Whenever I go home to visit, I make sure to stop at Hilo Lunch Shop for some "grinds"! You can order plate lunches, or choose to pick an item or two and put it in a box. EVERYTHING here is delicious! It was my gf's first time to the island and to HLS so I decided to grab a few of my faves to have on the drive to Kona. Nori Chicken - perfectly cooked, the meat was juicy an moist, the sauce it is cooked in wasn't overpowering and wrapped a piece of nori seaweed; Cone Sushi-this is a must have for me, a favorite as a kid which I have now witnessed it is also my sons favorite lol, sweet rice with a little shredded carrot wrapped in fried tofu is a perfect way to eat rice on the go; some other faves were the Sweet Potato, Spam Musubi, Red Hot Dogs (only in Hawaii), Korean Chicken, Deep Fried Prawns, etc. Like I said, there isn't anything you will pick that is NOT delicious and you will return to get more while you're there. Go check them out, grab a box and mix it up and head to the beach and enjoy! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Oh my word! This is THE spot, team. I am upset that I only got to go once during my vacation. They serve all the unhealthy but delicious Hawaiian/Japanese classics. I wish I could go back for more fried chicken and Musubi! The fried tarp was also SO yummy and I regret only getting one. They open early and I would highly recommend going early to try everything because they will sell out! read more

We got a little bit of everything & it was so delicious! The employees were all so friendly and welcoming and answered any questions we had about the food. The musubis are a good price for the size. I would definitely come back again next time I come to Hilo! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Upon recommendation from my Hilo family, I stopped here for takeaway lunch around noon on a Saturday gorgeous day. The wait was minimal (around 13 mins) as the line was short. We bought their fried chicken and fern salad as our main recommendation. The fried chicken was absolutely crunchy and delicious because the crispy skin was cooked with herbs in frying oil. Wow, what a taste! The fern salad tangy, crunchy and full of flavor (a local favorite in Hilo). If you come late, you will miss their popular items like their sushi, fish...but you got to know what to order when it's your turn or it becomes the notorious soup nazi scenario from the Seinfeld episode. read more

Must go in the early mornings... I love this small cute shop! The vegetable tempura was kind of hard but maybe because they make it in the early morning. Our flight arrived at 940 and it was our first stop! The line was long but they move really quickly! The people were so amazing and patient with us as it was our first time! I definitely will recommend the warabi fern salad! read more

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Must stop every time I'm in Hilo. Was meeting a friend for lunch so decided to make a small okazu box for myself for breakfast. Musubi, maki, cone, meat Jun, nori chkn, and veggie tempura later and I was up to my hills in delicious okazuya bliss. I shoulda got warabi but my plate was heaped already. Credit card machine was down but that whole plate only set me back $8. Definitely worth the cash money. Had a guy order like a cake box worth of stuff before they told him it was down and he said no worry I gonna go cash machine right now! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Meat Jun, softball sized veggie tempura, nori chicken, musubi, cone sushi, w maki hiding under the pile. $8 plate for breakfast. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Excellent food, service is good. However they aren't as friendly. But still a local favorite.

One of my favorite Hilo spots! The Nori Chicken and the tempura ono are my top choices when visiting this place. Perfect place to stop and grab food before heading to the beach or a picnic. Prices are reasonable for an Okazuya shop. Definitely my go-to when in Hilo. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The best breakfast place in HILO. We ordered chicken nori, fried fish, cone sushi (sweet tofu and rice ) , fish cake, and spam musubi. Out of five, chicken nori is the best. Everything was delicious. Will come back again to try other things when we visit HILO again! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Chicken nori, fish cake , sushi cone, fish and spam musubi - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This review is solely for the Wasabi Salad. We got there at 12:30pm and practically everything was sold out. But our sole motive was to buy Wasabi Salad which they still had a lot of. I ordered the container that feeds 4 people. But there were only 2 of us and the aunty said, "are you sure you want this one? It feed 4." I am going to be honest, we ate it all. It was so good. The ferns were cooked perfectly. The sauce was great and the tomatoes and onions were tasty. I wished they also used kamaboko and either ebi or ika. But that is okay, it was still very tasty. Next time I will go around 8am to make sure we can try the other grinds they have. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Warabi Salad - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great place to get lunch to go. Economical and delicious. It's definitely a local favorite place. Everything is charged by piece. Love the nori chicken and egg Maki. read more

