Excellent buffalo wings, great service, great mango margaritas. Good vibe & friendly service. Highly revommend... read more

New owners aren't very friendly. Food quality not the best and service sucked. If you wanna catch something while drinking from an unclean cup... come to the Hilo tavern read more

The food here is crazy good. For Hawaii prices are great as well. Most people were there for drinking but plenty of space for sitting down to eat. read more

This Bar rules .- Great bartenders funny and cool - Atmosphere is chill. Had a blast will definitely be back when we get back to Hilo. read more

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Stumble upon this place while looking for another restaurant after parking. What drew us in was the music. It was a weekday and it was about 1:30pm. We both decided on a burger. We had the crispy burger and the bacon blue. Both in a brioche bun. I loved my burger and my colleague enjoyed their burger as well. The patty wasn't homemade. And the patty could have been a little thicker. However how they put it together it was delicious. Instead of regular fries we opted for the garlic fries which were as garlicky as I was hoping. So a tip just get the fries that you can add to your burger. There's no need to upgrade it to their garlicky fries. Plus, it was way too much fries. As a side with the burger would have been enough. The staff was very very friendly. So the service was great. The atmosphere looked like it's a fun place to hang out and listen to bands. There was only regular playing no live band while we were there. We enjoyed our meal!! Very good! read more

Very good burgers. Beer great also. Definitely we will be back. Tavern sauce was outstanding read more

Hilo Town Tavern - Western Burger! Very good. Tavern sauce was great. - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Wow. My first meal in Hilo started off with a pau hana BANG. It took a little while to be seated, but to be honest, it was well worth it--we ended up getting front row seats to the live entertainment. It felt like a kanikapila session with impromptu hula by audience members. Cheeeeee-hoooo! The Long Island iced tea was STRONG. Loved it but was sad because I could only drink half before feeling dizzy. My entrée tonight was the vegetarian burrito, and it did not disappoint. The flour tortilla was grilled to perfection and was crisp but so tender and light. The filling had black beans, lots of cheese, and TONS of flavor. If Zippy's took this burrito and put it in a chili burrito plate, I'd be so satisfied. Dare I say, this is the best, most flavorful vegetarian burrito I've ever had. Mahalo nui to our wonderful server who worked hard to ensure that we were comfortable, to the musicians who played amazing Hawaiian music, to the guests and bartender Lei for dancing hula, and to the chefs for making the food so ono. Whoever said Hilo was a sleepy town was not thinking about the Hilo Town Tavern--full of life, friends, and good food. Perfect for a pau hana Friday. read more

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Friendly bartenders! It looks like a good late-night place, but we left at 9:09 PM as we were tired. Ordered the poppers. They were tasty! We might go here for some nighttime fun (DJ). read more

My wife and i decided to stop by this afternoon for a late lunch. We walked in and there were only two people at the bar. To be expected at the time we showed up. The waiter told us to pick a seat and we did. Got us waters. Was timely in getting our orders and communicated well. My issue lies with the food. First off, the place was hot, super warm. I get it's Hawaii and no one uses AC, but it was extremely uncomfortable in there. The pork spring rolls were luke warm and tasted gross. But i ate one cause i was pretty hungry (might've been my downfall, get to that later). My steak came out, i ordered medium rare. The steak was cooked blue. Outside looked like it was cooked well, but the entire center was raw and cold. I asked for it to be cooked more. It came back out after 5 minutes or so and the center was less raw but still raw and barely like warm. Medium rare should have a warm pink center, not a cool raw center. I wouldn't have rated it a one star though if it weren't for the fact that I've been to the toilet about 7 times this evening, my guts are churning and turning upside down. I'm extremely gassy and using the toilet to the point t of pain. I'm very sure that i have some form of food poisoning, and I'm very confident it either came from the steak (more likely not) or the pork spring rolls (pretty sure they did me in). They took the steak off my bill, i happily paid and thanked the server since it wasn't his fault. But at the end of the day i will never return for food, and i do NOT recommend anyone else eat there if you want to enjoy your food. Unless you like taking the gamble that you'll be on the toilet the rest of the night. read more

