We've read about this place in many Big Island guides, so it was a must stop when visiting the Hilo…read moreside of the island. I must say, these are probably the best mochi balls I've had in my life. Every flavor came to life with every bite. It's very tight inside without any place to sit so be prepared to queue outside if the line is long. You can call in ahead to avoid the crowds. This is definitely one of the must visit spots on the Big Island. Even if you're on the Kailua Kona side.

We tried coming around noon on a weekday but the line was long and we thought maybe we wouldn't be…read moreable to get the flavors we wanted so decided to call to place an order to pick up the following day. We came at 10:30am which was the pickup time we asked for and waited about 20 minutes in the phone order line before being called into the store and waited a few more minutes and left with our order around 11. They did give samples in line though, so that was nice. I did wish I knew about the additional daily fresh fruit flavors beforehand though so that I could order those when I called! I didn't see it until I came to pick up. The place is small and only enough room for a few people at a time. The strawberry mochi is amazing! Other flavors are good too, so soft and fresh. I think it's worth going if you like mochi and have the time!

A great place to grab a late night snack! Chillville is an ice cream shop located in downtown Hilo…read moreon Haili Street. Parking is freely available along the street or in parking lots in the area, so generally it's not too hard to find a parking spot. The interior of the shop is cute with pops of blue and white, with seating available in the form of wooden benches inside the shop. There are various games shelved to the side if you want to play something as you wait. Service was very helpful and friendly! The menu features various base flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, ube, matcha, etc that you can choose from, with various mix-ins and toppings that you can add. I got my chocolate ice cream with strawberry and oreo bits mixed in. My order came out promptly, and it was delicious! If you're craving a sweet treat, make sure to stop by and check this store out!

My niece recommended this place to my BIL and SIL as they had not tried it before. They thought it…read morewas really cool to watch them make it. Great little shop. They have kid's toys for little ones to play with. Will definitely come back again.

Puna Chocolate Company is one of my favorite local chocolate artisan shops, conveniently located in…read moreDowntown Hilo. Since my time away, they have beautifully renovated the interior to have a sit-down booth area. I love the abundance of nene decor honoring our state bird, along with high quality chocolates made in Hawaii. The store clerk was very knowledgeable and described how each cultivars of chocolate differ in their taste profiles. We had the horchata 50% milk chocolate bar, and I don't have a picture because we devoured it in one sitting! Overall, Puna Chocolate Co. is an elegant, delightful, and elevated experience that rivals big names like Big Island Candies and Dandelion Chocolates in San Francisco. Highly recommend in stopping by!

I stopped by Puna Chocolate Company for an afternoon coffee and ordered an espresso. It wasn't…read moreterribly busy in the store so my drink was prepared in minutes. The espresso was strong, not overwhelmingly bitter, and had a good consistency to it. While sitting at the bar, I noticed that they had a Day Drink menu with a bunch of coffee and chocolate cocktails, including an espresso martini and a cacao old fashioned. For $14 and $13 respectively, these seemed like very reasonable prices. Definitely something I'll check out on my next visit. On the right side of the store is a gift shop, while the left side has a bunch of seating for patrons. I noticed there were a few people here with their laptops out, so I can only assume it's also a good place to work as well. The store seemed pretty quiet, street parking outside was easy, and the staff I interacted with here was friendly. Puna Chocolate Company is a good rest spot to stop by to escape from the busyness of Downtown Hilo.

New owners just took over and they are the best! So kind and friendly! One of the best Açaí…read morebowls I've had! So fresh and delicious!!! Highly, highly recommend!!! You will not be disappointed!!!

Ice cream was great as expected which this place is known for. I prefer the ube one…read more The staff was really nice and she helped adjust a coffee that we ordered. I'd recommend getting coffee elsewhere- the cold brew is a bit watered down. Small seating inside but super close to other stores so a great stop after a meal!

The food is delicious - top notch actually....and the portions are huge…read more Service is a tad slow initially, but it's all with a smile.

The food is always excellent and the service is very good. The quantity is very large, it would be…read morenice to have a choice for keiki and Kapuna. Hawaiian Style is legendary!

I remember coming here often when I was little for the fries and ice cream. This has been my first…read moretime in 5+ years coming back to Kozmic and I had to wait in the drive thru line for 30min! That's not why there's a two star review. I'm giving this a 2/5 because the food was so bland! I've ordered the Korean Katsu and there were no sauce! The texture of what katsu is supposed to be wasn't katsu! It was literally a chicken tender that tasted like jack n box tenders. So if you like jack n box tenders then come to Kozmic cones but if you want authentic katsu go somewhere else!

