This hidden gem on Kilauea. I could not believe how reasonable they were! Back home, I would have paid quadruple of what I spent. The Korean chicken is super good, very friendly staff, when can, support local! read more

One word...WOW! Went there just for the musubi and maybe just a couple of other food items, but ended up walking away with quite a bit more...and all so very good! Their food is very good for take out and the service we received from one of the ladies working there was just excellent! For 4 people we spent about $45 and there was some food left over even after stuffing ourselves. You can also definitely tell they have a lot of regulars and that they treat each other like family. Be careful about going there on saturdays, because that's when they're extremely busy and the line is way out the door. They do take phone orders which can help reduce the wait a bit. If I lived in Hilo, I would absolutely be a regular myself! read more

Go early! The wait is worth it. It's all great, but some favorites are the tempura ono, shrimp, spam musubi, and cone sushi. Great to grab and go eat at the beach. Kawamoto Store is my favorite thing to go grab when friends and family are in town. read more

Great place for a quick meal. Service was great and the staff was great. Great ambiance and location.

One of the best box lunch places around that I always love taking the family be for we head to the beach

Food and service is always great! Love the staff and their nishime! I need to try their cookies. Last time I went, someone bought the rest of the bags (8?)!! read more

Good food at a very reasonable price. Closes pretty early so you gotta get there before noon.

Pretty nice little store near a coffee shop we stopped by. Parking was street only which was a bit of a challenge - we got something at the coffee shop across the street so just left our car there for a few minutes. We got the spam musubi and fried shrimp - couldn't believe how cheap it was! Spam musubi was like 75 cents vs like $3-4 here in SF. Super fresh and the rice was good quality, fluffy Japanese rice. We just had breakfast so we weren't hungry, but we're glad we stoped by and got something to try as snack. 1 star off only because the wait can be long as a lot of people get boxes of stuff. They do have a lot of options, but most are fried or pretty heavy, so not a good spot if you're on a strict diet or want to eat healthy. read more

Kawamoto Store - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Old style okazuya with all the best homestyle goodness. The nishime, long rice, shoyu chicken, and maki sushi all tasted so delicious. The service was wonderful! read more

Hands down the best shrimp tempura in town. Their maki sushi is also very tasty. The staff here is always friendly and the wait time isn't too bad. A perfect place to stop for a small bite, breakfast, or lunch. read more

Kawamoto Store - Menu as of 02/15/2020 - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Kawamoto Store is THE place to go if you are looking for okazuya in Hilo. I don't know how to explain it, but their oil and batter is so flavorful, light and addicting! My favorites are the shrimp tempura, okinawan potato and nori chicken. Make sure to go early (ie. 7am) so you can get a full selection. The store itself has been around forever and they have their process down. The workers are friendly and the food is always consistently good. Parking is street only. You can't miss it...it's the only store on the block that will have a line out the door. read more

Best tempura ever. Go early, they run out of your favorite items. A must go to if you're in Hilo. Take out only and so affordable.

I love that this place is so affordable but I wish they kept their food hot. I've tried almost everything they have and I liked all of it. I stop by here pretty much every time I go to hilo. read more

The perfect little hole in the wall. Hellish parking, worn down place with the nicest staff and the best affordable food in town! It took a couple of tries to score the nori chicken and it was worth it! What else was I going to do at 7 am anyways? And for a hole in the wall, they took credit card! The best of all worlds... read more

Must visit: reasonable prices and bomb beach/plane food. Their tempura fish is unreal

The best okazuya ever. The food is so tasty and delicious. They have the best assortment of food and sushi.

Hilo is like Okazuya heaven! For such a small town they sure have a lot of okazuya all over! And these are some top quality establishments, and I'd have to say that from what I've experienced so far Kawamoto Store is the best in Hilo! We came here mid-morning to grab some breakfast. The food here was absolutely delicious! The fried foods (tempura and fried chicken) were still warm and very crispy, no soggy stuff here! The Korean fried chicken was more sweet than spicy as you might expect, and the bite sized hash patties were ono! Unfortuantely by the time we got there they had sold out of the nori chicken, which seems to be a pretty common okazuya item in Hilo. You don't see too much of that in Honolulu. When I got to the counter to pay for my food I noticed some manju on the side, and decided to pick a couple up because they were unusual flavors. Chocolate Chip, and Strawberry Guava! They weren't flaky like your typical Homemaid Bakery manju, but it was more thick and cake-like, but I'll tell you this: They were DELICIOUS!!!! The Good: Delicious food, low prices, good selection, tasty manju, open on Sundays! The Bad: It's all the way in Hilo, they run out of food if you go too late read more

