"Don't make me sad, don't make me cry. Sometimes love's not enough when the road gets tough." ― Lana del Rey - Born to Die But Blanes is enough because Blanes is bae. BAE. Blanes is always a solid choice for a plate lunch. They make all of the local staples and do it well. From a simple gravy burger [pour that gravy all over me, babie] to a full on chicken katsu or Hawaiian plate, you'll find it at Blanes. No matter what you get, you can count on some really good portions. My absolute favorite thing to get from Blanes is the Korean chicken plate. No joke, this is the best Korean chicken in town. All of the sauce on meaty drums and wings that are cooked perfectly. They'll have you feeling some type of way, without a doubt. I can remember as a kid, being stoked any time I saw someone roll up to a party with a big box of Blanes' Korean chicken. It's the best and hey, I was a chubby chibi Matt with a bowl cut. The location and accommodations aren't anything fancy by any means but they really don't need to be. The grindz are all you need at this place. If you're craving some local comfort food, hit up Blanes. Blanes is the man that will treat you right. #Blessed read more

Blane's Drive Inn - The best Korean Chicken plate in town - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Blaine's outright lied to me about the type of fish they use and was very dissatisfied with their fish sandwiches twice (the second time I asked them about the fish prior to purchasing) which the cashier and their cook both said was mahi mahi. It definitely wasn't mahi mahi same as the first time. I was tired of getting ripped off on the Cafe100 mahi mahi sandwiches they raised their prices on their food acriss the menu board as if they're some sort of high end luxury restaurant now. Back to Blaine's, every single food I ate so far seemed bland tasting to me compared to comparable restaurants like Verna's and Hiro's and who sells Chicken katsu with ketchup sauce? - Blaine's. Definitely wasn't katsu sauce. 7-11 has better tasting bentos even their refrigerated bentos are tastier - sad to say... read more

So I gave this place a try again while getting my auntie's car serviced at Lex Brodies. Didn't really have much of a choice because it was pouring rain and not really able to go anywhere else. Can't really say anything good about what I ordered. Food was dry and overcooked. I don't know how Blane's stays in business and why there is actually a hand full of people that still eat here. I would imagine that Blane's is an ideal candidate for Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back. read more

Blane's Drive Inn - Mix Korean Chicken, Chicken Katsu, and Mahi - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The cooks in the back were fast with my order and did an amazing job. Unfortunately, the old lady at the counter was EXTREMELY RUDE and had ZERO customer service! Doesn't she realize that I, the customer is paying her wages??? She either needs a refresher course on customer service OR she should just stay home and let someone else who wants to work be there. So sad read more

Service is awful. Food is junk. Portions are small. Food is horribly overpriced. I stood at the ordering window. The person servicing the window looked at me and asked what I wanted but immediately walked away to tend to a matter by the kitchen. That's fine; things happen, and taking care of it is necessary. I completely understand that. She came back to the window, walked back to the issue, and came back 2 or 3 times. Then she stares at me and says, "Are you ready yet?" sassy, with no smile and no apology for stepping away. I ordered two plates, which cost $33! It wasn't steak or anything - it was chicken and hamburger. A bit sticker-shocked, but I thought the portions would be enormous at that price. So I sat down and waited at least 15 minutes before she called my order number. I presented my receipt with the order number. She picked up the receipt, balled it up, threw it back at me, and pushed the plates at me. Wow. That sealed the deal - I'm never coming back again, but I'm sure that's fine with them. I'm not in Hilo often, so no big loss for them. So we went to the park to eat because I was not about to spend another moment there. I opened the plates, and the portions were small - the food didn't even touch the walls of the plate! Then I thought, well, it must be ono because I hear them advertise all the time, so they must be popular. Nope, the food tasted sour. The chicken was dry despite being smothered in sauce - I don't know how that's possible. Hamburger steak was better - it tasted homemade and had that homemade char - but the gravy, yuck. Bottom line - go eat somewhere else that has better food, portions, service, and prices. Totally awful. read more

We were on our way to the airport and needed a quick bite. It is located in an industrial area and it is exactly what we expected: clean and no frills. We ordered 3 cheeseburger deluxe, a large fries and a fried noodle deluxe. It took a little longer, but it was definitely worth it! The star was the cheeseburger, which is the old school diner favorite--excellent sauce and char! This is the best burger that our family has eaten (better than diner burgers on our island.) The lady taking the order was pleasant and patient. To top it off, the cost was very reasonable! We can't wait to go back to Hilo and eat Blane's cheeseburger deluxe! read more

