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    Kay's Kitchen

    4.3 (42 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Kay's Kitchen Photos

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    KAY'S KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Lacey T.

    Located in a rather dingy convenience store, Kay's Kitchen sure doesn't look like much. This was our first stop in Hawaii and we weren't quite sure about it judging by appearance, but we were there and we were hungry. My sister and her husband each got a plate, one with fried chicken and one with kalbi, while I ordered a container of kalua pork and cabbage. Mine was dished up immediately, while theirs took about 15 minutes to prepare. Prices were pretty decent, especially for Hawaii (and most especially compared to the other items available in the store like ice cream for $18.99, whew!). We drove to the beach and enjoyed an impromptu picnic and overall everyone was pleased. I do wish they had labels on the hot food behind glass. My sister thought she ordered the braised chicken thighs, so was surprised when her dish had fried and breaded chicken. She could have asked for clarification, so I'm not blaming Kay's entirely, but it was a little confusing. The fellow at check out was very friendly and made sure we had the utensils and napkins we needed. The menu is quite diverse, so I'm sure most anyone could find something to their liking.

    Chicken Katsu Dip
    Ingrid M.

    Delicious plate lunch!! Chicken Katsu Dip w/ Mac salad is our go to. Always great service and plenty of food in one portion.

    Loco moco!
    Todd M.

    So many options. I was happy to see that they have a little bit of everything and they also have the gallon jugs of water that I like. Check them out.

    This is their Mini Pastele Stew
    Clifton C.

    When I am home in Hilo, we need to drive over to Kona to shop at Costco. We usually arrive just before lunch and I always prefer to eat before we start some marathon shopping, since we try to load up with what we need. On a recent trip this week, thanks to Yelp, I found Kay's Kitchen! Located in the Matsuyama Food Mart, Kay's serves delicious food. Breakfast, Plate Lunches, Daily Specials, sandwiches, burgers and pizza (all made to order. My partner had a Burger, which he said was the best he has had in quite awhile. Their daily special that day was Pastele Stew. This was also just about the best I have had. Prices are good, servings are huge and service is friendly. I am tempted to just drive over to the other side of the island to eat at Kay's. So much more to try! Highly recommended!

    Loco moco was gigantic!
    Cara C.

    Unassuming and tucked into the back of a small convenience store, Kay's Kitchen has tasty Hawaiian grindz, burgers, sandwiches and freshly baked pizzas. We were hungry and passing through when we found Kay's on Yelp and decided to give it a go. There were a lot of tasty sounding options on the menu board, but we went with a large loco moco and were not disappointed! They grilled two huge hamburger patties up fresh when we ordered, along with our eggs. It came with two huge scoops of rice and all the delicious brown gravy we could have hoped for. Broke da mouth! We watched them hand stretching the pizza dough and saw some being picked up while we were there and made a mental note for future reference. I'll try the kalua pork at some point as well. The market has tons of groceries and other amenities to peruse while your food is prepared, including Hawaiian candies and snacks, treats from local bakeries, camping food, beer, fresh produce, "mainland" eggs, health foods, souvenirs and more. Lots of people were stopping by after work and after their beach trips to pick up late lunches and early dinners, as well as grab snacks for the commute home. Oh -- and the fuel outside was some of the cheapest we saw on the island! Definitely worth the stop if you're hungry or if you need to grab some essentials!

    Panko shrimp and rice, Korean chicken, Mac salad and rice and teriyaki chicken, Korea chicken Mac salad and rice
    Jodie R.

    Located in a bodega and frequented by locals! We loved our lunch and it was hefty portions! 11.99 ea. friendly guy behind the counter and a fun spot.

    Menu 2/3/24
    Tina F.

    Menu as of 2/3/2024 Serving breakfast lunch and early dinner to go at the mauka matsuyama market Get the Philly Cheese steak sandwich

    Loco moco and fried cod.
    Janet D.

    Got the Loco moco and fried cod. Also did a small grocery shopping. The food was good.

    Katsu dip and Korean chicken

    Kay's kitchen is located inside matsuyama mart. Portions are big and prices are fair, would recommend!

    Pork lime chili over rice
    Sonja K.

    We stoped and got much at Kay'a Kitchen today. As mentioned, it is in the back of a convenance store. It was completely delicious!! Hubbs has the Friday special which was a pork citrus chili over rice and I had the chicken thighs (I prefer dark meat) over rice. Both were really, really good!