This place is outstandingly great!!! Our dreadheaded bartender was an amazing over the top, professional and personable individual. The atmosphere was a whole vibe... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! The staff an a complete entire was awarding..you can't fail here. read more

Hilo Town Tavern - a drink on a table - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

My wife and I have been going to the Hilo Town Tavern for over 13 years and always enjoyed our monthly visit. But today the new staff (owner) was extremely rude. so much so that we left and will not return to spend our money. As a ret business owner I know that customers keep the lights on. Good luck with an attitude like yours. read more

Nah, ya'll. The people who gave this less than 5 stars, I really want some bar recs from you because I don't understand how this gets less. It's just everything you could want, especially in covid times, since it's basically open air and they have a great outdoor space. A live band switching between Hawaiian and classic rock, a crowd that seems like a population sampling of the area, and generally the calm, dive-y vibe that makes for a perfect go-to. Food is pretty good tavern fare. Wings were served up hot and fresh and they had this meat pie called a "chong" that made itself a pretty good meal on its own. I want one of these in every town I go to. read more

Late-ish dinner for us seniors, we arrived at 7:00. No one in the front room and waitress told to sit anywhere. Good selection of drafts, bottles and Ola seltzers. We ordered sandwiches, and food came out fast and hot. I got the Spicy bbq bacon and husband got the Bbq blue, both chicken sandwiches with lots of extra stuff. We also shared a full order of fries (the sandwiches are ala carte). We totally enjoyed our food, except there was so much Bbq sauce it was pretty messy. Not complaining, better lots of sauce than not enough!! Definitely recommend! There's live music some nights, you'd have to call ahead read more

Hilo Town Tavern - Spicy BBQ Bacon sandwich - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Stopped in for a bite and a brew. Mid afternoon so not crowded at all. Service was fast, ordered a Big Swell IPA, cold and tasty. 3 of us there shared 2 orders of quesadillas. Great portions, flavorful food. For 3 of us the entire bill with tip very reasonable in todays world. Is it fancy, no, is it clean, clean enough, staff very friendly and environment pleasant. Will we go back? Yes, definitely read more

Super laid back, good burgers, decent wings, great beer. Nice, big space, perfect for social distancing currently. Has some nice outdoor space to enjoy the weather when it's cooperating and indoor seating with a stage for live music. read more

The Hilo Town Tavern is the go-to spot in Hilo. The drinks are great! Fantastic even. The food is surprisingly good for a bar. But what makes this place special is the bar-staff! Led by Sarah, Nani and Dao and Dylan and Katie and Devin are all excellent. Monday nights feature Open Mic night. Tuesdays are Kanakapila night, authentic Hawaiian Music. Wednesdays and Thursdays feature FREE karaoke. Wednesdays and Thursdays are Taco days too!!! Two for 6$! What a deal! Every night open late until Midnight. Food gets served until 10:30. If you go nowhere else in town, stop by The Hilo Town Tavern. Tell them Ace sent you and get extra-special VIP service!!!!! read more

This use to be really good place, but not anymore. The service is really bad, no one there seems to care about the customer. The beer glasses got a lot smaller also 4 sips of beer and it's gone. I want the old Hilo Tavern back. read more

Love that they're open late & are flexible with kitchen closing times. They saved us the other night after we got off a 10hr flight in the middle of the night! Staff was so friendly and helpful & the food was great read more

While not the local fair that we craved we gave it a try. We stopped in here on a whim because they have outdoor seating and you know, the Covid :-( The Tavern is probably a comfortable place for tourists who are not really into local or Asian food as it could be a bar, tavern, or hangout in Anytown, USA. That said, they do that really well. The atmosphere was unpretentious, the servers were down-to-earth and helpful, and the food was decent. We are not big drinkers, but we did see the table next to us having A TIME! Looks like there is often live music which would have made it even better. Would we go back, probably not as there are other expansive cuisines available. But if you are craving stick-to-your bones, tavern food, and drink with some live music, this may be your place. read more

New management is rubbah. Waited outside for over an hour for kanakafiah even though there was room inside. Other people who had "connections" never had to wait in line too which is bullshit. read more

On vacation we were looking for a local favorite- it's kind of a dive but the food was good. Stay away from the box wine!