Kawamoto Store - All this for just $10! - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We visited twice in the morning to get some bento (Japanese box lunch) to take along on our trek around the island. This is convenient because we were planning on visiting some of the scenic beaches and look-outs and wanted to sit, eat and enjoy the view. I love the concept of the bento stores here in Hilo. The different items are laid out for you to pick and choose to your heart's content. Back here at home, there's some places that sell bento, but it's pre-packaged and chosen for you. Too many times I've decided not to buy because I didn't care for some of the items in the containers. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/xihViAqiP3xFQ9HCM0xs7A?select=tbQkjXdQccv9AYqtm9jJHg We got all excited after walking in the door. Big variety! I planted the hubby in line and went up to see what was in the display cases. Ono & ahi fish tempura! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/xihViAqiP3xFQ9HCM0xs7A?select=roGes4UlJoom9vwAzWnO7A Nishime- missing some key ingredients & had too many carrots, but the taste was spot on http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/xihViAqiP3xFQ9HCM0xs7A?select=G-xB88Y2z8AKx5H6Ey198g Those were my choices both times. The hubby went a bit crazy both times and his bento boxes were pretty heavy. He had shoyu, nori & Korean chicken. Maki sushi rolls, spam musubi. Chow mein. And other items. "Some of this, and this, and this!" Then he added in some manju both times. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/xihViAqiP3xFQ9HCM0xs7A?select=5HyZY1ei8wBBYb9th4izAg You've got to get here early because they close around noon. Also, for the best picks. Once they're out, none for you! read more

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this is for sure a hole in the wall place. everything here is cheap but the food is just okay. Their tempura or deep fry battered fish were just okay.. some are a bit dry. the spam musubi is pretty good though, i only wish they give a bigger piece of spam. my chicken w/ nori was flavorful, but the chicken itself was a bit dry. one of my favorite dish is their long rice. It's basically glass noodles, but thicker. This one was the tastiest of all the items i got. they sell each fish/ chicken by pieces and the noodles is by serving. price range from like 60cents a piece to like $1 a serving. so it's cheap and it's filling. a good lunch take it to go on the road or just stop by and snack on some items. read more

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6/26/07: Old school place that has been around forever, this is a takeout deli (okazu) with mostly hot foods. Specializing in Japanese (with Hawaiian twist) foods, you can find a great deals by ordering their bentos (prices start at $2.50 up thru $6.00, the $3.00 or $3.50 has plenty of food!). Open from early morning and closes during the lunchhour (6am-12:30pm), you should call in your lunch order by mid morning otherwise they will be out of the favorites! They sell the usual deli items: cone sushi, maki sushi, musubi, spam musubi, bbq meat, shoyu pork, hash, fishcake, shoyu or fried chicken (fried often runs out fast), nori chicken, korean chicken, tempura (veggie, fish or shrimp), long rice noodles, mac salad, mishima, namasu, etc. Great place for grabbing food before heading to the beach! read more

Great place to grab simple and portable food when venturing in Hilo. Everything was good as expected. Go early to beat the line otherwise order in advance (phone order). read more

Came here for spam musubis based on a blog I read and sorry to say I was a bit disappointed. They were just basic rice with spam, no egg no special sauce no fancy pants stuff. Just rice with spam. Other things in the store may be good and the people were really really nice so this is based solely on the taste of their musubis read more

I've been coming here my whole life while living in Hilo, till this day... visiting Hilo... I make sure to go back once or twice... before leaving the island. I also introduced this spot to several people visiting the island and they love it! I visited Hilo last month and stopped by there twice for my kawamoto's fix! Kawamoto's has the best okazu in Hawaii! I order: nori chicken, cone sushi, shrimp tempura, hash, fish, korean chicken, spam musubi and shoyu pork. Lines are always long. My mom usually calls ahead or time to preorder to avoid the line. Prices are reasonable. This is my first place I head to when I fly in. I believe they open at 6am. Go early before they sell out. Parking is on the street... which is not much. My order is usually under $20... I usually finish the big box of goodies in 2 sittings. If you're in Hilo, this is a must 5 stars from me! I'll be back next month when I visit Hilo for the summer! can't wait! read more

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Thats Kanakattack Heaven!!! Recently went there 3 times during my vacation. Thats how you are supposed to make cone sushi. Shoyu chicken was on point. And the tempura Ono was, well, ONO! Nori Chicken turned out to be my crack. Got me fienin!!! Lol Shout out to Big Rob workin in the back. Thats my new cuzzin. Lol Till the next wave!!!! read more