Was super hungry and wanted some authentic Hilo fast food. Its hard to go wrong with Blanes as the selection is huge and the prices are very good for what you get. I had the teri beef and it was excellent. Rice was perfectly cooked. Miso soup not bad. Mac salad was a bit bland, but some tabasco fixed it right up. As always, the service was friendly and pretty fast. read more

7:00 hour All Military So 1/2 hour delay and no fried rice again and again! No fried rice? Due to other problems come back in 30 minutes? I tell you what to order You don't tell me what to order! read more

Great customer service today Female employee was efficient and polite She worked the phones and window service alone. Thanked each customerand wished them a nice day. Felt appreciated. read more

Came here with the family.. it was my 1st time and figure i try somewhere diff. #WRONG CHOiCE!!!!good thing it was my inlaws treat or else i wouldve totally regretted it!!! -CHiCKEN KATSU was horable, it was cold chewy dry N did not look like KATSU..rawrr -CHiLi BOWL N FRiES werr cold and nothing special about the chili. #rathermakeMYOWN Staff were totally unpleasent looking, grouchy no thank you or smiles and food took over 30mins to come out !!!! #NEVER AGAiN igave it 1star for theyre slush.the ONLY tasty treat there! read more

The food is good but the customer service lacks big time. I usually call in my order and this hasn't been the first time. The girl who answered the phone is not only sassy but she huffed like me calling in my order is a "burden" on her. I order the breakfast special with boneless chicken and scrambled eggs. She asks if I want the mac salad or the small soda; I tell her I'd like the soda and with an attitude she asks, "WHAT FLAVOR?" So I tell her Pepsi, and then she asks, "Anything else?" And I proceed to give her the rest of my order. Seriously? Do you hate your job? If you do, why don't you quit? It'll open up a position for someone who really needs the work and the money. Your job is customer service, if you have personal issues or whatever the problem is that you are facing, don't bring that shit to work. It reflects in how you treat other people. So sad how rude some people can be. Maybe hire people that would actually enjoy being there. When I arrive, the two women at the counter carry on a personal conversation and don't acknowledge that I'm there until after they finish their conversation. All I have to say is if you want attitude from someone taking your order, go ahead and visit this location. If not, I'd suggest you go somewhere else where you won't feel like a "burden" or ignored. read more

Must have slush float simply the best anywhere! People are friendly but they need help!

It's all about the katsu, baby!! You want a massive plate lunch that's so packed with onolicous food that they gotta use a rubber band to keep the container closed? Blane's is the place to go! I got the chicken katsu and regular drink special and I wasn't able to finish the katsu. I had to throw a third of it in the fridge for later! The katsu is crispy, even after a 15-20 minute drive from Blane's to the house up the mountain. The mac salad was simple, but still tasted pretty good, and the rice was cooked pretty spot on. I also had a slush float, while not quite as good as Rainbows, it still went well with the plate lunch! The Good: Huge portions, delicious and crispy katsu, they know how to cook their rice. The Bad: They're only in Hilo, katsu is so bad for you but so gooooood! There's so many places to get a good plate lunch on any island, but if you find yourself in Hilo go and check out Blane's There's a couple locations, and the katsu is crispy and delicious! I'm looking forward to my next trip to Hilo to try more menu items! read more

Blane's Drive Inn - Chicken Katsu plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

OK drive-in food in an industrial area off the main highway in Hilo, but the service was lacking. The counterperson wasn't friendly, never smiled, never said "thank you" for our order and looked annoyed when we asked questions about the food. What is Korean boneless??? Beef, fish, chicken, pork? Your guess would be as good as mine... Need to step up the counter help because if they don't want to serve people, they really shouldn't be working at a drive-in. Not worth stopping here; you can find friendlier people, better service, better food, and better value elsewhere. And don't discriminate against me just because I'm not a Big Islander; I'm still local! read more

