The service, local food, and location ...also awesome choices to eat the Pancakes is unbelievable…read morehuge and there waitress service is amazing and fast the prices for eating your choices is amazingly affordable and walking out with full satisfaction

Visited Hilo for the first time and wanted a good breakfast spot with local flavors. So glad we…read morediscovered this place! Portions were humongous! Everything tasted so good. Restaurant had a lot of seating, and the room in the farthest back had good a/c and fans. But be prepared to wait! (Hint: add your name to the Yelp waitlist ahead of time.) Service was friendly and efficient. We ordered: Punalu'u French Toast, Mok-a-saurus, Haupia pancakes, and Fried Saimin with Korean chicken. All were ono (Hawaiian for delicious)! Wish we were staying longer as we'd love to come back to try more things!

Easily one of the best places to get a fulfilling meal on Hawai'i Island. Please know the portions…read moreare very generous! My soul just feels happy after a meal here. Highly recommend the kalbi plate. I usually eat kalbi with rice but you can opt for fries instead, and omg it is an amazing combo that I never knew I needed. Some of the most tender and tastiest kalbi I've ever had with the crunchiest fries. Even if I tried to recreate this combo elsewhere, I know it won't hit the same way. The stack of mac nut pancakes is huge and very shareable. I prefer this over the coconut pancakes. Actually, just ignore the coconut pancakes. The day we came, the mac nut pancakes came with a whooping serving of butter. Paula Deen, was that you? I also like that you can have all the haupia, guava, and lilikoi syrup you want too. They're all delicious. The coffee servings are also generous. You get a whole carafe to yourself. Also check out their specials of the day. If they serve the oxtail stew, get it. Get it!! It's hearty, savory, and feels comforting. In terms of service, you're not getting top notch service. It's a diner! So you're getting diner service, mostly from aunties who know what they're doing. Service is just right. I think those who complain about it are probably those who are unfamiliar with the slower pace out here. Relax! In terms of vibes, this truly feels like a diner from back in the day. The oldies music playing throughout the day and the warm orange mid-century-esque booth seats feel like you're back in time, but the art work on the walls focused on local life also make you feel like you're in present-day Hilo. I don't know any other place that can do that. Do you? For wrestling fans, check out the framed photos of wrestlers, some signed, in the front part of the restaurant. What I love most is that Ken's is a local spot, and yes, tourists are welcomed. But there's nothing pretentious or gimmicky about this place that tries to cater solely to tourists. It's got its own distinct culture, with amazing food, and great vibes that can't be replicated, and I think that's why I'll always keep coming back.

Nostalgia. Been going here for decades which isn't nearly as long as it's been around. But the…read morelocal diner feel and the food jus brings you back to small kid days. We did take out cuz we were going aunty's house and had to bring something but hard since we visiting from oahu. Chronic over-orderer spent $250 for 2 big boxes of food...pretty sure they had nuff leftovas for the whole week. Kids liked the grilled cheese...2 small girls should have shared 1 but of course I ordered 2 in case others wanted. 2 noodles...not my fave. 1 alfredo...that was YUM. 1 burger - I didn't even touch it. 1 taco salad and 1 chinese chicken salad both good in their crispy bowls. haha...I can't remember what else we got...but everything not bad all the way to YU-U-UM. And if nothing else, the workers are so nice. The girl putting our box together was jam'n. Super on it. Lucky for me since I didn't remember my whole order!

We have been regular patrons of Hilo Bay Cafe for years, usually dining here at least once a month,…read moreso this review is long overdue. The view from the restaurant's lānai is truly like no other in Hilo. It is one of our favorite places to slow down, enjoy the beauty of Hilo Bay, and spend time with good family and friends. The food is consistently ʻono, the drinks are excellent, and the service always makes us feel welcome. For us, Hilo Bay Cafe is more than a place to enjoy a meal, it is a place where we have shared many wonderful moments with the people we care about. We always look forward to returning.