A popular local breakfast /lunch spot that offers reasonably priced take out bentos and snacks. Their current hours have changed to open at 630am and limits 2-3 customers at a time at the ordering counter. As you walk in you ll see a variety of local favorites such as spam musubi , hush puppies , hot dog , long rice , and their most poplar item nori chicken ! I got the nori chicken , spam musubi , warabi salad (which is a fern cold salad that has a slight slimy texture but oddly in a good way ??) it's just something I grew up with and loved . Might not be for everyone but locals love it. It's a staple at every Filipino party lol . At $4.20 for Portugese sausages rice and eggs plus a small coffee, this place is great for cheap eats :) read more

The food here is ALWAYS on point! Service is great and they move fast as possible while kindly answering customers questions . Be sure to arrive early or you might have a bit of a wait in line - but it's definitely worth it! read more

Hilo lunch shop is a MUST TRY when visiting Hilo. Food is so delicious! Our usual order is Nori Chicken, Sweet potato Spam musubi and Cone sushi when they have. Everything always taste so good and theres so much more on their menu to offer. I suggest getting in there early to avoid the line or just before they close. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Perfect Nori Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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A must when visiting Hilo side! Be sure to get there early since they sell out fast! I've been coming here my whole life and the food is the best you can get! read more

Im from Oahu and this place is similar to Taniokas. There are so many items to choose from at Hilo lunch shop. We went crazy because we wanted to try everything knowing we would only be eating here once. Being the first time I didn't exactly know how to order so I was confused at first but the guy helping was patient and helpful. It was hard to communicate with him because from what I remember I think there is a glass or some sort of see through barrier. The guy did miss one thing that we wanted to get. But I don't blame him because is of loud in there and its hard to hear talking through a mask. Everyone is side was busy and working hard. You can tell that many people come here for food as there was a line from the time got there to the time I left. It is the PERFECT place to grab a cheap lunch. If you're an adventurous tourist and want to try some local okazuya, this is the place. Maybe to most haole tourist visiting the islands, they wouldn't say this style of food is good. But to locals its the kind of food we grew up eating. Being from Oahu, it just made me feel connected to the big island. The only thing I wish all places like this would do is keep things hot. If there was a way to have a heat lamp to keep the food hot i'd have no complaints. Especially the fried food because it doesn't stay crispy. Other than that, if I'm ever in Hilo again ill be back for lunch! read more

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

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1 minute away from my home and it's always packed. You gotta get up at five am to get the goodies. That's the sign of a great Okazuya. The best is always the hardest. That's not to mention the most patient employees behind the counter. read more

Best take out lunch of bento items in Hilo! I especially love their fish cake and warabi salad! I'd definitely go back again!

Laulau was amazing!! The rest of it was great but this really stood out. Going again tomorrow for breakfast. They could charge almost double and it would still be a deal. read more

I could seriously eat this every day. Customize your own okazuya plate bento with ono deep fried classics that are made in bulk but each entree tastes like it's a star. Whenever I come here, I can't decide what I want. Cheap, fast, and crowded during peak hours, the Lunch Shop is seriously one of my favorite stops. My favorite are those battery shrimp tempuras with sweet inari, which are absolutely wonderful with a chicken entree. But nori chicken, that's hard to top I feel like a fatty for always inhaling my bento so quickly, but each bite gets better when your entrees taste like this. I can't wait to come back! Disclaimer: I have immediate family on Oahu/Big Island so I've visited every year since I was young! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - T to B, L to R: nori karaage chicken, tamago maki, shrimp tempura, inari sushi, fish cake, egg cake. Not pictured: shortrib + shoyu kabocha - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Love the concept! Each item is sold by the piece a d you point to what you want. Delicious and portable for our picnic at Maunea Summit

