This restaurant is located in a former Pizza Hut building across the KTA grocery store. You can tell because of the Pizza Hut architecture. We chose booth seating in the corner. The waitress spoke really soft and was cool and collected. I ordered the fried chicken thighs with Lilikoi sauce, brown rice, and a side salad. My husband got the lite bite curry with brown rice and a side salad. Water and coffee were served in custom White Guava tumblers. We each got a Hawaiian roll with a delicious Lilikoi butter. To my surprise, the side salad was a full generous portion, not the tiny side salad that restaurants usually give. It was a proper salad with fresh local greens, sliced cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and another white shredded vegetable that I think was radish. My chicken was delicious and the portion of that was generous as well. I tasted my husband's curry but didn't really like the flavor. It was different, like a sweeter flavor than other curries I've tried before. Overall, I'd definitely come back. I enjoyed the large salad and all the Lilikoi things - butter, dressing, and sauce. read more

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Oh man, this place was junk. You walk in and it's obviously an old Pizza Hut - fine, no problem. But they literally had so many boxes stored there, like they're in the middle of something and this is the only place with room. In the kitchen, there's stacks of pans, like there's no storage room in there either. Fine, whatever. We order chicken sandwich with no cheese and a salad and one teri burger, but they're out. Ok, fine, get a regular cheese burger with pepper Jack cheese and side fries. Then we realize that we're running out of time, and ask to get the food to go - OUR BAD. We go up after the server asks the cook to package our food for take out, and you'd swear we just canceled the order. He started throwing our food in boxes and the boxes on the counter. MY GUY, IT WAS NOT BUSY. one table was as waiting to be seated and no one else was waiting on food. I get it, he could be having a bad day, or his cat is sick, but like, it's an open kitchen. So then, we get to our food. The buns were with the meat, causing both of our buns to be soggy, like falling apart. I get it. He could have packaged it all differently, but I know those to-go containers are not the greatest for the environment, so that must have been the factor. But the beef patty and chicken... they were large, so we were really looking forward to them. But they were so bland. Not even salt or pepper, no sauce, garlic powder, nothing. I couldn't even chop up the chicken for my salad, as I was only given a singular half ounce container of dressing. They do have Girl Scout cookies for sale, and I'm sure those would be fine. read more

White Guava Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I like the place but the state Department of Health has issued a red "closed" placard and immediately shut down White Guava Cafe in Hilo "due to a roach infestation and multiple critical food safety violations." The restaurant, operated by AJ & Sons Catering, received a red placard Thursday and must remain closed until the DOH conducts a follow-up inspection and all critical violations are resolved, the department stated Monday in a news release. After an initial inspection last Tuesday, the establishment -- located at 54 E. Puainako St. -- received a yellow "conditional" placard, and the DOH followed up with an inspection on Thursday. During a follow-up inspection, a DOH inspector observed the following violations including: live cockroaches on food-contact surfaces; numerous live and dead cockroaches within the kitchen and food storage areas; food was neither safe, unadulterated nor honestly presented; food-contact equipment and surfaces were not clean to sight and touch. The DOH is requiring White Guava Cafe to take numerous corrective actions and must remain closed for business until all violations have been corrected and a follow-up inspection by the DOH has been conducted, according to the news release. read more

Y'all are sleeping on this place. The burgers were amazing! Fries and side salad were also! Several great dressing choices. Can't speak for the other menu items but we will be back when we want a juicy, MR-M real burger. We were there at the end of the shift but the waitstaff was still very attentive. read more

They have good food, but they don't have enough waitresses. There was a huge party of 20 people and they couldn't handle anyone else but the party. They sat us at a table, gave us menus and completely forgot about us. We were waiting 20 minutes to order and we had to remind them to give us water. We had to ask for a takeout container and the bill. Seems like no one was assigned to our table so no one took care of us. Another time we walked in and there were two waitresses. One of them said, "We'll get to you, when we can." We walked out. We love their food, but their service sucks. We'd go there more often if their service improves. read more

$60 for two burgers and two sodas. The Diet Coke tasted flat or at least not well carbonated. The cheeseburger was inedible. The cheese was thrown on the bun after cooking, not melted, or cooked with the burger. The burger didn't look cooked very well once I cut into it. The fires weren't edible. They seemed like they were cooked in oil that was REALLY old, soggy fries, with a bad taste. Not sure about everyone who says this place is clean, didn't seem very clean at all. Stacks of plastic ware, dirty tables, just felt dingy. I ended up not eating my burger, my husband ate his and we left. read more

I went here twice in 48 hrs. The prices are decent and the portions are huge! I recommend this place because the servers are nice and the food tastes pretty good. We were seated right away but we did wait some time to get our orders taken. Give them a try! read more