Our waitress was very nice and attentive. The ambiance was pleasant though the booth was a little…read morecramped for the 4 of us two of which were tall guys. I always hesitate when HBC is suggested as the dinner plans but we chose it anyway. The food is mediocre. Once a pretty solid offering in Hilo the quality has gone consistently downhill. I ordered the Ocean special offering last night. It came to the table beautifully presented. Unfortunately the curry base was so thick and strong it totally destroyed the roasted vegetables. I dunno, do they even taste what comes out of the kitchen? The sesame encrusted fish filet was tiny and not especially flavorful. The large order of "hand cut" fries were not hand cut. 75% of the order was left on the plate as my husband said they were inedible. Next time HBC comes up in the dinner conversation I'm a definite No.

Food is great and service was awesome. Love the location, in the heart of Hilo. Ambiance was homie…read moreand inviting.

TIKI DAVE of TIKI DAVE TRAVEL / TIKI DAVE'S TERRIFIC TRIPS highly recommends PINEAPPLES!…read more There is a reason this place has such great reviews. You definitely want to make a reservation in advance, especially if there are cruise ships in port. Otherwise, you're going to wait in line. I would say that the very best thing on the menu is the Teriyaki Flank Steak Appetizer ($19)....this thing is SICK. We ordered the appetizer and it is the most unique Teriyaki steak I have ever had. The teriyaki sauce is rich and just amazing. Just order it. I am still craving it. We also ordered the Lilikoi Hoisin wings and SON OF TIKI DAVE ordered the Lemon Macadamia Chicken ($28) which was delicious, too. They have a full bar and the Mai Tais are awesome. We ordered a couple a piece. Ambience and service is great. And with your receipt, you get at 10% discount at Wilson's Shave Ice across the street. TIKI DAVE from TIKI DAVE'S TERRIFIC TRIPS absolutely loves PINEAPPLES! I will be making a video of my experience so...and here it is! https://youtu.be/yVi4ZEcMw3g?is=0GTf-vESLcn0BX0_ Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/@TIKIDAVETRAVEL And follow! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565274777775&mibextid=ZbWKwL https://www.instagram.com/tikidavetravel/?__d=1%2F%3Fhidemenu%3Dtrue

Everything we ordered was top tier. We ordered the Truffle Shrimp, had to order a second round…read morebecause it was THAT GOOD! Seafood Dip, French Onion Soup, Seafood Pasta, & the Pork Chop... SO AMAZINGLY GOOD. Please go and give them a try. Dinner is served 3:30p-6:630p. You will not regret it one bit!

I'm always down to support a local business and the concept sounded unique. The service by the wait…read morestaff was great, but the food was seriously lacking and the guy that came to take our payment was gruff with us. Truffle shrimp: Description - shrimp tossed in fragrant truffle and garlic aioli. Reality - shrimp drowning in garlic aioli and assumed to be unagi sauce on a bed of clover or alfalfa sprouts, no hint of truffle at all. French onion soup: Menu description - deeply caramelized onions in rich beef broth, with toasted baguette and bubbly cheese, served with side of garlic bread. Reality - boiled onions in some basic clear-looking soup. The onions weren't caramelized at all, the soup had no beef flavor, it wasn't that dark amber color characteristic of French onion soup, and it didn't look like a baguette on top, more like the same type bread that was served on the side. Tofu musubi: Menu description - Tofu with garlic chili oil crisp and sprouts wrapped in nori. Reality - The tofu was the most seasoned dish we had, but had no sprouts. Musubeast size Portuguese sausage musubi with egg: Menu description - sliced sausage on rice with egg. Reality - Exactly as stated. However, very little meat compared to rice ratio, and didn't come with the side slaw for the "Musubeast size." Seafood dip: We were the most excited about this one based on the reviews. However, wait staff informed us after ordering that they were out of chips and we could either cancel the order or get it with a side of rice, so we opted for the side rice. Never received the dip. At checkout, granted it was now 10-15 mins after closing at 7pm, a different guy came out to close out our check. We informed him that we didn't receive the dip, he stated they weren't serving the dip because they were out of chips. We reiterated that we had asked for the rice with the dip and didn't receive it. Not that an apology is expected, we understand that sometimes a food item is forgotten or things run out, but he proceeds to say "I guess I'll remove it from your order then." Sounded like he was planning to still charge us for the dip even though he had no intention of serving it AND he knew we didn't receive it? We weren't provided an itemized receipt prior to him just coming to collect the payment, made it feel like they were hoping to get a free 20 bucks off of us. Again, the concept was cool sounding. We were expecting something like elevated musubis with sushi rice, fried rice, or Kim chee fried rice, and a variety of protein/filling options. Or something like a build your own musubi from their list of options. This was not it; the food was lackadaisical and did not meet their menu descriptions. You're better off going 7/11, Kagimoto's, or Earl's. I always like to give restaurants multiple tries before giving a final opinion, but I have no intentions of returning to this one.

