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I ordered the Katsu and it was fantastic, with tender meat and a crunchy crust. The garlic rice is tasty with a hint of curry flavor. The salad was fresh and the sesame vinaigrette was well balanced. Highly recommend!
So good! Our favorite meal on the island. Hole in the wall spot with fresh eats and friendly service. We tried the seafood platter, chicken katsu curry, and miso ahi which all came with garlic rice and choice of Mac salad or green salad. All of the dishes were made fresh and battered perfectly. My favorite was the seafood platter which included scallop (my favorite). The garlic rice was also so good! They also have a small shelf with premade bento boxes which were cooked fresh. While we had lunch, multiple people came in to buy these including many locals on their lunch break so that's how you know it's good!
My DIL is born and bred Hilo girl now living on the mainland. So every time they return, we hop on the plane to Hawaii island. First stop- Puka puka Kitchen. Small easy to miss shop located in the strip of businesses fronting the bay. Small but mighty! They serve all kinds of bento, plate lunch. The main food comes out later around 10 am and the bento around 9:30. We were there early because my grandson wanted breakfast and they were just making the bento. We were able to snag a chicken katsu and mixed meatball bento. This is the place to grab plate lunch and bento for your travels around Hilo and beyond. Prices are spot on and service is always super friendly!
This was some of the best food I've ever eaten. We were driving from Volcanoes National Park back to Kona and decided to take a route through Hilo so we could find something for dinner. It was dark and rainy and we couldn't see anything so pulled up along a side street and did a Yelp search. Puka Puka was .1 miles away and got great reviews. Puka Puka is a fairly non-descript hole-in-the-wall, set up mainly for takeout. But the two eat-in tables were free, so we stayed for dinner. My husband's expectations were not high (I have more faith in Yelp reviews). We were all blown away by the food. His lamb was succulent and flavorful. Our daughters and I shared a fried shrimp plate and chicken katsu plate. The shrimp was so perfectly--crisp and somehow impossibly light--like only the best Japanese chefs know how. The chicken katsu was also perfectly lightly breaded and fried, satisfying my younger daughter's craving for "chicken nuggets." The garlic rice was very flavorful and packs a punch. I've always loved the salad dressings at Japanese restaurants, but this salad dressing was the best I've ever had. I think it was described as a fusion of balsamic vinaigrette and a ginger dressing? Hawai'i is known for being expensive, but the plates here were generous and economical.
We had a lovely lunch at this cozy, little local spot. The food was great and came out quick. The place was hustling to keep up with walk-ins & to go orders. The staff was very sweet and thanked us for dining local. I didn't get a pic of the food, but the kitty logo is so cute!
Puka Puka kitchen is in my top 3 restaurants in all of Hilo. This place is a under rated gem in Hilo. The restaurant is small and I a (always friendly) waitress is there to ask how it's going and serve you old school style. It is so small the chef will say hello to you too. I love this. They have the best curried rice here. Just the rice and salad (which are considered sides) are a meal in itself. Seriously you must try their curried rice, its sooooo good. I always get one of two things depending on my mood. Either: 1. Chicken Katsu - This is a local staple and they do it right here. 2. BBQ Chicken - This is my favorite dish from this location and is what I normally go with. It's healthy and it's satisfying. They also have things like musubi to go and other smaller plates but I just love the BBQ chicken so much it's what I always get.
Very friendly staff, always doing their best. Love the chicken katsu & lamp pita. located downtown always an enjoyable stop. I often take a plate Togo and park/eat across the street at hilo bay beach park.
I've been dreaming of Puka Puka since my first visit, so I was thrilled to stop by again while visiting Hilo. The menu is an eclectic, but delicious, mix of Indian, Mediterranean, and Japanese flavors. My favorite shrimp mini-plate wasn't on the menu this time, but the friendly server offered to make it anyway. It was just as amazing as I remembered. The vibe is cheerful--tables were full, and the cook in the back was singing along to '80s music, which added to its charm. I'll always make a point to come back when I'm in the area.
I ordered and chicken katsu and my friend ordered the korean ahi don. One of my favorite places to come to in downtown hilo. Portion sizes are generous as the meal comes with garlic rice and a side salad. Service was quick and the food was delicious.
This place has super good food! During our stay in Hawaii we ate lots of poke which is yummy but it is nice to switch it up and have the fish cooked as well and this place did not disappoint! It is very small and only a handful of people can eat indoors so the vast majority of people get to go. With all the to go orders the host was not very present for those inside but luckily the chef was awesome and he came and took our order right away and helped us out! We got the Ahi Katsu Don plate and everything about it was great. From the flavorful rice to the salad with a delicious dressing to of course the breaded vegetables and ahi. If you find yourself in Hilo this place is definitely worth checking out.
