I could never find the location! The address wasn't accurate. I even called the place and another…read moreperson from another island answered. I became frustrated and just left.

My Aloha First Friday fav in downtown Hilo! & everyone else's for that matter, judging by the long…read moreline snaking around their food truck. Plain & simple, the food is anything but. Big Island Fusion takes popular local dishes & elevates them to the next level with their own unique flair. I have to give them 5 stars because I'm extremely picky about how I choose to indulge in this type of food. & they do it right. The Wasabi Masago Krispy Ahi tastes as delicious as it sounds. You can't go wrong with deep fried sushi. Ever. & with every so many bites of the poke, you're hit with that sweet burn of the wasabi. Yum. The Krispy Soy Ginger Chicken is amazing. Legit pieces of perfectly fried chicken (none of that 99% fat & tendon, 1% actual meat you'll find at many local plate lunch fast food joints), with a flavorful sauce. You also get a side of rice & sweet potato Mac salad. Sometimes they'll have a sampler plate on the specials menu. Get this. It's like a greatest hits album but in edible form. Oh & don't forget to douse your dish with some of their chili pepper water! Onolicious local grindz is really the best way to describe the food here. Everything is just so well seasoned. Portions are proportionate to the prices, which are higher than your average plate lunch fare, but keep in mind this isn't your average plate lunch fare. I look forward to seeing what other specials they'll serve up at future First Friday events!

One of my go-to places in Hilo to pick up a bento. Located next door to KTA Puainako, Hiro's has…read morebeen a staple of mine and I've been coming here since I was a child! The place operates like a lunch counter where you can either order from the food they already have out in the warmers or a plate off the menu. In addition to the hot food line, they keep a variety of bentos out so you can grab and go. I love how affordable this place is. I typically come here to grab a breakfast bento when I'm on my way to work and the breakfast bento costs $5.95 plus tax at the time of this review (February 2025). The breakfast bento comes with a choice of breakfast meat (including spam, bacon, and sausage), one egg, kamaboko, and rice. Location is also fantastic. With Hiro's being next door to KTA, there is so much parking available and it's so easy to get to as it's on the corner of two major roads in Hilo. Service is also great every time I come, and the staff working the counter are always nice. There's a seating area just outside with plenty of tables and chairs, as well as any condiments you need.

Service was great and fast. It's a little hole in the wall kind of a place with plenty of options…read more We both ordered mini breakfast plates and we were both disappointed when we got our plates. We both ordered over easy eggs and were very disappointed when we got sunny side up eggs instead. They are similar but they are not the same. Because they were sunny side up the whites were not fully cooked. The corn beef hash patties were small with large chunks of potatoes so not much actual meat.

I liked this place, went twice in two days. Not sure why the reviews are so low…read more tried the hilo boy, katsu loco moco, double loco moco, and half and half with fried fish and patty the shoyu chicken was soo tender and seasoned well. and the katsu chicken was so crispy and tender as well. they do their chicken justice the teri beef had good flavor and beef stew tastes light and got good meat chunks in it. super affordable and quick service! yummy food and good portions

Home of the loco moco! Came to Cafe 100 on a Friday for lunch with a large group of students, and…read morethis was the perfect spot to grab a quick lunch. There were various options for everyone and easy ordering on the kiosk with pictures, which was super helpful. The dining area is spacious and breezy. I got a green river and portugese sausage loco moco, which are two of my favorite things! A lot of places don't have green river, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it being sold here. The Portuguese sausage was juicy and the gravy was the perfect consistency for the loco moco. I loved how many different meat options they had for their loco mocos. Definitely recommend coming here for a quick bite!

This place is great! Old school saimin. Excellent grilled fish. Very nostalgic. Just wish they…read morewere open 7 days a week. But I'll take what I can get Friday-Sunday.

They make the best yakisoba dry Saimin dish. I miss their restaurant. Always my go to.read more

Just off the plane, hungry with no wait, this is the place to go!…read more Went here on a Friday, about 8 am. First time back home in years; my parents were hungry, so we stopped in here for breakfast. Our order: Mushroom & Swiss Cheeseburger -- ONO - highly recommended, one of their top sellers! Pastele Special with Gondule Rice - ono! Food was onoliscious and filling. I wasn't hungry, but I had a couple bites of each, and it was delish. I would order the mushroom Swiss burger again! I just ordered a black coffee because I didn't get to sleep on the plane and needed a pick-me-up. Auntie at the counter gave us another cup of coffee because she says it just goes to waste at the end of day. Auntie was so sweet and had amazing aloha service, mahalo auntie!! Currently living in the mainland, this is what I miss the most. Aloha everywhere :) We will be back next time we're in town! And to try the other recommended dishes. A previous customer's order came out when we got there, and it looked so good, one of the breakfast plates with fried rice! love their famous sign - If no can, no can, if can... VERNA'S! Mahalo nui and aloha!!! Chelle