We waited for an hour for our order to come not complete and waited for another 30 minutes for the rest to come out. Way too long for not great food that was cold when it arrived. Server spilt vinegar dressing on a burger and didn't completely replace it. Disappointed in how long it took and it was so so slow. Wouldn't recommend. read more

It's rare that you find an outdoor pub with super dive bar vibes. Was much needed during Corona times. Drinks are super cheap, staff is super nice, and the food is actually bomb! Seems like live music every night too. Definitely drop by here and get sauced. read more

Food was AMAZING. Service was incredible. Tina was an angel. She made our visit great and we had such a good time. Would definitely recommend and will be back! read more

Hilo Town Tavern offers the wonderful and unique "Astronomy on Tap" every first Thursday of the month, from 7-9pm. There, in the (covered) outdoor venue, you can enjoy fabulous food while listening and learning from a host of young, knowledgeable, enthusiastic scientists. Our local astronomers present current discoveries with great graphics and explanations, diverse guest speakers, and fun, interactive games. My husband and I LOVE these gatherings and look forward to them each month! Hats off to Hilo Town Tavern for supporting science education in an entertaining (& delicious) way! read more

AMAAAZING Burgers... double patty tons of meat. Bacon is thick and smoke peppered. Fries are insane! Great service.

Good food great vibes overall the best bar food in town and the best place for live music in Hilo.

We had a nice lunch in the outdoor seating area. We were seated promptly and our server was very helpful and attentive. We tried the Leawe Street cocktails, which were tasty and not too sweet. The pulled pork sandwich was delicious and huge! We tried the "Chong" which is a sort of mini chimichanga. The wings were also delicious. People call this a dive bar and I think it is but they take their food pretty seriously and it shows. And service was a excellent. read more

Hilo Town Tavern - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We came for lunch, the service was distracted by phone calls on their personal phones and other patrons messing around. If you look at prior photos the menu has changed a lot more towards regular bar food. The burger appeared to be the semi sawdust commercial option but the toppings were plentiful and flavorful. The Onion rings were pretty good. read more

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I would love to give 5 stars because we really loved the food. The service was top notch The music was awesome except it's way too loud. Sure I am old but that isn't the problem with the volume it was that I could not hear the conversation at our table. Our server had to keep asking what we said and ultimately she missed the fact my husband wanted a double patty on his burger. It was quickly rectified. The food is awesome and they serve best onion rings we have had on the island. The burger my husband ordered was outstanding (except the patty mishap - but again it was quickly fixed). I had the bbq chicken sandwich with onion strings super delicious. The portions are generous. The napkins were plentiful. The drinks were fantastic and we look forward to returning with some friends who are new to the island. read more

I happened to get dinner the night before at a nice restaurant, the bartender recommended we try this place out. Said one of the better bars in the area. I was excited to be able to just get out and have a drink. Also their food menu looked pretty decent. So the next night we decided to do dinner and drinks... well we walked in there wasn't a sign or instruction if we just seat ourselves, wait to be seated, or there was an area in which you order from. The bar was completely full, however many tables were available. We stood at the door for a few mins, no one approached us, so we were like maybe we need to seat ourselves. Completely lost! We sat ourselves. We waited roughly 15 mins to see if anyone would walk over. No one approached us or greeted us. We decided to leave... never served. read more

Hilo Town Tavern - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great place to catch a game! Fries were tasty. Beer selection was good. Patrons are a mix of natives, transplants, and tourists, and had a friendly vibe. Go Steelers! read more

