Food is really good, service very nice too . Place is very clean . High recommend for this place

Great food, super friendly, and amazing prices. Definitely worth checking out. A real gem in Hilo.

My first trip to big island in about 10 years. Right off the plane my boyfriend was adamant that we go Hilo lunch shop for breakfast. The nori chicken seems to be the best seller so I had to try it along with the yakitori chicken, vegetable tempura, and hash patties. The food was ono and we ate breakfast on the bay front down the road. Breakfast with a view....yes please! Check them out!! read more

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Local style okazuya. Take out only. Always a line but it moves fairly fast. Staff is always friendly. Food is always very good. Lots of choices but my favorites are the tempura ono, nori chicken, spam musubi and cone sushi. Almost every time I come to Hilo this is one of my favorite stops. read more

September 2,2022 - Saturday Did a weekend trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. We stayed on Hilo side and the goal was to find an Izakaya location since we would be on the go & this was a perfect place that we decided on. If you're looking to get grab & go's this is great spot for YOU! Pricing is definitely great I guess coming from Oahu you would expect everything to be expensive but this location shocked us in a great way. Payments can be made using CC or cash. With the amount of items we decided on you would think it'd come out to about $50 at least BUT it was only around $27 for our total. Tip: Get in early because honestly the line can get long but the wait is so worth it. I would like to say we waited for about 30mins before it was our turn to pick. OUR ORDER: Chicken w/Nori Rice Musubi Vegetable Tempura Tempura Shrimp Tempura Fish Spam Eggs Tater sauce Everything hit the spot for sure & it was nice for a beach day + food. We decided to stop at a beach near by which was near the airport area. Such a beautiful spot to enjoy our delicious breakfast items. I would recommend this place to anyone who visits Hilo because it's that good. read more

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Such a great find! Stumbled upon this gem on Yelp when looking for a place to get coffee! Hilo Lunch Shop will definitely be one of my go to spots when ever I'm on the Big Island. The workers were very friendly and takes pride of their food. The worker who helped me even let me take a snap shot of my order before packing it up. Hilo Lunch Shop offers a variety of delicious ala carte local foods. I ordered musubis, mochiko chicken wrapped with nori, shrimp tempura, vegetable tempura and a few fish cakes. The food I ordered were soo good. This mom and pop shop gave me homemade food vibes of when my mom use to make me musubis and fried chicken for lunch. Other items on their menu were a bunch of different types of fried chicken and tempura items, sushi and tofu patties to name a few. I'm sure I could've ordered everything they got to offer, but I had to stop my self cause it can add up! Perfect for on the go, will definitely be heading here again before venturing on long drives on the Big Island. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Musubi, Shrimp Tempura, etc. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Hilo lunch shop looks like it's busy with lots of locals. The parking lot is tight to get into so please be patient. My assorted okaZuya was very affordable. What you see in that box was 13.50 all together but I found the proteins were either overdone, greasy or lacking flavor. This was especially true of the nori chicken. The spam misubi had no flavor- there was no attempt to do anything with the rice and the spam was just plain. Nice folks but would go elsewhere. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Nori chicken, spam Misubi, vegetable tempura, shrimp tempura, ube tempura - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Good cheap food with a gigantic menu if you know what to order. As a tourist who does not know what to order though, half of the items we got on the menu were way too salty. The other half were pretty good though which puts this review in an awkward spot. The shop also ran out of rice by the time we got there around 10, a couple of hours before closing which is also really strange to me. Might just be a Japanese lunch shop thing where you really need to get there early but not really understanding why they don't just make more since there was still a long line of customers there. The good stuff combined with the price was enough for me to still like it despite these flaws, but you probably need to go here multiple times to really enjoy it and find the items you like. Highlights - tofu salad, Kalua pork, long rice, nishime, Mac salad Too salty - roasted pork (so salty that we didn't touch it after one bite), green bean salad, bean sprout salad read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

A hilo iconic lunch spot but I would recommend getting there before 1130 otherwise you run the risk of standing in a long line and/or items are wiped out. My go to is cone sushi, spam musubi, nori chicken, Korean chicken, nishime and Mac salad. Ono food at a reasonable price which is hard to find these days. read more

