Hilo and loco mocos go hand in hand. No other island in the chain of Hawai'i or anywhere else in the world does the loco moco rate with what's served on Hawai'i island. K's maintains that claim with flying colors. Awesome gravy, perfectly cooked easy over eggs, and decent hamburger patties make this a must for that similar loco moco craze that I experienced during this recent trip home to Hilo. I promise you, you can't go wrong here. Lots of parking, lots of covered seating, very friendly service, lots to choose from menu-wise, and bonus being attached to a liquor store (Kadota's). It's been years since I've been here, I'm so happy to see they're still around. Slightly disappointed i have to order mac salad separately, and a double loco is mot the standard large plate lunch size, rather a slight smaller. That's ok, honestly, I shouldn't be eating so much stuff that is the loco moco for one meal anyway, much less having one 3 days in a row. But, I'll be back when I'm back. Delicious. read more

K's Drive-In - Double loco with side mac, a must. - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

It's been at least 15 years since we ate here and was happy about the experience. Ordered a plain double Cheeseburger. Got the burger and bun without the cheese. Charging almost $9. For the burger? Mushroom Swiss burger was also ordered and was sad being over charged for it also. Disappointed to da max. read more

K's Drive-In - Plain double Cheeseburger without the cheese. Charging almost $9. Hopefully it'll be better next time. - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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K's Drive -In has been opened since I was a kid . I'm in my senior yrs now . As a kid it was one of my favorite place to eat . Especially when they used to have peach pineapple turnovers ! That's been off their menu for years ! Such a bummer ! Recently I decided to get me a plate there of Korean chicken - Chicken was drumsticks and was nice an crispy but the Korean sauce was skimpy on / in it therefore , you could barely taste the Korean sauce in the chicken , so to me it was like I ordered just a fried chicken plate . I was quite disappointed that the flavor wasn't there - again ( I had ordered it a few months before also & had no Korean sauce flavor on it too ) ! But the chicken was nicely crisp and the rice and macaroni salad was good , so I enjoyed eating it . If you plan to try it , you may want to ask for a side order of the Korean sauce so you can dip your chicken in it yourself or have the cook pour some extra Korean sauce on it . Plate was $20 . Sorry I always forget to take a picture of my food before chowing it down . On another note , and a different day I decided to order the Ultimate pastrami sandwich... It says it comes with pastrami a hamburger patty , lettuce and a special sauce .... Sorry to say but it was the Worst pastrami sandwich I've ever had ! Pastrami was like 1strip cut into 3 pcs. (And looked like it was burnt or something dried out - no pastrami taste at all ) , patty was dry & blah as if it was a left over patty . All on a regular sandwich bread w/ very little special sauce . For $18 . Will order pastrami from subway next time . read more

K's Drive-In is a solid local spot if you're craving classic Hawaii plate lunch comfort food. We got the Shoyu Chicken and the Chicken Papaya, and both were tasty, satisfying, and hit the spot without being fussy. The food felt like the kind of dependable, everyday local grindz you come back for, especially if you want something hearty and familiar. The Shoyu Chicken had that savory, home-style flavor, and the Chicken Papaya was a nice change of pace with a lighter, slightly sweet savory balance. Service was quick enough for a casual meal, and the vibe is very old-school drive-in in the best way. read more

K's Drive-In - Specials - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I'm glad we found this place. Nice local spot that we went here twice. Burger - the patty was very tasty and seasoned well which led us to come back the next day to try their loco moco. The patty was good in the loco moco but the gravy was okay. Saimin was okay but the oxtail noodle soup was delicious. My daughter and I loved it. Check it out! read more

Laid back, old style Hilo. Order at window. Wait for number to be called. Big menu. Outdoor covered seating -picnic tables. Very casual. Good soft serve ice cream. read more

This place is okay for what it is. Very casual, went twice for lunch. Had oxtail stew and a double cheeseburger. The burger was good for the price, nothing special. The oxtail stew was quite good if you like fatty meat (which I do) but overpriced for a counter restaurant. The service was generally quick. read more

Double loco A+ so far always good. They charged me extra for extra gravy on top. They never used to charge extra nickel and dime their customers like this. Chili with rice C- inconsistent sometimes junk not enough taste and fantastic when it's good. Last visit their orange bang was absolutely terrible tasted like watered down orange juice. BEWARE they also charge an extra 4% on top of your total when you use your credit or debit card so pay with cash to avoid being overcharged. I may have to find another loco moco place who doesn't charge extra for extra gravy nor the extra 4% upcharge for using a card. read more

A local favorite and was very happy with the food. It's been a minute so the prices increased since the last time I was here. It's still affordable compared to other places in Hilo but definitely not cheap like before. I got the Korean chicken fried rice and it was perfect. Only thing is I wish they gave more pieces. The double loco moco was delicious as well and very filling. Service was a little slow but the food was fresh when it came out so I didn't mind. read more

