Ordered one of the menu specials: Korean katsu. It was seasoned perfectly and the sauce was sweet…read more I like thinner breading so it was cooked just the way I like. One of my favorite parts is the service. Very family oriented and the service is fast. Our food came out in less than 20 minutes. If you're ever in Hilo and want comforting local food this is the place.

At first stepping in , we were on a kalbi mission, only had two people, mind you it's about 4:30pm…read more We were seated and menus given. They have a good selection of eats, Japanese and Korean food! We had the kalbi, bulgogi and spicy pork dishes which included rice, miso soup or salad. I have to admit, as I sampled everyone's order the food was Ono! ( good!) the portion as well was on point, not minini! We enjoyed our meal and the service was great too! While in Hilo town last trip here we ate at a smaller place and the food was so so, but this place is a definite spot to return and grind!

I took my disabled client to lunch, and we were short on time before Hele-On came to get us. Robert…read morewas our server and he was so wonderful! He was patient and went above and beyond to make sure we got through our meal in time to catch our ride. The food was delicious and fresh, too. Great experience!

We had such a great dinner here! We came during happy hour and ordered a bento box, a combo, the…read moresteak fries, and the dynamite roll. Everything was delicious and the portions were huge. You definitely get a lot of food for your money. The drinks were great too. The matcha cocktail was amazing and one of my favorite drinks we tried. What really stood out was the service. The host, bartender, and our waitress were all so kind, friendly, and welcoming. Great food, generous portions, fun drinks, and genuinely wonderful service. Cute patio but you can't bring drinks out there, the bar inside was nice though.

Amazing taste, and perfectly cooked. Good service too…read more Located across from city municipalities.

Came on a whim, we and the family had to get out because we just needed the change of pace. Once…read morethat was done , everyone was hungry. I have had this place in my collection for a while. And was a few minutes from opening. Perfect. So we drove from the Walmart area. The parking lot was almost already full when we got there, always a good sign. People taking out their food. Once inside busy. Efficient service. Sat and given menus. Four adults. We decided that we should share a meal because portions were giant. Pork cutlet, ramen, and pork chops. I would pass on the ramen . But the pork was fire. We had enough to share . Everyone was full. We all shared the ice cream cookie . Didn't look like a lot but the bowl was definitely full. And so were we.

Great restaurant find in Hilo! Food was superb as was the service. Small space so reservations are…read morea must. We got the early but they weren't ready for us. That was ok because we found a wonderful speak easy about 2 blocks away that was fabulous. Great night in Hilo!!

Quaint local restaurant that has a creative menu with a personal flare of the Owner chef. Staff is…read morevery knowledgeable about their menu and makes excellent recommendations. My husband and I sat at the bar and enjoyed the excellent company of our bartender server who gave excellent descriptions of the menu items ...making our mouth water before we even ordered our dinner. At Her recommendation, we enjoyed the ricotta gnocchi's As our shared starter and the pan seared local Opah fish dish which was amazing.. Reservations are highly recommend as this is a locals favorite... so tables fill quickly.. and you don't want to miss this exquisite restaurant in service and food quality!

Love this place! We visited this local favorite on a trip to Hilo. We went for an early weekday…read morelunch, so it wasn't busy. There was parking in the shared lot, but spaces are tiny. Booth seating was perfect for us. The wait staff were super nice and patient with us. Their menu is huge and has a lot of options for customizing. Fortunately, there are diagrams on the wall to help you decide. I got a Miso Standard ramen ($20 with an Ajitama (seasoned soft boiled egg), hard texture, fried garlic, extra noodles. It was fabulous! Really hit the spot. Loved the chewier noodles and the rich, flavorful broth. DH got THE Garlic ramen ($26.50) also with an Ajitama, pork belly, and extra noodles, regular firmness. The kids wanted extra Naruto (fish cakes), 75 cents for 2 small pieces. One of our kids is under age 5, so we got a Miso mini ramen ($9.50 value) for free! Wow! Little one said he did not like the flavor of the seasoned egg. Noodles were very soft, but stayed together, and soaked up a ton of broth so they were flavorful. He said the Miso Mini comes with corn instead of fish cake. We loved all of the toppings. The pork belly was excellent! Portion sizes are great. We had some leftovers to take back. Overall, a fantastic place to satisfy those ramen cravings!

Best ramen in Hilo. I like how you can pick exactly how you want your bowl of ramen to be. My go-to…read moreis the miso ramen with the ajitama egg and spicy ball. If prices were a little lower for some other items on the menu, I would be willing to try more things. When they had the sushi available, it was really good too! Hopefully you bring back sushi again!

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.