All I can say is that I've been flying to Hilo for work for almost 20 years and Hilo Lunch Shop is my first stop for breakfast and to pick up something for meetings. Good thing I don't fly every week... All I can say is GET THE FISHCAKE!!! I miss the mustard cabbage sushi roll, but I drown my sorrow in homemade takuan, kinpira gobo, and the battered ono. You really have to discipline yourself because you can walk out with a $25 breakfast box! If that's too hard for you, order a breakfast plate--fast, hot, inexpensive and reasonably priced. read more

Awesome okazuya place; selection of food! We stopped here on our way to Volcano National Park! There were about 5 people ahead of us, and it wasn't a quick stop. Anyways, you choose a box or a Styrofoam take out container. Half a musubi is $1, kinda nuts! We also got, hash, nori chicken, cone sushi, namasu, bean sprouts and my favorite...sweet potato, because it reminds me of the sweet potato from Sagaras (childhood okazu place in Waialua, now closed). Food on the go! read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Staff is great, patient, helpful and professional! This is our favorite Okazuya! Love your egg foo young - da bestest I had in a very long time! Lived on mainland too long. Nothing like having home cooking! We'll be back soon! read more

Great point-point spot for lunch. Very reasonably priced for a decent amount of food. Looking for a quick bite that won't break the wallet give this place a try read more

Great local find for a variety of great eats!! Be ready to wait for 30 mins...(inside with air!!!) Or go early! Everything is per item, so you can create a plate as large as you like. I loved their nori chicken, fried chicken, cone sushi...a inari sushi on steroids. Good flavors and I'm going back early tomorrow!!! read more

Ono loa! So thankful to have a special place like the ole days with plenty choices and nice workers. Mahalo! read more

Super disappointed. Shows open on Yelp and on social media. Yet you drive out and they are closed for holiday! Would be super nice if these local businesses would post current hours online! read more

If you like local grindz, this is definitely an amazing spot. They have so much selection and it tastes home made and at a reasonable price. The quality of food and service will keep me coming back over and over. Great to take to have a picnic at Lillys or beach. read more

One of the many delicious okazuya in Hilo is Hilo Lunch Shop. They've got a pretty big selection of items, and everything I've tasted was delish! I especially enjoyed the sweet potato tempura, and the nori chicken. They also have some hot and spicy boiled peanuts that are a great buy. The person helping me was pretty courteous and helpful, but some of my other friends who had other people helping them said that they got some pretty grumpy people. The Good: Tasty food, low prices, big selection, Hot and Spicy boiled peanuts! The Bad: Not in Honolulu, some workers are kinda grumpy read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - Just under $10! Deals!! - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Sum it up in 3 points, Miss J: 1) Affordable, extremely delicious okazuya (delicatessen) offering local-style Japanese/Hawaiian foods that you can buy a la carte (by the piece) 2) Hours: Tues - Sat, 5:30 AM - 1 PM. If can, come here before 10 or 11 AM before the lunch crowd forms & before all da good stuff goes. 3) Bring cash. Haven't read any reviews where they take credit card & I'll verify this when I go back home soon. ---------- Definitely the best okazuya in Hilo (as c-a p. so expertly pointed out)! :) For the newbies, okazuya is a Japanese term broken down as follows: okazu = side dishes ya = store A store (delicatessen, to be exact) where local delicacies are prepared and laid out, so the customer can pick and choose what they want to buy (À la carte, as you haoles/mainlanders call it). Items are normally priced by the piece, so watch out! You may find that you want to sample each and everything of what they have to offer. Easy foa rack up one bill at dis place. According to this old Honolulu Star-Bulletin article, okazuya stems from Hawai'i's old sugar plantation days when the Japanese women used to prepare "portable lunches" (bento) for the single men in camp. Whatever the case, okazuyas are a dying breed with many closing down from the Big Island to Honolulu. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/05/24/features/story1.html Nori chicken is winnahs! Cone sushi is winnahs! Korean chicken is winnahs! Mostly everything in here is winnahs! I have fond memories of my faddah (dad) taking me here really early in the morning (6:30 AM) to get breakfast; this was his favorite place to go in town outside of Ken's House of Pancakes or the Firehouse Restaurant in Hilo. His favorite was the cone sushi. Come here before lunch hour because the line starts flowing out there door. This place is a favorite for all kines of people - construction workers to state workers to surfers. If you going go beach, plan on a long road trip, or going visit one dear aunty/relative, stop by here for your grinds. Anyone's face would beam up to know that you brought dem something from hea. :) read more