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Located across from KTA market. Stand alone restaurant. Super friendly people working. Easy parking. Delicious food. Super generous, the salads were hydroponic grown. The dressing we got was the balsamic blue cheese was fantastic. Keep on dipping my chicken into the salad dressing. Vine ripe tomatoes. The chit was served hot and crisp. The have Guinness in a bottle. Was able to wash everything down with that. The burger was served on a sweet tasting bun. Fries where thick cut, But the must have is the potato purple salad. Everyone had good food. Be patient because they look to be a family restaurant. And the have a lot of Togo orders. read more

White Guava Cafe - Delicious food fresh salads. Finer licking , Ono - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

We love these folks. The food is good quality for a good price. The first time I had salad greens here, I couldn't believe how flavorful they were even before I added dressing. I love the wafu dressing. I usually get a burger. My spouse usually gets the chili or the Korean style tofu. They can get busy; all I can say is visit when you're not anxious to be somewhere else. It's a casual place. They have a play area for little kids, which is also nice. read more

Enjoyed lunch in Hilo yesterday after the paddling regatta. We tried White Guava and were glad we did. It's located in the old Pizza Hut restaurant KTA. There were just a few tables taken when we got there but was busy when we left. The food was flavorful and th portions were generous. The rolls with lilikoi cream cheese/butter (?) was delicious. We bought some to home to enjoy later. We had the coconut vegan curry, hamburger, loco moco and Korean chicken. All the entrees came in little bites, regular and XL. There were also sides. We all chose the salad and it was huge. My son and I chose regular and my granddaughters, lille bites. We all went home with leftovers. read more

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We love the Korean chicken, fresh salads, burgers, katsu, and curry here. Portions are generous and food is good for the cost. Service is usually okay, but often slow depending as they've been short staffed many times we've dined in. Ambiance can definitely be worked on, as there's often restaurant supplies stocked around, it's a weird layout, and decor is unimpressive, but we keep going back because the food is good. They need to train staff better and hire more plus get more, especially to clean. read more

My go to place while in Hilo. My favorites is fried mushroom with korean sauce, rice and sweet potato salad. Vegan curry to go. Service is always good. read more

White Guava Cafe - Fried mushroom with Korean sauce, sweet potato and rice. - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The food here at White Guava is always good and consistent as they have the same cook (Dean). They do have daily specials and drinks posted on the board near the left entrance. The prices are very reasonable for the local food they offer. They can get super busy at times, and the wait staff is (at most times) just one person, he works hard and does his best as host, waiter, busser, and cashier. So try and be patient, and enjoy your meal! read more

White Guava Cafe - Daily Specials - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I've been wanting to try White Guava Cafe after driving by the restaurant many times and the Yelp reviews. My partner & I tried on a Saturday but the restaurant was crowded and parking was challenging. This past Monday was perfect timing. Service was friendly & attentive. Although my Korean chicken took awhile to come out, it was well worth it! Everything on my plate was fresh and delicious. I had read the reviews for their Chicken Katsu and was planning to order that, but the waitress suggested the Korean Chicken. IMO the best I have eaten. Boneless Thighs marinated and fried perfectly! Their portions are huge. They make their own salad dressings and the Lilikoi one is very good. A must have is the Sweet Potato Salad. It has bits of tangerine in it, so refreshing! My partner ordered a small salad and it was huge, it came with its own mini bottle of your dressing of choice. We were also able to take home leftovers! On the way out, I noticed they also serve beer, wine and a few cocktails. If you are in Hilo, I highly recommend trying White Guava Cafe! read more

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Giving it ONE star because there are no options for ZERO stars! A few weeks ago, a cockaroach hitched a ride to our table on my salad plate. The waiter said, "I'll tell the owner". That was it! No apology, nothing! We decided to try them again. Today we walked in to an empty restaurant at around 5:00 for dine in dinner. We were taken to a dirty table with food on the seat and floor. We moved ourselves to a clean table, after all, we were the ONLY patrons in there! A man walked in AFTER us, asked to make a take out order, got his food within 15 minutes! We were there FIRST!!! We were served WARM water but only after 15 minutes went by . At the half hour mark, we were asked if we wanted a roll with butter, complimentary. Sure. At the 48 minute mark, we walked out! Their priority was the take-out orders! WRONG! You serve your dine in patrons so you can flip a table by an hours time! ZERO STARS!!!! NEVER GOING BACK and... word of mouth! read more

The service is a little slow but you need to learn your patience. They are nice. I had always gotten a nice portion of food. Enough to save for the next day. There are mushroom adobo and mushroom Korean. They are both really good. read more

It's a beautifully decorated cafe with top notch espresso. Best one I had on the island. They have desserts that are to die for and avocado toast that looked amazing. Highly recommend read more

