Hilo Restaurants

This is a tiny little place sort of in the middle of nowhere but well worth a stop as their food is outstanding. Their smoothies are pure fresh fruit and juice. They freeze the fruit so there is no ice or sugar added. They also grow a lot of their own fruits and vegetables right on their What's Shakin' Farm. As we ate lunch we could see some of the bananas and other fruits growing nearby. The place is small roadside place where you go to the window to order and then hope you can find a spot as the seating is limited to the surrounding porch.

Favorite Dish: The smoothies are indeed wonderful as are the sandwiches. I had an excellent salad of their locally grown greens, avacado, tomatoes and albacore tuna. Their guacamole is the best I have eaten. They also bake banana nut bread which is excellent.

This is simple lunch or light fare but you will not find better tasting or fresher food anywhere.

This is a pretty much no frills kind of burger and milkshake kind of place. It bills itself as the place where locals eat and has a menu of deli items, stir fries and desserts with a good reputation. They offer live entertainment on weekend nights and Internet access all the time

Favorite Dish: Had a very tasty Reuben sandwich, cole slaw and a beer. Very basic and very good.

Okay, my outlook is still very provincial but finding this combination of an Italian cafe serving belgian waffles in Hilo surprised me. However, it is a lovely place with a lot of pleasant woodwork and traditional but very nice art work on the walls. You can see part of a fox hunt scene behind our table. BTW most of my restaurant tips on these pages will feature the same 3 or 4 people (my wife, brother & sister-in-law) - hope you don't get too tired of us.

Favorite Dish: As we frequently do at breakfast my wife and I shared our orders - a Belgian waffle with strawberries and cream and a fritatta with Italian sausage anc cheese. Both were very delicious and the combination cannot be beat.

Our first day in Hilo and my brother and his wife took us to Cafe Pesto for lunch and I was surprised to find a place with this name. The cuisine is "ethnically diverse Island cuisine" and is very fresh and tasty.

Favorite Dish: I had Linguini al Pesto which was came with grilled smoked chicken-apple sausage vine-ripened tomatoes, and a roasted tomato-basil marinara. My wife had a Mililii sandwich which had garlic basted shrimp, pacific crab, sliced mushrooms,
blended cheeses on French bread. Both were very filling and delicious.

I highly recommend Pesto's and suggest you allow some time for your meal as it may be crowded. We had about a 15 minute wait to be seated.

One of my regrets about leaving Hawai'i is that I had to leave behind Ken's House of Pancakes. Open 24 hours per day and completely non-smoking, this place has a HUGE menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options including the ever popular "Loco Moco" (even a vegetarian one!). You want Mahi Mahi? Spam? Boca veggie sausage? Bottomless coffee? They got it all, Brah!

Beloved by locals and tourists alike, this place offers decent food, huge portions at reasonable prices, and friendly, attentive and VERY fast service.

Beware the guava juice, though - not as tasty as it sounds. Stick to pineapple juice - it's the real deal. :)

Favorite Dish: Hmmmm, the french toast (using Portuguese sweet bread) and Macadamia Nut pancakes with lilikoi (passionfruit) and coconut syrups. *drool* And I have to give them a big thumbs up for having Boca burgers, veggie bacon and veggie sausage options for those meat-free people, like myself. My husband was very partial to the Portuguese sausage, which he declared as "excellent".

The only dinner that we had out was at Cafe Pesto in downtown Hilo. High ceilings, big windows, and friendly attentive service makes this place a winner. Very popular with the tourists, but the locals go there as well. There is another location in Kohala, apparently.

Favorite Dish: I had the Greek calzone with mixed spring greens salad. Chockful of spinach, feta and mozzarella with a zesty tomato sauce on the side (for dipping), my calzone was very tasty, filling and made excellent leftovers! I took half of my calzone in a doggy bag, and ate it the next day for lunch while hiking in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

My husband had a basic marguerita pizza (tomato and mozza) with real prosciutto and was very happy with his choice. Cafe Pesto has pre-set pizzas as well as a "build your own" option. The crusts are light as are the toppings, and come in 9" and 12" sizes. Bellissimo!

You ain't gonna find this place. Mind you, we were totally outta commission mentally by this point, but still... It was hard to find. If you know where the stadium where the Merrie Monarch festival is held each year (and we did NOT!) it's right across the road. If you are not Local - good luck. Sample directions we received: ' Go down to mango tree that was there until 3 years ago. Make one left... then you go to Aunty Leilani's house. Make one right. Mina's RIGHT next to where that Tita got in one bad accident 2 years ago...'

Favorite Dish: We floated in Friday nite and just asked for Pupus. Next thing we know, the waitress brings us out five small plates FILLED w/ the MOST ono pupus. Chicken 'something or other', sliced franks in sweet/sour sauce, mac salad, sashimi, sprout/carrot salad. We were just GRINDING away!

Very good, It's convinent, close to town, inexpensive, and friendly.

Favorite Dish: You've gotta get the orange chicken because it is the most delicious thing you'll ever taste when u come here. It just takes my breath away!