Small mom & pop local shop. Yummy snacks :) so unique too - I don't think I've ever seen stores that sell treats like this! CASH ONLY. Tried a bunch of items here (prices ranging from .90 to $2). My favorites are the purple sweet potato tempura, Ono tempura, and the fish cake. Some things were pretty oily but mmmmm grease I love it!! It's nice that the prices are still humble even given the tourist traffic they get on the daily. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Tried a bunch of things (items ranging from .95 to $2) - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

If you want to get some quick picnic food, this is the place to go. There is a park right down the road with a good view and plenty of picnic benches and parking. We enjoyed our spam masubi and nori chicken. If you come earlier in the day, you will have more options. We came in 1 hour before closing time, and they were out of poke and several other spots. I did feel rushed by the staff and the customer behind us in line. I felt like we didn't get the chance to carefully look at the menu or the food trays. Oh well. read more

For the food itself, I would probably give this a 3-4 star rating. Flavors aren't always on point. There are better places like this in Hilo. For service, I would give a 0. We were being rushed through the line even though we couldn't physically move due to their COVID rules (customers were kind of clumping together in the line). It felt very rushed even though the staff was not very efficient at what they were doing. The lady helping us kept impatiently asking if we were finished (even though we couldn't see most of the food to select from, because we were stuck in the line). She kept rolling her eyes at us, even though we were trying to keep our questions to a minimum, such as "Which one is Nori Chicken?" This totally ruined our mood for the morning. Needless to say, we were relieved to get out of the store. The line was very long, just to get in the store (45 mins). This ended up being more of a headache. Again, there are better options in Hilo. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Line (~45 mins) - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Been here twice since moving to Hilo. I miss the foods on Oahu but this is close enough. The shop has lots of selections and they take American Express and that's a plus for me. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Go early since they always run out early! I really like the sushi, inari, and fish cake. Everything else was a bit too heavy and oily for me, but if you like fried food for super affordable prices, definitely try Hilo Lunch Shop out! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

As good as it gets! First and foremost I suggest you place a phone order because 1) they will more than likely run out of food, 2) you will save time waiting in the constant long lines and 3) you will be able to at the food sooner than later. It's been 6 years since my first review. It's time and HLS is deserving of an update. On that note: 1- lines and wait time still the same if not longer, depending on the time you decide to stop at HLS 2- menu same with a few (maybe 3-6) more items. The have consignment items, like boiled peanuts and smoked aku 3- new Eco bags on the walls available for purchase 4- employees STILL same from 5-6 years ago 5- and the best??? prices still the same from 5-6 years past My order (nope, not a phone order so I had my 15 minutes wait in line) was my usual fishcake tempura ($1.40 each, $.10 more than 5 years ago), cone sushi, and Oh Oh NO MAC SALAD!!! (Wait! It's only 9:30 in the morn..WTH?) and Nori Maki... One upshot on the line and wait is you make new friends and run into old friends .... #HiloOhana #localgrinds #oldiesaregoodies 93/100 Yelp Review Challenge Los Angeles read more

LOVE THEIR SPAM MUSUBI. Favorite place in town to grab. So perfect! Also got a selection of other stuff for my buds, but really focused on the musubi. They had some chicken and other things, but the musubi stole the show. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop is worth being a morning person for! They are open from 5:30 am - 1 pm, it is a great take out spot for any time of day. Their menu is extensive and covers a whole lot of okazu favorites for a low price. I wish I got to try everything but of the items I did try, I especially enjoyed the following: -Nori Chicken : I love that it is boneless and crispy. I think this was one of the most popular items to get and now I understand why! -Sweet potato tempura : this item is fried in a doughy batter and I liked that they used purple potato - Cone Sushi : The seasoning on this rice is delicious! The fact that the rice is wrapped by a tofu skin makes it even better! The rice has some orange bits that is a mystery to what it is but tastes delicious -Fish cake : it was a huge thick piece of fish cake (ground fish paste) that is deep-fried, what's not to like Hilo Lunch Shop is a great spot to get a cheap and delicious meal for breakfast, lunch, a picnic, a hike, and everything in between! read more

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Best okazu-ya in Hilo ! Their nori chicken and cone sushi is amazing. Only got sick once. Pretty good odds, actually! Regards Beau Toichi read more