Amazing food, service, and ambiance. It was a very pleasant experience here with our daughter. We ordered fried chicken adobe sauce and the original burger. Both were delicious! read more

White Guava Cafe - Fried chicken with adobe sauce - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This unassuming restaurant in what appears to have been a former fast food spot is cheery, comfortable and welcoming. A kinder than usual staff makes you feel at home and provides great service along with meal recommendations for those unfamiliar with our regional grinds. Now, the food- fresh, tasty and massive portions. I had the regular size chicken katsu and was 'uge! I witnessed a salad passing by that was so big the folks at the table could barely see over it. So if you find yourself in Hilo, looking for an excellent lunch spot, seek out this restaurant, tucked away in a KTA parking lot. Find it. Order. Smile. Eat. Repeat! read more

White Guava Cafe - Da best chicken katsu (massive!), phenomenal citrus purple sweet potato salad and plenty fries make this winnas! - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Food was great, service quick! We had to take leftovers home, so much food! We will be coming back!!

Our burger was so Ono. Love that they make the pickles fresh. Huge portion local style. Everything fresh, huge and fries are thick. Plenty waitresses and aloha. We coming back. read more

We had lunch there today. We haven't been there in awhile because we always gets poor service. Anyhow, Someone said that service gets better now and we give a shot again. Omg, I don't think so... I would say gets worse than before. Especially young Asian girl server was TERRIBLE. No smile and Bad attitude. First, we walked in the place and nobody pay attention for almost 10 minutes. Not even saying "hi" or "I'll be there at a moment" anything. And finally we got table and nobody coming to us another 10 minutes, but I saw the girl took other table's order first, even though we were at the table first. And later she finally came to us and talking order. Still not smiling and "Sorry keep your waiting" or anything. Than I ordered Pork Steak which is one of my favorite things there. But she just said "We don't have today" bluntly. God damm it. Well, at least she should told us first when we got seated before taking orders. Or I wanted to say "sorry" not available today. Ended up I ordered Chicken Katsu and side extra fries. Then after a while she brought over some Fries, slammed it on the table and left. Holy moly, I'm just simply stunned. "What hell on the earth happened". What a rude ! Then, after all the food were placed, she was nowhere to be been seen and person who looked like a manager took over our table. It was too shame they serving good food but always give us terrible service. I'm sorry, I don't think we never go back there again. This is final. read more

Service- 5 stars Menu 5 stars Food 5 stars Venue 4 stars Story 5 stars So I'm visiting Hilo for the day and my driver and host says she will take me to lunch at the White Guava Cafe. Here is the story Located in the former Pizza Hut on Puainako Ave, on the KTA Markets property is White Guava Cafe. I lost track of the guava tree story because there was no guava tree to be found. Interestingly the exotic fruit used was Lilikoi (passion fruit), not the guava. Water and coffee/tea cups were insulated cups; rarely seen in eateries and I've been to many eateries. I thought it was pretty unique to spend the extra dollar for the insulation. Your meal starts with little crackers and lilikoi butter. You eat that to chase what comes next and in my case, I ordered the boneless fried chicken thighs (reminded me of chicken karaage pieces to be truthful) with the lilikoi sauce. I also ordered their lilikoi fountain drink which was their special of the day on my visit. Of note, each of their menu items are served in 3 sizes; small, regular and large. They are automated such that the order once placed goes directly to the kitchen via their POS and likewise, the check is in their POS hand held register when you are ready to pay your bill. I look forward to my next visit and meal at White Guava Cafe read more

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I ordered three takeout plates several months ago and was worried about eating their food after seeing the dirty floors and messy areas. Luckily nobody got sick from the food. Interestingly, the news reported that they were shut down for roach infestation a few weeks ago. read more

White Guava Cafe provided delicious food with excellent service for the October 5 fundraiser for Hawaii Art Alliance. The menu for the buffet was expansive, beautiful shrimp, Korean chicken, charcuterie including smoked slice pork in addition to plentiful cheeses and sausage. Dean was very helpful and patient as he answered all our questions. Thank you ! Definitely recommend. The vegan curry is delicious and salads are huge if you go for lunch. read more

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Perfect lunch and dinner spot to stop at on the way home from town. Ample seating and comfortable vibes inside. Feel like you're at home.

I love this place for its SUPER ONO fried mushrooms and, ESPECIALLY, the Purple Sweet Potato salad, BUT my number one complaint has to be service-related. Out of 10 times I try to call in a to-go order, I've gotten lucky 3 times. The other times, they were "Open" but not answering the phone, randomly closed during their listed business hours, or were "open" but doing a private event and not taking any take-out orders. This place for the food alone is a 5, but the frustration of not knowing if they actually open when they say they are makes it not worth the trouble sometimes. read more

The food was good !!!! Because tgey were busy we just had to wait a little longer for the food ...