Pretty good island fare. Came by for quick bite after our long day trip from Kona. Overall food is 4 stars. But I have to give 5 stars for these reasons: 1) fresh salad. You know it's fresh when there is crunch in your mouth and sweet juiciness. Also is good when just a simple vinaigrette still make everything taste good. 2) everything came with dipping sauce. You can enjoy it by itself or kick up flavor with sauce. 3) I like to serve my food with veggies, protein, and carbs (rice/noodle) all the plates came with these 3 which I think it's perfect so you can enjoy some of each but don't have to order multiple dishes. 4) they have vegetarian options woohooo!!! 5) flavored rice - it said garlic but tasted like tumeric or curry rice. Helped bring flavor to simple breaded proteins . Vegetable don: 3.5 stars. My parents are vegetarian so they have super picky tastes. But everything did taste fresh. It's a dish with tempura veggies eggplant, mushroom and so on ( see pic). Comes with a dipping sauce. Rice was very flavorful and they finished everything. Seafood platter: 4.5 stars. They give you a little bit if everything. All breaded and fried. You get a crispy crunchiness with a most protein. Comes with a creamy dipping sauce. Chicken tonkatsu: 5 stars. moist chicken inside, crispy crunchy texture outside. Just delicious. Tonkatsu sauce was also good. I know it's good when the little one eats all of it quickly and without complaint.
4 years ago
We got there during the lunch rush. Waited for about 25 mins to get a table. It's first come first served there if you want to sit in. One thing that for us a bit upset is that the lady decided to clean the entire restaurant first before letting us sit in. One table was open already and she wouldn't let us sit down and wait. We had to wait outside for her to finish cleaning the rest of the table. We both ordered the bbq chicken plate, it was good. I order a mini plate which is good enough for a lunch portion and my husband order the standard size. read more
We ordered a bbq chicken plate - it was okay. The salad was extremely fresh - the highlight of the meal. The rice was like a turmeric cumin flavored Mediterranean style rice. Now, the chicken, not seasoned, a little salt or teriyaki sauce would have helped. It was charred, slightly on the dried side, and tasted more like a Jamaican dish for $21. I didn't get to try any other restaurants in Hilo, but so far, Kona side has better food. read more
3 years ago
Great little place to stop for a quick bite. You can get a bento box to go, or sit down and have your meal. It's got 3 tables and a bar window seat. The food was very fresh and delicious. read more
2 years ago
A tiny little restaurant, only seats about 10, but man the food was AMAZING. We got the Chicken Katsu and Lamb plates, and everything about them were so delicious, especially the katsu and rice! It came out to about $24 per person for 4 splitting 4 plates. Definitely would come here for a quick meal! Lovely waitress as well. read more
3 years ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
We came here for a late lunch around 1:45pm since everything else in the area seemed to close at 2pm. It ended up being a delicious option and one of my favorite meals on Big Island! I got the chicken katsu place, which came with a salad with tasty dressing and seasoned rice. The entire combo worked perfectly together, and I was trying to figure out how to replicate when I go back home! My husband got the ono fish and chips, which he said was equally delicious. There are only 3 small tables inside, so I recommend being prepared to get take out if they're busy. Since it was such a late lunch, we didn't have any issues dining in. Bathroom is for customers only and is clean. There is a small parking lot out front and free parallel parking spots across the street, near the farmers' market and fruit stands. read more
Delicious food, but a little on the pricey side. I absolutely loved the chicken katsu don and thought the ono and seafood were done quite well too. Overall, we were all satisfied with our orders. We ordered it to go and the staff was quick to get our food to us. The restaurant does have dine-in seating but it's small and a little shabby so we opted for the takeout option. Would definitely go back for the food though! read more
5 years ago
After looking for lunch places and everything being reservation only, we luckily landed here. The space is tiny, but the service was great and the food was delicious. We ordered the $6 Chicken Katsu special and a chicken gyro. The chicken Katsu was delicious as well at the bbq sauce. Best sauce I've had actually. My only complaint would be a larger vessel and some added vegetables. Definitely stop here if you are looking for a quick bite in downtown Hilo. read more
Honestly the food here is okay, we got the chicken katsu don, ahi tuna don, and the shrimp bento box. There was maybe one shrimp in the bento box but for under 8 dollars, it's fine. What bothered us was the service. The lady at the front was so rude and we are tourists but we were nice and respectful to her only to have her completely ignore our questions, climb over us as we were eating to write on the board, and her voice was essentially inaudible (she clearly didn't want to talk to us because she projected just fine to the other customers). We did not do anything to deserve this kind of treatment and it threw us off guard. We will definitely not be returning and I HIGHLY Recommend other tourists find a different place to eat! read more
1 year ago
I was a little bummed when I came in the evening because I didn't realize their well known bento boxes were only available in the morning / midday. However I was not disappointed. I got the mini lamb plate and my pal with me got one of the daily specials - the ahi katsu plate ($20 without tax). I don't know if this is true for all their mini plates, but based off the lamb plate, I would recommend getting the mini plates. If you see my pictures, the amount of meat between my plate and my pal's was the same: the only difference between the mini and normal was the amount of salad and rice. I personally think meat is more valuable ... so for half the price, I think the mini plate is more worth. That being said... the garlic rice was BOMB, super flavorful and moist but not too much. The sprouts (?) in the salad were a nice touch but not that special. The katsu was really well done - moist and soft inside but crunchy outside. The lamb was very well seasoned. It came with veggies like some mushrooms and eggplant too which was a nice surprise. It was a little tough, but I think that was because the way it was cut / presented made me expect / think of beef bulgogi, so it was fair that it was slightly tougher - so basically, not tough given it was lamb. The staff is also super nice and accommodating; it was obvious I was a tourist but she told me all the prices and helped me decide between a mini and normal plate. The only reason I docked a star is because the price was average for the full plates. But the food is worth it ! I think the bentos are better priced usually but not sure. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