K's Drive-In - Korean Chicken with Fried Rice - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Have it only 3 stars because one of my plates was good (pork cutlet) and the other one (chopped steak & onions) was really disappointing. It was overcooked to the point where the onions were burnt, the meat was hard and even the green onions were no longer green. It's normally one of my favorites. Not tonight. read more

K's Drive-In - Chopped Steak and Onions - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Old school local food. Have been going here as a kid. Get the gravy burger and gravy fries. LocoMoco iz Ono. read more

The guy behind the counter was scratching his face and without washing his hands, began to pack the next order. Yuk. Good thing he didn't do my order because I would have wanted my money back. Food was delicious. We had the tripe stew and hamburger and fries. Was raining so we opted to go back to the hotel room. read more

Still great value and great taste. Some of the best onion rings. Not too thick and fried perfectly. Club Sammie always filling and tasty. read more

K's Drive-In - Clubhouse Sammie with fries and onion rings - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

K's sure has gone downhill. Prices going up and plates getting manini. Ordered the Kim Chee fried rice with Korean chicken. I paid $17 for this plate and it didn't even fill me up half way. Fried rice was bland and the pieces of Korean chicken that has sauce were good but two of them barely had sauce so it was just a dry chicken wing. For that price you're way better off going to Hawaiian style cafe. Only a matter of time before they go out of business selling this kine food. read more

K's Drive-In - Kim Chee fried rice with Korean chicken - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Had teriyaki sandwich with mayo and lettuce- fresh bun, lots of meat- salty goodness- I will be back for more- and a soft serve cone too!!! So many choices for a loco moco! read more

K's Drive-In - Menu today August 2025 - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

My dad brought our family here to this nostalgic place of his as he used to live around Hilo. Such good food! We had this oxtail soup and it was honestly one of the best I had with almost 8 bones to eat from. Also very clan amenities and kind staff! Would come again. read more

I ordered the dbl gravy cheeseburger with extra cheese as i always do and it was the bomb

Came before 8am. Parking was easy. Cashier is super patience and nice because we were trying to figure out what our picky kid would eat and how to accommodate the order. We ordered two chili dogs, Teri beef local moco, and Mrs. K's saimin. I also got a large strawberry milkshake that had strawberry chunks and good consistency. Both kids liked their meals. Teri beef was tough. Saimin soup broth was good, meat was good, and noodles were soft. Lots of workers coming to get breakfast so we know it's good when the local guys eat here. Lots of seating tables. This is a good place to revisit. read more

K's Drive-In - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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I've driven by K's for a long time and finally had a chance to stop and grab lunch. K's is a local place that has an extensive menu. Reminiscent of a classic "bowling alley" food place. And I mean this in the best possible way. Hamburgers sandwiches, local plates, breakfast, lunch, floats, ice cream, etc. It was almost overwhelming to be honest, but I ended up choosing the classic loco moco. I chose the egg over medium. The gravy was good. The hamburger patty was good all on top of a nice amount of rice. To be honest it was very very filling and quite satisfying. I also ordered a strawberry vanilla swirl ice cream cup. Honestly, it was very good. the staff was very friendly and the food came out pretty quickly. It's not gonna win any awards for culinary excellence, but that's not what it's about. Not to say the food is bad because it isn't. You can take your food to go or you can sit in one of the mini tables under a covered outdoor patio. There's enough on the menu to keep me trying new things next time. I want a nice quick lunch. The Good: Extensive menu, decent food and friendly staff The Bad: I can't really see anything that bothered me other than parking can probably be tight if you come at lunchtime, but there is still plenty of parking. Chances I'll Be Back: yes! I'm interested to try other things on the menu and move this up to a five star review once I've had a few other items to compare. Otherwise, I don't think you will be disappointed if you're looking for a local place for a burger or local plate lunches. read more

K's Drive-In - Loco Moco - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Junk the Cook stay on 12/17 half order fry's , dry cutlet and junk Pastrami sandwich. One slice meat . Plus I one give 20% tip to the boy saying I get plenty dollars for strip club. read more

K's Drive-In - This tha Pastrami sandwich. $10 bucks . Get Half order fry's fo $6 Dry Chix cutlet . Junk grub ! Pissed . - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Typical fast food spot with good parking. Good variety of items and I like that they have a soup and sandwich deal for the lighter side. Burger was good but not thrilled with the crispy fries. Chili rice was very good. Outdoor seating under the awning. It's a good lunch option when in Hilo. read more

