Really good and authentic local food with a heavy Asian influence. Service is always fast and friendly. The prices are fair and the portions are generous. Our family especially recommends the bbq beef with rice and kimchi. We dream of it. read more

Found this amazing little gem passing through Hilo. Family atmosphere with a lot of local folks having a good time. Ordered the regular spicy miso ramen with bbq beef. Absolutely on point with the flavors and good portion. Also had a side of Korean chicken which in truth were a bit dried out (hence the start drop) but dipping them in the broth made things better. Steph, provided excellent attention as my waitress to my meal and kept the drinks filled. Definitely recommend a visit to this friendly establishment read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Regular Spicy Miso Ramen w/BBQ Beef - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

First time eating here on our visit to Hilo. Wow what a great place to eat! Hawaii comfort food at its best. Portions are huge and we split our food with our 2 kids. Mostly local diners here which is a good sign that the food is great. Food is very similar to Side Street Inn on Oahu. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Tonkotsu ramen - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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If you are in Hilo got to try Kenichi they have a lot of choices to choose from the menu. I tried the spicy pork plate which was very tasty hot but not that spicy. My wife had the Korean chicken salad which she liked very much. The ramen was a hit also wIth the teens which ate the shoyu ramen & Tonkotsu ramen. The hamburger steak plate was homemade and heard it was very good also it was a big serving. read more

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Went twice for dinner. Nice, casual dining. Good number of options, really nice salads! It wasn't too busy the first time we went there but we did have to wait awhile to get our entrees. The next time we went it was busy so we had to wait awhile to be seated. Food came out quickly. Overall good food and great service! read more

Visited Kenichi on a Tuesday evening - it was busy enough that our party of six had to wait. Dining room was bright and busy but not full, there's a waiting area in front, and open tables were clearly visible... Hostess: "How many!?" (Frustrated) Me: "Six of us." Hostess: "For six you will be split across two tables - OKAY?" (points at some empty tables) Me: "Yes" (expecting to be offered two of the empty tables hostess pointed at) Hostess: "Really?! You're gonna wait 30 minutes. DO YOU STILL WANT IT??" (Sarcastically) Me: "Yes, that will fine." (Frustrated, feeling like we aren't wanted here, but trying to be patient) Hostess: "FINE! Give me a name." (Looking annoyed) My aunt provided her (European) family name. Hostess literally recoiled in disgust. Hostess: "NO! THAT NAME IS TOO HARD - give me a NORMAL NAME that I can say!" A "normal" name was provided. However, by now it was apparent we really weren't welcome - so we departed. We never got to try the food at Kenichi, so can't provide feedback there. The quality of the service is questionable. Intentional or otherwise, there was a unacceptable sense of cultural bias. Disappointed. Not recommend. read more

They changed the portion of ramen its smaller size now. I like it better than before, hope they will change it back.

This is one of my favorite spots in Hilo. It doesn't have any of the views or live music, fancy tables, or flowers on the table. But it is totally local and comfortable, the prices are great, and the food is delicious. Have you tried their specials? The servings are huge (at least 2 meals each for me) and everything is tasty. - Miso Butterfish Special (TWO large pieces of cod with no bones!) - Fried Pork Chops - Spicy Tonkatsu Ramen Then afterwards, I like to head to George's Meat Market (practically the same parking lot) and get thin, crispy beef jerky (locally sourced) and some fresh produce (they always have a few options). read more

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Ramen was really great! Service was wonderful! And we love the family oriented feel of the restaurant.

Second time here. My first visit was just as good and my second and this was years ago since my first visit. Love this place for their pork chop. I love their pork chop and kalbi combo. I ordered chicken katsu and it was the bomb. People in our group ordered pork chop, boneless Korean fried chicken and Furukawa salmon and they all loved what they ordered. Food here checked off all the qualities that I look for when I try places: taste, presentation, quantity, and service. This place gets busy in the evening time, but it's worth the wait. They also have delicious treats for desserts (pies and cake). Service here is customer service here is excellent. I strongly recommend this place if your looking for a good heavy-satisfying lunch or dinner. read more

Not a fan of the old lady with glasses and short hair. Asked if they had kama'aina discount bc a lot do. She gives me an attitude and says "what not cheap enough fo you?" First time here and last time ever. read more

Amazing local/Japanese place! Large portions and delicious food! Spicy Miso Ramen was so flavorful, filled with just -right cooked noodles and yummy bbq beef! Butterfish was perfect and the Mac salad was just like Grandma's! read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Spicy miso ramen w bbq beef - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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the food was amazing! my auntie took me here and the atmosphere was great. very laid back and good energy. i ordered a regular tonkotsu with pork and my auntie ordered regular miso with pork. we got tako tako for the table and it was amazing. definitely recommend coming here for great ramen:) read more