Two Words: Nori Chicken. How do they do it? I have no freaking idea. So simple, so tasty, so good. Boneless chicken that are deep fried with a lightly sweet coating and wrapped with a thin sheet of Nori. mMMMMM!!! We made a quick stop into the Hilo Lunch Shop to pack a little picnic to enjoy up at the tidepools. 6 pieces of Nori Chicken, 2 Rice wrapped in Nori, and a few veggie fritters. Perfectly delicious accompanied by cold beers, amazingly gorgeous tide pools, and my honey on our anniversary :) Definitely a local spot SO worth stopping in for. Make sure you get there early as they close at 1 and may run out of the dee-lish Nori chicken before you get there! read more

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Located in the quiet town of Hilo, Hilo Lunch Shop is one of my favorite okazuyas. They offer delicious entrees that you can choose from to include in your personal bento. I'm a simple (or picky, depending on who you ask) eater. I went with the nori chicken, hot dog musubi, vegetable tempura, cone sushi, and hash patty. The hash patty was good - it was fluffy and the standard okazuya fare. The same goes for the cone sushi - standard item in an okazuya shop (not to take away from the fact that it is delicious; I was always a sucker for sushi rice). The hot dog musubi was more unique to this shop and was tasty - I love the combo of hot dog, takuan, and furikake. The nori chicken was great because it wasn't oily and seasoned well (definitely not the bland piece of chicken I was expecting). It was a perfect portion size too. However, my favorite item was the vegetable tempura. I was lucky enough to get a fresh piece, so it was perfectly crisp and not oily and/or soggy. I loved it. It reminded me of my favorite okazuya when I was growing up (they closed, unfortunately). I have to admit that I wish it had a bit more seasoning, but the texture was spot on. What really makes me give them the 5 stars is the customer service. There was a line when I got there, but I was expecting that. However, while I was waiting in line, I kept looking and I couldn't see any vegetable tempura available (I was really looking forward to the tempura). When I got to order, I asked about it and the employee said that they were currently out...then she said she'll go in the back to check for me. Mid rush. For some, this may be expected as customer service, but for me, it was a big deal because I really was looking forward to trying their tempura. Lo and behold...she comes back out with one piece of freshly fried tempura. I was estactic. And the tempura certainly exceeded expectations. Totally. Worth. The. Wait. read more

Hilo Lunch Shop - From top left, clockwise: vegetable tempura, nori chicken, hot dog musubi, cone sushi, hash patty - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great place for lunch get the Nori Wrapped chicken yum! the Nishime is good too as well as the Shoyu Chicken good Cone Sushi lots of parking heh though it does get busy during lunch, For a small town place this place is one of the few places that make me feel like it's Honolulu as they don't seem laid back and are busy making the lunches and are not as friendly as most of the other places I've been to but definitely worth going to. read more