    Wow, this is one gem that needs to be highlighted! I wasn't sure if we were at the right place when we pulled up. I was looking for some sign of the restaurant but just saw the grocery store. We went in and it is in the back most part. We went just in time before it got busy. The food was great! Servings are big for 1 person and very affordable! More food items to find around the store including the desserts in the refrigerator section. A must try!

    loco moco plate

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Mostly take out with few tables, but everything is always good. A great little local place.

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    Pine Tree Cafe - 1/2 Fried ahi poke plate ($14.95) - requested no aioli, with Mac salad. The 1/2 plate is already a really big portion.

    Pine Tree Cafe

    4.1(1.4k reviews)
    3.4 mi
    $$

    This has been my go to spot for years in Kona! I always go here after landing at the airport, it's…read moreclose and convenient. Personal favorite for me is the spicy garlic chicken, which of course I ordered and is in the picture below. It's crispy and juicy, but what really completes it is the sauce the drizzle on top. I'm pretty sure it's sriracha mayonnaise or some variation of it, and it's super addicting. The chicken comes as a plate lunch, which includes two sides. All of the sides are good, but I definitely would recommend getting the French fries and white rice. The teriyaki beef is definitely an underrated pick. It's super flavor, and tender throughout. Huge portions, you will for sure get your money worth. Just note that wait times can be pretty long. Pine tree cafe often gets crowded and orders pile up. When I go it takes anywhere from 15-30 minutes, which can feel like an eternity when you're hungry.

    (4/5) Pulled up to…read morePine Tree Cafe ready to eat like a champion... and the food absolutely delivered. Local plates were solid, flavorful, and hit that "I need a nap after this" level of satisfaction. No complaints there. Now the service... let's just say the vibe at the register felt like I personally offended someone by existing Not the warmest welcome, but hey, I came for the food, not a TED Talk on hospitality. Would I come back? 100%. I'll just emotionally prepare myself at the register and then reward myself immediately with some bomb food.

    Photos
    Pine Tree Cafe - Dining area

    Dining area

    Pine Tree Cafe - Ahi tuna poke bowl

    Ahi tuna poke bowl

    Pine Tree Cafe - Large loco moco ($19.95) - with medium eggs

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    Large loco moco ($19.95) - with medium eggs

    808 Grindz Cafe - Short rib Moco

    808 Grindz Cafe

    4.3(1.8k reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $$

    We landed in Kona mid-morning and the wife wanted breakfast, namely pancakes. Again not familiar…read morewith too many places in Kona. Of course Google saved the day. Found this place was open till 1 pm and they served pancakes. Nice, because the alternative would have been Denny's...no thanks! Nice little hole in the wall where you order at the window and they serve you your food at the table. I ordered the Seafood omelet and a side of Macadamia Nut Pancakes, wife ordered the Boneless Short Rib plate. My only gripe was the pancakes only came with maple syrup and not a macadamia sauce, which we had to buy separate. I was used to having the sauce come with the pancakes at a certain restaurant in Kailua, Oahu, so this was a bit unexpected. But the food was well prepared and tasty. It was really good! So good we came back the next day to have breakfast again. Only this time it was Adobo Fried Rice. We brought two plates for me and the wife which we soon regretted because my wife could not finish hers since the portions were really big. Should've have shared just one. Another place to add to our go to list to eat when we come back to visit Kona.

    We went in on a Saturday morning @ 8 am. It was empty…read more Parking- There is plenty of parking because it is on a strip mall. There are tables inside and outside. When you go in, you order at the cashier and they give you the food in To Go Containers whether you are going to eat in or out. I ordered the 808 Grindz Moco and it was delicious. 10/10 The Gravy was good and the rice too. They have soda cans for $2.50 each. I would return.