I love Don's Grill, the food is such comfort food and so is the inside of the place it's so cozy…read moreand the service is always excellent each time we go. This place is like a place you eat at after church or a large family gathering.

Excellent food. Caring service. Reasonable cost with tasty food...,Nice dining facility and very…read moreclean..

Quaint local restaurant that has a creative menu with a personal flare of the Owner chef. Staff is…read morevery knowledgeable about their menu and makes excellent recommendations. My husband and I sat at the bar and enjoyed the excellent company of our bartender server who gave excellent descriptions of the menu items ...making our mouth water before we even ordered our dinner. At Her recommendation, we enjoyed the ricotta gnocchi's As our shared starter and the pan seared local Opah fish dish which was amazing.. Reservations are highly recommend as this is a locals favorite... so tables fill quickly.. and you don't want to miss this exquisite restaurant in service and food quality!

I usually avoid writing reviews for heavily reviewed businesses, but I'm making an exception for…read morethis one as it was the best eatery my wife and I visited during our nearly week long honeymoon on the Big Island split between Hilo and Kona. We ordered the risotto, fresh catch (marlin), crispy rice, gnocchi, and finished off with the mac nut ganache mascarpone pots de crème. We did share a Lemon peel lemonade cocktail. The Lemon peel lemonade was basically spiked lemonade. Well balanced for being a tart oriented drink, but I didn't care for the floating bits. The risotto which comes in full and half order, was very rich and had chunks of mushrooms for flavor. We're glad we got the half as this was a heavy, rich, and cheesy entrée on its own. If you love risotto, you will love this dish. The marlin was perfectly cooked and balanced out with a locally inspired vegetable succotash. Fried bits of kalo were also added in for added texture. The special and new item, the gnocchi was the star of the show. This is by far the fluffiest gnocchi we've ever had. Crispy on the outside, little potato clouds of fluff on the inside. The gnocchi came over a tasty sauce with bits of fried onion for absolute perfection. The crisp rice was recommended by Yelpers and it was alright, crispy rice with a spoon of poke. Not bad, but did not live up to the hype. Get another order of the gnocchi instead. It's fairly rare to see pots de crème on restaurant menus, specials or not, so we had to get this. It came in a cute little glass jar, with rich chocolate and mascarpone flavor with a hint of mac nut. This desert was an absolutely delicious perfect end to the meal. You can make reservations online, street parking is quite limited, and it can get busy as the night goes on, so recommended to get an earlier dinning time. Staffs regularly checked in on us and were polite and efficient.

