This was my first visit to Lehua's and I really enjoyed the ambiance to the place. Our server was jasmine and she is the best asset for this establishment. Food was prepared to the "T" also. My ribeye was cooked to perfection at a medium rare as requested, also ordered a side of some shrimp as Jasmine had suggested. My wife ordered the pasta with shrimp and she enjoyed that also. Live music was played at the perfect volume too. The only downside was one of the servers didn't have any personality and He never said a word to us. We will be heading to this restaurant more often as it's Hilo's go to place. Funny how I've just heard of this restaurant and seen it showcased on TV 's Hi Now on the day of our dinner. read more

Lehua Restaurant - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Ambience was nice, but not a fan of a salad with all iceberg lettuce was expecting something better in this place and price range. read more

Lehua Restaurant - Was disappointed with the salad, not a fan of all iceberg lettuce felt like a cheap salad for a nice place. I wouldn't order again. - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Lucky for us they allowed us to have dinner with NO reservations but if you do plan on dining here I highly recommend on making reservations this is a very sought after experience and restaurant. Everything you would expect and performance was beyond expectations from food to service to ambiance. The live music on the weekends really set the mood to a perfect dinner. read more

Food and service are both amazing! I recommend making a reservation ahead of time but we got there as soon as they opened and got seated right away. We came again a couple days later 10 min before our reservation time and also got seated right away. Live music every night showcasing great local artists. Can't stress how much of a positive experience my fiancée and I had! read more

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Service was good, food was delicious. Always consistent. We return often. We also recommend this place to others. Try the new specials, you won't be disappointed. Drinks are also fabulous. read more

If you're looking for a nice spot in Hilo, Lehua restaurant is worth checking out! The food was good and the service was friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere made it an easy place to relax and enjoy a meal. Overall, a solid choice for a casual dining experience in town. read more

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Food was excellent, service was very good, the location is a little strange being next to a planetarium, but otherwise a very good experience. Be sure to try the calamari appetizer it is excellent. read more

Lehua Restaurant - Calamari appetizer - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Service by Phoenix was excellent. Restaurant was clean and nicely decorated. Sat near the speakers and thought the music was a notch too loud, made having a conversation a little difficult. Food was amazing. Had the fried kalo, street fish tacos and the fish sandwich. read more

Food, service, and live music were fantastic. Live music 7 days a week. Will be going back again! read more

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Found this fantastic restaurant not to far from debarkation of Carnival cruise Very fresh delicious and friendly staff. The view is beautiful, very lucky to have found this place, it's a locals favorite read more

This is my second time dine-in there. The First time I was there a year ago right after opening this place and unfortunately I didn't satisfied. So, I don't come back since. At this time, my co-worker's going away party wants go some fancy place, and few other coworkers they never been this place so, I'll give it a shot again. First, I ordered glass of Raising but not available. Too bad. Four of us shared few appetizers which Gyōza Ravioli, Calamari and House Salad. Gyōza was interesting dish but Ravioli was kind' a doughish and Undercooked. Rough and bad texture on the tongue. After taste was powdery. Calamari was actually "Squid flat steak". Not kind ring ring stuff and was surprised. Taste was good. And we all ordered Ribeye steak for entree and an order of Pasta for sharing. Omg, I'm sorry but super super salty and outside was pretty burnt and has a bitter taste. All of it we tried each other's and all same. Pasta was also very salty.... It was too sad it changed $54 each steak and not satisfied. However, Service was good except too loud music. It's very hard to talk each other. Oh well, had another experience, However we had good time. read more

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Excellent table service! Atmosphere dining beautiful! Delicious meal our family feast on. read more

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Lehua restaurant is beautiful and creates the perfect atmosphere for a special dinner. This atmosphere for celebration was made even better by our amazing and kind server Jacky! He went above and beyond to ensure that we had everything we needed, and was so knowledgeable about the menu that his suggestions on our orders were perfect. The food was amazing and would love to dine here again! read more

Delicious dinner! Great and attentive wait help! Music was a wonderful addition to the ambiance.

Amazing service by all of the staff. They were very accommodating and pleasant. Also, they have the best calamari I've ever had.