Usually opt for drive thru but first time dining in since the drive thru was insane per usual and I…read morereally wanted ice cream it was so hot lol. As busy as the drive thru was, the workers were banging out orders quick! Not sure why I never realized they make plate lunches but they look so good. Love that their prices are pretty reasonable too. Opted to share a banana royale and slush float, they only had melon at the time and some fries. Fries were literally fried to perfection. Kozmic Cones has always been a must go to when in Hilo! Our very own local Dairy Queen.

My husband and I shared: - Turkey, Cranberry, and Cream…read moreCheese Popover Sandwich - Pastrami Popover Sandwich - Ube Donut - Lilikoi Butter Mochi Both sandwiches were fantastic. I love popovers and it's such a great idea to turn them into a sandwich. I think I had a slight preference for the turkey one, but you can't go wrong with either. The desserts were a little disappointing. The donut was dry and the butter mochi was just ok. If you're in Hilo, come here for lunch!

Wow! So good! Something interesting about Hawaii is they don't care for too much about the…read moreaesthetic and interior design. Upon walking in, you see a mom and pops with a weird table layout of their baked goods. But actually eating it is such a different story! Great value for lots of yummy breakfast

Big Island Bakehouse is a can't miss when visiting Big Island! We made it over to this place on our…read moresecond to last day and we were greeted with so much cheer and the friendly staff gave recommendations and helped guide our choices. We tried the Bomboloni and Nutella Coconut croissant during our initial visit. The Bomboloni reminds me of a malasada but I enjoyed the creamy filling of this so much more. We ended up going back on our last day and tried some of the savory options - the goat cheese pesto croissant and then sausage roll were standouts for us. Enjoyed this place so much we hardly took pictures, but everyone should add this as a stop especially if visiting Volcano National Park!

Open only 3 days a week, this has become one of my favorite stops on the way to Volcano (from…read moreHilo). In fact, except Madam Pele does NOT necessarily keep to the same schedule as the bakery, would try to time my Volcano drives to coincide with Friday, Saturday, or Sunday! Hahah. Today got a sampling of Mediterranean scones (savory with olives and delicious seasonings), croissants, danish, and my favorite... the ube cruffin. Holy Moly Batman... that one item was worth the drive alone! Since there really wasn't any real estate in our tummies, we split everything 3 ways... over the course of the next few hours. Two weeks later, still thinking about that ube cruffin! Would definitely do a repeat on that as well as the Medeterranean scones while trying other items. And as the nice couple infront of us in line mentioned, will have to return for the sister deli across the parking lot. Heard it was featured in Guy Hagi's food vlog. And if its good enough for Guy Hagi its where I want to be my next mealtime!

Went for breakfast and looking fo Malasadas. Had the Korean fried chicken breakfast. The chicken…read morewas so good and flavorful. They cooked the hashbrowns exactly right. Our server was great.. she ended up going into the bakery to find Malasadas for us to go. Great experience.

Made to order and very good! Service was fast and staff was very kind, would recommendread more

Cute little bakery with lots of sweet treats. Went to Short n Sweet on a rainy Hilo day, so the…read moreshop was empty and there were lots of pastry options available. The shop keeper was friendly and patient as I browsed the pastry case. I've always been curious about the Dubai chocolate bar, so I decided to splurge and give it a try. Very pricey at $16 for a 4-5" bar, but it was worth it to try it once. The chocolate was smooth and high quality, the pistachio cream was sweet with a hint of pistachio flavor, and the kataifi was pleasantly crunchy. I would have loved more pistachio flavor, but it was a nice little chocolate treat. Looking forward to trying more things from Short n Sweet in the future. Will definitely be back when I want to treat myself to a gourmet dessert. :)

Right when you walk in, you're greeted by a beautiful display case of goods. To the left are…read moreshelves of refrigerated goods, followed shelves of non-refrigerated goods. The sweets are always really good. The crème brûlée is definitely our favorite dessert here! It's light and creamy and just overall delicious! We come here every time we visit and try to get something different but we always seem to revert back to the creme brulee. The staff there has always been really nice. We seem to always get the same lady every time we go and I feel terrible that I haven't gotten her name by now