Hilo Lunch Shop was the first okazuya we went to this morning. It took us about an hour from entering the line to leaving with the food. The man who helped us was really good, but I noticed in general that the workers face their backs to the customers--although I'm sure they were busy, it felt a little like they weren't helping customers as much as maybe they could have. Come early, and budget about an hour. That being said, the food was fantastic, for the most part. The fried food was a bit greasy though, so I think I prefer the competitor's fried tempura products (see my other reviews). That being said, the sushi was on point, and so was the corned beef hash. The maki sushi was just as it was supposed to be, and it wasn't sweet like their competitor's--it was more vinegary, which is what I'm used to. The cone sushi was juicy and not as sweet as their competitors. I had higher expectations for the tempura, but the nori chicken did not disappoint! All in all, it worked out well. And the prices both here and at their competitor could not be beat when compared to Oahu okazuya prices! read more

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Food... how's it!? If you're here, you are; better know what you're ordering BEFORE you line up/ called upon. Service is great. Keep in mind the volume they serve, the variety and the indecisive customers they fave in hundreds each day along with time they start errday. If you're there at 11, they've been there for 7-8 hours already. Be patient but get your order straight ASAP, before you order, bc they run out fast like. Ambiance is like a donut shop but in a good way - what your choosing fr was made that day. Get 'em while they last!! Prices de good too. Heavy Okayuza/ finger/ fresh foods. Warabi Salad is read more

Amazing food. No place to sit and eat but food is cheap and delicious. Only open a few hours a day. They sell out

This place is amazing. I'd recommend this to anybody who is looking for an affordable lunch. Everyone in there was so friendly and so quick to attend to my order. I will be visiting this place every time I go to Hilo. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - The Entrance - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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They make the BEST fish cake and warabi salad! Love all the flavors of everything I've ordered.

My friends and I stopped by for lunch to try out this cute little local okazuya store. I've seen this place on Yelp but never really got the chance to check it out until now. It's located across of Aunt Sally Kaleohano's Luau Hale and next to the Sports Line store in a little plaza with ample parking. Like all other okazuya stores, they're only opened for breakfast and lunch. I got their kalua pig, a Korean chicken, an egg omelet, two fried shrimp, deep fried sweet potato, and a corned beef hash bite. I was kind of bummed that they didn't have any noodle choices (aside from the chicken long rice, which had a strange sweetness). Their kalua pig, Korean chicken, corned beef hash bite were really good. The kalua pig was plentiful and was very flavorful (even with the missing smokiness). The Korean chicken was crisp with a nice, sweetish flavor. The corned beef hash bite was unique. I thought it was a hashed brown at first but there were bits of meat in it. Small thing was soooo good that me and my friend wished we got more of it. The fried shrimp was the most expensive thing ($1.50 per piece) in my little bento, and the price was definitely not worth it at all. The shrimp was barely there (normal but I thought it would be a little bigger) covered in a ton of batter. I wished I got another one of their corned beef hash bite (a LOT cheaper) in place of one of the shrimps. The egg omelet was so-so. It contained vegetables and some type of meat (I think ham) with minimum flavor. The deep fried sweet potato made me ??? the entire time as I continued eating it. It was literally a chunk of sweet potato in the middle, wrapped in an andagi (deep fried Japanese donut). I thought it would be a smashed filling rather than a chunk of sweet potato. Given our first time, I thought we decided on some good choices. But it was a hit or miss for me on the choices I got. You should know what you want prior to going in just so you don't hold up the line when it gets busy. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Okazuya style food stop! First timer here! Everything I chose was yummy! Tried something different. It was an eggplant/spam tempura. It was interesting but don't knock it til you try it! However the spam musubi didn't taste like a spam musubi. It tasted like luncheon meat instead of spam :( but this is a spot to check out when in Hilo! Right around the corner from where the hold merrie monarch hula competition read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Store front - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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First time here at Hilo Lunch Shop, will definitely come back next time in the Big Island! Cozy cafeteria style Okazuya Mom & Pops store, limited seating of 1-3 tables. Service line was fast, while waiting you're able to see all the different variety of food options. Grabbed a regular plate consisting of 2x Musubi's, 2x Sumo Chicken (Tempura fried chicken wrapped with seaweed belt), 2x Shrimp tempura, 2x Shoyu hotdog, 1x Fried saimin, 1x Kimchee cucumbers, 1x Warabi (Fern) salad w/tomatoes and onions "really delicious", and 2x White Monstahs! Next time will have to try the other selections of Potato salad, Pickled Ogo, Lau Lau, fried vegetable tempura, eggplant Torta, fried chicken, fried luncheon meat/Spam, and Meat Jun. Ample free parking, cash or credit accepted, and no cash app payments. read more

Always something on the line that will sate my hunger (my ono) for local style foods!