We tried dinner here on a Friday night. Seared Ahi and the Chicken. Both dishes were fantastic. Chicken was a quarter leg on top of a really tasty Panzanella salad. We did not expect the chicken to be that good but it was really juicy and the skin was crispy. The seared Ahi had pipi kaula and mushrooms. It was cooked perfectly. Service was excellent and servers were very nice. There was live music Friday night, which is always a nice bonus for dinner. The atmosphere was really nice overall. read more

Lehua Restaurant - Chicken with Panzanella (salad). - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Delicious locally-sourced food restaurant with the friendliest staff in little ole Hilo. Located on the same property as the Imiloa Astronomy Center. Lots of parking. The set up is great. The tables are nicely spaced apart. The most important part...the food! Everything here is amazing! Fresh, cooked to perfection, and flavored generously. Hands down the best restaurant in Hilo. It's not just a meal, it's an entire experience. read more

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A last minute find but it delivered 100% beyond our expectations. The food was divine and the entire staff was superb. So happy that we found this hidden gem. If you want good food, look no further. read more

Fine dining in an amazing ambience.... Locally sourced & so very Ono-lish! Can't wait to bring the Ohana next time. Recommend reservations but a MUST! Located in the UH Campus. Everything I tried was amazing so I went twice & tried the whole menu YES LEHUA! Way to run a restaurant da right way... read more

Amazing food and service. They were so welcoming and kind. I went for my birthday and they gave me a great birthday card. They had a great singer in the dining room which made the ambiance amazing. read more

Since the first time my wife and I ate at Lehua a few months ago, we came away saying finally another high quality much needed Hilo resturant. We keep returning and enjoying Lehua. read more

We ate here for lunch and dinner. It's at a science center next to a planetarium which means that you won't find other restaurants nearby which can be good if you want to be seated in a spacious dining room right away. The salads are fresh and the grilled mahi-mahi was good although a bit dry. The bread is Hawaiian bread which is a sweet white bread. The iced coffee latte was excellent. There is live music in the evening. They use the large New Zealand mussels for their appetizer. That was tasteless except for the tomato sauce. We can find those mussels cheaply in the frozen section of an Asian grocery store in Houston Texas where we live. Because they're usually frozen they are tastes. It would have been better if the rest had used the smaller sweeter black mussels found on Italian dishes. That would have been better and more tasty than going for these large bland mussels. read more

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I don't write much of these reviews but this place Easily has the best service! Wasn't expecting that with the waiters and servers looking so young!well mannered and very respectful! Pretty killer too that the workers are rocking sig Zane aloha attire! Food and ambience was amazing read more

Visited Dec. 2023. Located at Imiloa! The best ambiance in town and definitely my new go-to for special celebrations or to bring out-of-town guests. The waiters were well trained, friendly and knowledgeable. There was live music the night we went and mostly locals. Some people dressed up and some in shirt and pants. Everything we tried was excellent! We got the fried kalo... it was soooo good! The ribs were tender and flavorful. Easily split by two people! The mac and cheese that comes with the ribs could honestly be its own meal. It was that good. Garlicky, with breadcrumbs on top. The broccolini was amazing. I could order a side of that on its own! Highly recommend for a special night out, birthday, work gathering, or any celebration! read more

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Great experience!!!! Tasty food amazing entertainment and the best part is the price for a nice night out was not that bad!! Definitely will not disappoint!! read more

Calamari was perfectly cooked, steak was seasoned just right, ended with the Mac nut pie with a scoop of ice cream...out of this world! Service was top tier. Everyone was so helpful and so pleasant. There wasn't supposed to be live music this night... but we were blessed with the house musician who filled the room with her soothing angelic voice. 11/10 for me!! read more

Great service, great food, great atmosphere, great music. The crudo appetizer was our favorite!

AMAZING food. The first time we went (without a reservation) it was wonderful food, service and ambiance! The second time we drove 1 1/2 hours across island to go back. We made a reservation and showed up early; two or three parties (without reservations) were seated before us when the dining room was half empty. After about 20 minutes after our reservation time we left and haven't been back. read more

Service was absolutely top notch. We stopped by hoping for an authentic Hawaiian dining experience, and we were lucky to find this place. Unfortunately, we didn't know how nice the place was so before we went again, we would have dressed up for the occasion. Be aware that their menu doesn't include the daily specials, so you'll need to speak with the server for what they are offering. read more

Just go. Don't ask just go. Been there twice and both times we were not disappointed from the drinks to the meal. The menu has a limited selection but still makes for a great excuse to get all gussied up and enjoy some time with my hubs. Also, there is a wahine who sings with her ukulele and her voice is so angelic, really sets the mood of the evening. read more

Auwe! Iʻve heard good things about this place and wanted to visit it. Unfortunately, members of my group were delayed in arriving at Hilo the evening of our reservation. I cancelled the reservation within 24 HOURS of event and WAS CHARGED $25 per member of our party. This is not justifiable. Iʻm sorry. I support local but there were circumstances beyond our control. So . . . whatever. Everyone, be aware. The star rating is cause customer service includes the reservation process. read more

