Once my go to places, and ordered pork chops, highly recommended by my friend who ordered the same thing, saying it's moist and tasty. Thinking maybe it was just my order that came out overcooked, dry, and bland, but same thing for the person who recommended that dish. Pretty disappointed with the main dish, but the kimchee was good. read more

Chicken katsu was great and the amount of food was more than I expected Service was fast and efficient Ambiance was kinda drab Doggy bag was big enough for another full meal Would go back read more

I started off with the Miso soup. Very rich and tasty. Perfectly warm. I ordered the Pork Chops and it didn't disappoint. Lightly breaded with enough spice to make it tasty and delicious. Cooked to perfection with detail. I am a big Pork Chop fan and I loved it. The portions are large so bring your appetite. The service is on point and the food came out blazing. Highly recommend this place to Locals and tourists. read more

Not many places are open on Mondays in Hilo, so it was nice to find that Restaurant Kenichi is. We placed a phone order for three plates, and it was ready for pickup when we got there. I ordered the mini furikake salmon plate. It came with white or brown rice and tossed salad, Mac salad, or kimchee. The mini was a good size for me, which came with one piece of salmon. The salmon was flavorful and came with two sauces, which I think were unagi and a sriracha-Mayo one. The salmon was a little on the dry side though. I also had some of the kalbi from a friend, which was very flavorful and a perfectly tender texture. I also liked the kimchee that came with my mini plate. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Mini Furikake salmon plate with white rice and kimchee. Kalbi from a friend - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Delicious local style food from this cozy diner in Hilo Hawaii! Great service, ono grindz, and plenty kine options to choose from! We ordered: : Kimchee fried rice : Sizzling new york steak : Spicy tonkotsu ramen read more

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Went possibly just before a lunch rush. Big portions delicious and we had a good service. read more

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Excellent service. Pork chops with Kalbi and the steak is awesome. Best fried rice I have eaten in Hilo.

Looks like I'm not the only one who noticed the PM host is a little cranky. Aunty I work restaurants my whole life. If you listen to your customers instead of jumping to conclusions and talking over them you might find they actually all aren't that bad. Anyways I get it, work sucks. /rantover On to the review. Big party, we had to sit separately, no big deal. Our server was friendly and helpful when it came to ordering. The place almost filled up completely in the first half hour of being open but food came out fast. - Kimchee fried rice 3/5. Nothing special. - Curry Ramen with cheese (seems like they using saimin noodle not ramen noodle) 3/5. Same as above - Boneless Korean Chicken 3/5. Ditto. - Sizzling Ribeye 4/5. Steak cooked perfectly, seasoned right, but again nothing too special or mindblowing. Hits the spot if you want steak though. All in all for a diner-like atmosphere the value / portions were fair and service quick. Recommend for a easy, inexpensive dinner to fill the opu. read more

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So we heard great thing about this place and had to try it before heading back home. Brada JB was our server and he provided excellent customer service and very knowledgeable about their food. We got the Kalbi & Breaded pork chops combo and miso butterfish. We ordered another Breaded pork chops to take back Oahu since it was so good. Will definitely be back when in the island read more

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My first time at the iconic Restaurant Kenichi! It was like stepping back into time in a good way. Seems like the place that everyone goes and kinda knows one another. My friends and I weren't super hungry so we ordered some saimin and the shrimp rolls that were one of the specials. The small saimin had a good flavor and was pretty big! I didn't even finish it. And it was less than $10!!! The shrimp rolls were crispy and cooked to perfection. They came out piping hot. I was wondering what they used for the wrap. It was crunchy yet delicate. The service was ok. Nothing special and not bad either. Next time I would like to try the Korean Chicken they're known for. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Small saimin - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Menu of Kenichi on 2/9/2024 Pretty solid service, great grinds, and they got our order right. read more

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I wanted to make sure I stopped by at Kenichi on Tuesday to get their Tuesday special, Ginger Chicken. Before I get into food details, I wanted to mention the kind, patient, and helpful service we received. Okay, ginger chicken! This is like a marriage between Japanese style fried chicken (karaage) and finely grated mild ginger. It was so good I just wanted to eat this daily. Furikake salmon was also very delicious; subtle flavour of both furikake and salmon, with the combination of mac salad was perfect. Gyoza was good, but these paled in comparison to the entree. If you are used to Japanese gyoza these do not quite resemble in flavour, however, good on their own terms. Highly recommend Kenichi! read more

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Server was rude. Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath. Like damn I'm not blind. His name was Aaron.