Was looking for a quick lunch and found Puka Puka on Yelp. The chicken katsu is crispy and delicious. Generous servings of rice and salad. As I'm a small eater, I shared this with my husband and it was sufficient for us. Service is friendly and casual. There's only a lady working at the front so patient is needed when it gets busy. We also packed their bento to bring with us on my drive back to Kona. read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
I've heard amazing things about this place when I started living in Hilo (2-3 years ago). Only recently, I finally got the chance to check it out! It's located on the "strip" in Downtown where a line of shop and restaurants are located. Parking is difficult to find on the strip during busy hours (around 11am - 3pm?) especially during the weekend. There are lots of street parking nearby but may require a bit of a walk. My roommate and I both got their mini ahi don plate which came with salad and garlic rice. I read soooo many good things about the ahi don and garlic rice that I was super stoked to eat it. Made a phone takeout order and the receiver was so nice! The food smelled good when we opened our plates. Half the plate consisted of salad (bunch of different vegetables!) and the other half with the rice and only two pieces of ahi. Whaaaat. There were more sides than the main dish?? The smell of the garlic rice wafted through our nose, and I just couldn't wait anymore. I took a bite of the rice first, and it wasn't exactly garlic rice. It was more of a curry rice. There was a very subtle garlic flavor that does not live up its garlic rice name. The ahi tasted okay. It had good flavor coated with a sweetish batter, but it wasn't anything spectacular. I'm not sure if it's because the food sat waiting for me for 40mins or not (arrived a bit later than pick up time and right when there were a ton of customers ahead cry), but this dish was kind of underwhelming. I thought it was kind of pricey for the amount of food given especially since I was looking more forward to the ahi than the salad. They also sell bentos! The bentos looked really good and the price (ranged from $4-$7.5) was relatively decent for the amount packed in it! I thought my experience was okay. The salad was full of different vegetables (great for the health!) but there was not enough of the main dish especially for the price paid. I'd probably try their bentos the next time! read more
4 years ago
Classic "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant that churns out some awesome food. Friendly local staff. read more
2 years ago
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4 years ago
Hole in the wall, but definitely the best meal we had on the island. We got the bbq chicken plate and ahi tuna katsu. The flavor is a mix of Hawaiian, jerk, and Mediterranean. It was so flavorful, perfectly cooked, and so creative. The place only has a few seats, but it is definitely worth it. I loved the curry rice so much I had it for breakfast with some over easy eggs. Give puka puka a try! read more
4 years ago
Amazing fresh ahi, perfectly saute' ! home Fries are the bes large portions an perfectly fried! Curry rice delicious perfect Seasoning and salad with fresh homemade dressing flavors With sesame an oils so yum . read more
3 years ago
The food and service is absolutely incredible! You will love the pitas and the curry rice is to die for. You will not be disappointed. Stop by and leave with a smile on your face. read more
4 years ago
Great local spot. Food was delicious, portions were generous. We had the lamb and chicken katsu plates, and both were fantastic. read more
2 years ago
7 years ago
Amazing small local food place that I found on Yelp. Food was delicious and staff very polite and friendly. Will definitely come back and recommend!. Yvonne, john,Scott did awesome today. read more
4 years ago
Stopped in for a quick bite and was so impressed by the quality of flavors here!! Delicious bbq chicken and fish salad. Hearty portions. Highly recommend! read more
4 years ago
We were encouraged to try BBQ chicken over katsu chicken, and sauteed ahi over katsu ahi because these were award winning dishes and quote--"you can get katsu anywhere on the island" and boy--i have never been told better advice in my life. Don't get the katsu. Get the grilled/bbq plates. It is so amazing. I do not eat seafood and I thought the ahi was somehow even better than the chicken. Portions were massive with tons of veggies and garlic fried rice. What a gem. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
5 years ago
Found this spot on Yelp after landing on the Big island. Ima lover of smaller and more authentic places. Puka Puka did not disappoint. The waitress was super nice and inviting. We ordered the barbecue chicken with garlic rice and the fried seafood plate with garlic rice. Both came with a salad that had cucumbers, and yummy bean sprouts. Seafood plate! Fresh salad good rice amazing batter to fry. It was crispy and perfect. So pleased!! read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
Easily the best meal I had on Big Island, loved the lamb perfectly seasoned and extremely tender. The chicken katsu my wife had reminded me of honey glazed fried chicken. The sides complimented and gave varying degrees of sweet, spicy and acidity. The iced tea was great to wash everything down. Plenty of locals come to this spot I would come back just for this. Staff were very friendly. Highly recommended. Thank you guys! read more
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