This local restaurant is amazing! Right in Honokaa town, right before the majestic Waipio valley!…read moreHusband and wife, Marlene and Archie, run the restaurant. This restaurant has been passed down through the family for decades! Food was excellent; Marlene is the cook, Archie the host. Everything is homemade and fresh. They give a new meaning to "farm to table" cooking! We had the fresh Portuguese bean and sausage soup -excellent. Chicken salad with pesto and bean salad- wonderful! We also ordered for takeout house made beef stew and their mushroom chicken special of the day. Highly recommend this restaurant. It has rich history and tradition. Will be back...

The people that own this joint are amazing. Beautiful hearts and delicious food made from scratch…read more In a small town on the north shore of The big island. A change of pace and a true feeling of Aloha! Mahalo for everything. You will be treated like family

Service was friendly and welcoming, came for the fudge and coffee, both were delicious! However the…read moreMac nut bear claw pastry was the BEST thing I've eaten on the island, BEST pastry I've ever tasted! Cute little down home coffee shop, with tons of options for ice cream, fudge, shaved ice and coffee!

First of all, although Yelp has separate listings, this is the same business as Hamakua Fudge Shop…read more I stopped in based on the generally enthusiastic reviews about the fudge, both here and on other sites. Though it hadn't been my original plan, I ended up getting lunch here, since most other nearby restaurants were closed. This involved a bit of a wait, as when I first arrived the high school kid at the counter said he couldn't make sandwiches, but the owner would likely be in soon -- though he also said she was inconsistent and he couldn't say for sure when. Happily, she was there when I stopped back half an hour later, having confirmed that the only other available lunch options were a food truck whose fare didn't much fit my mood or takeout from the local market. I ordered a turkey sandwich on whole wheat and iced coffee. The coffee was good. The sandwich was barely okay. It was billed as coming with cranberry mayonnaise, and while the mayo had a bit of sweetness, cranberry flavor was not readily apparent. The turkey was weirdly dry and crumbly and the bread was beginning to get stale. All it all it was edible, but that's about it. It came with a small banana, which was a nicer and healthier touch than the chips or pickles you so often get with sandwiches. As I sat there eating, I noticed a sign on the bulletin board, apparently left over from the days when Hawaii had a COVID-19 mask mandate for indoor establishments. The sign used fake language from HIPAA (misspelled as HIPPA -- a dead giveaway) to say, essentially, that they'd just pretend anyone not wearing a mask had a medical reason to not wear one and ignore the public health rule. Why they felt compelled to announce they don't give a bleep about public health a year after any such mandates ended I can't say, but I'm suffering debilitating "Long COVID" symptoms because of the recklessness of idiots like this. So I didn't buy any fudge, tempting as it looked, and instead satisfied my sweet tooth at another business.

Amazing food and service! We tried the Hawaiian plate, smoked pork plate, fish plate and Korean…read morefried chicken! Everything that we ordered was absolutely delicious! Love this place and highly recommended it! Freshly made authentic Hawaiian food! Plenty of parking and relaxing scenery!

The Hawaiian Plate was spot on, from the taro wrapped lau-lau, chicken long rice, fresh Lomi…read moresalmon, fish tempura, Mac salad & rice on their own beds of lettuce and sliced cabbage!!! Husband had the seafood and vegetable tempura! Huge amount of protein! Ate leftovers for dinner. We topped off the meal with the banana lumpia! Service was fast, served fresh and hot! The shaded outdoor picnic tables were spotless just like their food truck! Would go back any day except we live on Kauai! Jolene and Earl Lanning you Da Best! Aloha-Val & David , Omao

Excellent experience. The food is freshly made while you…read moreenjoy great conversations by the husband and wife that give Aloha. We have been there more than once and send guests to meet them.

Love the couple that runs it. The food is always spectacular. I usually get a homestyle plate. The…read moreconversations are always elevated as the owners are local encyclopedias! I'm Portuguese and my father grew up in Hawaii. Just like Grandma used to make as they say. Oh and the prices are more than fair. Every dish I've tried has been fabulous.