Awesome food. Best salad and smoked teriyaki chicken on the planet. Friends in from New York City and immediately said they wanted to eat here! read more

This place seems on the verge of imploding due to lack of food supply, customer service, and cleaning staff. As others have commented, they didn't have half the menu items in stock, my young son's burger came out completely RAW inside (and he had eaten some) and we were all pretty much gagging. We had to wait another 20 mins for another burger and I thought we'd at least be offered a discount on our food (I had to beg for it after our bill came, and then it was only half of the cost of the burger meal). There were also piled up kitchen supplies all over the dining area...seriously not sure what is going on there, but I wish we'd have gone to McDonalds next door for half the price. read more

It's a good restaurant with excellent food. Portions are large. Service is ok. Definitely going back.

Service was wonderful. Menu selection had a lot of choices without being obnoxiously big. We ordered the Korean chicken and coconut curry. Both tasted like they were prepared with love. They do a sweet potato salad that resembles a regular potato salad. We had not seen it before but we're glad we've tasted it. Fantastic!! We will recommend this gem to everyone traveling to Hilo. read more

White Guava Cafe - Korean chicken - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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White Guava is tucked away in the corner of the parking lot fronting KTA Puainako in the old pizza places spot. If you can remember that far back. I recommend making a reservation beforehand. The wait can be long. Especially if you have a big group. But let me tell you the wait was definitely worth it. Luckily we weren't dying of starvation of we'd never get to experience this gem. If you want a tossed salad this is the place. I mean you'll have your meal served on the side of the tossed salad. No joke. And you don't even want the steamed rice. Trust me. My friends and I usually order different entree's when we first entice in a restaurant to ensure we get the full spectrum of the menu. Then we share a little of what we've ordered and chow away. This first time we ordered the chicken katsu with tossed no dressing and French fries. The Pastele Burger w/fries, yes I said Pastele. And the Korean Chicken, side salad, side rice. And the rice wasn't even touched and my friend loves rice with everything. The service was slow and the wait was long as they looked short staffed but again it was worth the wait. Oh we also had the pupu mushroom with Korean sauce. Yum, yum, yum! Totally making this at home. The place had a salad island piled and stacked with kitchen stuff and a corner with kitchen stuff which I say should be tucked away somewhere out of sight, everything else was clean and clear. Even the restroom. Definitely will go back. Oh and they don't have anything guava. Forgot to ask why not. read more

White Guava Cafe - Pupu Mushrooms w/Korean sauce - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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People had recommended the Korean chicken, so that is what I ordered along with fries and rice. The Korean chicken was so salty that it left a bitter taste and my mouth. I tried to cleanse my mouth with the rice but that was so dry and hard that it was gross. The fries were also no better, super oily and soggy. Will not be going back and will be telling my friends about my experience. read more

Menu wasn't as expansive as I expected. Pretty much just grilled chicken and burgers. Hours are very strange, closing at 7:00. That's when most people want to go out to eat. Service was okay but nothing special. Ambience was okay but the huge eye sore of the salad bar area cluttered with dishes, being used as storage. Fries were really good. Everything else was mediocre at best. I likely won't return. Another restaurant where I feel the owner has given up. read more

The food was great and the serving portions were healthy! I'll be heading back before returning home.

The pupu (appetizers) were delicious. The French fries were nice thick cuts. The adobo mushrooms were Hamakua Mushrooms and they were delicious! I ate the 8oz rib eye medium well and it was very good! The cut was and flavor was great. Serving was perfect. Salad was fresh and the dressing was great! Only one food server, and she gave good service. Being that it was my first time there, her recommendations of certain menu selections were helpful. The ambiance was good. Being that it was mid week, it was nice and comfortable. read more

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They had my wife and I wait 15 - 18 mins to be seated. Then once we were seated and ready to order. My wife could not order what she really wanted. Since they have a small party of 8 with their food in the ovens. Place is a very disorganized, but small town restaurant vibes. The food was very good fresh ingredients and great flavor. I would just work on customer service a bit more for the next person. read more

White Guava Cafe - Grilled chicken with with rice and a house salad. - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Plenty of parking. We went here for lunch and they were quite busy. The service was quick and the staff was friendly. We tried the crispy chicken adobo and the crispy mushroom with oyster sauce. Both were delicious! The portion sizes are generous. The chicken was done well, crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The adobo sauce was a little too vinegary for me, but it was still good. The mushroom with oyster sauce was amazing! read more

White Guava Cafe - Crispy Adobo Chicken - Burgers Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

What a hidden gem. Definitely has hole-in-the-wall vibes but the food was AMAZING. If you're in Hilo, definitely worth checking out this little family owned restaurant. My family is notoriously difficult to feed (all sorts of dietary restrictions including gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan) and they has something for everyone. read more