Kuhio Grille, The first time we visited Kuhio Grille in Hilo. It looks like a nice place with a lot of people going in and out so we thought we'd stop by and try some food. It was nice that they had a TV playing some Food Network programs featuring Kuhio Grill. You could learn about how they make the famous 1lb laulau and learn some of the histories behind the restaurant which was good. My wife ordered the Shrimp tempura and, shrimps were big and they had some really nice vegetable tempura also. I had the pork teriyaki with fried rice and that was okay the fried rice could use more seasoning. *About the waitress she was an elderly Japanese lady probably like 60 years old she had an attitude like "what do you want?" She hardly came back to check on us. She did not offer dessert we were just looking at the deserts they look really nice but she never offered us to us. She just brought us our check. I was watching some of the other servers and they were happy and they were enthusiastic and they genuinely look like they like the customers. But this lady she didn't wear name tag she didn't smile she didn't care she just wants to get off work. That's not good for the restaurant or those who are the servers. Now in contrast to Kuhio Grille. Up north in Waimea is Merriman's restaurant. This contrast is like night and day. Kuhio Grille in the struggling local restaurant. Merriman's is a fine dining restaurant and all the staff are well-versed in all the methods of cooking and all the dishes there are Fountain of Knowledge and they want you to try everything on the menu which is good I enjoyed that I like people who are proud of where they work at and proud of the food that their restaurant serves. We may have spent about $40 at Kuhio Grille. And we spent about $100 at Merriman's and let me tell you I would go back to Merriman's instead of Kuhio Grille just because the ambiance is better the food is better and I don't mind paying a little bit extra money for a place where I enjoy the food I enjoy the people dining is an experience not a pain in the ass. Whoever the Japanese waitress was at Kuhio Grill I'm not impressed and really I will spend my money elsewhere instead of Kuhio Grille. And whoever is reading this? You should too. Mahalo Wes n Wanda Anzai - Mililani Hawaii. read more

Ordered chicken katsu. Everything was great til I cut into my last piece of chicken. Raw! What a way to end your dinner there. Place us clean, service good, price is fair. Owner, quality control please. read more

Kuhio Grille - Before and after of their Chicken Katsu. - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The last several visits have been disappointing. The laulau had no taste, the chicken katsu was hard, service was average at best. Used to be good now it's a disappointment. And the portions are smaller. Not going back for a long time. read more

Ordered loco moco over fried rice and husband ordered the saimin combo with teriyaki chicken. The "famous fried rice" was dry and the flavors r was not great:( Beef patty was super overcooked and gravy was bad. Husband's saimin was also bland and noodle texture felt not so fresh.. disappointed because the atmosphere was nice! Maybe stick to burgers and fries and it will be ok? Service was a little slow but really friendly and nice. read more

Kuhio Grille - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Shrimp and vegetable tempura last night was very tasty. Had breakfast this morning. Bacon, mushroom, and cheese omelet, hashbrowns and gravy. Delicious! Wonderful coffee too! read more

I tried to like this place. This is a perfect example of setting the bar low. I've tried a dozen different items on the menu and can only tolerate thier mushroom burger. The lau lau is often miss rather than hit. Bland and soulless food. I'd rather eat at McDonalds than give Kuhio grille another dime. Maybe that's how your always been or maybe you should try and step it up, either way it will be a long time before I give this place my business again. read more

We came for an early dinner and the restaurant wasn't too busy. We sat down and ordered. Was looking forward to the ten donburi, but when it came, there were four carrots and two sweet potatoes.... for 12.99. I inquired about the lack of protein and they then told me that they ran out of shrimp and they could offer me more vegetables: They had forgotten to tell me when I placed my order that they had ran out. My tummy was a little full from snacking on the delicious chicken skins, but the best they could do was 10.99. For four pieces of carrot, two slices of sweet potato and some rice. I was disappointed and should have one starred it but my friends food looked good. read more