This used to be my favorite venue for events. It has a great art gallery that's been in for years. They are forcing gallery out. All the events are horrible now. The food has lost quality. They are spying on customers and employees. All the locals and regulars have left. It has new owners that destroyed what was wonderful. It's sad. They bought a goldmine and ruined it. Sad for hilotown. read more

food was great, giant portions, and good price! i went on karaoke night (wednesday) and it was great until i seen someone named daylen leaning on my car claiming to be security. idk who he is but first he said he was holding up my car, then he was watching my car when i parked right out front so i could see through the glass and then he said he was security so it's fine. i don't think it's appropriate for a security guard to be leaning on my car that i worked hard for nor does that make it okay that an "employee" to think they have a right to lean on my car. read more

Hilo Town Tavern - crispy mac sandwich - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great spot to chill outside with live music! If you go, you definitely have to try the chongs. From my knowledge, it's a local specialty that I personally haven't seen anywhere else. The crispy, greasy outside and the savory inside makes a great pairing with beer. read more

Hilo Town Tavern - Live music - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The service is unbelievable! We live in Hilo and have eaten there numerous times. I don't even know why I ever go back but this time is definitely going to be the last. Before we left the house I knew I was going to be disappointed. We arrive and sit down, after a while the server comes to the table to take our drink order. We asked for 3 waters (because we normally drink water with dinner) and one drink from the bar. The server says he needs a credit card for the drink tab. We are not running a tab, we are ordering dinner and only that one drink. After a while the bar drink arrives. We haven't gotten the water yet, but we order our food. Still waiting for the water (and I'm thirsty), still waiting!!!!!!! The server sees our food in the window, thinks to himself, OH Shit their water! Brings us the water and says I think I see your food in the window. I tried to conserve my water because it was served in an 8 ounce cup full of ice so I may have had 3 ounces of water. Food arrives, burger for the most part was good. Water glass now empty and the server never ever, did I say never ever came back. Never checked on food, drinks, anything! He never came back! Another server came over to us and we asked for the bill, paid, and left. This was a GOD awful experience. Never again! And if I could post negative stars I would read more

We were staying outside of Hilo but wanted to get dinner somewhere that had live music on a Friday night, so we ended up at Hilo town tavern. We were seated quickly outside, under the tent filled with string lights. The ambiance was nice and we were just in time to see the band setting up. We ordered a couple drinks (my lilikoi/passion fruit margarita was a little syrupy sweet for me) and some burgers. The food was good, exactly as I expected! Very hearty, big but not unreasonable portions and a great selection of toppings. The fries were extra but they were very good (I got waffle fries) so I was okay with it. Service was also super quick and friendly. The vibe was definitely the best part! You could tell there were locals, tourists, and college students all hanging out, and it was super low key. One of our favorite spots on the trip, especially because of the live Hawaiian music. read more

Just landed from LA and we were so hungry! The food here did not disappoint ! Burger was so good, full of flavor and juicy. Had 2 chicken tacos that were ok. Good vibes read more

Hilo Town Tavern - Karaoke nights - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Server did great. Atmosphere was fun and light. My Lehua blossom was much better than the tavern margarita. My husbands fineapple drink was delicious. I loved that they were served in mason jars!! Outdoor seating area was very nice with a great breeze. (Although I didn't care for the cigarette smoke that's not worth losing a star in a rating because I don't smoke) Food looks good and smelled good although we didn't try any. We just stopped for a beverage!! I'd go again!! read more

Hilo Town Tavern - Tavern Margarita - no salt for me! - Music Venues Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Nice place to just chill and relax! We went here around dinner time and there was live music going on the outside seating. They were also getting ready for a comedy show for the later time. We tried the snacks item since we weren't that hungry. We tried the vegetarian spring rolls, jalapeño poppers along with a beer. Both the items were delicious and service was nice too. read more

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