Everytime I come home to Hilo, I need to make a stop here. For what? Just two things: a gravy burger and a strawberry slush float! Disclaimer: this review is only based on those two things. As I approached the registers this past Saturday, there was a sign saying "1/2 off burgers and slush floats". Holy hannah, is this my lucky day or what? Stoked on that, i ordered 2x gravy burgers (relax not both for me, although I totally could eat 2) and a small strawberry slush float for $4.14! Score! The girl with the small lip piercing at the register was really polite and very nice. I can always appreciate good service at a fast food or plate lunch joint. The homemade burgers are flavored perfectly, and the gravy poured in the middle is just the right amount so it doesn't get terribly messy and ooze all over. Wait, I take that back - it's not "just right" because I think they could totally slather more of that brown gravy on there. HA, piggy in me is coming out! And yup, that's all it is folks - patty, gravy, bunz. Don't expect no lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese stuffs. Those are all add-ons. And their slush floats are made with Icee. Although people will argue to say icees and slurpees and hush puppies are all the same. Um, no, Icee wins the slush game by far - says the slush snob. Ample bench/table seating at this location. Had some interesting creatures this day hanging out on a table but generally speaking, no one bothers each other so I found it entertaining to watch. Why doesn't Oahu pick up this super easy concept of making gravy burgers?! read more

Blane's Drive Inn - the perf pair: gravy burger and slush float - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The food was not too bad, but the prices on the menu were almost unreadable and out of all 3 things we ordered, none of the actual prices matched the menu prices. The actual prices correlated to the prices on the menu, but were all 20-50% more expensive. Just felt very deceived read more

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The food was really junk and we had 13 of us visiting from Oahu and someone recommended we try it. Worst ever!!! Expensive food and everything was such small portions for the price. Our kids ordered burgers and it was all either under cooked or burnt. Don't get me started on the cashier! She was rude! Bad customer service for sure! Would not recommend this place at all! read more

A lot of my friends are originally from Hilo and when we would hang out they would always bring up the food from Blanes! So..I finally made it to Hilo and a trek to Blanes. The result? Eh..I don't get it...It's ok, but not wow'ing like they said? I went there with some friends, I ordered the mixed plate with Hamburger Steak and Korean Fried Chicken. Another friend ordered a similar and the other ordered the Teriyaki Beef. My mixed plate was ok, nothing wow-ing or something that would compel me to come again. The hamburger steak was a little dry and lacking a little flavor, but the gravy that accompanied it was very good. The Korean Fried Chicken was a chicken katsu (breaded chicken thigh and deep fried) and served with a lackluster garlic sauce that needed more flavor. My friend's Teriyaki Beef was dry and overcooked. That I think sums up my review of her plate. The prices are rather decent with mixed plates between $5 and $6 and regular plates about $7-8. The service is quick and decent. Overall, it is a decent place to eat at but nothing wow-ing that a lot of people cut it out to be.... read more

Blane's Drive Inn - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

My family lives on island, and every time I come visit, I want Blanes. Most of the bad reviews you see on here, are from people who don't live on island, and have been there once. Their Mac Salad is by far my favorite on big island. read more

Customer service is great! Had the Teriyaki with Fried Noodles. Teriyaki was good, noodles had no taste. Ice cream machine was down. Almost $14 for the plate was not worth it. read more

I grew up eating at Blanes Drive Inn. My parents would bring our family here and I still remember the dish my mom would get. Chicken Katsu with brown gravy all over. Their Mac salad and gravy are what I compare all my other Mac and gravy's to and it's never the same. And our family would go everyday they had a sale on the slush floats. BUT... I went back home for a baby luau and wanted to make sure I stop by Blanes and got the slush float, our families ultimate favorite dessert. I was so disappointed, the price was so expensive of an already high ticket dessert. I could get the slush for 2 and change and the ice cream for like .50-1 somewhere but they almost charged me $6. I almost fainted and they skimped me on the slush. Bummer. But I still love them, Just not very happy. read more

Me and my Boyfriend went there for lunch I love their hamburger steak and the Food was really good it hit the spot. But the Girl working in the front at the cash register was soo rude !!! Just straight attitude for no reason. I told her thank you multiple times and what do I get in return ? I got an eye roll. I just tried to enjoy my food and tell myself maybe she's having a bad day. But then I see her laughing it up with another employee. I hope the next time I go she's not working. Just really bad customer service... read more

Poor service. Grill shut down well before closing time. Phone orders stop 30 min before closing.