Long time local okazu lunch shop with a variety of food stuff at affordable prices. Nori chicken and ono, and laulau are my favorites. Early morning pocho breakfast w/ a side hash patty is also my go. The reviews from mainland haoles commenting that this okazuya is junk makes me laugh. Insert eye roll. When you never had okazu in your life, then want to comment negatively on it...as we say in Hawaii...beat it! Nobody cares about what you think here. read more

The classic local style delicatessen with lots to choose from. Their nori chicken is da bomb! You also gotta try their warabi salad...so ono. Get there early to have more to choose from. You'll get fast efficient service from the old- timers. read more

Da Best Okazuya!!! Definitely gotta get there when you go to Hilo! The best Nori Chicken hands down too.

My grandsons loved the spam musubi, I should've gotten more. We also tried the mini lau lau, it was not so great, but the eggplant tempura with spam was amazing. 5 stars for that. Staff was very friendly, just like ohana. Will definitely go back when visiting Hilo. If you have a pot luck, you definitely have to stop here and order some grinds. They will not be disappointed. read more

I had to come back and update this review, because of all the places in Hilo, Hilo Lunch Shop has become my go-to, favorite spot to pick up lunch (and we always get enough to have leftovers for dinner!) I'm a huge fan of okazuya dining. My favorite place on Oahu was Tanioka's, and when we moved to Big Island I couldn't find a place that compared until I found Hilo Lunch Shop. Service is fast and friendly, with plenty aloha, and the food is so good! Favorites are the Korean chicken, egg maki, fish cake, tempura ono and warabi salad. But honestly, we haven't tried anything that wasn't at least good. I'd say the pork hash was a little bland, but that's the harshest criticism I can really come up with. And the prices are fantastic. Last time we were there we spent $38 and fed 4 people with plenty leftovers. So take the time waiting in line. You won't regret it. read more

All the dishes at Hilo Lunch Shop are delicious. Go early to get your favorites! The workers are so friendly and helpful. If you want authentic and tasty Okazuya go to Hilo Lunch Shop! read more

I go back and forth between Kawamoto and here--some things i like better here and vice versa. But I like HIlo Lunch shop choice of vegetable side dishes in the cold section! Overall very solid and comfort food. And the nicest people. read more

Im not from Hilo and im always a sucker for okazuya. This definitely goes on my top 3, i just made this my "have to stop here" place when i want something from hilo. I like the staff, very friendly :) the prices are reasonable. There was many choices to choose from and it was very tasty. I like how they had a variety of sushi selections, they even had the long rolls. I never had nori chicken which was sooo ono, everything i got was not a disappointment. The shoyu hot dog and shrimp was good too. I wanted to get the large box but that means i would have to share LOL they even had my favorite green tea drink. When i saw the line, i knew the place was a winner! Ohhh there is a lot of parking too. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Front of shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Awesome local place to grab delicious okuzuya items! It's a tiny shop but it's worth the wait.

Best bentos in town!! The owner catered the best Hawaiian plate lunch to my best friends wedding shower. And the food was so ono and solid! Im still dreaming about the kalua pig and lau lau. Yum! -corinne quinajon read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

My new "must stop" when I'm in Hilo! Went in at 9 am to pick up breakfast and well at the rate I was ordering, it ended up my lunch too lol! Had the cone sushi, hot dog musubi, shrimp tempura, shoyu hot dogs, warabe salad, tofu and corned beef patties and was ALL amazing. The staff are all friendly and patient when others were confused on ordering since you can totally go overboard in ordering. read more

The food is great. The portions are good-sized portions. Best to go early for better selections. Towards midday, some of the food runs out such as the shrimp, nori chicken, gobo, and cone sushi just to name a few. The service line is long at times but well worth it. There are a few counter persons that are extremely pleasant but then again there are one or two of them that need to vamp up their attitude and not be so cocky. There is no ambiance there. The place needs to be cleaned. You can see a lot when standing in line. read more

When I visit Fam in Hilo, this is where I go before I I head to the beach. My kids & I love it here. Wasabi is my favorite yummy