Kuhio Grille - Yummy food and sad ten donburi. - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Service: Awful. With six workers in the restaurant and only ONE other party of two (they were finishing up their meal), they were more focused on their take-out orders than they were with our party of four. When we realized that our waitress had no problem yelling, "How are you doing?" from across the restaurant, it was the only way to get her (or any worker's) attention: shouting across the restaurant. They were not slammed with take-out orders either. In fact, no one else came to dine-in until we had gotten our bill and were leaving (a party of two just getting their menus). Food/Kitchen: Awful. Party of four, one orders the Special. AFTER our entire ticket was turned into the kitchen and our meals are being cooked, the waitress returns to say the Special is gone even though it is still on the menu. Eventually, three of us tried to eat slower so that she would not be eating alone. It took so long for the order to be made, she was frustrated and cancelled it because we were done eating (the miso soup was brought out first and had no flavor to it whatsoever). My sis orders chicken cutlet and gets chicken katsu. The portions have shrunk since the days they were located near Prince Kuhio Plaza. We ordered as many sides as we did main dishes. Oh, did I mention that the fries from the cheeseburgers apparently got a bit cold because we saw them warming it up in the microwave before bringing out with the cheeseburgers, Hawaiian plate (was that little container of milky white supposed to be haupia?) and loco moco (so much for ordering an over-medium egg that was more like "well done")? Overall: we were sorely disappointed. Their responses to us were, "Sorry" and they did not offer to do anything to try and make it up to us. NO! We definitely were NOT looking to get our entire meal comped (we paid cash and still made sure to tip 15% because we have worked in the restaurant business and know how important tips are especially now during this pandemic). When we asked to speak to a manager, we were told that there was no manager there. Say what? Maybe it was the dynamics of the workers tonight that did not make for a good combination. I do not know. What I do know is that we definitely would not recommend Kuhio Grille for your limited dine-in experience. In fact, we saw cars starting to line up outside, waiting for their take-out order. One car was told, "I will be back in five minutes." We hung out for a bit outside before heading home. 10 minutes later, that poor car still had its engine running, waiting. For those of you who received the Hawaii Restaurant Cards (which none of us are eligible for and we are very glad that people who need them have/continue to receive them), I imagine you would want to use it somewhere to not only support small, local business but have an amazing dine-in/take out experience with your ohana. Unfortunately, Kuhio Grille will not give that to you. **EDIT** Sunday 10/25/20: My other sis (who did not get the Special and cancelled her order) received a phone call a little while ago from the manager. Response? "We're sorry." That was it. Way to go, Kuhio Grille, with the customer service. read more

Kuhio Grille - Best-looking food from dinner last night: tomato and lettuce. No onions. Waitress said you have to request it. - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The lau laus were decent but not as tasty as the kalua pig, which was much more flavorful although perhaps a tad too salty. The meat inside the lau laus was tender but not well seasoned, so on it's own it was quite plain, but the leaves surrounding the meat were quite salty. The salmon limo that comes with the plates has hardly any salmon in it and tastes just like a mild, watery salsa. The poi wasn't our favorite either, it is pretty bland and a bit sour but that is just what poi tastes like (which is odd given that I love taro). The kalua pig plate was tasty and I got it with sides of mashed potatoes (comes with gravy) and macaroni salad. The macaroni salad was quite tasty. The highlight was definitely the loco moco which we got a double portion of - it was huge and delicious! Could easily feed two. We got the eggs over easy and combined with the hamburger patties, gravy, and fried rice it was very flavorful. Only complaint is that there were flies flying all over the restaurant and one landed on our food. read more

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Food was tasty but portions were small considering the cost. Food portions should be bigger based on cost. Miso soup was sour and not very good. They need to update their website for Hilo. Could be more user friendlier. They have both Hilo and Kaimuki together. Maybe they can put two separate tabs so you can go directly to the area you are at instead of scrolling. Maybe a photo of Hilo on one tab and a photo of Kaimuki on the other. If I'm in Hilo, I don't care what Kaimuki specials and menu are. read more

Had a super great dinner with pork cutlet, pasta with shrimp, double fried rice loco, fried shrimp and cheeseburger with fries for the grandson! Service was fast with friendliest staff who checked in several times to see how dinner was going! read more

One of my favorite place to eat local food and we'll known famous for the one pound laulau

Laulau is definitely a recommendation. However, the chili pepeer water is odd. I love Chili water but not this one. The Poi was awesome. read more

Kuhio Grille - Having lunch with Kali and Justice. - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Yeah. I was ono for the blood sausage and fried rice. I was not disappointed. My nephew had the laulau plate and he finished it all so must have bee good too. read more

Had the fish and chips for dinner. The fish was not crispy at all, very mushy inside. The fries also could have been cooked longer. Service was very good. This was a daily special and the other regular menu items I've had before were very good. read more

Went to have breakfast on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. Sign is gone. Walked up to door and looked in. Whole place is empty. Booths, Counter, everything is gone. They used to have a good fried rice and other stuff. Few days later, found out they moved to 80 Pauahi Street. read more