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    808 Grindz Cafe - Cozy dining area

    Cozy dining area

    808 Grindz Cafe - Spam moco

    Spam moco

    808 Grindz Cafe - Drinks

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    Rainbow Cafe - 2nd time here this week, and they keep on impressing me! 'Ono food, FRIENDLY & KIND service.  Chicken Katsu with Walnut Shrimp

    Rainbow Cafe

    4.0(124 reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    I saw a lot of wieners giving two stars on here for dumb reasons. Someone's salt and pepper shrimp…read morewasn't how their mommy's made it for them and another person was upsetty spaghetti because they had to wait a little longer for their food. I give both those ppl negative 5 stars for being weak people. Rainbow cafe looks like your typical hole in the wall Chinese to-go joint except it's better. The portions are great, the food tastes amazing, and their hot & sour soup is the best I've had in a long time. Everything was made fresh to order. The staff were very kind and professional, and the wait wasn't bad at all. Rainbow cafe is as local as it gets, not far off from the main path, but nestled in well enough that you could easily pass by this little gem without knowing it. If you've just flown into town and need some good food to fill yer belly that ain't gunna break the bank, then I highly recommend Rainbow Cafe. Hey folks, before you give a place a bad review because of one item on the menu wasn't to your liking or they were slow the one time, maybe think twice because those complaints aren't valid enough to critique the establishment as a whole. Don't be a wiener

    Frequented this location many to a few times and I must say it requires a balance of what you're…read morelooking for. There is breakfast (traditional and all your island favorites) and then the Asian influenced dishes familiar to a Chinese menu. This time around I chose three eggs over easy, rice white and spam (three sliced rectangles). I set aside the Spam and mix the eggs and rice together to get a nice yellow and white mixture. I then segment the Spam to bite squares and place them on top. Now it's time to devour the meal. Enjoy! Three scoops of rice were served I believe. I also ordered the steamed bok Choi plate which can be compared to steam cabbage. Similar nutritional value with a slight variance in taste. Oh so good, enjoyed! ... And two Dr. Peppers in a can. Service is comfortable. If you dine in they bring your food to your table. Place is very casual and can seat up to 16 to 18 groups of four at maximum capacity. Your kind of normal general minimal cafe environment. They also provide catering which I have not had the privilege of experiencing. Give them a try if you're near the Costco and Home Depot area.

    Photos
    Rainbow Cafe
    Rainbow Cafe - 09/23/23 general tso chicken & bbq chicken

    09/23/23 general tso chicken & bbq chicken

    Rainbow Cafe - Specials, combos, salads menu

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    Specials, combos, salads menu

    Journey Cafe Big Island - Macadamia Ice Cream

    Journey Cafe Big Island

    4.6(466 reviews)
    5.5 mi
    $$

    Came here around 9am on Saturday. Wasn't too busy, we were able to order right away and find…read moreseating. The place is super comfy with really cute decor. And their staff is super nice! First off, their macadamia ice cream is really really good! Creamy, thick, sooo tasty! We also ordered: Epic Feisty Tacos - 5/5 - comes with three tacos and spicy sauce. The tacos are super tasty and perfectly balanced spicy, savory, tangy flavors. The lemon herb chik'n is also so good, you can't even tell it's vegan. The tortillas are a bit on the crumbly side, but still equally tasty as a taco bowl. Definitely would recommend this dish if you love spicy tacos! Epic journey nachos - 4/5 - the toppings on the nachos taste similar to the feisty tacos. The chips are more like baked tortillas with a crispy exterior and softer center. Journey Classic Crepe and Blueberry macnut crepe - 3/5 - The crepe itself was a bit thick, I'd describe it as more of a pancake than a crepe as crepes should be super thin. Still pretty good though all together, fruity and sweet. Latte with oat milk - 4/5 - a bit on the bitter side but not a bad latte! Asian salad - 4/5 - good salad, vegan meat is well seasoned and everything pairs well together. It wasn't very Asian tasting though, more like a Mexican-Asian fusion salad.

    I was originally a bit skeptical about vegan chicken tacos, but these were surprisingly delicious…read more That's saying a lot, coming from a mostly paleo eater! I particularly enjoyed their strawberry shake, which was so refreshing. I noticed that they also have a coffee one, which means I'll need to stop in again next time I'm in Kona. in spite of walking in during a busier time of day, service was quick both while putting in the order and waiting for our food to come out of the kitchen. The decor is a visually fun and engaging mix of greenery and art designed to keep diners feeling cooler in Kona's heat. Both indoor and outdoor seating are available. Even if you're not committed to vegetarian or vegan food, there's a lot to like, especially if you're looking for something light, clean, and sweet.

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    Journey Cafe Big Island - Great Ambiance

    Great Ambiance

    Journey Cafe Big Island - Macadamia Ice Cream

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    Kay's Kitchen - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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