My standard for excellent malasadas is Leonard's in Oahu, and I've been trying out malasadas all…read moreover Hawai'i Island and have been disappointed each time. Most just taste like a regular donut you can get anywhere, but not at Pono Pastries! What a gem! First off, the service was friendly and superb, and you can tell they care about their products and your experience. After ordering, I asked the server what her favorite malasada combo is, and she surprised us with her favorite on the house: a guava malasada with guava filling. She was so right on! Delicious! The ube malasada with ube cream tastes just like ube (it's quite annoying when an ube food doesn't taste like it!). The regular malasada with haupia cream was safe but delightful. The dough consistency is just right. Nothing like Leonard's, but in a league of their own, especially how the malasadas are still great to eat the next day. Malasadas from other places tend to be greasy, so eating them later tends to be unsavory. Pono malasadas aren't greasy and tastes just like they did when we ate them for breakfast the next day. I also appreciate how the server packaged everything with care. Overall, the experience and food made me forget I was at a depressing mall food court. I plan to return to this depressing place to experience the joy of Pono Pastries malasadas. Finally, my search for great malasadas on Big Island is over. What a treat!

Located at the food court at Queens Marketplace…read more Don't let the display fool you. The filled malasadas are in the kitchen. There's a few in the display case like Ube, plain, churro, etc. We had ours the following day. Happy to say still very good and plenty of filling. I got lilikoi and daughter got strawberry. Hubby got a cinnamon bun. Park in the back of the Marketplace and enter into the food court.

Delicious soft serve and ice cream. Kids loved it, as did the grownups! Friendly staff also, which…read moreis always a plus.

Stopped by the Waikoloa location for a quick snack after a long day at the pool. First impression…read morewalking in was really good -- the place is clean, modern, and has a nice family-friendly vibe. Good music playing, plenty of seating, and overall a relaxing atmosphere. I ordered the Blue Hawaiian/Strawberry Swirl, a root beer float, and mint chocolate chip loaded with candy toppings. Everything tasted really good and the ice cream itself was super flavorful. My only small complaint is the extra charge for each topping. Paying $0.50 per topping can add up pretty quickly. A couple other minor things: the lights kept turning off because of the motion sensors, and the young lady at the counter didn't seem very enthusiastic about helping explain the ordering process after we mentioned it was our first time there. The interaction felt a little rushed. That said, the ice cream was definitely good enough for me to come back again while I'm on the island for the next few days. Overall, still a solid spot to check out. Aloha!

Discovered a great shave ice place in the Queens Marketplace in Waikoloa…read more Friendly service, original and delicious concoctions and tasty syrups. Served in a cool shape so you can really enjoy the distinct flavors. Other places serve in a cup or cone and all the syrups mix and become a brown mess. Try this place, you won't be disappointed!

Really good and delicious shave ice! We were craving some ice because why not when you're in Hawaii…read moreand this place was super close to where we were staying and we checked it out. Staff very friendly and knowledgeable! Because I am dairy free I was so happy to see that they had a coconut milk option instead of condensed milk and I was really excited! Please be warned that the sizes are huge and so I got the kids size and that still was plenty! Prices are what you would expect in this area. $9 for regular and $7.50 for kids. I got the rainbow and it was so good and yummy. There's no seating inside, but there's a lot of seating outside. Cute ambience inside We are for sure coming back here again before our trip ends!

Great shaved ice truck! We had lilikoi Mango and Guava and it was so refreshing and delicious…read more It's $5 a cone and well textured and flavored. Great customer service as well

Delicious flavor choices! Lots to choose from, but also not so many that it makes you hold up the…read moreline. Portion size is perfect; up to 3 flavors on a standard size shaved ice cone (not one of those monstrosities that makes your stomach hurt afterward). One thing I love about Hawaii is it's like a Where's Waldo of food trucks/stands. I'm so happy we saw this on the side of the road. If you see it yourself, check them out!!!