Found this place in Yelp while searching for a place to eat in the area. The town was highly…read morerecommended by our tour guide to check out. Naturally, we'd need a good place to eat as well :) Japanese food sounded good and was a break from all the pork we'd been eating. This place did not disappoint, and we got there at a good time. Within 20 minutes, there were groups of patrons waiting for a table. It got really crowded inside. We ordered sashimi (came with hamachi, salmon, tuna), New York strip kushiyaki, and the black cod. The beef tasted very high quality, and the fish was so fresh. The sashimi pieces were quite generous too. The black cod is slightly on the sweeter side for me but still enjoyable and so melt-in-your mouth tender. The staff was very busy, and they looked understaffed. The space is a bit small, so it can fill up quickly. It's definitely worth trying though! High quality food without the high prices. Glad we were able to make it here during our vacation.

CUTE VIBE. GREAT STAFF. DELIGHTFUL FOOD…read more I reviewed the pics online and saw the chirashi bowl. Honestly, such a great choice. The food was so refreshing and good. Truly thrilled we found this place. 10/10 going again.

Chicken is 10/10, juicy and crispy. Yakitori is super good and almost sweet tasting. Overall 10/10…read moreplace.

Found this place accidentally during our recent vacation to the Big Island. We came for Paradise…read moreBakery and decided we wanted to try this place for a snack as it looked so good, and was in the same food court mall! Note: The food court mall was a little off the beaten path, behind a gas station. It's an open air seating and houses a number of local establishments that seem more catered to locals than tourists. There is ample seating, and restrooms are available. The only bad part about it is it can get a bit hot and stuffy in there, but at least they had big fans blowing. The chicken karaage (family size) was oh so good - very fresh, big pieces, and a yummy taste! Everything was fried fresh to order. Found it sweet that a haole woman who spoke fluent Japanese seemed to be training a younger Japanese gentleman who didn't speak much English. Wished we were staying on the island longer as we'd love to come back to try other menu items!

Loved our visit to Sushi Sam's! I recommend making reservations as it is a smaller restaurant and…read morevery popular. I ordered the deluxe chirashi lunch set and it was delicious! The fish was all very fresh and it came with miso soup. We also ordered some appetizers for the table and every item was a hit. Service was top notch! They are located in a smaller complex so parking can be tight.

Great service, even better quality sushi!…read more Highly recommend making a reservation. They do take walk ins. But may push you to finish faster than you'd like, so the table can be cleared for an incoming reservation. Would like to see a Omakase style of offering for those sitting at the sushi bar. Overall very good food, and service.

Best omakase deal ever! What an incredible meal…read more Here are the 8 dishes we got from the omakase: Mustard greens with ponzu - best ponzu ever!!! We were drinking it at the end. Loved the flavors of the mustard greens, katsuo and nori flakes. 5 stars! Agedashi tofu - nice light crispy battered soft tofu pieces in a slightly sweet dashi. We ordered a larger serving for our kiddo and he smashed it. 5 stars. Miso soup - wonderful katsuo flavor in the soup highlighted by the mitsuba. So tasty. 5 stars. Tempura - perfect pieces of asparagus, carrot, eggplant mushroom, and shrimp. Not super oily and perfectly cooked. 5 stars! Sashimi - we dove into this so quick I didn't get a pic, but there were 2-3 pieces each of hamachi, mackerel, kanpachi and tuna. I usually don't like mackerel but I scarfed up this one! Absolutely perfect. 5++ stars. Hand roll - missed the pic here too since we were so excited to have ootoro in a hand roll!!! It had the makings of a spicy tuna but with the extra special ootoro. Fish was all the way to the bottom of the roll too! Sushi excellence. 5++++ stars!!! Sushi - this was a WOWWWWW dish!! Two pieces of hamachi, ootoro, seared hotate and uni (from Japan) nigiri. We couldn't believe we were getting ootoro and uni. Everything was so fresh and unbelievably good. 5+++++ stars!!!! Dessert -This wasn't mentioned in the menu for the omakase so I think it was just a kind complimentary item. It was interesting since it was the strawberry part of a ice cream sandwich with some whipped cream and strawberries. Kiddo loved it! It's rare when you can get quality food at a good price. The online omakase menu description did not do justice to what was served. I wish I had made multiple reservations here! Chef Seiji and his wife are absolutely wonderful and you can tell everything is made with love. It's such a small place with 4 tables but they've got to be the best sushi on the island! I'm guessing they're going to want to retire at some point so get here fast!!!

Small, cute Japanese restaurant . Very polite . The sushi was excellent! The owners are really…read morefriendly and accommodating. Been too there cute restaurant many times.