Came as a party of 2 at noon on a Sunday, and we were seated right away! The ambiance definitely…read moregives a nice island sports bar vibe. Only street parking is available. There was also live music with a lady playing guitar solo and singing! Service was amazing! We never had to wait long to order/get the bill. We were most impressed by the fact that the waitress made sure to split our Hilo local plate into two plates to make it much easier to share! We almost thought we had received two orders because of how well-plated they were. - Poke tower (8/10): Solid choice for an appetizer! There were ample portions of poke, and the flavors were nice. Not a super stand out dish though. - Hilo local plate (9.5/10): If you want to taste a wide range of Hawaiian cuisine in one dish, I would highly recommend getting this one! The Kalbi ribs were sooo good! They were juicy, tender, and bursting with flavor. The Kalua pork was pretty good, and both meats paired well with the rice which had an interesting savory haupia sauce drizzled on it. The mango chili slaw and pineapple salsa added a nice tang to balance everything out. - Triple lilikoi pie (5/10): Wayyy too sweet and sugary for our liking, and you can barely taste the lilikoi flavor. We ended up just picking at the graham cracker crust and couldn't finish the rest. It seemed like one of those desserts that are premade unfortunately, and we wish we hadn't ordered this dessert.

We chose Pineapples Island Fresh Cuisine because it's one of the highest-rated sit-down spots in…read moreHilo, but it ended up being just okayyyy. The menu felt very "meh"...nothing particularly exciting or memorable. The cocktails looked great in photos, so we ordered the piña colada flight, but it tasted like there was little to no rum in it. Pretty presentation, but very mediocre overall. Food was just okay. The burger wasn't bad, but definitely not anything special. The fried shrimp dish was disappointing and lacked flavor. The big letdown was the ambiance. We were seated facing the street and parking lot the entire time ...no view...., just sad street. Overall, it didn't live up to the hype. Not terrible, but definitely not worth going out of your way for. The staff were all very nice though. Service friendly.

Such a delicious spot!…read more Made to order juicy fried chicken karaage! We ordered 8 pieces to share, plus 6 wings and 2 side rice. So much food! Rice was made perfectly. Karaage was perfectly seasoned and crunchy. Enjoyed every bite! We were unable to finish it all, so brought it home. And we re warmed it in the air fryer and it was just as delicious! A must try in Hilo!

Last week we were in Hilo and needed a quick lunch before heading back to the airport. We used…read moreYELP to find a quick bite and were not disappointed. First of all; YELP is a useful tool to find what you need when you need it. Five stars to YELP Secondly; if you need a quick bite; look no further than this restaurant. It's a mom and pop style with great service. Very clean; simple menu; delicious chicken. Can't complain. The owners are from rural areas in Japan and moved to the US and later took a vacation to Hilo and fell in love with this Island and its people. And the next is history; they moved to Hilo and set up shop. Let's hope the economy and people continue to visit this little gem so that they can live here a long time. We will definitely visit them again on our next trip to Hilo

The food is delicious - top notch actually....and the portions are huge…read more Service is a tad slow initially, but it's all with a smile.

There service is fair food is tasty and fulfilling. Relaxing for people who like being around…read moreothers.

When we lived in Kona, we would frequent the Jackie Reyes there. The food was good, but for the…read moreprice, the entire experience - not even the old, nonfunctional classic car out front - was worth it. BUT, the Jackie Rey's in Hilo has now become our go-to fine restaurant in Hilo town. The building is classic. An old town Hilo bank, with the vault intact. High ceilings, comfortable tables and decore and an artistic antique wooden bar that would be a gem in the crown of any European city. The management and personnel are the most wonderful people. Always happy to accommodate you in the best way they can. After one kamaaina visit the servers will know your name. They'll make you feel welcome and that you are a part of their experience too, something that is nearly impossible to find in other town dining. They have rewards programs for kamaaina which includes a point system that gives you significant savings on your next visit. The food is first rate, from the pupus to the main dishes to the desserts. Sauced and presented in five star fashion, without feeling pretenious. We will be their peskiest and most loyal customer as long as we are in the area. Kudos to Jackie Rey's Hilo.

My wife and I went to Jackie Ray's this past Friday. We got a window table and was able to see the…read moreactivity across the street since it's was Friday downtown open market. If you dine here and are not a big person don't get a booth table as it's the most uncomfortable seating I've ever experienced. The seat is way too far from the table and I needed to lean forward and sit on the edge of the seat. I would recommend getting a table its chair so you be able to adjust yourself to the distance from the table. Server was just Ok and with them placing a water decanter on the table for refill they didn't come around as often. The decanter water has no ice so whatever ice you have in your cup to cool the water. Last time eating at this establishment was better and my only complaint was the window seats next to the picture window and the flys that was buzzing there. Only thing is again there were two big flies buzzing the windows and I had to waved them away. The doors are always shut and only when customers walk in could the flys get in. Staff should walk around before opening and get rid of them. We entered about 5:10 PM so it was opened for just 10 minutes and shouldn't have flys. Air conditioning was on but the temperature was a bit warm and a cooler temperature of maybe 10 degrees be perfect. I had the mochico Ono and it was just ok tasting but on the plate presentation was nice. My wife had the pork chops and she really liked it but said was just a little over cooked. I did try a small sample and to me it was just ok also. ambiance in the restaurant is nice and most of the staff were very attentive. The server we had wasn't and I needed to Get his attention to get my bill even though he had passed multiple times and didn't or should have noticed we were done dining. Probably not be dining again at this establishment again and do know of better dining spots in Hilo.

