Good food. It's old skool. We loved it. Tons to choose from!! We loved it and the staff.

Food was crappy. Had the fried akule. Looked like fried shrimp. Fried mahimahi was burnt. Cheeseburger was your plain old simple cheeseburger. Plain old loco moco... The only good thing was the soft serve ice cream. read more

Was in line at 745pm and when I came up to the register guy said he "just" closed the register... Disappointing especially since it says they are open till 830pm. read more

Tried this place passing by after going to Cost-U-Less. Kind of disappointed. Maybe I didn't order the right thing but it was recommended after the roast pork was sold out. I don't think I will come back. read more

K's Drive-In - Teri pork - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Love this place. Found it on my trip in August and now that I live here whenever I'm in Hilo I stop by for their roast pork plate. Love it

Great burgers. I got a burger and the onion rings. The shakes looked amazing as well. I will definitely be back

Doesnt look like much but I noticed popular with a lot of old timers. Loved their burgers and cant get over the melon twist soft ice cream. Its the biggest treat for my grandchildren. Their plate lunches are gnerous and reasonably priced. Everthing very tasty. read more

We even asked if there was a lot of meat in the stew it was very disappointing to drive so far and get me that was full of chords and fat a big let down read more

K's Drive-In - Meat full of fat and hard cords - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

See all

K's Drive In: a staple venue for Hilo residents. Although it wasn't always the most inviting of places, having an adjoining liquor store, and located in downtown Hilo, where, let's just say, there are some sketchy characters, K's has become a much nicer looking restaurant in recent years. With an updated look in its dining area, you don't feel uncomfortable sitting down out there to wait for your food or to dine in (which was kind of an issue for me before). Regardless of the setting though, K's has ALWAYS made good food. From their pork cutlets to their ice cream twist cones, you'd be hard-pressed to not find something on their menu that you'd enjoy. I know for a fact that every time I go, I have to get myself one of those amazing twist cones; the coconut one in particular. I also really enjoy getting their cheese gravy burgers. They really step up the already tasty gravy burgers by adding in the melty, oozy cheese. Point is, no matter what kind of local food you're craving, I'm sure that K's Drive in will have something you'd enjoy. So, if you haven't been there in a while, and were kind of hesitant to try it again, or haven't stopped by in the first place, give K's a chance and DEFINITELY get a twist cone at the very least! read more

See all

Finally, I don't feel like getting ripped off as a tourist. Opens late, decent food and great price. read more

See all

Tried the chicken katsu last night It was so dry and over cooked that I left the full plate and just walked out sauce was ok Employees were arguing within ear shot of customers Never to eat here again read more

Located next to the closed down bowling ally, this place offers some pretty good flavored ice cream. I got the lilikoi soft serve and this was a very good surprise. If you are in need of a cold treat, this place is the one to go for a quick escape! read more

K's Drive In has good food, but what really makes this longtime establishment stand out are their twist cones. Their twist cones come in many different flavors - blueberry, strawberry, pineapple, chocolate, melona to name a few - and are twisted with vanilla soft serve. My favorite are the pineapple and blueberry twists. Every day there are two different flavors on the menu, so they're not all available at the same time. If K's only sold twist cones, I strongly believe they would still make profit. But other than twist cones, they also sell a variety of food. Stews, loco mocos, burgers, lunch plates...basically everything you would expect to find at a local eatery. This is not a restaurant that you are waited on. You order your food at the window, pick it up when it's ready, and find a table to sit at and eat. The seating is open and there is a lot of breeze coming through because there are no walls, only a roof to protect you from the rain. There is ample parking in their own private parking lot and I've always been able to get a parking spot, no matter how busy they were. K's Drive In has been around for a really long time and the place may seem like a little hole-in-the-wall, but don't let the exterior fool you from the little gold mine that rests here. It is definitely a local favorite. And if that isn't enough to sell you, there's a liquor store only a few steps away that is filled top to bottom with all types of alcohol ;) read more

K's Drive-In - Strawberry twist in a bowl - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

See all

Always wanted to try here since we moved to the big island last year but never got the chance until now. The specials menu is legit throughout the week. They have it all and the food is ono. Gonna be coming back soon read more

What can I say? This is a popular local spot and I had to experience it. I tried the mixed combo plate and it was OK. I didn't particularly like the mac salad. It was kind of dry and bland. The kalua cabbage and shoyu chicken was tasteless and tasted kind of old. Nothing on the plate stood out and I just ended up offering it to what appeared to be a homeless or druggy local hauli. Then I noticed the gravy cheeseburger and pineapple vanilla twist soft serve ice cream. JACKPOT! The gravy cheeseburger was a hit with their hand-formed patty with american cheese topped in a wonderful gravy. Each bite was heaven. Then i ordered another one. BINGO! I ordered the pineapple-vanilla twist to end the experience on a sweet note. The icy desert was full of pineapple flavor with vanilla tones read more

Won Tons - Good Saimen of various options - Great Chicken Hekka - Gross read more

