Fantastic service and attention from the whole staff! Cozy atmosphere with great music. Every dish…read morewas meticulously crafted with unique flavors, perfectly cooked. We loved the sizzlin tepanyaki poke with Ono and the desserts. Chef Mark and the staff do a wonderful job of showing off the flavors of Hilo...miso infused caramel on a fluffy cheesecake...I'm gonna be thinking about that dinner for a long time!

My wife and I stopped by Moon & Turtle for dinner during our brief visit to Hilo and we had a…read morefantastic meal. We showed up right when they opened at 5:30 p.m. without reservations on a Wednesday evening and was luckily able to get seated at the bar. Between the two of us, we ordered a bunch of items off the "small" section of the menu, including the smokey sashimi, sizzling tetsuyaki poke, smoked tonnato caesar, crispy rice, and their special of the day -- agedashi wontons. Of the items we ordered, the crispy rice and the agedashi wontons were my favorite items. The crispy rice is priced per piece, and you'll certainly want to order at least two per person, because one is simply not enough. The rice block is fried a beautiful golden brown -- similar to a hash brown. The crispy rice pairs perfectly with the ono mixture on top of it. With the agedashi wontons, I initially thought the filling was a bit under-seasoned at first, but when enjoyed with the broth, the wonton comes out tasting perfectly seasoned. The broth had so much umami to it and the wonton had the perfect crunch to it I always love a good Caesar salad and the one here is spectacular. With anchovy croutons, shaved cured egg yolk, and smoked ahi dressing, you're getting some creative, premium ingredients in this salad and everything works so well together. Even if you're not a salad person, I would definitely recommend giving this dish a try. On top of delicious food, the service at Moon & Turtle was spectacular. Food was promptly brought out after we placed our order, pacing didn't ever feel rushed, our water cups were never empty, and our server checked on us regularly to make sure we had everything we needed without being overbearing. I would definitely stop by Moon & Turtle again if I'm in Hilo.

That garlic rice! Get the garlic rice. Ahi don with the garlic rice is my go-to. Even the bentos…read morethey make are great if you're in a bit of a hurry.

I ordered the Katsu and it was fantastic, with tender meat and a crunchy crust. The garlic rice is…read moretasty with a hint of curry flavor. The salad was fresh and the sesame vinaigrette was well balanced. Highly recommend!

Always good, always fresh!! The garlic shrimp is super flavorful and the fresh crispy papaya salad…read moreis absolute perfection...my favorite meal yet I have tried many different things and never been disappointed. Mahalo plenty for putting so much love into your food!!

Food 5/5: all the food quality was on point and really resembled authentic Filipino food. Super…read morecrispy litchon and shrimps and juicy ribs (but some ribs were a bit dry). Cucumber salad was delicious as well as the onion dish. Rice was very well made. The to-go order took a bit longer than expected but we are on an island time so who cares lol I would highly recommend this place and call ahead to see where they are stationed!

It's $39.99 all you can eat, for the bbq meats. (Beefs, pork, chicken, and shrimp). You get a…read morechoice of small sides to snack on like mac salad, cucumber kimchee, pickled onions, etc. and choice of dipping sauces. We just said one of each for the snacks and sauces, and everything was good! (The 4k House Butter was bomb!) Besides the AYCE, the menu has some apps for purchase (wings, clams..) and as other reviewers have noted: sodas are $4, no free refills so plan accordingly! Our server was so sweet and working hella hard. It's a busy place and could easily have ~2-3 more servers on the floor for a packed Friday night but the gals that were there were hardworking, friendly, and doing the most!

Terrible service, but the food was delicious! We ordered the calamari appetizer. It's was crusted…read morein a ginger panko crust. The sweet chili sauce was so good. It complimented the melt-in-your-mouth calamari beautifully. Every meat we tried was ono. The marinades made each meat tender, juicy, and flavorful. House kimchi was great. The 4 K butter was spot on. The only veggies to sauté were zucchini and mushrooms- sorry vegetarians! If you have a big party, split up. You won't be together anyway because the burners can only circle so many people. The guaranteed gratuity for parties over 6 apparently yields lack luster service from waitstaff. May heaven help this restaurant- we know how hard staffing is these days!