We figured to give it another try for something other than the breakfast specials, so we ordered soda floats and noticed the guy cooking rice....... With all this COVID going on, we would figure the cook would wash the rice with a gloved hand or a big spoon other than washing it with his bare hands, YUK. Plus he had touched his hair after and had no mask on. We stopped by last week and ordered the breakfast specials w/Mac, omg the RICE wasn't even washed good it was so sticky, AND the portion size was full of rice and only (3-4) port. small skinny as can be sausage & under cooked& only 1 egg and the cost $6 ripp-off. The burgers were thin meat and dry. This place is going down-hill, must be a part-time cook or a new ‍, and With this said, that gal at the window taking the orders is NOT friendly at all unless u know her. She rushes customers in like cattle to get them out of her face quickly as she can. Absolutely no customer service skills. Won't recommend this place anymore. This is the last resort. I should of taken a pic of those bf specials & but if u don't believe me, go check it out for yourself! read more

I am starting to like this Blanes location (there are 2 Blanes in Hilo). This one is set right in the middle of a parking lot by Lex Brodie's tire store so it's only a scenic location if you're into car repairs and asphalt. Apparently I kind of am. Their bulletin board has all kinds of posters I never see anywhere else, about drag races and car shows. Anyway, the first time I came here all burgers were 1/2 price so I was fine with that. The most recent time it was full price but still you cannot beat the burger with an egg and fries that I got for about $5. It was great for the money. We also got a slush float which was not cheap but was basically a huge cup filled with ice cream and icee, it was deliciously retro and they were kind enough to top it back off with some more icee when our ice-cream ratio got too dominant. Good basic plate lunch, haven't had anything here yet that wasn't solid for the money you are paying. read more

Seriously the BEST gravy burger in town!!! Gravy burger, French fries and strawberry slush float - winner !!!!!! read more

Blane's Drive Inn - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

If you get there 30-20 min before they are supposed to close they will tell you that they are closed. Whats the point of having hours if youre not gonnah follow them! read more

They're slush machine is out of order often. Don't know about food. We stop for cool dessert of slush ice cream. Disappointed often because the machine is not working. Just a heads up read more

the one in PAHOA is HORRIBLE !! I ordered me 2 grilled cheese instead I got 2 pieces of bread with jus a slice of cheese...someone needs to get out there and clean up that restaurant !!!!! On the other hand the ones in HILO are GREAT !! read more

Blane's does not honor prices listed on their specials board. I was over charged by more than $4 for a specials plate. Roxanne, the cashier, was very rude and accusatory when questioned about the huge difference in price. Although she claimed to have written the wrong price, she would not honor the lower price and got louder when questioned further. I felt that it was my fault that she wrote the wrong pricing. Very incompetent. They lost my business! read more

Not too bad. Food was pretty good, seating is covered outdoors, prices were reasonable. Had the local favorites, like loco bowl. Very much like a small town's local "frosty freeze", but in Hawaii. read more

The customer service was horrific. The girl working the counter was very rude, no welcoming greeting at all, just rude. What's worst is that she was also talking badly about other customers in front of customers. It's obvious that she doesn't want to be there. We've been customers since the opening and have never felt like an "inconvenience" as we were made to feel tonight (we are extremely easy going people). If management sees this, I hope they consider soft skills training for their staff, it's unfortunate to see such a young lady with a poor attitude working in customer service. read more

Question: Where can I get a good gravy burger in Hilo? Answer: Blane's. At least that was the answer my father-in-law got from my wife's cousin. Blane's is a good sized drive in. Their menu's pretty extensive and full of all kinds of Hawaiian food. Not a big fan of gravy burgers, I ordered the mix plate #3 (aka - numbah tree). It actually had a gravy burger in it, so I still got to sample it. The mac salad is chock full of mayo (more like mayo with a smidgen of macaroni). That's Hawaiian style, though. My mahi was fried, crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. The fried chicken (like sesame chicken) was very flavorful and probably the highlight of the meal. Last, but not least, the gravy burger was surprisingly good. I actually enjoyed my gravy with the hamburger and could've eaten more of it. Everyone else in our group got a gravy burger (which is available in singe and double sizes). The good news is that they were pretty good (as burgers). The bad news is that gravy and burger buns don't get along too well. Almost everyone's burgers were falling apart from the soaked buns. That didn't bother me since I had a plate lunch. Service is decent and the food's made to order. Just be careful of their drink policy (don't drink and refill in front of the soda machine...which I did right before I read the sign asking customers not to do this. Oops!) Anyway, Blane's was pretty good in my book. I'll probably stop by again later during this trip to Hilo. read more