K's Drive-In - Specials - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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To boot the lady taking my order seemed deaf , I had to yell my my order over and over. They had no awareness of who was even supposed to order first. All the tables were dirty and I had to wipe them my selves because my other half was disgusted. I went during Merrie monarch and ordered their Kanak attack plate and got told that they didn't even have all parts of the plate but were still selling it so I was fine with them doing extra of something else, I got my plate and they didn't even give me anything as a substitute so for 26$ I got a small lau lau that was bland, 1 scoop of rice, a little piece of haupia, a little container of poi that was watery, and a scoop of Mac salad! The plate was definitely not worth 26$ flavor wise or portion wise. Needless to say I won't be going back again and it's a shame because I used to like them but this visit soured my opinion of this place! read more

Went to Hilo and coconut island, after that adventure, off to K's drive in. OG. Walk up window and had the single cheeseburger with gravy. I will highly recommend you get this or some other burger with gravy. Hits it right!!! We had the calamari rings decent. The empanadas ala mode. Lacked the amount of filling. More like puff pastry dough with apple and fried. I will be back to try the meatballs and oxtails. read more

Got the Hawaiian short rib plate. Tons of food and all of it was super tasty and filling. Service was fast and the portions were large. Good place to sit in a picnic table bench and have some great food! A bit off the beaten path but definitely worth it! Go to K's so you don't have to question your life choices! read more

For the price you pay for a plate here, just go somewhere else cause the food is not good at all. Always ask how the ice cream is before ordering it as well, cause they will sell you ice cream that isn't completely firm & is soupy. Total riiiiippppp!!! read more

We try to get this every day while we are visiting in Hilo. Sometimes it right after getting picked up at the airport. We get sad when the machine is down. It happened twice on the trip but it's okay... once it's up and running, you forget about the days you missed. The funny thing is that we never ate a plate lunch or anything other than the twist cone. One day when the machine was down, we got the spare ribs plate. Holy cow, it was so good! Nice flavor and the meat was so tender. The staff there is so awesome and friendly too! See you next time, Ks! read more

This place offer daily specials of local foods and all that I have ordered were always tasty. No complaints except that sometimes the wait is long. But that's understandable during lunch hours. read more

Well K's has yet another hit on their hands! I went for my usual which is the gravy burger and twist cone (now served in a bowl). My wife ordered a cheeseburger deluxe. This is a cheeseburger with tomato and lettuce and onions. I heard her say the hamburger was too thick so she didn't want to eat it. Well to me, NO burger is too thick! Yes! I said I would eat it. Well, I tell you THIS is the burger I was waiting for from all these "older" establishments. The bun is charred, the burger is charred, the tomato and lettuce is as fresh as in and out. The burger is NOT only pure beef - it's local style with TASTE! Yes there is the mayo/mustard sauce but there is something else - a tomato relish type topping. The lettuce is on the bottom and so is the tomato. Pure perfection!!!!!!!!! It's not even on the menu. This is the tastiest cheeseburger deluxe I have had in decades. Yes it's that good. A++++++++++++ read more

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Local food in Kona side. Parking was easy. Price is reasonable, service is good. We wanted something light on that day, so both of us ordered the same wonton noodle soup. We enjoyed it, and forgot to take pictures, we did not have a chance to try other dishes. We were so stuffed. read more

K's Drive-In - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Best Hawaiian food ever ! Kacie was the nicest staff ever highly recommend. Merrie Monarch plates are worth it! Laulau was 10/10 Kalua Pig 10/10 not greasy or dry Poi just perfect Chicken Long Rice 10/10 read more

Came here right at opening to avoid the crowd - definiert something to do if you want to just cruise for the rest of your day. We ordered the soft serve, some fries, and their special gravy cheeseburgers at 6:30 in the morning so shut out to the staff for not judging our breakfast order haha. If you're from Oahu, this is basically like St. Louis Drive In, or any local style grab and go kine places. read more