Food 4/5 - Ordered chicken katsu plate and a side of pork fried rice. Chicken katsu was fried…read morenicely and the breading was fine. It was definitely a bigger portion than I expected. The pork fried rice had very good "wok-hei" great flavor. Miso soup was watery and was lacking flavor, although it was served nice and hot. Price $$ - Price is good with the portions that were served. Service 3/5 - Service is average, we needed to flag down a server to refill our drinks. Ambiance 3/5 - Interior is fine but not much of a Japanese theme, the lanterns remind me of a Chinese restaurant. Overall - Had a pleasant experience and would visit again.

Daiichi Ramen is a local chain of restaurants serving local style ramen and katsu platters…read more We dined in for dinner on a weekday and was served fairly fast. This isn't a place that serves Japanese style ramen, but more on the Hawaii style closer to sailing where the broth isn't as strong. I would say their tonkotsu ramen is a 3/5 because of their soup base feels watery and lacks substance. However, their beef curry seems to be made with Japanese roux cubes so it tasted authentic (4/5). If you're looking for fast, good portions, and local style ramen or katsu, Daiichi definitely can satisfy your craving.

Great food, fast service! Daughter's fave place to eat in…read moreKea'au. Walnut Shrimp & Pad Thai is a must.

I'm absolutely loving the food at Peppercorns Spice! The service is top-notch - friendly, fast, and…read moresuper efficient. The ambiance is cozy and inviting, and the restaurant is always clean and tidy.

Nori's is a shining landmark in the childhood memories of my SO, a cozy, homestyle establishment…read moreknown fondly among the locals. After an impulsive flight to the sleepy town of Hilo, we just had to stop by and see how this iconic institution had fared. Straight up - they don't make it easy. It seems that Nori's has shifted their business, and don't even offer dine-in service anymore. Hours are extremely limited for take-out only, from 11-6 on Friday-Sunday. That being said, the people working were incredibly kind, and locals still filtered through to purchase chocolate mochi and snacks. It's got that low-key, homey vibe that truly feels like an escape from the big city. Parking is easy in their big lot that is shared with a sports bar, where the hours don't overlap much. We placed our order and waited in the little wooden two person booths, a wistful reminder of the dining experience of the past. Ancient newspaper articles from the cornerstone Tribune Herald adorned the walls, above aging gumball and toy machines with quarter turners. I still remember the satisfying click as the machine released a rush of colorful runts, or perhaps a gumball into a plastic vortex. Anyways, check out the pictures - servings here are NOT for the faint of heart. We ordered a Big Plate (for two people, allegedly), which included mac salad, fried noodles, musubis, kalbi, fish jun, bbq beef, and chicken skewers. For a little over $30, I swear we could've eaten for a couple days. They literally gave us a catering pan of food, with a mountain of mac salad in a separate container. - Kalbi - Sweet, flavorful, meaty. Not the most tender short rib, but top tier marinade. - BBQ Beef - Tasty, tender, and thin cut. Solid offering. - Fried Fish - Jun style with egg batter, amazingly flaky and moist. Tartar sauce included had a little mustard zing to it. - Chicken Skewers - While overcooked and dry, these were so delicious I wanted more. The brushed sauce was so sweet and savory. - Musubis - Massive rice balls with a strip of nori. Probably like 2 scoop rice each at least. Nothing special but gotta have da rice. - Fried noodles - Soft and springy, a bit bland compared to the proteins, but dear god this was a heaping pile that could feed a small family. - Mac Salad - Bland. Needs salt, vinegar, anything more to elevate it. Again, they gave a generous serving, but we barely touched this one. We also tried the hilo style saimin. We must be looking at a different dictionary cuz the "small" was quite large. Fresh, springy noodles in a silky, savory saimin broth, adorned with the traditional naruto, spam, and green onion accompaniments. It's pricier than most at almost $10, but it's fresh and you won't be hungry. I'm impressed at the relative value that Nori's offers in today's economy, but sad at their limited take-out only hours. I hope that one day they return to their full, former glory.