The gravy cheese burger was awesome as usual but the service sucked. The girl who took our order on August 15 was sassy and rude. She even "forgot" to give the ticket to the cook and we could hear the cook yelling at her. As a local girl Ono for a gravy cheese burger you would hope to get good service. I guess not anymore from the younger generation. She shouldn't be working a job in customer service. read more

I spent a semester in Hilo during college and lived up on Wainaku. I was a broke college kid but spent many meals at Blane's. It was my first exposure to the Big Island Plate Lunch and I still crave it on a regular basis. The teriyaki steak was my go-to. The combination of the perfect mac salad, white rice and steak/gravy surpassed even my love for the loco moco. I'll see you soon on my upcoming Big Island vacation! read more

Dry often overcooked burgers,fries inconsistent,service is slow even for island time,not worth prices they charge or wait for less than par food... read more

OH MY GOODNESS!!! PLEASE DO NOT GO THERE!! DOES ANYONE HAVE THE NUMBER FOR THIS ESTABLISHMENT? If there is a Zero rating then they would have one. We just left there with my family & had to get a refund because we could not wait any longer for our orders.. 1st The cook & the cashier was arguing about what happened to the plates?? Like aren't you A DRIVE INN RESTAURANT?? So because of the orders somehow got mixed up the 2 cashiers was over- whelmed because the 2 cooks DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.. it was pure KAOS! We were a family of 15 waiting for over 30 minutes & we only received 1 plate & 1 small corn chowder. The other couple before us was so upset because they got wrong plates... poor thing may be it was our food, Because a family after us got there food before us. THEY JUST LOST BUSINESS FROM MY ENTIRE HILO & HONOLULU FAMILY! read more

+Good service- my partner lost a dollar in the machine, and they gave him his dollar back from the register. +Had the papaya chicken special plate- very tasty +Loved the mac salad +Quick and pleasant service +Tons of outdoor seating. +Quick walk from downtown Hilo- make sure to get coffee at Sharks on your way there. read more

Review based solely on the Korean Boneless Chicken Korean boneless chicken with rice and mac salad. Winnahs! OK, for those of you that know me, you know I don't eat at Blane's often. I don't think I've eaten here in over 3 years prior to this day. I've never had anything good from here so I never paid this place any mind. Well, today I was out with some family and they brought me here for a snack so I figured why not give it another go. As a foodie, I gravitated straight to the "specials" menu and ended up ordering the Korean boneless chicken. Oh my lawdy! I loved it. The chicken was juicy and crisp and it was dunked in a korean sauce for additional flavor then served with rice and mac salad. Korean sauce, for anyone who is unfamiliar is just a soy based marinade seasoned and flavored with sugar, garlic, ginger and green onion. Now picture boneless chicken battered and fried to perfection then dunked in korean sauce, did you picture it? OK, now picture it with rice and some pretty dang good traditional mac salad. Now, didn't that just put a smile on your face? Lol. I definitely have to give the place another shot. I guess the chef is new, well, he definitely ain't the one that was here the last time I came 3 yrs ago. I gladly give my boneless Korean chicken a 4.5/5 rating. The only critique I would suggest is ask for less sauce on the plate. They dunk the chicken and put more sauce under the chicken. The next time I'd go without the extra sauce. The dunking of the chicken is enough. That was the only improvement that I could think of so you know buggah was 'ono. read more

Blane's Drive Inn - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Every time I'm in Hilo visiting family, I have to stop by Blane's at least once, if not twice. I am obsessed with their Strawberry Slush Float and Teri Beef Loco Moco. It's soooo ono! I've looked everywhere in the LA area, and I can't find a slush that even compares to Blane's. The slush is dense without being think, and the vanilla ice cream is a great compliment to the yummy goodness. My husband had it for the first time over Labor Day, and he pointed out that there is this carbonated quality to the slush that I never realized before he mentioned it. I am telling you, the slush float alone is worth the side trip to this place! The best drive in on the island! read more