Hilo. We were very happy, tried some new items we haven't had before in Kona. Shrimp tikka masala was great, the sauce is super creamy and nicely seasoned. The baigan bharta was also delicious, a flavorful mash of eggplant basically. Went great with the garlic naan. Veg samosa never disappoints. Will definitely be happy to return here when we are in Hilo! read more

Why doesn't Yelp ever remove fake reviews of Indian restaurants? Because everybody loves a little naan fiction! I'm proud of that one. I totally stole it, but I'm still pretty proud. The bar is low. But I digress! Kamana Kitchen; the best Indian cuisine that you'll find on the island, to my knowledge. That's it. That's the review. I mean, it obviously is not really, but my statement stands all the same. Best Indian food you'll find on the island and I don't think it's particularly close, unless there's some incredible, tiny hole-in-the-wall spot that I'm not aware of. So I feel pretty confident in making that assertion. Boasting not one, not two, but three locations across Hawai'i island and Maui, Kamana Kitchen is pretty well established. They've got sort of a monopoly on the Indian food game around here, but that's not to say that their food is any less good for it. Despite being in a little bit of a one horse race, I feel like they still maintain a degree of quality with their food that is very respectable. I'm a basic guy, so I tend to go for the chicken tikka masala, but it is some darn good chicken tikka masala. I've not the most experience with Indian cuisine, but I can say that it's good stuff. Their naan breads are can't-miss menu items, though I find that the cheese naan in particular is pretty bomb. Their Hilo location, which is the one I'm most familiar with, is located very conveniently in Hilo Shopping Center. A+ there, as far as I'm concerned. I haven't had the opportunity to dine in, but I've also not heard anything bad about their service, so take that how you may. The one critique would be pricing, but these days I pretty much expect eating out to be kind of expensive, so it is what it is. All in all, I'd recommend giving Kamana Kitchen a try if you're a fan of Indian food or if it's something you've always wanted to try. Tough to miss on this one. read more

Kamana Kitchen - It doesn't look like much in the pic, but slap this tikka masala on some rice and it's the bomb dot com. - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Such good food. Family owned vibes. Great service. Loved every bite, we got the chicken tikka masala and chicken vindaloo to the highest spice. So bomb my bf loved every bite and the onion kulcha was new to us, soo flavor packed. Also had the chai masala hot, loved that. Veggie samosas were great as well. Definitely going to return when we eat out. read more

Kamana Kitchen - Veggie samosa - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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STAY AWAY !!!! Look I've been a customer of this ONLY Indian restaurant in Kona and have been LOYAL customer since they opened. As a small business owner in town, it was great place to come lunch or dinner nearby It's always been pricey but it was really good.. The view is not bad BUT .. I come for the food.. Then like all restaurants the Pandemic.. and EVERY service business had to change.. MOST of had work harder, pay more attention to detail to RETAIN our loyal customers and hopefully get new ones too. Most restaurant we visit still have all rules of distancing & sanitization enforced.. for more than a year Kamana has used the pandemic as an excuse to WATER DOWN the service, quality and now even the taste of their good.. My favorite is the Lamb Curry or the Masala.. basically I like everything on the menu.. quality has been INCONSISTENT throughtout the the last year.. and it has gotten WORST.. usually the curry sauce is THICK, FLAVORFUL and you can smell the aroma ... the sauce tonight ( 5.45 pm ) was literally WATERED DOWN, FLAT, no flavor, barely smelled like curry... I was astounded they would that kinda crap out.. not only that.. this is the DINNER menu DINE IN.. and you pay premium for that.. our dinner came in cheap paper plate and plastic utensils - and the excuse " Sanitary Purposes" - nothing to do with Covid, there's no cleaning procedures anyway When I go to Umekes or even Pho Kim Ann, I get full service utensils & ceramics.. It's just a poor excuse to be sloppy, as was the wait staff.. - BUT you can forgive ALL THAT .. if the FOOD tasted great.. i've eaten in literal "hole in the walls" around the world over stink open drains, and tolerated that when the food was .. this was CRAP .. a crime to call it Indian Food - We want this restaurant to survive and do well, but because they think they're game in town .. they can do this.. ! Hell no !... I can tell you other restaurants are thriving CARE a lot more... plus parking is also expensive here and they do not validate.. forgiveable if the food was good but NO.. STAY AWAY - try the other restaurants, you're gonna have to save your Indian food craving by going to Costco and buy the Jar Masala pre-made and cook it yourself.. YOU will HAVE a BETTER result for a fraction of what you will spend here !! read more

Kamana Kitchen - Seriously !!! Table service ?? - at 6 pm .. don't use Covid as an excuse for sloppy service - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The food here is absolutely amazing. This services top-notch everybody is so polite and kind.

Great food for Father's Day feast. Especially enjoy the chicken Tikka masala and tandoori chicken.

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

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

I hope they get better. It has been so nice having Indian food in Hilo. Now their prices have gone up, the portion size has decreased, and the food is not as tasty. We used to eat here regularly, but now seldom do. Recommendations: Full containers of curry--they are small enough compared to other off island Indian as it is. Freshly cooked chicken/meat is curries--not tough left overs. Tiny sauce containers for appetizers filled or at least 3/4 full. Freshly cooked naan--not reheated. Fresh rice--one should not need to break apart stale clumps of rice. More tasteful decorations. They seem to need better management. 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

Amazing food. Amazing service from Matrika. After a long and busy day in Hilo my family and I found this Indian restaurant with absolutely delicious food. The best part was the big heart from Matrika and Chakra (his brother) and the good wibe that this place brings. I also enjoyed good Indian songs on TV. Thank s again for your hospitality Matrika. read more

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Authentic and delicious. I've had Indian food in something like 7 countries and this is the first time "hot" didn't mean some sort of assumed "white people hot". I was dying in the best possible way. You know the sauces and naan are great when you place a second order of garlic naan to soak up the rest of the sauces. Exceeded expectations. read more

I have to say - BEST lamb korma I've had probably ever! Got a to-go meal before they closed for lunch and took it for a picnic. The staff is kind and friendly, and the food came out quickly. I highly recommend! read more

Kamana Kitchen - Lamb korma with rice - Indian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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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

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

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

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'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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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

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

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

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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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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