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

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After many visits to this place, I have to say this is my go-to spot for for a BOMB AF Caesar Salad. I like to add Korean Chix, but one time I added Grilled Salmon and that changed the game for me. Both so ʻono!!! Whenever we eat here, we never dine-in and usually do take-out. This place is family owned and the food is always ʻono! This place gets pretty busy, so don't get hūhū if you have to wait a little longer. No worries, the food won't dissappoint and it will be well worth the wait! The other thing that bothers me is the location and the parking lot is so small. I hope someday that they will open up somewhere else with more parking. read more

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If you can find parking and a seat in the restaurant, you won't go wrong eating at Kenichi's on your next trip to Hilo! Delicious food. Fast and friendly service. Large portions. Is there anything I missed? Plan for a slightly early lunch and you're golden. read more

HOST - Day Shift - great customer service, never fails but in the PM shift ALWAYS RUDE (local girl), no personality at all. WAITRESS - Always FRIENDLY and providing outstanding service for us, because we come here so often she knows my daughters order already FOOD - if you are looking for local Grindz this is the place to go. Variety of option with great flavor and portion size. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Kim Chee Fried Rice & Gyoza - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Best and most authentic ramen on the Big Island. The quality and taste is always consistently good, and the other Japanese offerings are always good as well. My go to place for Japanese food. read more

Had the teriyaki salmon belly special with tossed salad. Best salmon I've had in a long, long time. Maybe ever. Great grilled flavor, not too smoky, nice light teriyaki glaze on it. This was my first time here and talk about a great first impression. Nothing fancy with the decor, just a good old fashioned Mom's and Pop's feel. Will definitely be back!!! read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Teriyaki salmon belly special with tossed salad and oriental dressing. Soo good... - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I love the casual ambience of this restaurant. Although we had to wait a while for a table, it was worth the wait. I had the Kalbi and pork chop combo plate and I enjoyed it very much. My son had the butterfish and it was a very good size portion. read more

Ordered the Korean fried chicken wings and Miso soup. The chicken wings were huge, tender, and juicy. Service was quick and attentive. Definitely recommend Kenichi if you are in Hilo! read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Korean fried chicken wings and Miso soup. - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Boneless Korean fried chicken was so yummy...flavorful and crunchy...the bbq beef was very lean and not fatty...a tad bit too sweet for me but still good...the grilled butterfish was ok, a bit fishy for me...the spicy tonkatsu ramen was very good...great broth...the star of the dinner was definitely the mango cheesecake and the blueberry crumble...wow! I enjoyed every bite of the decadent dessert... read more

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The food here was great I had gotten kimchi fried rice and miso soup. The kimchi fried rice has fresh kimchi in it which was amazing. The miso soup tasted very good with the bean sprouts just kicked it off. Our waiter gave us very nice service and was very patient with us since it was our first time here I although can't say the same for one of the other lady. Maybe she was having a bad day but we might have gotten the end deal of it. When you walk into somewhere you think the hellos would be a bit up beat and happier but the welcoming we got was very blunt. I would eat here again but I would not dine in due to this welcoming. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The restaurant is a very homey ambiance. The food is really good and it is worth the wait read more

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

Tonkatsu ramen was sooo ono! 2 days in a row. Flew in from Pago for work training and it was the closest resturant to the meeting place. Bestttt ramen for me in Hilo! read more

Great food, great service and it's BYOB!!! They also take reservations for groups of 6 or more which I highly recommend because they get extremely busy!!! I ordered the Kalbi and it was sooooo delicious!! Definitely a must when you're in Hilo! read more

OMG! This place has amazing food! The place looks like a hole in the wall and you may doubt the food but don't let the appearance deceive you. After reviewing comments on Yelp, we decided to eat here. We all were very happy with our food. I ordered their famous Korean boneless chicken with rice and Mac salad. I loved everything, including the Mac salad. Due to COVID-19, indoor dining is closed and face mask is required. We ordered our food in person and it was ready in 15-20mins. While we waited for our food, we watched people come and go. They are very popular. One of their customers (a local) commented to us that their food is amazing. We would definitely eat here again! If you're in the area, try their food. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Korean boneless chicken with white rice and Mac salad. - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

We stopped here late one night before closing and the place was busy. Everywhere else was closed. We had a short wait and was seated. The food was good and came out rather quickly. Akamai for staying open longer than other places. We are from HI but was here visiting and this place didn't disappoint us. Everyone ordered something different, and it was all ono. All our tummies were filled, and we were happy. Thank you for being opened till 9 pm. read more

