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    Hilo Burger Joint

    3.7 (1k reviews)
    ModerateBurgers, Pubs, American
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Hilo Burger Joint Photos

    Business Info

    HILO BURGER JOINT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Live music
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Hilo Burger Joint

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    Yum
    Kat B.

    We came over to Hilo after a day of hiking around the volcano park. By the time we got here, we were 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!

    Billy J.

    Wow, yet again another surprise! We were just hunting for someplace to eat, and found this on yelp. It's just a little bit on the divey side, but not bad! We were very comfortable here! Great service! You'd think $27 for a hamburger is a bit high, except when It comes with two 6 ounce patties of hamburger, bacon, fried onions as well as peppers and mushrooms. Additionally, it came with a side of edamame, which was out of this world! Highly recommend, will definitely come back for over this way again!

    Green chile burger
    Emily H.

    Awesome burger variety and everything was delicious! Our server was so kind and attentive, especially helpful as our group had lots of questions due to some dietary limitations. We came in 20min before closing and stayed nearly an hour past, but everyone was very understanding about it and accommodating.

    Turkey burger on the right
    Meridith M.

    We were starving and needed lunch, so we stopped at Hilo Burger Joint. Lucked out with street parking right in front of the restaurant, which was convenient. If it wasn't for that, I'm not sure where you park to eat here. The inside has an old-fashioned pub feel, and there's additional outdoor seating available. We chose to sit inside since Hilo's weather is hit or miss with rain. One minor issue: the tables are a bit narrow for the booths, so we had to lean in a bit to comfortably use the table. I ordered the turkey burger, which came with fries. The turkey patty was grilled and hit a nice middle ground - not too dry, though not particularly moist either. What really stood out were the fries: extra crispy and not soggy at all, exactly how I love them. Service was fairly quick, but it might be since we had a really late lunch, and the staff was friendly throughout our visit. A good spot for a casual burger lunch when you're in the area. My coworker also told me they have live band entertainment on some nights, so that's also a bonus if you're into that sort of thing.

    Menu
    Michael S.

    This was a great experience. The guys at the fishing shop recommended us to come here and they were spot on. Nice little spot with a cool looking bar and great beer selection. They were pretty busy but got us sat at the bar and burgers to us in good timing. The flavor was awesome! Thanks for the hospitality!

    Chee hoo cocktail and beer 5/2025
    Sabrina S.

    This was our burger fix after hikin' Volcanoes National Park. Small tight parking lot in back, but noticed an outdoor patio area and large indoor eating area with bar. Think super casual. We had a nice table near the front window facing the Main Street. Ordered some drinks Chee Hoo (coconut rum, lychee, lilikoi, and lemonade) sounded sooo yummy and it was pretty, but was kinda underwhelming. The tropical flavors didn't quite shine like I thought it would. Beer was ok California burger- excellent! Burger was juicy, produce was fresh, bacon and avocado were on point, and appreciated the tomato aioli. I opted for the salad instead of fries and their house made lilikoi vinaigrette was quite nice. I had asked our server for more dressing, but somehow it had got forgotten and she apologized. Southern BBQ burger- good. The only thing not quite right was onion ring. It was huge, but inside contained a sliver of onion, almost like outside of an onion, and was inedible. Burger was nice and juicy though.

    Raymond J.

    A bar that called burger joint . Decent burger and fries. What made this place a good experience was the bar tender/ waitress. Super friendly and a pleasure to chat with. Some locals hang here. I'd come back and try something different

    I got Wagyu with fries and ranch. My friend got cordon Bleu, her mom got teriyaki salad, do not recall what dad got.
    Brandy C.

    Was pretty good overall. We had to wait about 45 min for our food despite being sat right away. The music inside was cute. I got a Wagyu burger and I think the chef is anti well-done so he burnt my burger to hell and back, and it was quite disgusting. They also forgot ingredients in my friends mom's salad. I would try this place again but omg the chef is a bit rude. The servers were amazing and the ranch + fries were good. Just please don't be vindictive when someone wants cooked meat. I've had Wagyu at hundreds of places in various states and countries and this was hands down the nastiest due to improper cooking.

    Ube mousse.
    Kealohanui A.

    Swiss burger was ono. Spouse got lava burger with jalapeños and bacon. Had to try the ube mousse - heard they just started serving this. Live music w Joel and friendly staff.

    Grilled cheese
    Sanna A.

    I was just super hungry after a long day of hiking and site seeing. This grilled cheese really hit the spot for me so, I am rating this place 5/5 Fries were so crispy and the sandwich just tasted so good. I know it's very basic, but sometimes that's all you need. Place is semi spacious, service was good. 4/5 overall appearance.

    There's a jack a lope!!!

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    26 days ago

    Great selection of burgers ! Anything you could want in between two buns. Staff were humble and made the place cozy.

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    1 month ago

    Phenomenal find! Outstanding food, service, and ambiance. The menu is gigantic and the kitchen was quick. Six stars out of five

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    5 months ago

    Came with family and had a great time! The burgers were excellent and Erika our server was amazing! Thank you for the wonderful experience.

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    Hilo Burger Joint Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Hilo Burger Joint

    Hello guys -- someone mentioned that you have some sort of birthday special -- please explain it to me-- how do I get it --?

    Just walk in and mention it to the host or server. It is good grinds there!

    Are there any gluten-free items? Are the fries cooked in a dedicated fryer? Anything else you can share about gluten-free info? Thank you :-)

    I grew up way before the gluten thing.. Re. the fries, mine weren't hot.

    View All 3 Questions

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    Hilo Town Tavern

    Hilo Town Tavern

    4.0
    (345 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    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.

    After spending some time at Lyman Museum, we desired lunch and a Yelp search led us to Hilo Town…read moreTavern. Walking through the entrance we were greeted by a server who also doubled as a bartender. We proceeded to order the following: Mai Tai's, Jamaican Jerk seasoned chicken tenders (wife) and the Lava burger (me)...both orders with the hand cut tavern fries. Since the restaurant was fairly empty, our orders came out fairly quickly. Both of our orders arrived hot and were very flavorful. As we enjoyed our meals and sipped our deliciously strong Mai Tai's, we enjoyed people watching and eavesdropping on the conversations held by locals. Throughout our visit, the server did a great job of checking in on us. If you're in Hilo and have a yearning for some delicious food and strong drinks, I recommend checking out Hilo Town Tavern. My only regret is that we did not visit during a karaoke night!

    Photos
    Dim lights and brew
    Dim lights and brew
    New owner!
    New owner!
    Hilo Town Tavern

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    The Hidden Nene

    The Hidden Nene

    4.6
    (136 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    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.

    The coastal town of Hilo hides the fantastic speakeasy, The Hidden Nēnē. Head down the stairs by…read morethe green door, and it becomes less hidden, and you can see the sign for the basement level bar. The underground space is low green lighting, a long bar, and green velvet bar chairs. We went during the day, so they were not busy, and were able to sit at the bar. The service was quick, relaxed, and friendly. The cocktails are upscale priced, but well made. They do offer a full food menu, we did not order any food on our visit.

    Photos
    A full bar
    A full bar
    Mai thai
    Mai thai
    Spam Dram and Advice

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    Spam Dram and Advice

    Hilo Burger Joint - burgers - Updated July 2026

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