kandi's came through again. supah awesome counter service food was excellent. had da chicken tenders wit fries fo $8.00 awesome price. also da loco bowl waz superb az usual.... fo awesome welcome home feeling and pleni aloha & yummies. kandi's izz da place. mahalo pleni u guys read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - We love Da Crew, SUPAH AWESOME PLENI LOVE & ALOHA - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This is my new favorite Drive Inn in Hilo. Food is homemade and delicious! Nothing fancy, just good! Service is very friendly and efficient. Prices are better than other drive-inn restaurants. They even have frozen food portions for sale that are reasonably priced! I got the Oxtail Stew & Spareribs. The Oxtail stew was a bit salty but still tender & filling. I've had the Beef Tomato and their Beef Teriyaki Sandwich/Burger! I have never had a sandwich loaded with so much meat. I also love their Mac Salad! I'll be back to sample their other menu items. read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Teri Beef Burger - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Food was very good. Highly suggest. First time eating there visiting from Oahu. Definitely will go back for some Teri beef. Was pretty quick to get my order and I was there around 12:00. read more

We had the bacon cheeseburger and chicken loco plate and to say both were delicious would be an understatement. The bacon cheeseburger was so good we even ordered a 2nd one before leaving. The people working at Kandi's were very nice and welcoming. You could tell that a lot of locals come to eat lunch here as well. Very happy we happened to drive by on our way to the volcano! PS - cash only! Will be coming back read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Bacon cheeseburger and chicken loco - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Man, what you see is what you get, in the best way. While mainlanders and tourist visit the over priced and un flavorful haunts of the big island, don't miss your chance at a classic Hawaiian breakfast. Cash only. Chili peppa water. The loco moco is medium sized but priced accordingly. Everything is fresh and the place is always packed. 8 outta 10 stars. Mahalo read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Loco Moco Plate - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Today while the Merrie Monarch Parade is still on my wife got me a takeout Teri Plate. Which I know the price is reasonable. And their service is great, cash only. And the Teri meat is tasty, tender and delicious! read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Teriyaki meat, two scoops rice and macsalad. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Was reminiscing about when we lived up the street in 1980 and Kandi's had a delicious and affordable slush float. It's cash only but shucks times have changed and what was once the best refreshment is no longer available. Got a Teri beef sandwich which was everything I could ant in a sandwich. Extremely yummy! read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Loaded with Teri beef, soft bun and winner sauce. We came for slush float but no longer. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Soma da best old skool burgers and fries on the island. Great prices across da board with a wide variety of options.

Had to jump on here and write my first review for a very worthy business! The food was great, price was affordable and you cannot beat the service! These guys are so friendly!! We will be coming back! read more

Closed today but Yelp said it's open. We've eaten here before good Grindz z good prices. read more

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Best Teri Beef in Hilo. Perfect level of sweetness, garlic, and ginger. I actually prefer the mini plate (about $9?) because the mini box doesn't have compartments, so the Teri sauce gets to make love with the rice (lol). Excellent hamburger deluxe (about $5) as well. One day they just said "do you want some free fries" and handed us like 4 orders of free French fries. Score !!! The fries are good. I did come once for the afternoon burger deal advertised on a banner, but these discounted burgers did not include the deluxe version, and I would not go back for them. You want the Deluxe, and it's worth paying a little more for. read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Old school - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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I pretty much eat mainly vegetables and fruit now, but prior to this I enjoyed Kandi's sandwiches and a few chicken dishes. The best in my opinion. The employees and staff were friendly, a "Big Island" friendly, which is special. read more

Been going here since I was a kid. Gravy burger has always been my favorite! Teri loco bowl is another favorite. Definitely best fries ever as well. read more

They serve good food at mid-range prices and have a laundromat connected to them. They have sweet easygoing staff and overall just easy to talk to. read more

Cheeseburger deluxe made the old school way with real homemade patties and veggies that slightly wilt on the hot burger. French fries were the thick, steak fries style. Reasonably priced. Only thing it's cash only. Had to borrow a couple of bucks from my friend. Very worth it! read more