Kawamoto Store - Kanakattack - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This place is a must when visiting Hilo. I had to wait little bit because there was a line out the door. But it was definitely worth the wait! Every thing was ONO! I also had great service! Didn't catch his name but he was very informative about everything since it was my first time there, and he did it with a smile! :) keep up the great work! read more

I love, love, love, old school family run businesses, and Kawamoto Store is exactly that - the building and store interior is old Hawaii and of a simple time gone by. I was glad there were a few people in line in front of me so I could soak in the nostalgic environs as I waited. The food is kept in smooth well-worn wood and glass cases. You know how food tastes better when you use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet? I think the food at Kawamoto is better too because of the cases! The prices are also excellent, I got a two pieces each of cone sushi, korean chicken, and shrimp tempura, plus nishime, shoyu pork and a hash patty for under $9! Unfortunately the popular Nori chicken was already sold out by the time I arrived at 9 am. The food is soulful and satisfying, and made with heart. The only knock I have is with the Korean chicken. I was fully expecting it to be a drumette, but instead it was a thigh with some of the meat cut off on each side which I assume is used in another dish. I felt a little ripped off because it was like I got a scrap piece, not to mention I love wings, and this was no wing! Wing-gate aside, I'm still a fan and look forward to my next visit where I can create my next custom combo. read more

Kawamoto Store - Cone sushi, shrimp tempura, Korean chicken, nishime, shoyu pork, and a hash patty. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

We drove from the other side of the island to come here and it did not disappoint. The food was amazing. My favs were the shrimp tempura and Inari read more

Kawamoto Store - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Be the first to get there and you'll have everything you want in your bento box. I highly recommend their Nori chicken with Wadabe salad

Kawamoto Store has been around for a long time in Hilo for a reason. They have by far the best okazu food on the island. Since I was a child I remember going there for the finger foods. Now I take my family there to get lunch whenever we are going to the park, beach or just going home and we want something really delicious to eat. We went there a few days ago for our favorite foods. I am a fan of pretty much most of the food there. Here's what's on the menu: cone sushi, spam musubi, shrimp tempura, fish tempura, vegetable tempura, korean chicken, nori chicken, hash patties, teriyaki beef, fish cake, shoyu chicken, shoyu pork, mac salad and more... Get ready to stand in line, if your not there before 7 am. The store opens at 6 am, from tuesday to saturday, closed on mondays and most holidays. Take out only, there is no seating. The prices are really fair, compared to other okazu places that I've been to. But the main reason that I go there is because the food is "ono" (tasty)!!!! read more

Kawamoto Store - My favorite mix of food!! 6-23-11 - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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OMFG, this place never gets old nor changes...except for the price. But it's so worth it! My recommendations: hash brown, nori chicken, shrimp tempura, shoyu chicken, cone sushi, and vegetable tempura. Sorry, I don't eat rice much, but I guess you could get rice with all these items. They do take major credit cards and cash. best time to go? In the morning around 7 or 8 a.m. Parking is right infront of the store. Or up the street. no private lot, so you will have to park on the street. read more

Kawamoto Store - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I think if you grew up eating bento boxes, you'll probably like this place a bit more as it rings close to home. However, I was a bit disappointed in the food here because face it....what should I have expected when you put a bunch of fried items in a box that is meant to be eaten at a later time? That's right, a mushy oily mess of fried food (tempura, has brown, vegetable tempura). The non fried items like the chicken was pretty dry as well. Their spam musubi was decent, but nothing to go gaga over. Obviously, the noodles are the way to go here because that was one of the only things I enjoyed other than the spam musubi. 3 stars. read more

Kawamoto Store - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Ever since I got this work trip to Hilo I was so looking forward to coming here. I seriously need to say Thanks to the yelpers because you all didn't stear me to the wrong. I absolutely am amazed at how much food you can get for less than $20.00 :-) I walked all the way from my layover hotel to get some of amazing bento box. I had to get a little bit of everything. The person who helped me what can I say was friendly and patient with me taking my order. I felt like a little piggy when I paid and she asked me how many forks or chopsticks I needed. I only needed 1 chopsticks :-/ Definitely come here!!!! Everything I got was delicious :-) read more