They've been open ever since 1983 and the experts of classic saimin with generous toppings. They do…read morenot skimp. There is spam, egg, char su, and wonton if you choose the Hilo special. The broth is on the salty side and is based from dried seaweed. At this time it's take out only. No dine in. Accepts card and cash. Call in ahead of time to avoid a wait. They are a no fufu business, just straight to the point saimin. They got rice plates and BBQ meat too! (: Happy yelping and eating!

My favorite is soft Gau gee mein & shrimp egg fu young & crispy won ton..Also service is great..the…read moreamount they give is alot..

Love the Service,Food and location. They are very Accommodating…read more Wait time is GREAT!!!!!

My friend and I have been trying a bunch of different places for Pho lately. I think this might be…read morethe best so far! The broth was deeply flavored, the perfect mix of all the flavors. Not only is the food great but the service was as well. We waited a little bit because it was packed and as we're waiting we got to talking story with an auntie that was also waiting. Long story short she ended up joining us and we had an awesome time! Pho Viet is an awesome place in Hilo. It feels warm and inviting. Everyone was very friendly.

My wife has been raving about this "pho" place in Hilo for a while now. I finally got a chance to…read moretry it and it did not disappoint. First off, any place my wife wants to go to several times means it must be at the top of the food chain! Pho Viet is located in back of Garden Exchange. Apparently there are two pho places so look for Pho Viet - on the right side. Be careful when walking from Haili street as there are sketchy people hanging out on both sides of the road. (What happened Hilo??). Unfortunately there is hardly any parking so you probably have to walk to the restaurant from away. When you go inside the place is pretty small like 6-8 tables but it's constantly filled with people. They all look like they are enjoying their meal. The lady that runs the place is super nice and lets my wife bring her own "additions" to the pho. The pho is really good and you can choose from the usual choices - flank, beef round, tendon, meatball. The broth is delicious and you can order extra noodles which I did. The chili pepper sauce is really really good but make sure you taste and taste. I made mine a little too spicy and had to add more broth - which they made and gave to me. Excellent!!!!!! After eating the bowl, I felt good. I was stuffed but in a good way. The feeling lasted all night and I never had to eat again for the rest of the day and I slept great ! There was a constant flow of people. I guess everyone knows how good this place is. My brother in law says this place is the best in Hilo. I believe it.

Stopped in today and my girl and I were amazed! She got the French onion soup burger, which was…read moreunbelievable and I got the Philly cheesesteak burger, which is out of this world. Ambience is great for Bar. Amazing service super cool little spot. I'm not sure why nobody told me about this place sooner. I recommend to all my friends and anybody else.

We came over to Hilo after a day of hiking around the volcano park. By the time we got here, we…read morewere starving, so we decided on a burger and on Hilo Burger Joint. When we arrived, we were seated promptly. The noise level was decently low, even with live music, and we were so happy for that. Here lately, every place we have gone has been sooo loud to where we couldn't have a conversation, so this was a nice touch. Our waitress came to grab our orders promptly and brought our drinks quickly. We decided on mozzarella sticks for an appetizer, a pesto burger no tomato with a garden patty, and another garden burger plain and dry, both with fries. Food came out decently swiftly, and everything looked amazing! The fries were piping hot and absolutely wonderful: perfectly crispy, not greasy, with flavor and perfect seasoning. The pesto burger was soo good. The pesto itself had a great flavor without being overbearing or oily. I loved the slice of fresh mozzarella. The burger itself was cooked perfectly, and the bread was nice and toasty without being hard. The mozzarella sticks were fantastic, not greasy at all, and were decently sized. I really liked the marinara it came with, which it was flavorful without being overbearing and the only thing we could taste. I assume the garden burger was equally enjoyed, for there was no conversation coming from that side of the table. Oh, and he stole the rest of my fries. Thief!! This was a great decision. The interior screams dive bar in an interesting way, but that food? Definitely not greasy spoon or quickly thrown together dive bar appetizers, that's for sure! We will definitely come back!