Kandi's is everything you want from a drive in. I've only been two times but Hawaiian fast food at its best. Time #1: Breakfast- me= egg and cheese on a bun. $5 Him= breakfast platter and 2 Bentos to go. Everything was eaten up! Fast food without it feeling like fast food. Walk up to the counter, order your food, pay in cash, get food, eat food, feel satiated. Time #2 Lunch Fish sandwich- fried square fish on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese. Think of a fish o filet on steroids, that actually tastes good. Cheese burger- he said it was GOOD and would buy it again. Shared fries- fried to perfection, hot and crispy Dee-Lish-see-ohhh-so!! read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Breakfast menu - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Prices good but food quality not that great. Has chicken strips which were just frozen and deep fried and then heated up. Fries were ok. Service lacks Aloha. On busy street with outside seating only. read more

There awesome and been in business for a very long time serving the community with local grinds and good reasonable alternatives to fit your pocket book. So give them a try on Friday for their hamburger plate for $6 or afternoon hamburgers or French fries specials. Sorry cash only no cc. read more

The portion is pretty good. Easy and fast. Grab and go bentos the French fries was fresh and tasty read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Mini bento - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Loco plate A MUST! I remember coming here as a kid when I went to school across the street & it's been the same for the last 20+ years! Love love love! read more

Food was tasty and made to order fast and friendly service! Ambiance reminded me of past drive ins before the Burger King and McDonald's entered picture read more

Where do I start... while in vacay the husband woke up this morning and said "What do you think about breakfast?" And he mentioned "Kandies" I as a person who loves baked goods and sweets I automatically thought it may be some kind of bakery or coffee shop but as to our surprise the location was close to our family's home, good parking, old fashion type drive inn diners where you walk up to the window, order and sit outside to eat. The prices can't be beat very reasonably and the taste was great, portions was great, and the service and great as well. Didn't get a photo of our food but it was delicious and the iced coffee to top it off was very simple coffee, ice and French vanilla cream. Oooohhhh man that was delicious it reminded me of when we concocted our own ice coffee while eating at the Luxor buffet in Las Vegas. read more

Delicious comfort food, tastes like prepared "at home." Friendly service. So many things to name that are fantastic. Chicken, the sandwiches, desserts... Where does it end? read more

Gravy cheese burgers are the best. Rest of the menu is great as well. Eat up! Bring cash, though. It's cash-only.

i love kandi's drive in n have gone there for MANY years great food, service n nice clean tables n get to read newspaper while you eat! i really like cheese omelette n rice for breakfast!!! Price is right n great location! U DA BEST read more

Very important thing to note about Kandi's: They only accept cash payments. If you're like me, and don't carry cash on you normally, this is obviously a deal-breaker. Luckily for me, when I was recently in somewhat dire straights as far as lunch options went, I did have cash and was able to pick up a classic Kandi's bento! Apparently my mom was also always stocked up on cash when I was a kid, going on elementary school field trips as well. You see, Kandi's is conveniently located right across the street from Waiakeawaena Elementary school, so (at least in my day) it's the go-to spot for all the kiddos to get their lunches to take on field trips to places such as the zoo, beach, etc. I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of a status thing. The bomb bentos always impress. The bento I had recently was the first since those elementary school days, and I have to say, it still lived up to the hype. I'm sure my enjoyment was due at least in part to nostalgia, but I feel pretty confident in saying that it was an objectively solid bento. Not amazing, knock your socks off, but still good food in nice proportions. As for their other offerings, I can't speak on those. Aside from the bentos, parking isn't usually bad in their lot, as there's plenty of space. The service has always been pretty good and people have been pleasant, in my experience. If you happen to be in the area and in the mood for a solid bento, I would certainly consider stopping by Kandi's, as long as you have the cash for it. To get the experience of being a Waiakeawaena Elementary School student on a field trip, if nothing else. read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Kandi's is one of my go-to stops in Hilo if i can catch them when they're open. The first, obvious thing to note is the drive-in style setup and the cheap menu prices. I love that you still get that nostalgic feeling when you stop in and I'm thankful they haven't inflated to outrageous prices. The food is great value for the money. I love their gravy burgers and I'm a sucker for breakfast foods so I like getting their eggs with corned beef hash. Please note they ONLY TAKE CASH so don't get stuck with only a credit card. Parking is always available in the lot right in front. read more

Cheap food, good quality, great customer service, and wide selection to choose from. $5.50 specials daily.