Kawamoto Store - My bento box, don't judge me lol I was hungry! - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This place is all about VALUE! They have a huge selection of different meats and 'finger food' and everything looked seriously tasty. You buy the items by the serving/per piece and you can fill the box to your hearts content without you wallet crying. My girlfriend and I got 2 shrimp tempura, two shoyu chicken, two tempura ono, one long rice, one fish cake, two cone sushi, and two korean chicken. It came out to just 13 bucks!! All of the items we ordered would be worthy of your typical Japanese bento so while its not all that special, its tasty. I just love that we can have such variety. We also wanted to try their famous nori chicken but apparently that sells out like a few hours after they open. Overall, the food is yummy and the service is quick. If you are going on a picnic or a hike and want to bring some finger food along, this place will answer all of your stomach's cravings. read more

I wanted to like this place more. Their bent boxes are photogenic and the price for food can't be beat. They have a diverse selection and we ordered spam musubi, the noodles, breaded Ono and Mahi Mahi, nori chicken, and bbq chicken and pork. Only thing I really liked was nori chicken. Fish and meat were a little too dry for my liking. read more

Kawamoto Store - Photogenic - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The food is absolutely amazing. The tempura shrimp, Mahi Mahi, Ono, Musubi and macaroni salad was amazing. The prices are great. I spent $12 and got enough for breakfast and lunch. The service is quick. If there is a line, you best wait. It doesn't take long and well worth it. read more

Old school shop where you can make custom bentos! Perfect for grabbing on-the-go lunches as you explore Big Island. We came here both days during our 2-day stay in Hilo. Ordering is super easy but make sure to come earlier as they sometimes sell out of popular items. My favorites: Long Rice Noodle Breaded Ono Breaded Mahi-mahi Shrimp Tempura Vegetable Nishime Bean Tempura Inari sushi For me, this is a must-eat spot in Hilo!!! read more

Kawamoto Store - Custom Bento! - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

So I visited this place on my last day in Hilo...wish I went earlier...so got there at 545am and they open at 6am...there was already a few people waiting. They opened exactly at 6am. By the time they opened there were 6 people ahead of me and the workers are AWESOME and so friendly. It took a few minutes to be helped after the people in front of me. I ordered three plates and the worker helping me was so fast and efficient. After looking at my plates I was expecting to pay well over $30...but my bill came out to a little less than $25. Pretty good if you ask me This will always be a stop for me when I am in Hilo. Can't wait to go back already. read more

Kawamoto Store - All this food for under $25...that's pretty amazing...and it's soooooo delicious! - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Build your own bento adventure!! This place is like a Japanese-Hawaiian deli and it is adorable. We went early on a Sunday morning and there was a line of people! At this place, you can get Kawamoto's own bento, or build your own by picking the stuff from the deli counter. Options include spam musubi (!!!!), maki sushi, nori chicken, shoyu pork, corned beef hash patties, korean fried chicken, all kinds of tempura (vegetables, shrimp), chow mein noodles, and others. It is a dream. When it was my turn, a really nice employee helped me. He was really patient with me while I decided on what I wanted. I picked a spam musubi, a maki sushi, a corned beef hash, the chow mein noodles, the nori chicken, a shrimp tempura, ono tempura, and sweet potato tempura. The employee arranged it very nearly into the styrofoam container and asked me if it was ok (which it was!) and if I needed anything else. Then he also gave me one of their paper menus to take with me in case I ever wanted to come back! And all that food, it ended up being less than $8!!!! I felt like I got so much food and it was so cheap!!! I would've gotten more food! The best thing that I picked was the nori chicken. IT WAS SO AMAZING. The meat was tender and the it was so flavorful. I wish I had gotten ten of these. The spam musubi was really good and so was the maki sushi and the shrimp tempura. The chow mein noodles were all right. I thought this place was so cute, the food was delicious, and the service was great. This place is definitely a takeaway place - they don't have tables for you to eat your food there. And while we were there, we saw a bunch of people come in to pick up boxes and boxed of phone orders. This local spot is very popular. If you want nori chicken, come early! read more

My first time placing an order with Kawamotos. And I'm very pleased with the service and the food. I figured that this place is always has a long line so made my order over the phone. And I'm so glad I did too. I'm giving the full 5 stars cause I'm definitely ordering again! Love supporting local!! read more

Kawamoto Store - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Since my last visit here, I had forgotten about a) how cheap their food is, b) popular items run out by 11:30am, and c) their Korean Chicken is crazy crack delicious. So the reminder lessons here are: a) you can get a ton of food for less than $5-10, b) if you want spam musubi, you should probably come before 11:30am, and c) I had ten pieces of Korean Chicken because it's still crazy crack delicious. read more