A Little Hidden Gem Filled With Aloha…read more Hana Hou Restaurant was honestly the best food experience we had during our entire 8-day trip to the Big Island. We stayed in Waikoloa Village and explored Kona, Hilo, Volcano Park, South Point, the Green Sand Beach, and the Black Sand Beach, so we had plenty of opportunities to try different places. And somehow, this little hidden gem ended up being our favorite. We're from the Los Angeles area and were traveling with my husband and our teenage son, and from the moment we walked in, we felt something different here. The service was genuinely friendly, the employees seemed happy to be there, and there was such a warm aloha spirit throughout the restaurant. That kind of genuine hospitality was missing at some of the other places we visited. Even something as simple as sitting down for a cup of coffee on the morning of Day 5 of our trip felt like a pleasure. The vibe was relaxed, welcoming, and local. You could feel that this was a place connected to the community. And the food was AMAZING. My son ordered the pizza, and it was HUGE -- so big that he had enough left over for the next day. My husband had the chicken, and I ordered the noodles. Everything was delicious. But I have to talk about the papaya. I do not like papaya. At all. I was just craving some fresh fruit, so I asked what they had, and they told me they only had papaya. I figured, okay, I'll try it. It was HANDS DOWN the best papaya I have ever had in my life. I loved it so much that later in the trip, when we stopped at a fruit stand and I bought papaya, I was immediately disappointed because it wasn't even close to the papaya we had at Hana Hou! We've been to Maui and Oahu before, and this was our first trip to the Big Island. If you're traveling around the island, I highly recommend making a stop here. Don't let the fact that it's a little tucked away fool you -- this place is a true hidden gem. We're so grateful we found Hana Hou. The food was wonderful, the people were wonderful, and most importantly, we felt the aloha spirit here in a way that really stayed with us. Mahalo, Hana Hou, for being one of the highlights of our trip!

Service was good and food was even better. It's a hole in the wall find with a variety of food. The…read morebeef and fish are local. We had the catch of the day which was ginger scallion ahi tuna, Mac salad and dill slaw. All wonderful and fresh! My husband has the blacked ahi tuna sandwich and it was fresh as well. This place was a wonderful find after a full day of driving and hiking to Green Sand Beach and playing at Black Sands.

Side of the road. In the mountains. Awesome staff. Just watch out for people having driving issues…read morein the parking lot. This is another one of my YELP Bucket List places. 2 down 348 to go. We were heading to Captain Cook and then Volcano Village. On the way to a place to eat that after arrival, didn't look as good as we had hoped but I did notice a sign for Lau Lau. After pulling in and getting out of the car, the smell of home hits you. The whole place, inside and out isn't touristy at all but dang do they know where good food is. There are benches to sit on outside but not really outside seating. Although for this food I would eat next to the road with traffic driving by. I wouldn't care as long as the food was available. There are 2 big live edg tables inside. You have to sit like family. We met a couple from Utah. My Wife had the pork and cabbage. I chose the Lau Lau with 2 sides of Mac salad. The Auntie that brought out our food was exactly like my Auntie, just smaller. She was sweet to let me know about my food. She asked if I had it before. I said yes and she welcomed me back. Everything was amazing. I may have had a tear in my eye when I smelled my food. I immediately thought of my Grandma White. She was a great cook. We are already planning on coming back. The bill was 35.00. I bought a Poke plate a couple days ago that was 50 bucks so this was a great deal. We tipped $15.00 on 35. They tried to say it was too much and take some drinks to go. We said no, it was worth it.

Excellent food, excellent experience!!…read more Super friendly service with a smile! Food was perfect probably the best kalua pig I ever ate! Laulau was unbelievably tasty and tender! Go here or you will regret it!!

Had my favorite Volcano Burger and it never disappoints. With a side of their delectable and…read moreunique tasting macaroni salad that could almost be placed in the burger at your discretion. Mighty tasty, mighty good. Flavor is powering, rich in spice and heat. May require some facial adjustment, as first introduction can feel intense. Pepsi in a bottle as Dr. Pepper was unavailable. A satisfying and welcoming revisit. Thank you : )

We ordered Fish Tacos (Ahi) side of fries and BBQ Burger with Bacon, side of Onion Rings…read more Fish was great way too much cheese though. Burger Patty was good but the bun was soggy Onion rings and fries were awesome.

Fresh fruits are served with your meal. I have ordered pancakes and their homemade tropical syrups…read moreare so delicious! Highly recommend

I'm not even exaggerating when I say this was one of the best things I've ever eaten. They filled…read moremy foodie heart with joy. The ambience was so cute as well. This woman with the coolest dreads I've ever seen was singing. There was art all over the walls. And my server (David) was so so sweet and joyous. This is my fav restaurant in Hawaii and I def recommend checking them out!! They also have a farm tour so I will definitely be back to check that out next time. :)

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

Great choices at great prices. The service is pretty good too. When very busy it can be a bit of…read moretime but well worth the wait.

This time we had crab cake, garlic mac and cheese, and cheeseburger. Last time we were here, we had…read morethe portobello mushroom burger and Korean chicken. Everything was deliciously flavorful. They have a cute little corner shop. The yellow makes it look cheerful and there's a bunch of inspirational quotes on the wall that you can read while you're waiting. I would recommend putting in a phone order. There is a small parking lot that fits around five cars. Service is fast and friendly. Whenever in Hilo, I always wanna go here.

This is on the zip line near there. I wanted to make this my profile picture…read moreI don't know why it's making me do this . Zip line was fun

Excellent and affordable brunch place in central part of Kona!…read moreThe pancakes were homemade and the loco moco was the perfect amount of saltiness and savory. Great service with sauces and other condiments if needed!

Dang what happened?? This place fell OFF. We came for the first time in 2017 and loved it so much…read moreit was our daily breakfast the entire trip! We came back post COVID and it was a little odd but we thought it was temporary due to constraints. But coming today, it's no longer a proper restaurant but now an order window with tables to eat at which would be fine but the food quality has gone completely downhill as well. The burger patty in my moco was TOUGH and spongy. It used to have the texture of a hand formed hamburger patty but now it tastes like it was compressed by a machine. Unfortunately we probably won't be back

We loved this spot so much we went twice during our vacation in Hawaii! Thankfully it was very near…read moreto our Airbnb! Delicious food with great vibes!

Food was really good and the service was even better…read more Everything we had from calamari to the fish fry was enjoyable. The drinks were as expected but the covered outdoor seating and fresh air vibes were great! Definitely recommend

BOMB We all got some…read morecombination of shrimp, short rib, and furikake chicken, which were incredible! The short rib was soooo tender, the shrimp was plump, and the chicken had the perfect fry on it. We loved the sauces that came with it, as well. The sides we got ranged from white rice, kimchi fried rice (fave!!), pickled cucumber, corn, and Mac salad. Place was packed but service was so quick! Tiny place but people were friendly and let you share tables.

Kailah, the cashier, was super helpful when ordering. Definitely knows how to mix and match what I…read morewanted to order. I got to Garlic Furikake Chicken (mini size plate) with a free side of Kimchee Cucumbers and Pork Belly Adobo Fries. The Garlic Furikake Chicken was super delicious! I'm so glad I got the sauce on the side, if I had it on, it'll be too much. The furikake really is so good with the chicken. The Pork Belly Adobo Fries is good but a bit too salty for me. The Pork Belly Adobo was the one that is really salty to me. The fries were really good and is crispy and soft on the inside. I'm glad I didn't order a whole order for that. Definitely need rice or something to balance the flavor of it. Plenty of indoor seating. Plenty of free parking. Water is tap water if you bring your own bottle.