We normally don't eat there but we were doing laundry next door and didn't want to go anywhere else my husband who's a picky eater ordered the pork cutlet plate and was really amazed at how big it was plus it was breaded so Ono you could feed two ppl on one plate definitely going back simple home style cooking instead of process frozen food can't wait to try the baked chx plate read more

Best simple breakfast ever, and you won't wait long! Their breakfast plate with da bacon, eggs, hash browns and potatoes is killah!! Awesome employees, always great customer service. Anytime I'm in Hilo early I stop by here! Soooo ono read more

Kandis Drive Inn. An old staple in Hilo town, always there and always cheap. This is where you went if you had $3 and needed to eat. While the days of going there with $3 and walking away with a bento are gone, they are still among the cheapest locations for drive in type places and they have their favorite items such as their bentos and slosh floats. They open at like 4:30 AM so if you're looking for bentos for for kids to take to school, this is an option. They have a teri spam loco plate here that I love. Funny thing is... They don't use Spam. They use another canned luncheon meat like Treet or something, but this is the only place I can excuse it. It just works here. Tried it again today after not going in years and it's still awesome. They now have really large seasoned fries too. Not sure when they got those. Much better than the old ones. They still only accept cash so be aware that you can't go here with your credit or debit card. read more

Noticed their prices went up but still cheaper than most other restaurants except Koji's. Food still yummy like before.

I come here strictly for the soft serve. It's a childhood favorite of mines. I always make a point to stop in a grab a cone of whatever flavor they have that day. Strawberry, Pineapple, Blueberry... If you're in Hilo and looking for soft serve with a twist. Come here! This review is stickily on the soft serve. I don't eat food from here. read more

If I could give negative stars I would. Every time I go here they always get my order wrong- & its not like I'm making insane custom orders. Last time I asked for a fried rice breakfast & got white rice. Okay, I'll let it slide. I've worked in food service before. I know we are all human & make mistakes; but today was just dumb. I ordered a Teri beef loco plate with all rice. They put the mac salad in my plate. When they realized their mistake, they just scraped off the mac; leaving mayo & remnants everywhere. When I asked for a refund, they offered to make me a new one. Yeah right. They should've done that in the first place. I'll take my hard earned money elsewhere. Especially if they're charging upwards of 6+ dollars for a hamburger take out container they're claiming to be a plate. I wasn't rude or anything when asking for my refund, but you could hear the snide remarks coming from the back/grill. It's fine. Sometimes when you're shame, you gotta blame someone else. read more

Kandi's is the taste of my childhood! Having attended Waiakeawaena Elementary School, the Kandi's bento was always the coveted lunch for excursions. Don't forget the passion orange juice wrapped in foil! I'm also a sucker for the breakfast burger (scrambled egg, ham, cheese), though I remember it being under a dollar, and now it's $2. read more

Great little spot for a quick bite at reasonable prices. Will go back to try their breakfast!

What can I say... the Loco Moco's taste the same as I remember... ONO. The Loco Moco is not an intricate dish to make, the gravy makes or breaks it. Can't really comment on any other dishes here, since the Loco Moco is all I ever ordered from this place. Ever. This past trip wasn't anything to try and derive from that either. Maybe next time. Maybe. read more

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YAY!!! I hit this place up 3 times in a week when I was in town. I ordered the same thing al times the Moco Loco now Ive had Moco Loco's in Kauai, Kona and obviously Hilo and this was my fave spot. One daughter loved her spam fried rice omlette and the other really liked the burgers. The gals were really nice and friendly. read more

Kandi's Drive Inn - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This place was awesome. Generous gravy, great chili water, well cooked rice and the chef knows how to make some good eggs. Fries were also surprisingly delicious given their short and stubby shape. read more

Kandi's has great food for an absolutely reasonable price. The breakfast burgers are ono, the fried rice plates are bomb...quick, yummy, great place to grab a bite! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! read more