Local lunch spot with an extensive menu! You walk up to the window, put in your order, then eat at one of the outside benches. We ordered the Kalua pork burger with gravy, and the two-item combo (Korean chicken and chicken hekka). The Kalua Pork burger was a bit too salty and soggy for my taste. However, I enjoyed the chicken hekka (a version of chicken long rice with more shoyu?), and really loved the Korean chicken! Make sure you order it! We finished the meal with a yummy coconut twist cone! read more

K's Drive-In - Kalua burger with gravy, two item plate with Korean chicken and chicken hekka (kind of like chicken long rice) - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

See all

Closed early today which is a bad sign. No workers. This is starting to become a common occurrence for a lot of restaurants. It's a sad situation because a lot of the younger people don't want to work. There are lots of jobs now but might be hard to find later if the recession comes. Hopefully things will improve because K's has good gravy burgers. read more

Hoba! This is the spot wide(a large variety) mops (meals). This is the place shoyu(soysauce) chicken, Korean chicken. Kalua loco, loco moco. Mmmm breakfast plates decent burgers. Kalua plate with gravy. Major, mean(astounding) action. Been grinding here about 20 years possibility my whole life. read more

K's Drive-In - This is the major shoyu chicken - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

K's has a pretty big variety of choices on their menu. Something for everyone.. My go to is their gravy cheese burger... I like the fact that they don't use those store bought frozen hamburgers like other drive inns in the area. Also, their twist cones is a must. However, tables need to be wiped down more often and the counter worker girls need an attitude adjustment. Other then that. I recommend read more

K's Drive-In - 5 out of 5 stars gravy cheese burger. Homemade patties! - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Our first visit, want to give 3 1/2 stars but not an option. Parking easy street out front or in it's parking lot. Was surprised at how many tables were set up and all under cover. Some nice big picnic tables as well. Place looked pretty well maintained, lots of nice plants around, decent atmosphere for a drive-in joint. The food choices are endless, everything from basic burgers/sandwiches, to Hawaiian style plate lunch to Asian flare like Saimin soups, Katsu, Korean chicken, Pork dishes, Oxtail soup, some fried seafood choices, daily specials on and on plus breakfast and sides. We ordered a deluxe cheeseburger boat (w/fries), choc. milkshake, gravy cheeseburger, side of onion rings and mac salad plus a coke. Total was just under $22 bucks, not bad but knew not to expect the moon portion wise or quality wise. Well, must say....we were pleasently suprised! Burgers were on small size but really were tasty, the deluxe you could actually see the tom/lettuce/onion/cheese. My gravy burger had just enough gravy to make gooey w/cheese plus I added raw onion which topped it off. The fries were thin, crispy and onion rings sweet crispy...the choc shake not heavy on choc. but still good, mac salad on bland side but seems thats the style on the island. All in all we would definitely return. Tasty food, fairly priced and clean/pleasant outdoor eating area. read more

See all

Their chili is very good. A little bit on the spicy side but manageable. This is a huge improvement compared to Zippy's chili. Buy it by the QUART without rice and just cook your own rice at home. Don't think it's too much since you can portion the leftover into Ziploc freezer bags and take out when you have the chili urge later. If you want the ultimate chili then go and buy an additional quart chili from Cafe100 and mix these 2 quarts together chop up some Frank's Foods or Redondo's hot dogs (optional) or portuguese sausage (optional) total winners right there. Way way way better than Zippy's. Excellent for chili dogs too. read more

Probably the only place in Hawaii and maybe even the only place in the world where you can find a truly authentic local style menu with plates like pork and watercress, spam with string beans, pinacbet and more. Good prices too. Most tourists think local food consists of poi and laulau but for most of us, we didn't get to eat poi and laulau everyday. Most of us had dishes like spam and string beans growing up. So eating here is like taking a bite out of my childhood. My only issue is I feel like they sometimes skimp and go cheap on the portions and flavoring. And sometimes the flavor is a bit off, my pinacbet one day tasted like sardines. Maybe a new chef got a little crazy with the fish sauce that day. It happens. Also some of the cashier/order girls are pretty rude and they often get orders wrong. I ordered tossed salad instead of mac salad in all the plates I ordered to go and she misunderstood and only gave us salad, NO RICE! It was a dissapointing mistake, as we all had to eat our meals without rice, and this was a rare and special family gathering. I suspected something was amiss when after I ordered, she made some kind of rude comment to her coworker about my order like, "Who the f- orders just salad in their plate?" I was perturbed and confused but I didnt think she would leave out the rice entirely. Maybe someone should inform the order girls to only omit the rice if the customer says "No rice" or "all salad" and most importantly, when in doubt, always repeat the order to the customer to clarify and double check that that's what they wanted. This is not the first time certain girls have messed up our order. What makes up for all the inconsistencies with the plate lunches is their famous twist cones. Worth the trip into town just for that, the lychee or pineapple flavor is a winner every time. So I dig the flashback food, I just wish they made it taste more like it did in my childhood, with a little more flavor and a little more love! read more

