On our last few trips to Hilo, we stayed at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and haven't been disappointed…read more For convenience, the hotel has two restaurants in the lobby. Wai Oli is also two businesses in one - it serves as a morning/brunch cafe for coffee and pastries, then transforms into a casual evening restaurant for dinner as well as live music and a bar space. On our first night we were too tired to go out in the rain, so we tried the Red Rice with Chamorro spices and sauces, and a Club sandwich with fries. The food is excellent, prices about what you'd expect in a hotel. The tap list is also pretty good with macro lagers and locally brewed selections from Big Island Brewhaus and Hilo Brewing Co among others. Service is good, with friendly servers. The view is also excellent with clear views of Hilo Bay right outside. They also have outdoor tables on the lanai.

Great restaurant bar to grab a bite and a beer at. They now have live music everyday.read more

Great setting, underwhelming food & drinks…read more The location is beautiful--right on the water--with friendly, fast service. Unfortunately, the food and drinks missed the mark. The Mai Tai tasted very watered down. Buffalo wings used good-quality meat but were coated in an extremely salty sauce; the fries were similarly inedible from salt. The pesto pasta was decent, but without a protein option it felt heavy--nothing to balance the sauce. Bottom line: Gorgeous waterfront vibes and kind staff, but the execution on cocktails and seasoning needs work.

Perched right on the water on the ground level of the Grand Naniloa, Ka Lihikai impressed during…read moreeach meal. The servers, hosts, hostesses and bar tenders were all very friendly. The food was much much than when I stayed in the past. We tried versus items at different times and everything was cooked perfectly. The happy hour clams are delicious. The fisherman's stew was the highlight of dinner but everything hit perfectly. Not too expensive compared to many other Hawaii eateries. Definitely be back again.

Friendly vibe. Convenient for guests…read more A couple of Mai Tais and or house wine and or domestic beer is included as part of the daily resort fee that Hilton charges for a stay at this property. Relaxed vibe in the lobby with low key and pleasant entertainment on the Friday evening that I was there. Service was fast, friendly and efficient.

If youre staying at the Hilton, dont pass up the opportunity to enjoy the many offerings here…read more Open air windows and pleasant music greet you in the am for strong complimentary coffee and breakfast offerings. Try the spam musubi, especially if you have that resort credit. Evenings great local Hawaiian music and hula dancers entertain you while you enjoy their special island breeze cocktail. Our party of 4 finally decided to just eat dinner there on a Friday night .. place was packed, but food came out pretty quick. We were all surprised how good it was (Im sober so can't blame that). Prices reasonable service friendly. Margherita flat bread, Kailua pork w cabbage and the pulled pork were scarfed quickly. Entertainment was fabulous on Friday. I recommend this place for casual meal and drinks.

Awesome vibe, i went there with a few friends and there was an event happening there at the time we…read morewas attending. small lil area, had a few booths as well, & we got to sing karaoke. Service was awesome, i got to meet the owner, sweet old lady, very friendly too. staff was also friendly! definitely did go back and they remembered us!

Best homemade local food in Hilo!!! It is truly exceptional and filled with heart, soul, and LOVE!…read moreNo matter what I order, the food is absolutely amazing. Sarrah's talent in combining ingredients will leave you in awe, making your dining experience truly unforgettable. They also have the best free Karaoke in Hilo on Thursday and Sunday night! The best sound system in Hilo! Come for the food, get an amazing cocktail, and sing your heart out.

Local dive bar for regular Pau Hana's!…read more This place was made for the local aunties and uncles. We came here after work on a Friday Night. Right away Aunty Joy greeted us with her pretty smile! Got us our drinks and gave us pupus! She made her rounds regularly and talked story with us between rounds. So sweet. Had live music playing and had the most fun time with the later waitresses that came in for their night shift. This is a mom and pop dive bar. Less Michelin star and more homey feel. Defs go back and talk story with aunty!

Awesome hole in the wall place. Was looking for a late night tasty beverage and it did not…read moredisappoint. Beer is cold, place is clean, bartender (wish I woulda gotten her name) was welcoming and very sincere. Will be coming back !

Jessica would give 10 stars!! Food, drinks, ambiance,…read moreservice all excellent! Check it out!