Great local spot. SUPER generous portions. Tasty food. We went on a Wednesday night and they were very busy. Long wait for food. Seemed like they were understaffed. read more

Delicious food good portions. Nice restaurant for families. Would reccomend their ribeye and also pork chop is yummy! Their dessert menu is awesome too! read more

My family and I came here for the first time this week after hearing about it from a family friend. This is a popular spot. There was a pretty long line waiting to get seated and it was during the work day. I can't imagine what it would be like on the weekend. If you want Asian/local food, this is place where you want to come. I ordered their Mahi Katsu. It was gigantic!!! I swear that would be a meal for two or three fully grown people. Pros: -friendly staff -good food -generous portions -free, small parking lot Cons: -They charge for take out containers -$3.00 charge if you share meals read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Mahi katsu - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Good food. And we were regular customers until recently. About a couple of weeks ago they seem to have just completely stopped answering their phone. We've tried calling off and on at different hours of the day, but we either get a busy signal or it rings endlessly. If we can't place a takeout order, we will be crossing this restaurant off our list of favorites. read more

Super pleasantly surprised we stumbled upon a place with great ramen in Hilo! Coming from LA/SF, ramen was the last meal I had in mind while on a trip to Hawaii. But it was rainy and semi cold and a warm noodle soup sounded like a great idea. This place popped up on Yelp and had great reviews so we decided to check it out. The restaurant was packed on a Thursday night. We waited maybe 20 minutes. I got the spicy tonkotsu ramen and it exceeded my expectations! Probably better than some places I've tried in California. The only gripe I had was with the noodles. The strands were a bit broken, and not the typical chewiness that I prefer. This place was really lively though. There were big tables filled with big families and apparently one of the popular dishes is a sizzling steak. You could definitely tell when one was brought out because of the sizzle and the absolutely delicious smell. Service was good and the price of ramen was very fair. I'm sure if their ramen is good, the rest of their menu must be comparable! read more

Stopped here for lunch today. The staff is very friendly. I ordered the boneless korean chicken with brown rice and potato/mac. The order came with 8 good size pieces of chicken. It's very crunchy and has a lot of skin crunch,crunch,crunch. The chicken itself is flavorful. It was a very filling and fulfilling meal. I would come back here again. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Steak on a sizzling plate omgggg get that! It's so gooood. It comes with two scoops of rice and a side. Everyone eating here is local families and friends. This place has such a homey, community vibe. With birthday parties, firemen, construction workers. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Waited long, over an hour. Food was awesome. Staff were good. Great for families. Not much parking.

Restaurant Kenichi is a popular place for the locals in Hilo. My family visited the restaurant and had dinner. We were greeted by a hostess and taken to our table. We were served by a young man with a red baseball cap. He was attentive to our needs and answered all of our questions. We ordered their Kenichi's cut rib eyed steaks, Korean chicken, and miso saimin. The steaks comes to you sizzling with onions and mushrooms. My 16oz steak was tasty and tender and I would recommend it if you are hungry for a steak. My grandson loves their Korean chicken and has it every time he visits Kenichi's. My granddaughter love Miso saimin that included chicken and egg, All of the meals includes a choice of brown or white rice, tossed salad or mac salad. I was pleased with the food and service we received. As we were leaving, the restaurant was full and a line of patrons were waiting to get in. FYI....They only accept reservations for parties greater than five. read more

Their food is absolutely delicious! Best ramen I've had in a LONG time! Huge portions for a great price as well. Staff is SUPER friendly! Only mark down is the vibe- I don't enjoy the lighting or the feel of the restaurant much. Gives me food court vibes read more

Service is way better than the food. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing (miso butterfish), but it was not great, it was fine. Portions are generous; my plate came with three sizable pieces of fish, two scoops of rice, and one scoop of mac salad (you can opt for a tossed salad instead if you prefer). My main problem was that the fish didn't really have a lot of flavor. You'd get an occasional burst of flavor on the grill marks, but other than that the fish was pretty bland. Mac salad, I've had better. There's not a whole lot to eat in the Hilo area, so if you're really desperate for some Asian food, you could consider this place. read more

Restaurant Kenichi - miso butterfish - Desserts Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Delicious homestyle food! My favorite has to be the seared salmon Caesar salad. Friendly staff who know their stuff!

Kiana is the best- great service. Represents the restaurant and her family very well. Desserts, plate lunches and dinners are consistently great. Plus its BYOB BYOWL read more