The menu at K's has a wide variety of things to choose from and we've enjoyed everything we've had in the four times we've been there. We've had Korean chicken, shoyu pork, hot dogs and hamburgers, and tomato beef. The service is fast, the prices are some of the best we've found, and it's all been good. read more

Best won tons in town is what I kept hearing. So if corse I hade to head in and try. Yep... best ones on the trip! Can't wait to get those again. We popped in around breakfast time a couple days later- it was to early for won tons but the club sandwich was a nice solid choice. Philly cheese steak was a little greasy but tasty. I did hear I need to try the pork Katsu... k's get ready.... I'll be back! read more

Cheeseburgers...I've ALWAYS gotta grab a dozen and bring them home for my sons! Twist cone...grandbabies LOVE this and I always steal A lick or 2. Papaya soup is the BOMB and other plate lunch specials always hit the spot. Many drive Ins have closed over the years and hopefully this one will Remain a Hilo staple for a good long time. TIP: when taking a trip...only 10 minutes from The airport so phone in your order, check in your bags at the airport counter and then swing by and grab your order before a flight! read more

Very reasonable and friendly service so I do recommend this place to everyone. Coffee is less than 1 and loco mock is less than 5.

Ordered two over easy eggs , Hash Browns and Two Twist. Eggs were over cooked When I ordered over easy and it had black old oil all over it Hash browns were burnt oily and messy twist cone was stale . This is how they serve food to customers. Worst place ever! read more

K's Drive-In - Ks Drive In is horrible food. This is how they serve food to customers! - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

K's is our go-to place when we're on the Hilo side of the island. Always good food and friendly, local vibe.

Mostly rating their saimin. Whenever it's cold and rainy...I love eating the Mrs. K Saimin. It has fishcake, roast pork, egg, and broth on the side. Reasonably priced $6.95...the broth is what makes it. Also, love the roast pork in there read more

K's Drive-In - Mrs. K Saimin - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

You just have to love the basic food and the great way they have been doing it for decades! Keep on doing it and I look forward to seeing you again soon. Aloha read more

Given the fact that K's is almost a 100% local eatery (tourists? what tourists??), their offerings are geared to the local palate. Not a darn thing fancy here just ono local grinds. The Mahi and Terry Beef plates are my go-to meals at K's. I've never had a bad experience in the dozens and dozens of times I've been here. Full Disclosure: I attended high school at St. Joseph's back in the 60's and first began patronizing K's waaaaay back then. It has changed little over the years (although I do miss the yellow duck!) You will find nothing the least bit fancy or pretentious at K's. In my opinion, K's is head and shoulders above Cafe 100, Low's, Blane's and the rest of the similar offerings in Hilo town. Go and Enjoy!! Visited July 2013 read more

Gravy cheese burger was alright. Found the gravy to be thin and lacking that deep flavor you come to expect with gravy for burgers and other stuff. Don't think I will eating here much anymore. The food has dipped a bit since I last ate here a few years ago. read more

They so dumb, it says they close at 10:00 pm!!!! I went there at 9:30 pm and they said they were closed. People they are liars!!! They don't want to make money!!! They still had half an hour still. They are a big zero!!!it soooo unreal!!! I've know the place when I was a little girl n it was so good! Their hamburger was super!!! But now is sucks!! Went in another day n the fucking food wasn't even hot!!!! I pay for a hot meal not a cold fucking meal!!!!they butter do something because I m going to say don't even eat there. My rating is a big fat zero!! read more

I go to Itsu's for ice shave and gravy burgers, and I always go to K's for twist cones!! Best twist cones I've ever had. My favorite flavor is pineapple. I love the feel and atmosphere of this long-running family owned business. This is honest food and delicious. If you're looking for fancy food, go elsewhere and let the rest of us enjoy our twist cones, mixed plate, and other yummy kine food. I prefer to support independently standing restaurants/businesses instead of the chain places because I feel they are more deserving of my money. I'd rather support 1 owner with 1 business than 1+ owners with 8 locations. GO K'S!! K's Drive In is my favorite drive in restaurant. read more

The beef stew is delicious, perfect amount of meat to carrots and potatoes! My kids got the chicken Katsu, only complaint was not enough sauce. Hubby got the Kalua and a gravy cheeseburger, happy man. We get most our take out here because, as far as I've seen, they are clean and careful. read more

The ice cream here is da bomb! Flavors change daily and you can find them listed at the order window. Go for the mixed and if they have pineapple that day, you're in luck! read more

It's good to see these old restaurants are still in business. I lived two hours away but when we drove into town as a child, we would stop at K's for French fries and ice cream. They used to have every color of the rainbow with vanilla ice cream. They also had good Mac salad. When I'm visiting, I come for their ice cream. They get 5 stars for ice cream. read more

Delicious tan tan ramen. Not super spicy. They also serve old school drinks like green river and orange bang. A lot of variety on the menu. read more

K's Drive-In - Tan tan and orange bang for breakfast. Delicious - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This is for sure the best local place on the island. The food is always onolicious and the service is spot on. It does get busy but for a reason! Every time we go they accommodate our big groups of people and are very friendly! Too bad 5 stars is the most I can give! read more