The food was good, the service and ambience gave this place a 5! Also, obsessed with the coffee/espresso here read more

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I just had pupus while waiting for the planetarium show. Table cloths but still casual enough so I was comfortable. Fried Kalo with chili crisp and an herb aoli. It was fantastic. The kalo (a new food for me) was crispy outside, moist inside, perfectly seasoned. The presentation was perfect; a little bowl with cut-outs along the rim to hold my chopsticks. The service was just right- full water glass but no hovering. I can't wait to go there for a full meal! read more

The short rib was delicious. So was the brownie with ice cream. The music was beautiful and not loud like other restaurants often do. Really enjoyed the evening there. read more

Ate here 2 nights in a row. First night was good. Fried kalo was great with the chili oil as stated on the menu. Calamari was a surprise because the menu didn't specify that it was Calamari steak but it was ok, wouldn't order again. My husband had the ribeye and shrimp, which was cooked perfectly. I had the nightly special for the ono, ono was cooked perfectly but the pureed cauliflower that was the base was too bitter for my liking. Had the affogato for dessert, which was also good. Came back the following night and the service of the staff was like night and day. While dining here on Thursday night, we went ahead and made a reservation for the following night, Friday, for our party of 10 to celebrate my sister's birthday. The Friday night staff was not as friendly as Thursday night. We started with 3 orders of fried kalo which was ok but what made it great was the chili oil and it was missing in all 3 orders of it. The mussels were overwhelmed with tomatoes, so much so that either we could not taste chorizo or it was just simply missing from both orders. I honestly think that maybe they're not used to handling and accommodating larger parties and we sensed annoyance from the staff maybe because we were such a large party? I wish I would've known because we would've gladly spent $800 at fish and the hog in Waimea. Overall, my husband and I were disappointed in the lack of consistency in the quality of food and service, from Thursday night to friday night and from being a party of 3 to a party of 10, so if it's just a date night for 2, it'll probably be good but definitely do not recommend to have a large party here. read more

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Had lunch and was very underwhelmed. Tinono wasn't as crispy as I like and calamari breading didn't stay on at all and too much tomatoes. Despite the disappointment in food at lunch, service was great so decided to try again and came back for dinner few weeks later. Would recommend the short ribs and ribeye both are delicious, skip the mussels and get the gyoza instead. Food is hit or miss depending on what your order but service was 5 stars and that is hard to come by in Hilo. Would also skip the picked mango drink, it was way too sweet and too much li hing powder. Overall service was excellent, hope their menu can be more consistent. read more

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I had ordered the fish dinner special and it was lacking seasoning and texture. The components were great but did not quite match as everything was soft with the crab salad and mash potato. Great ambiance though. read more

First time! Lots of free parking. We had lunch here during Merrie Monarch week. The food was tasty and service was excellent! They had a duo playing Hawaiian music and that was a lovely touch. I love that they served the water in recycled wine bottles that are made it to drinking glasses. Unfortunately, we were so hungry I forgot to take pictures of the food. We ordered family style: Calamari, Fried Kalo, Poke was super fresh, Tinono, Cesar Salad and Fried Haupia with Okinawa Sweet Potato Sauce which was oh so Yummy! I'll be back when I visit Hilo again. read more

Lehua Restaurant - Merrie Monarch 2024 Aloha Friday Lunch with the Ladies - Hawaiian Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Located in the Imiloa Astronomy museum, this restaurant opened late last year. The owners also operate Napua at Mauna Lani Beach restaurant near the Mauna Lani Hotel. This is a really nice addition to the fine dining offerings in Hilo. Service was excellent. Seating is brand new and decor is relaxing and attractive. There were a good number of people there tonight, a Friday night, but there was plenty of seating and staff. A musician played and sang Hawaiian music and people really enjoyed it. There is a bar and an open kitchen. We enjoyed the appetizer of Calamari steak, and entrees of short ribs which were served on rice along with Kimchi and also the seared ahi special - crusted with togarashi and Thai red curry, served with tri color beans and mashed purple sweet potatoes. Everything was delicious. We will return. read more

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Amazing farm-to-table restaurant connected to the planetarium in Hilo. Our server Braycen was incredible. Not only did we receive top-not h service, but he took the time to tell us where a lot of our food came from--coffee from a local estate that produces 100% Kona Coffee, fish caught by one of the employees and the bartender, pork from their own pig farm, dessert created to elevate Hawaiian favorites. A must-stop! read more