I liked this place, went twice in two days. Not sure why the reviews are so low…read more tried the hilo boy, katsu loco moco, double loco moco, and half and half with fried fish and patty the shoyu chicken was soo tender and seasoned well. and the katsu chicken was so crispy and tender as well. they do their chicken justice the teri beef had good flavor and beef stew tastes light and got good meat chunks in it. super affordable and quick service! yummy food and good portions

Home of the loco moco! Came to Cafe 100 on a Friday for lunch with a large group of students, and…read morethis was the perfect spot to grab a quick lunch. There were various options for everyone and easy ordering on the kiosk with pictures, which was super helpful. The dining area is spacious and breezy. I got a green river and portugese sausage loco moco, which are two of my favorite things! A lot of places don't have green river, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it being sold here. The Portuguese sausage was juicy and the gravy was the perfect consistency for the loco moco. I loved how many different meat options they had for their loco mocos. Definitely recommend coming here for a quick bite!

our experience during happy hour at jackie rey's was nothing short of AMAZING!! for one, our…read morewaitress, carrie(?), was the sweetest angel!! she was so warm and welcoming, incredibly attentive, and a genuine ray of sunshine throughout our entire visit. the ambiance was also such a nice touch. the restaurant had a casual, laid-back feel while still feeling a little elevated, making it a really comfortable spot to enjoy a meal and drinks without feeling overly formal. the food was also amazing!! for happy hour, the portions were surprisingly generous considering the affordable prices. we absolutely LOVED the kalua pork quesadillas, as you can probably tell from the four orders we completely devoured. overall, everything we had was delicious, although i will say the clam chowder definitely has a strong thanksgiving stuffing flavor profile (which i personally didn't mind AT ALL!), while the burger was a bit on the bland side. if you're on the big island and visiting hilo, please check out this awesome place for an amazing experience! between the food, prices, ambiance, and especially the wonderful service, we had such a great time and would absolutely recommend it!

Let me start by saying that a couple of the ramblings from a few of the Yelp "elite" are wild for…read morethis place. Some people need a tissue because they are doing a lot of crying. With that out of the way, on the with the show. What worked for our visit: The space and the ambiance. It's a beautiful old building and the bar is both classic and classy. Yes, it can get a bit loud once everything starts to fill up inside, but it's not that big of a deal. The food with one exception was very good. The 1/4 loaf of garlic bread is an excellent value starter with good flavor. Also very solid were the fish & chips and the guava BBQ glazed ribs. Truly hard to argue with any of that. By the time we left, the restaurant was very busy for a Monday night but there were zero issue with the service. Water glasses were refilled in a timely manner and there was never a long wait for anything. A+ on the spacing and pacing. What didn't work: The one exception and I realize this might come down to personal preference, but this was our last stop before heading home and over the week I had imbibed in my fair share of Mai Tais and this one especially at a $15 price point is a no from me. Surprisingly bitter in a semi off-putting way. That one was definitely a one and done. Overall, it was a very solid dinner, and I would have no issue coming back and in the end to me, that's what it's all about. www.jackiereyshilo.com/dinner-menu

Hilo and loco mocos go hand in hand. No other island in the chain of Hawai'i or anywhere else in…read morethe world does the loco moco rate with what's served on Hawai'i island. K's maintains that claim with flying colors. Awesome gravy, perfectly cooked easy over eggs, and decent hamburger patties make this a must for that similar loco moco craze that I experienced during this recent trip home to Hilo. I promise you, you can't go wrong here. Lots of parking, lots of covered seating, very friendly service, lots to choose from menu-wise, and bonus being attached to a liquor store (Kadota's). It's been years since I've been here, I'm so happy to see they're still around. Slightly disappointed i have to order mac salad separately, and a double loco is mot the standard large plate lunch size, rather a slight smaller. That's ok, honestly, I shouldn't be eating so much stuff that is the loco moco for one meal anyway, much less having one 3 days in a row. But, I'll be back when I'm back. Delicious.

It's been at least 15 years since we ate here and was happy about the experience…read more Ordered a plain double Cheeseburger. Got the burger and bun without the cheese. Charging almost $9. For the burger? Mushroom Swiss burger was also ordered and was sad being over charged for it also. Disappointed to da max.