5 Stars We were…read moregetting gas in Hilo when we noticed something that always catches our attention: a parking lot full of locals and a steady line of people waiting next door at Verna's Drive In. We figured that many locals couldn't all be wrong, so we decided to give it a try. I'm glad we did. I had the cheeseburger, and my wife ordered the Swiss mushroom burger. Both were excellent. The buns were nicely toasted, the burgers were hot and juicy, and everything tasted fresh. The French fries were exactly what you hope for: crispy, hot, and perfectly cooked. The surprise star of the meal was the corn chowder. I'll admit it wasn't something I expected to order, but it ended up being one of the best things we ate. It was creamy, slightly sweet, had just the right amount of seasoning, and was packed with flavor. An unexpected find at a burger spot, but absolutely delicious. The food alone would have earned a great review, but the staff took things to another level. After we left, we realized we had accidentally thrown something important away. We called the restaurant nearly 40 minutes later, and the staff actually went through the trash looking for it. Who does that anymore? That level of customer service is almost unheard of and speaks volumes about the people who work there. Now we completely understand why the locals love this place. Great food, friendly people, and service that goes far beyond what anyone could reasonably expect. If Google allowed it, we'd give Verna's 7 stars.

Went there yesterday and I have to start with how cheap it was! I didn't take pictures of our…read moreplates but between 3 of us, we still had a plate left. $22! On Oahu I've spent like $70 for 3 ppl at a delicatessen. We got hot dog sushi, spam musubi, garlic chicken, nori chicken, veg tempura, shrimp tempura and I think something else. It was all good but I will say I was surprised that the shrimp was like 2" including the tail.

12 hours in Hilo: Stop #1 Hilo Lunch Shop. Traveling with family for a cousin's funeral in Hilo…read more After landing at the airport and picking up the rental car, our first stop was to Hilo Lunch Shop- an okazuya. Just about a block north of the airport complex on Kalanikoa Street, there was a good amount of parking on a Saturday. HLS is hugely popular, usually the line snakes out of the building on work days. Today the line still stretched out in a lazy C to the second door into the shop. Shuffling through the line, I had a lot of time to check out the food. Struck by how reasonable the prices were. Got up to the head of the line and ordered. Paid and went outside to enjoy my food. Saw that the reason for good prices is that some of the portions like the spam musubi were for a half a musubi. But my eyes were bigger than my opu, and I had a lot to take as leftovers anyway. HLS's food is tasty and reasonable. How great is it to see another old-time okayzuya continue to survive! Will repeat whenever my travels bring me back to Hilo, and highly recommend!

So happy they reopened. I've walked by a few times hoping and after a few months of not going to…read morethe mall it was a pleasant surprise that they reopened. The fried zucchini was still crispy on the outside soft on the inside. Cherry lemonade still my favorite although I heard they have occasional flavors available. The staff was so nice, respectful and polite. It was nice to see that the young generation working with big smiles on their faces. Seats were available near by to sit but we were taking it to go.

Service is great the manager is bomb. Food is fresh got my order fast it was still hot and ono.read more

After a long hike, this was exactly what we needed! The food was absolutely delicious, and the…read moreportions were huge, but perfect when you've worked up an appetite. Everything tasted fresh, flavorful. The service was just as impressive. Everyone was warm and welcoming, and our waiter was fantastic. she checked on us several times without being overbearing and made us feel genuinely taken care of throughout our meal. This was our first visit, but it definitely won't be our last. Between the incredible food, generous portions, friendly service, and beautiful views, this place exceeded our expectations. If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and stop by! you won't leave hungry or disappointed. Edit: Try their desserts!! we took it to go and immediately had to add this to our review

Ordered the Kanak atak with beef and pork option and overall the experience felt a bit overhyped…read more The laulau was bland, while the kalua pork was somewhat salty but more flavorful. The poi had a pleasant texture, though the haupia was too sweet for our taste. We upgraded from rice to fried rice, which was fine but unremarkable. Surprisingly, the pickled onions and chili water were the highlights, adding the most flavor to the meal. Service was efficient but felt rushed and impersonal. Our waitress checked in, but did so while walking away, making the interaction feel routine rather than attentive. Overall, the food was ok, but not memorable enough for us to return.