I actually really like Kuhio Grille! They have a great variety of entrees, desserts, breakfast items and local treats on their menu AND they are open until late. Best of all, though, is they have GREAT mochi- some of the best I have ever had, in fact, all home-made (and different flavors, including azuki bean, peanut butter, passion fruit, strawberry. They have different flavors every day) by these adorable Japanese grandmas. It's a local Hawaiian restaurant with a lot of Japanese specialties. It's very informal but pleasant with a lot of Aloha spirit. read more

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salty laulau plate and the special of the day had no taste whatsoever. so disappointed after being so excited about this place after getting in from a long day of flying back home to the island. read more

Worst service I have ever encountered, took a friend since he never ate there for dinner tonight , we placed our order,a combo plate and a chicken donburi, and 2 sides of mac salad, food came out fast but a different servers gave use our food, we start to eat, I waiting for my mac salad, my friend's salad never arrived which come with the combo, he didn't realize they never gave it to him , when the waitress that took our order came to our table I informed her my salad never arrived and to take it off the bill, paid the bill, she came back with change I asked her to make my friends salad to go, she comes back with a small container with lettuce, that they serve with the Katsura sauce. Won't ever go back, I get better service at a drive thru ! read more

After being stuck on the cruise ship for 4 days now I was jones'n for a plate lunch. We hopped the free Hilo Hatti shuttle to Kuhio Plaza and tracked down Kuhio Grille. Here is what I found: Food: If I was a 6'4 Samoan this place would be great. The portions was Huge! You will definitely get your money worth here. My GF got the Chicken Katsu and I think they cooked the whole chicken just for her plate. The Kalua pork is a definite must have if you go here. It was juicy and full of flavor. Service: Everyone greeted us with a smile and we were served quickly. If I am in Hilo again I will have to stop by here. read more

Great family restaurant, usually always busy. The restaurant expanded (doubled in size a few years back, prices also went up), food selection is great - you can find something for everyone! Their specialty is the "one-pound lau lau" - I tried it once, wasn't bad - it came with poi, lomi lomi salmon and other various side dishes. I usually order their fried or korean chicken plate, made to order and comes out very hot! Most dishes can be upgraded to their fried rice (from white rice), I will order this about half the time. Atmosphere is clean, service is excellent. The only qualm I have is that prices are alittle high. The selection of homemade desserts is excellent - the sweet potato pie is purple and tastes awesome! I wish they served alcohol, there are many occasions when we will eat elsewhere simply because we want a beer with our meal- read more

The home of the one lb. lau lau. I'd really like to weigh the lau lau we got to see if its the true weight. Either way all the food we ordered was good. The bf ordered the Kanak Attack which comes with lau lau, kalua pork, lomi salmon, poi, rice and pickled onions. Everything on his plate tasted great. My favorites were the kalua pork and lomi salmon. His faves were the lau lau and pickled onions. I ordered chicken katsu with brown rice and potato mac salad. Between the two of us, we had the perfect hawaiian plate lunch. I think the portion sizes were more than enough. There was still food leftover on both of our plates once we were done eating. If you're on the Hilo side of Hawaii, I'd definitely stop in if you're looking for some good hawaiian food. read more

This place was a staple for me while in college. Happened to stop by for lunch today. The food is as good as I remember. The place has gotten a bit bigger then before with a similar expansion in the menu. The fried rice loco moco with it's different iterations of meat is wonderful. Kuhio Grille's fried rice local style is well made with a moist product that is not over cooked or under flavored. The gravy is dark and smokey in taste which makes the loco moco. The gravy is a welcome addition to just a plate of fried rice as it adds to the flavor and overall taste of the dish rather then detracting from it. All in all the place is as I remember it with good food and friendly service. I will continue to eat here whenever I am home. read more

This place is a local Hilo favorite for sure. They have a lot of Japanese style food and their Local food is done well! Restaurant quality at fast food prices. read more

Kuhio Grille - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Atmosphere was so friendly upon entering. Big selection including daily specials. Food was sooooo ono! Had the fresh pork cutlet with brown gravy and the Teri pork combo. Very good prices for the serving size but I would pay more for the deliciousness!!! Highly recommend!!! read more

Wanted to eat shrimp tempura and tempura vegetables. What I got was so much breading with a thin sliver of shrimp. The tempura vegetables turned out to be three slices of chewy carrots. Was not impressed with the greasy presentation of food. The meal was way over priced. So disappointed! read more