Arrived at 6:30 PM on a Monday. 7 open tables...45% of the…read morerestaurant was open. A young lady dropped off water- didn't even acknowledge us... Order taken at 6:42 PM... Free bread and butter with Hawaiian Black Sea Salt= yummy Calamari- flattened steak (not tentacles or rings) lovely sauce 10/10 Crab Dynamite Skillet- 10/10 Shared the fried fish which was Opaka Paka that day. 10/10 The food here is always delicious. Sometimes the staff is not the most attentive. So really it more like a 4.5. The food is always on point. The drinks are always on point. The service somewhat on point. $200 meal before tip; 4 drinks, 2 apps, and 1 shared plate.

The vibe is on point! If you want a relaxing dinner with…read moresome great live music and Ono food, come to Lehua's Restaurant at Imiloa Observatory. When I go to Hilo it's a must do, one of my favorite dinner spots! You won't regret ordering the lamb chops, everything on the plate is delicious, from the perfectly cooked and seared lamb, to the roasted potatoes underneath.

Had lunch here And everyone was happy…read more Cobb salad, fried mahi sandwich, and 2 kid burgers.

If you love excellent beers than this is one of the places to hit up when in Hilo…read more All though the food can be occasionally inconsistent at times, the good selection of Ola brews and great service can somewhat make up for it. Don't get me wrong on the food, it's good. If you come here and eat something delicious, on the next visit you want that same dish to be equally as good or better. Getting anything on a lower scale can be disappointing. I've experienced it first hand, but still am a fan of Ola's Brew restaurant. Every place has its hiccups, they are no different. Hopefully it's an off day. Also as a non soda drinker (wife's a soda fan) I think they should offer a few name brand soft drinks for families, though I do give them kudos for trying to substitute it with their own mixtures, but sorry soda drinkers are very picky just like most beer drinkers. I do love that they have free parking available and the restaurant itself is kept very clean and can accommodate larger groups. Overall a place to check out when in Hilo.

Great food!! Mexican music played while eating outdoors. Their birrias are the BEST!!!…read more My go to for traditional Mexican grinds.

Woh. Attitude & slow service…read more The food was fine. TACOS: The taco prices are reasonable. BURRITOS: The burritos are not big enough to justify the price. NACHOS: The nachos are good. THE SERVICE THO OMG The service was very poor. Maybe it was just a bad day for the girl taking orders. THE VIBE The ambiance is a parking lot loaded with flies and puddles. Definitely not a date spot. FINAL THOUGHT If the service is routinely this bad and there are always 1,000 flies, I recommend eating elsewhere.

I planned for my husband and I to grab a quick bite at Cafe 100 before leaving Hilo. With more than…read more2000 reviews on Google and 30 varieties of loco moco, it was hard to ignore. Cafe 100 is a casual, local spot with window (staff) or kiosk (automated) ordering and plenty of semi-outdoor seating (i.e., you are technically inside and covered, but you can still feel the heat from outside). I will admit the menu felt a bit overwhelming at first glance because there are so many options available, but we visited on a weekday when it was not busy, so we were able to take our time deciding. Anticipating larger portions, we decided to share a mixed type loco moco plate along with a drink. That turned out to be a great call, as the portion was more than enough for the two of us, especially since we would not easily be able to take leftovers with us. This is casual, familiar comfort food done well. No complaints here, and I have already recommended Cafe 100 to a few friends :)

Made a day trip from Oʻahu to the Big Island and had to stop at Cafe 100 -- home of the original…read moreloco moco. As a born-and-raised local, rice, gravy, and eggs will win me over every time, and I really wanted to love this place for the history alone. I'll be honest though -- the hype set the bar high, and I left a little let down. The regular loco moco was just okay. The hamburger patty tasted pre-made or frozen, though the gravy was solid (thank goodness). The beef stew also tasted pre-made and was lighter on the tomato flavor than I prefer. I ordered the steak as well (around $30), and it came out very well done. On the positive side, they offer a ton of plate lunch options, the space is extremely well kept for a local diner, and there's plenty of parking. It's covered outdoor seating only, but it's comfortable and clean. What surprised me most was the lack of visible history. I expected to see more storytelling about the loco moco origins -- photos, signage, staff sharing pride in it -- something that really leaned into that legacy. It felt a little missing. Still glad I tried it for the experience, but for me, it didn't quite live up to the legendary reputation.

Food is pretty good here and they have some good weekend sales on Kirkland items. No driving to Konaread more

I'm visiting from Oahu and was looking for a place to eat. Thank goodness for Yelp! We dragged our…read moreniece who lives here too. The place is basically a gas station, mini grocery store and take out. The lady working the cash register was super friendly and helpful. Unfortunately the guy who took our order wasn't - very short answers and impatient. It wasn't busy either. I was hoping the Yelp reviews weren't lying. It didn't take very long for our order to come - chicken katsu, boneless BBQ chicken and loco moco bowl. A different worker who called us was a 180° difference - very friendly and thoughtful! The katsu was perfectly made. Lightly crusted, but most importantly, not soaking in oil. My wife's BBQ chicken was very flavorful. No overpowering saltiness. The rice was SPOT ON! Perfectly moist! Our niece's loco was ono with a homemade patty, but the egg was too well done (yoke almost cooked through). I would definitely eat here again

FPO and I are holoholoing on Hawai'i Island (or the Big Island if you're of a certain generation)…read more We went to Ken's House of Pancakes because FPO was feeling nostalgic and wanted their pancakes. I had the regular size Won Ton Mein. I have to say, the portions are huge! The omelet and pancakes were everything FPO remembered. My Won Ton Mein was a little bland. The service was fantastic. The people very friendly.

we love Kens whenever we travel to Hilo this is our lunch spot…read morestaff super friendly wide range of menus options