I had The Hidden Nene bookmarked when I was planning out my trip to Hilo and I couldn't be happier…read morewith my experience at the speakeasy. My wife and I stopped by for pre-dinner drinks and we absolutely loved the drinks that we were able to try out. I started out with a cocktail called the "Spam Dram", a crispy Spam fat-washed barrel-proof bourbon, combined with seared Spam and nori syrup and topped off with a spam musubi garnish. As one might guess, this drink was presented in a spam musubi tin, and atop the bed of crushed ice was an *entire* spam musubi. The drink was a perfect representation of spam musubi in a glass -- sweet, savory, and full of umami. Props to whichever bartender put together this creative drink. The next drink I ordered was the "Smoky Bear", another bourbon based cocktail. This one had bird's eye chili essence in it, and was much closer than your traditional Old Fashioned, except it had an incredible amount of smokiness and a punch of heat to it as well. If you enjoy stiff drinks with complexity, look no further than this cocktail. While we were seated at the bar, we overheard somebody close to us mentioning a password special that had been posted on the Instagram page of The Hidden Nene. We checked their latest story posted two hours earlier and the password special for the day was a "fizz me baby one more time", a strawberry and yuzu gin fizz. My wife ordered this cocktail as her second drink and loved how refreshing the drink tasted. Overall, if you consider yourself a cocktail connoisseur, you owe it to yourself to check out The Hidden Nene if you're in Hilo.

I have been wanting to visit this bar for a long time. At first I was a little intimidated. It…read moreseemed very local and not welcoming. This couldn't be farther from the truth. It's a great local dive bar. The staff and customers are very very friendly. It is situated right on a little Lagoon. Lots of ducks on the grass. There was a fun crowd, singing karaoke. The views are great if you get a table out on the patio, I think I found my new favorite hangout. I almost don't want word to get out so it gets overrun by tourists. Again, this is a very, very friendly place. The Good: just about everything. The staff the customers the view. The Bad: nothing really. But it is a little hard to find so do your homework. Chances I'll be Back: For sure! what a great vibe what a great place

Local dive bar on a nice lake…read more Got Laulai so that's already 5 star haha Even Pastelea and chilli cheese dogs! When you're lucky miso saimin... Can order delivery too! Live music on some days, darts on others, and billiards on, live music on other. Super clean bathroom!

Had a really nice meal and cocktails, excellent and very friendly service from Soleil! Shout out!read more

Timing. I was the only one in there and it took 45 min. To get my Ribeye. I sent it back. Looked…read moreboiled and tasted like propane. Really disappointed. I might comeback... someday

5 stars for mozzarella sticks in a hurry. When the craving kicks in & they can get it out to you in…read more3 min and in a to go box $10 for 12 of them

Margarita Village LLC was totally not what I was expecting. I figured my boyfriend and I would walk…read morein to a Jimmy Buffet feeling type bar, but were instead walked in to a dive bar! Granted, the outside looks a little rough. There's mostly neon signs looking out at you from the dark inside. When you walk in, you'll notice the floors are concrete and that there are pool tables. Walking in, it seemed like the place has seen better days. However, looking at everyone in the bar, they all seemed like someone you could easily strike up a conversation with. My boyfriend and I were mostly looking forward to trying a margarita. We both ended up with a POG margarita. If you're unfamiliar with what POG juice is, it is Pineapple, Orange, and Guava juices mixed together. While the margarita was very strong, overall it was a delicious drink! We even got to try Lihing mui powder. If you go, look it up and ask for a glass rimmed with it! There is no air conditioning within the bar but we'd been there after sunset and didn't really feel hot. The bartender Kya? Kia? was so wonderful! After checking out the reviews, I did see some negative Nancy's on the platform talking about how this felt like a 'locals only' place. When I walked in, I made sure to strike up conversation with Kya and asked how her day was. Everyone on the island realizes you are probably vacationing. I was treated so wonderfully and Kya even gave me a recommendation for a hike in the national park. Be so kind to people and you will always make a friend! If dive bars are your thing, definitely check out Margarita Village! The margs are plenty!

We enjoyed an evening eating and drinking outside listening to a live band. Older crowd, great…read moremusic, had to be careful as it was pouring rain and the tarps didn't all cover the eating area. Large selection of beers, including a very nicely priced beer tower. Equally wide selection of foods, their moco loco was great. The real highlight was the attentive service. Our server went above and beyond to ensure we wanted for nothing. She was wonderful.

Came here on a night where they had live Hawaiian music. The speakers were super loud, but the…read moremusic was fantastic. It took a while for the waitress to take our orders. One waitress said that she was going to come back and then didn't return for over 15 minutes plus. My friend got the Loco Loco over tater tots, which was very filling and delicious. I got the ribs. Initially the only rib that was hot was the end piece and as soon as I cut it, the remainder was ice cold. I told the waitress who took it back to the kitchen, and they reheated it. The ribs overall were tasty, though not the most tender ribs I've ever ever had. I did like the French fries though it was cold after they reheated my ribs.