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I'm here fo' da ice cream!!! I use to commute to da Big Island on a regular basis for 16 years, & I covered the entire Hawaii island for my job. Surprisingly, for some strange reason I never knew about- "K's Drive In" in Hilo town. :/ What led me to K's was seeing an ice cream cone......a MASSIVE cone, and I'm not exaggerating when I say "Maaaaaaaaasive cone" because when my friend had posted it on FB, it was eye poppin' unreal!!! Thinking that I knew where this drive in was, a few years back when I was working in Hilo I ended up at Kozmic Cones, which turned out to be the wrong drive in! Sorry, I guess I got it all mixed up - (Old people problems)! Lol!!! Well Friday, I finally did da smart thing by opening up my Yelp app., then using the navigation icon on my Yelp app. to direct me to K's Drive In. Funny, from where I was working in downtown Hilo, I literally could have just walked a few blocks up the road to this drive in (that's how close I was). Looks like K's Drive In has been in business for a long time..........looking at the K's Drive In sign, it says that K's opened up back in1964 (even before I was born)! As you can see from my pics, it's pretty much of an old skool diner, where you go to the ordering counter to place your food order, when you food is ready, they will call you to pick up your food at the counter. The diner does have some covered picnic tables on the drive in premises (so you can consume your food), but unfortunately due to the Covid-19 pandemic, customer's are not allow to sit & eat at the picnic tables (just for now), so as I write this review..........K's Drive In is strictly just "take-out" for all customers at this time. When I arrived at K's Drive In, I walked up to the ordering counter, and was greeted by a friendly clerk. I already knew what I wanted for lunch, as I ordered the following items - 1. A Lilikoi Twist Ice Cream Cone, unfortunately at this time, K's Drive In is not doing any cones, so the best they can provide you at this time is an ice cream in a cup. Lilikoi or Pineapple was the flavor of the day (I think they rotate flavors), so I ended up getting the Lilikoi twist = Lilikoi & Vanilla. 2. Shrimp Burger..........I saw the extensive menu they had here, and K's offers a lot of wonderful plate lunches on the menu. Most times when I come to a place like this, I would get a plate lunch, but I had other "snack" plans, so I figured I'd get something of the lighter fare, and that's how I ended up with a Shrimp Burger. What can I say about the grub? The Lilikoi Twist ice cream had great flavor, but visually it was quite disappointing! I guess when I had ordered my ice cream, the ice cream was on the soft side, so as you can see in my pic, my cup of ice cream was already melting. No skyscraper high ice cream in a cup for me! :/ Darn! As for the Shrimp Burger.........it was deeeeeeeeeeeeeliciously delightful! The bun was nice & soft, and how can you not like frrrrrrried shrimp??? I think it had like 4 or 5 frrrrrrried shrimp with lettuce, and tartar sauce. I would get this sandwich again........maybe (2) next time! There is free available parking within the complex, but the parking lot is shared with a liquor store (Not sure if K's Drive In owns the liquor store too). Finding parking here was not an issue. Overall a very pleasant dining experience..........I hope to come back here at a later date where I can get my skyscraper high ice cream in a cone! Lol! read more

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Great Dive for Good Food! Ask for their Chili! Take out or plenty of outside seating. Parking is okay. Menu is for everyone! Just have fun and leave your Attitude at Home! read more

Favorite drive-in in Hilo with fair prices, but get there early because some food runs out! read more

K's Drive-In - American Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Hubby, daughter and I came here for breakfast today. I got a medium lilikoi drink and a bacon and egg sandwich. The sandwich was meh. It seemed so thin. There was one egg, a few pieces of bacon, lettuce and mayonnaise. It was on bread that wasn't even toasted. Maybe I should have asked. My lilikoi drink was good though. Not too sweet. There were lots of benches outside to sit and eat your food. We got our food pretty quickly. I wasn't impressed. There's plenty of parking in front. Portions here seemed small. Prices were pretty affordable though. Not bad. read more

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Wow, what a wonderful place to eat! What a selection to choose from. I was floored with how many choices they had for such a small place. Good amount of parking (it is in Hilo Town) and a bathroom. They have the old style plastic booths. i felt like I was in a throwback. They have all kinds of food to eat. I ordered a Hilo speciality - Gravy Cheeseburger. I got it with onion rings which were not that good. I wanted a plate lunch but I could not decide and the burger sounded GREAT. And it was a home made and extra good, although kinda small. The rest of my crew ordered all kinds of stuff. My pal that lives there always gets the chicken papaya. It smelled and looked good. And it was raining so it was perfect to eat. My other pal from Maui had Portuguese bean soup with a scoop rice. Last but not least was the double cheeseburger with the perfect drive inn skinny and crunchy shoe string fries. Where has this place been on all my trips? Definitely going back next time I am in Hilo. read more

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Very disappointed on the quality of the Ox-tail soup that I ordered 2nites ago. It was rainy the day/nite so a hot bowl of soup sounded great! My expectations were soon given way to disappointment as I looked at the floating fat ladened broth and bones in the broth!!! Yes there were meat particles at the bottom but I'm sure this is not their norm! I wouldn't even give this anyone nor suggest it was available. Shame on you! You could tell it was the bottom of the pot!!!!! No peanuts or ginger.... and not what i expect when paying over $20+ for this !!!!!!!!!!!! Never again K's! read more

Food is great, service is ok and the ambiance was relaxing, besides noise on da roadway it was quiet

It's been years since I had stuffed cabbage and K's Drive - In stuff cabbage was so ono I wanted to cry. As I was eating the stuffed cabbage wrapped in a thin layer of bacon it brought back so much memories of my younger days when I first ate stuff cabbage sitting at liliokalani park with family friends. I never forgot those times and K's Drive inn brought all those fond memories back and is the best local home style meal ever. read more

Great place to have a quick lunch. So many items to choose from. We ordered the smoked meat, and hamburger. Both were delicious!