Out of the three bento shops that we visited while in Hilo, this was our favorite. In addition to the Japanese items, there was Hawaiian food too. We sure stuck out as tourists here. "What's this? What's that?" I saw a kamaboko (Japanese fishcake) & greens mix. The lady said it was (a long Hawaiian named dish) called "pipi"-something http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rOm1WE4UTP8qlni1R5VHIw?select=OEEkGU7qXqdPLu5FyyqsVg#OEEkGU7qXqdPLu5FyyqsVg She gave me a sample and it was so delicious, I ordered a double serving. My favorite lomi salmon was also in the case, so I doubled up on that as well. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rOm1WE4UTP8qlni1R5VHIw?select=CocCafAf04eqCXp-ZP9QjQ#CocCafAf04eqCXp-ZP9QjQ My husband sure loaded up his lunchbox! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rOm1WE4UTP8qlni1R5VHIw?select=yqfxq941XaoVj6tQmx9ZAQ#yqfxq941XaoVj6tQmx9ZAQ Funny thing about the item on the bottom right. He asked if those were "Inari" sushi. They were a lot larger than those I usually make and the ones we buy back home. One of the impatient regulars behind him piped up with, "No! That's "cone" sushi!" with an eyeroll that clearly signaled she was thinking, "Stoopid!" We took all this food and enjoyed it on a stone pier at a beach on the Kona side. We wanted to watch some monk seals at play, but they were all MIA. Aw well, food was good and the scenery was lovely! read more

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We got a brunch meal for 4 under $30 - In Hawaii. You can't beat that! The staffers are friendly and patient with us tourists. The sweet potatoes tempura was very good! Great plate lunch place with tons of options. I would definitely love to go back there again! read more

The food is always the best nori chicken is my favorite!! The customer service is amazing!!!

What the heck happened. I just stopped by today to pick up breakfast after landing. This is the third time the Mochiko chicken is dry. Like dead. How can you screw up on chicken thighs. It's over cooked and burnt. I didn't want to do a bad review so I haven't said anything till I tried it a few more times. The meat Jun is the same. You can't even bite into it it's so dry. Luckily the egg coating fell off and I could eat it. The cone sushi has no flavor. What is going on. It's either they got a new cook or sold the business. Not sure. It's very disappointing because this was my favorite place and for years I would stop at Hilo lunch box as soon as I landed. I am also embarrassed because I brought my friend and she said it was terrible and threw most of her plate out. read more

Overall impression: Outstanding taste and great value for what you get. Avg price: depending on how much you eat, $6-10 for lunch, ~$1/piece of food Tips: -come early! food runs out by 11/12ish Positives: -the food is just outstanding -cheap Negatives: -only open for breakfast or lunch -food runs out -long line (which shows how good it is) -probably not the healthiest (but seriously, who cares?) There have been more than enough reviews on here to convince you of how great this place is. Let me just say that I ordered about 12 different things and they were all excellent. In fact, many were better than I've had at other okazuyas. And very cheap for what you get. I try to come here whenever I come to Hilo. Just bee sure to get there early. read more

Located on a side street just off Kamehameha Avenue is Hilo Lunch Shop. The street that it is on is full of construction related businesses which makes the area it is in kind of like Kakaako in Honolulu. The restaurant is an okazuya or Japanese deli so everything is sold ala carte style. Despite its moniker, Hilo Lunch Shop actually opens bright and early in the morning and closes in the early afternoon. I believe it is 1 pm. Understandable given the locale. Came here after a muggy, sunny and rainy walk from the Hilo Airport. The items offered are pretty diverse. I got here a little later in the day so many of the items I wanted were already gone. And this was like just before noon. Anyways, I got a Spam and hot dog musubi, namasu (Japanese cucumber salad), ogo (seaweed), egg omelet and a fishcake. Price was under $7 and very filling. The Spam and hot dog musubi was pretty good. The fishcake is one of the best I have tasted, while the namasu and ogo were refreshing which was welcomed given the hot sun I endured to get here. This is pretty much a takeout type of place, though there are several chairs to the side to eat. I decided to take it to go and headed down the street to the park grounds of Edith Kanaka'ole Stadium to dine. Plenty of space there with hardly anyone in sight. All told, Hilo Lunch Shop is a good lunch spot in Hilo to get okazuya. read more