I admit: I only had the coffee. But, I won't defend my usage of the word "hella" in a post on a foreign restaurant [foreign being not of California!] and just say: EVERYTHING MY FRIENDS ORDERED LOOKED HELLA GOOD. Being of Chamorro descent and growing up in the Marianas, I know some legit rice plates when I see it. Kuhio--and quite frankly, many of the mom-and-pop shops on the Big Island--doesn't fail to deliver. Everything seemed like comfort food and everything reminded me of a childhood memory. I only wish I came hungry enough to eat some of it! read more

Understanding that COVID-19 has really effected everyone in the restaurant industry. Their food quality is not as good as when they were at there old location. That being said... My mother is allergic to some fish products, after she placed her order I realized to ask her that their might be fish (kamaboko, fish sauce) we asked the waitress and she did not know so she went to ask, the manager came over to our table and said yes they made her dish with dashi, every replaced dish she requested had dashi in it. She had used a clean chop stick and ate one piece of green onion and her lip already started to itch. Every dish she was interested in they put their dashi in for flavoring. After she settled on the taro hash and eggs the manager came back over and told my mother next time ask about before you order so we don't have to waste food. How rude! They are the food server and they should be disclosing on their menu potential food allergies to customers. We will no longer be recommending to friends and relatives to eat at the Kuhio Grill. So sad that people try to support local establishments and it's the employees specifically management that causes establishments to lose support of their community. Good luck to them in the future! read more

This is probably one of my staple places to go in Hilo. Lots of variety, friendly staff, food quality is great. One of the ways you can measure the quality of a place is staff turnover...well I've seen waitresses here that have been here for as long as I can remember. Quality staff that produces quality results. Nuff said. read more

Kuhio Grille - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Kuhio Grille is offers pretty good local food. It's not the best I've had, but it does the job when you're hungry. The saimin is ok. The noodles are more on the chewy side, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... I don't mind. The broth is light and tasty, but I think I'd like a little more substance in the bowl besides the noodles and mustard cabbage, which I'm not a huge fan of. My dad, who is a loco moco monster, said his loco moco was just alright. On the other hand, the fried rice is delicious! I could eat that rice all on its own and be perfectly happy. Overall Kuhio Grille serves decent food for a reasonable price. Not a bad choice, but I might consider trying other places before I go back. read more

Ate the chicken Katsu with fried rice and it was amazing! Great service, great overall experience here! Gotta try it!

If you enjoy bad service and bland food by all means this is your kind of place! I believe they are cooking food for people with the taste buds of a smoker of 30 years. I have never in my life ever left a restaurant without tipping. I guess there's always a first for everything! I literally was not welcomed upon arriving, I waited for about 5 minutes to get seated, mind you it was not busy at all. Once seated I hadn't gotten a menu for about another 5 minutes. Then when finally asked to take my order the woman seemed irritated that she was wasting her time jotting down my simple order. Maybe ordering directly off the menu was a bit too difficult? 10 more minutes goes by and we get water, the adult cup was the appropriate size my two year old drinks out of. Food comes out maybe 15 minutes later. So now we have been here about 35 minutes. Food is cold and hard, I don't dare send it back...I may never see it again! Over easy eggs have no yolk, it was harder then yesterday's left over Easter eggs, my taro corned beef was so cooked it was unrecognizable. And the hash browns were just browned right out of the frozen bag onto a skillet. I ordered the half order of fried rice for my son, which was literally just white rice mixed with chopped spam and eggs in a bowl and tossed a few times then set on the plate. I never saw my server again, she was far too overwhelmed with a 10 top that was seated 10 minutes after we got there, yet had finished eating by the time we got our food. They even got their check at their table. I had to go to the counter and ask how I can pay for my meal since I never saw the server come and ask how things were or refill the tiny water cup! Needless to say in the tip line, she got a big fat zero! Stay far far away, don't waste the time or money on this place, you have been warned! read more

EUNICE, you have fans! She was sooooo sweet soooo helpful. LOVE HER! The foods good... if you get the saimin get the pork on the side... teri pork? I forget but it's really good. Usuals, loco moco is hard to get wrong. Their deserts are pretty killer so maybe save room. A little pricey it's true.. read more

Great place to stop in and order laulau or even saimin. The portions are good IMHO. More than enough for my family and I. Service is a little slow, but when we went it was a little busy. This is my 3rd time here. First review. The menu has a variety of local dishes. I recommend the 1 pound laulau. I couldn't finish it. Way to much. But had the LOs for dinner. I recommend this place if you're looking for a plate lunch style lunch. The environment is clean and welcoming. Enjoy. read more