I did a take out order prior to the hilo parade. Got 2 orders of gyoza, 2 furikake salmon and 1 sizzling NY steak.... one of the gyoza was BURNT and didnt realize until after. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - one order of the gyoza - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Came for the food. Stayed for the playlist. Left with a heart break. Definitely coming back and recommending for all to grub at. read more

A friend recommended this place, saying its where locals go, so we decided to try it. When I looked at their yelp page, the dish that kept coming up was their ribeye and butter fish, so we had to try those two. It did not disappoint! The ribeye came in two sizes and I wish I got the bigger one. It comes in a hot sizzling skillet; its one of those dishes that everyone looks at while they bring it out because the sizzling sound is so loud. It was tender, full of flavor and we enjoyed every bite. MUST GET. The butter fish was also tender, flaked off easily with a fork. The portion isn't that big, though it also comes with rice. read more

All things considered, especially the sad things (RIP to the owner & chef), I'm very glad Restaurant Kenichi was still thriving and doing well when I came back to Hilo. I expected not to judge any declines, but was surprised to find it exactly the same if not better. Service still spectacular if not better. Food still spectacular if not better. And it's still byob! No hesitation in saying this is our ramen stop over the new and exciting Tetsumen. It's the difference in broth and spice. The infamous pork chops are always worth it; I like to eat it with sriracha of course. Salads are huge as are all entree portions. This is your home style mom and pop grinds when you're extra hungry. Desserts are delicious too! read more

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Great spot we checked out our first night in Hilo. Really liked the Korean chicken salad. The chicken was crispy and dressing was so good. BBQ beef had good flavor. Portions were quite big. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Bbq beef - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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I was craving local food and soo happy i found restaurant kenichi! We had such a lovely dinner. Make sure to come with an appetite because they have generous portions! Lots of wonderful menu options to choose from. To start we had the gyoza and miso soups. Most flavorful miso soup ive ever had. They have everything from local food, ramen and salads. I ordered the chicken katsu and the panko furikake salmon - YUM! despite the huge portions, i finished all my food! It was that good. It came with a side of rice and mac salad. My friends ordered the grilled kalbi and the korean chicken - everyone was happy with their choices! Good vibes, amazing food, and friendly staff. What more can one ask for? read more

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Friendly staff and delicious food... what else do you want? I will visit this restaurant again when I'm back in Hilo read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Sizzling Steak is totally awesome and delicious. - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Great place for fish and other local delights. This was the highlight of our trip. Food was excellent and the service was great. Also got a cup of delicious kona coffee. Yum. read more

I had their Korean chicken salad... so ono and generous servings of chicken and Maebo wun tun chips! Best Korean chicken salad in town and worth the price. read more

Back again and they still have it going on. Local grindz that are sure to please. Live that they did some remodeling as well. Great staff. A must stop when in Hilo! read more

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Kenichi Restaurant has some definite pros and cons. On the plus side, the prices are very affordable and the portion sizes are massive - you'll get your money's worth in terms of quantity. However, when it comes to flavor, the food is just average at best. The ramen was decent but lacked that rich, umami punch. The food were fresh but failed to impress. For such huge portions at reasonable prices, I wish the taste delivered more of a "wow" factor. The experience was solidly okay, but not outstanding. If you're craving budget-friendly, belly-filling fare, Kenichi fits the bill. Just don't go in expecting mind-blowing flavors.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The sizzling pork chops were great! We also love the teri beef, mahi katsu, and yakisoba.

Restaurant Kenichi is a must-visit spot and it's my go to restaurant in Hilo. The flavors of the dishes are always spot-on, and the staff is friendly and accommodating. My personal favorites at Restaurant Kenichi are the steak plate and salmon belly plate. Both dishes are cooked to perfection and bursting with flavor. The steak is always juicy and tender, with a perfectly seared crust, and the salmon belly is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The staff at Restaurant Kenichi is always welcoming and friendly, making the dining experience even better. They're happy to make recommendations or answer any questions you might have about the menu. The prices are reasonable for the portion sizes. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Steak - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Wow, is this place incredible! The whole family and I went to this Korean / Japanese / Hawaiian fusion spot for dinner and everything was a banger - we can vouch for the majesty of the chicken katsu, tonkatsu ramen, shoyu ramen, Korean chicken, Ube ice cream, banana cream pie, and the blueberry crumble cheesecake. They were all awesome; in fact, writing about it makes me want to go there again for my last meal before traveling back home. I'd give this six stars if I could! P.s. the portions here are big - the picture in my review is of the small portion katsu chicken and that was the perfect amount for me. As you can see, it's still a lot of food! read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Katsu chicken (half size) - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

OMG! This place is the best place in Hilo! The Ribeye steak tastes better than a $62 steak at any hotel resort on Island! ... and the sizzling plate kept my steak hot until the last bite. It didn't just broke da mouth, it broke the whole damn face!! So worth the drive from Kailua-Kona! The Kona coffee was great! The shrimp egg rolls are tasty and crunchy and full of flavor. I wanna eat here every night if possible!! Service was great, and the staff was hard working and very friendly. read more

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We love the Chicken Katsu and the Mahi Katsu combo plate. But if you ask me everything on the menu is super good. Once it's 5 they get super busy even the phone lines is super busy to order. They sell bentos everyday at 10am. Don't forget to order the blueberry Cheesecake Crumble that's a must so onolicious. read more