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Kuhio Grille offers standard Hawaiian food for moderate prices. Their pork & watercress special is pretty tasty. Shrimp plate was pretty good. Ordered their chicken katsu for take-out as a beach day lunch & it was still 'ono' even after it was cold. Not many restaurants can say that. My most FAVE thing on their menu --- is their PEANUT BUTTER MOCHI. It's mochi with peanut butter filling instead of the common azuki beans. If you're craving the peanut butter mochi, you need to get there earlier in the day. I've been disappointed more than a few times when I didn't get there until the afternoon and they were SOLD OUT for the day. :) read more

If you look in the dictionary of the word "ripoff" Kuhio Grille would probably be the first definition. We came here since we wanted some local food where we can't get in O'ahu but boy were we mistaken. We saw the specials on the wall and everything was about 10 bucks and above. Since it was that pricey I thought they would give a lot of food....WRONG!!!! This place reminded me of a Zippy's or a Liliha Bakery where mostly everything is local food (ahi poke, bbq chicken, katsu, etc.). It was pretty empty when we arrived at about 1pm. I ordered the local moco (about 10 bucks) with fried rice and my co-worker ordered the Chinese oyster chicken with fried rice (about 16 bucks). When we got our food mines was super small. It was about two scoops of rice, one egg, and one patty. I thought it was pretty rip off and it wasn't even that tasty. My co-workers "chinese chicken" is chicken katsu with oyster sauce on top. He was pretty upset as well because there chicken katsu was less expensive than what he ordered. One of my pet peeves when gong out to eat is when the tables are wobbly. The tables in this place is wobbly not only that but the one next to us were wobbly as well. I probably won't come here again. read more

Had a very disappointing meal tonight The Chinese plate special . It was suppose to have won ton roast pork and egg foo young. Well you would think at a place famous for their fried rice, adding this to the meal would be a perfect choice, no. It came with plain rice two tiny won tons, three overcooked pieces of dried pork, and a one egg tasteless foo young. A truly disappointment for a "special". This is the first time this place has fail me. They got one star cause I'm being nice. Where were you normal generous portions? I hope if this is run again this review might improve things Literally the first time I left this place hungry. read more

Kanak Atak = winner! Love this Hawaiian plate! On top of the ono flavors of the laulau, kalua pig, pickled onion & lomi (which are always fresh & flavorful), they always have the freshest poi and yummy haupia (which needs to be bigger). It is so much food, my bf & I usually split it and there's usually a little bit left over. Of all the things served in this plate, kuhio grille sometimes needs to work on their white rice (what's up with that?). Also like the chicken katsu and the fried rice. But we so love the Kanak Atak, it's just wrong not to eat it when we go there. Because this place does get packed, we tend to just call ahead and place a take out order, then eat at home. That way, we can tell them what time we're gonna pick up and it's less stress. Also, when we eat it at home, when we're pau, we can just unbutton the jeans, roll on over to the couch and moe moe. (Thus the name) No pics because once we smell the food, there's no stopping for photos - dive right in and grind! Never had a problem with service when we have dined in. We have always been acknowledged when we enter, waitstaff has always been pleasant if not friendly and the food has always been fresh. read more

Still has da best lau lau in Hawaii, served in a local Hilo style diner! Chicken katsu donburi is also REALLY good--one of the very few authentic Nihon Japanese style katsu donburis. Blueberry and pumpkin cream cheese pies are also very good. Keiki kids offerings are very reasonably priced. This is more of local diner, but everyone is super friendly. They still get no beer...one day hopefully they add that to their menus! read more

I've eaten here a few times before, and each time the food was either too greasy or too bland or stale. This time, I didn't eat there, but my boyfriend did. He had a burger, and a few hours later he was terribly sick with food poisoning. Apparently food poisoning, which I learned is also called norovirus, is highly contagious. I did not know this and went to take care of him, kept him hydrated and kept him company for hours while the poison violently went through his body. A day later, I suddenly got sick. He called the DOH to report our sicknesses, and today he got an update that the DOH went for an inspection and found several violations. I would not eat here again. Not ever after getting this sick. I'm not sharing this story to bash them, but because I think it's necessary to let people know that someone recently got food poisoning after eating there, and that the DOH confirmed there were not one, but several violations. read more