I was in Hilo for a day and needed something easy on my stomach and warm (since it was, of course, dumping rain). My friend suggested Kenichi's and I was very happy with my experience. It's one of those older dine in feels that made me feel very safe and comfortable. I originally ordered a small size ramen, but that didn't come with meat so I got the regular sized one and miso broth and BBQ chicken. I really appreciated being able to choose my meat because I usually don't like the beef/pork tbat ramen normally comes with. It totally hit the spot and I was satisfied and full. There was dessert I was planning on taking to go, but I was so full I didn't think it would keep since I was leaving that evening to go home. For someone who hasn't been to Hilo before, I probably would have missed it if it wasn't for my friend. Parking is kinda difficult as I didn't see any actual parking for the restaurant. I had to park across the street in another parking lot. There are signs that let you know that you have to park across the street. All of the workers were super sweet and friendly. I really appreciated their vibe because it made the entire experience much better. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Regular miso broth with BBQ chicken. It was presented much nicer, but I forgot to take a pic before I mixed it together - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Really enjoyed this place. The exterior doesn't look like much but the food was fantastic. The menu offers a lot of varieties, including ramen and rice plates, and the portion size was super generous. I like the combo setup because you can try two choices at once. We got chicken katsu, Mahi katsu, and spicy pork; all were fantastic! read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Always a delight to have dinner here with my family. Food is always delicious timing on a weekday is fast, evening might be a little wait but it's worth it. Price is very decent, my favorite is the prime rib steak, hot sizzling and everything else on the menu is a must try. If you catch the chef on a good day they serve bomb ginger fry chicken but you have to ask for it!!Our waiters are very nice space is a little tight but it works. We love going here as one of our hearty family dinner night on t. Thanks for having us. read more

Food, great flavor simple old fashion local style. We had chicken katsu, kalbi, pork chop, hamburger steak and ramen. Everything was satisfying! Our waiter Jontae a few awesome qualities that stood out happy, welcoming, kind and caring. His energy and smile makes you feel how we embrace the aloha spirit. We live Oahu and it's really comforting to see local places still flourishing made me miss my grandma great place we'll be back read more

The service was very good. We were seated quickly and our server greeted us right away and explained the menu and specials. One order came out wrong but they apologized and made a new order without additional charge. Our server checked to make sure we were enjoying our meal and if we needed anything else. We were there at the peak on lunchtime so noisy level was a bit much. But everyone was pleasant and food was great. read more

The best butterfish on the island! So ono! Fresh, flaky, buttery and moist! The first time we came here, we had to come back the next night . Now it's a must when in Hilo. Service is nice and feels like you're at your aunties or uncles house. I also like the Korean chicken salad, soloing streak, and galbi. Everything is fresh and flavorful, plenty of parking in the back. read more

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Got Kenichi to go, and loved the food. Generous portions, and was super good! Got the panko furikake salmon and korean boneless chicken.

The yuzu butterfish and the sizzling steak hits the spot every time! Always worth the wait.

Richard, your review was spot on! Mahalo for the recommendation of the deep fried pork chop....broke da mout! After the drive down from Kahua Ranch, we got there in perfect time before the dinner crowd. Obviously it's THE place because lots of locals arrived and there was a super long line after we were seated. The waitress was very nice and our order was served in a timely fashion. Everything was tasty, not a single complaint. If you haven't had yuzu sorbet, that was quite refreshing to cleanse the palate. * Note, you will leave smelling like sizzle steak because almost every other table orders it :) read more

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Lots of options to eat some really delicious food. Wait time can vary especially for dinner. If you have a big party, come early. Lots of options and we came in and they had a family pack. So we are eating the Korean Boneless Chicken and Furikake Salmon. Comes with rice and tossed salad. Great parking and restrooms available. And the dessert case is amazing. Great family vibes and spacious seating. Last time I was here was pre-COVID and the seating was vinyl booths. Post COVID, The tables are much more sparse. Service was really quick and the staff are really nice. For dinner with the family pack, everyone can oick their own sides: white rice, brown rice, mac salad, or tossed salad. I got mac and tossed salad which was just yummy. As an added benefit, we got to get the whiffs of their steak. Holy smoke, it was smelling amazing! And almost every table had ordered the steak. I have actually had it before and it is delicious. I totally recommend the family pack as you get a lot of food plus dessert (2 slices each of peach cheesecake and matcha tea cheesecake). Lots of seating and they fill up fast! So plan ahead when heading over there for dinner. They are also open for lunch. read more

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Amazing family dinner at Kenichi's...w/ a plethora of Japanese Fusion entrees: Curry Ramen, Butter Fish, Pork Katsu and Teri Beef dishes to name a few...couldn't have had a more perfect fellowship w/ Hilo fam! Thank you, Sir Mikey for a splendid dinner. Call them before coming, as hours may vary esp during Covid-regulations, which atm is back to take-out only. read more

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