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Pele's Kitchen

4.4 (432 reviews)
Closed 7:30 am - 12:00 pm

Pele's Kitchen Photos

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PELE'S KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Dogs allowed
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Pele's Kitchen

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Reviews With Photos

Blintz
Brandy C.

I'm not even exaggerating when I say this was one of the best things I've ever eaten. They filled my foodie heart with joy. The ambience was so cute as well. This woman with the coolest dreads I've ever seen was singing. There was art all over the walls. And my server (David) was so so sweet and joyous. This is my fav restaurant in Hawaii and I def recommend checking them out!! They also have a farm tour so I will definitely be back to check that out next time. :)

Cassava Patty
Lorena V.

This was not what we were looking for. We had to exercise our most flexible mindset. We were starving and food took possibly 30+ min. We were a party of 4 and plates were brought out with 3-5 min difference. The vibe was supper hippy, earthy, which is fine. But the music was on in the kitchen, there was live bi-neural solo-guy playing and there was the noise of a construction and the cars outsise. We we never rude but accepting. We seriously did not like the food, the seasoning was cumin-y. The Cassava patty was all curry and cumin. People were nice, but the place did not look clean. And the sweets brought as complimentary as soon as we sat in tasted like stale old cake. So happy that this restaurant is pleasant for many people, but it was not for ourselves, and this review may help other people have a better idea of what to expect.

Inside
Brian B.

Local cool vibe with a colorful garden inside. I really enjoyed the abundance of colors and life here. The green plants and artwork on every surface inside brought such a joyful feeling, which added to the delicious breakfast. The pancakes were superb! Oh, the service was authentically friendly and real. Real people. Real lives being lived bringing fruit directly from local farms. Such a wonderful experience.

Menu
Harry B.

Amazing service. And great farm to fork tasty food. Fresh local fruits and juices. Delicious foods. Great vibe. If in Pāhoa this place is the go to breakfast. Really good service with great suggestions. The food was fresh and very tasty. Great find while visiting big island south of Hilo. I had blintz and other family were very happy with all their choices.

I really, really wanted to love this place, the ambiance is fantastic but the sevice left much to be desired. After getting a very wonderful greeting we were told to sit any where we chose a table then waited. And waited. And waited. A waitress acknowledged us, but never came to take our order:After about 30-35 minutes i went to the counter to order: Breakfast, a small fruit sampler, coffee and tea. After giving the order, the waiting continued. We were treated to the smell of marijuana? but not to the coffee or tea we ordered. After another 25-30 minutes the fruit sampler came. It was delicious but we still had not received any beverages. Eventually our beverages arrived. Then we waited for our breakfast. We watched as dinner people who arrived and ordered shatter us received their food. 12 noon came and the restaurant was now closed. The waitress came to clear the fruit plate and offered to bring us the tab and then remembered we did order something else. Not wanting to wait any longer we asked to cancel the rest of the order. We ended up at Burger King but that's a whole other story

Moody the cat.
Justine G.

Loved the vibe of this place as soon as we walked in! The entire building had a personality behind it. The service was amazing, very welcoming and friendly. I ordered the small exotic fruit sampler and it was not very small! It came with way more than I was expecting. The waiter took the time to explained the different fruits to me which was extremely helpful. He also mentioned these fruits were grown in their farm, which made it feel that much closer. Moody the cat was also part of the welcoming committee and let me give him some pets.

Ingredients straight from the farm to table!
Miranda D.

If you're anywhere on the East side of the big island, add this spot to your must try list! Pele's is located in Old Pāhoa and offers authentic Hawaiian classics with amazing hospitality from the staff (thank you Steph!) The interior is extremely inviting and warm with all the colors and decorations all over. Try their Puna exotic fruit platter! All ingredients like fruits and veggies are locally grown from their farm not too far from the restaurant. Their farm also offers tours of their cocoa trees and fruit gardens. Parking was very easy in this area and allows for easy access to other small businesses nearby!

Jungle Juice @ Pele's Kitchen
Jenny W.

You can't miss Pele's Kitchen when driving down the adorable town of Pahoa - it's the brightly colored art-painted building. The inside is just as inviting, such a cool and artistic vibe! My son and I were looking forward to breakfast here to celebrate our last day of our trip, and it didn't dissapoint. We were greeted by the sweetest server who took the BEST care of us the entire time. She went above and beyond to be sure we were taken care of! We were so impressed with all of the delicious vegan options on the menu, and they didn't disappoint. We tried the jungle juice (SO good!), exotic fruit plate, tofu scramble - and my son had the french toast. Everything was so fresh and delicious. Pele's Kitchen is such a vibe, we will definitely be back!

The server.
Delila N.

WORST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE!! I'm going to start off by saying I was a server & bartender for many years & know the industry well. Our server today greeted us & was friendly taking our order. Pele's was obviously understaffed with only one server who looked like she was in her 70s. We ordered and waited for a long time, but the past experience here was also a long wait, so I wasn't surprised or upset. I had my 2 year old with me, so we did walk outside a couple times because he was struggling sitting still. After 30 minutes, a party of 6 came in, sat down & ordered their food. Within 15 minutes, they all got their food & were enjoying their meals. I asked the server about our meals & told her that we would need to make it "to go" now, because my son couldn't sit still any longer. She said okay. My son then accidentally knocked over a cup of water which spilled all over the table and onto the floor. I used the one napkin we were given & some paper towels from the bathroom to clean as much of the mess as I could. I let the server know & she said she would bring a mop, but never did. At this point, it had been a full hour after we ordered. I went to the counter and the server said she couldn't rush the kitchen, it should be out soon. I overheard the owner was out front & I went up to him to explain the situation. He did apologize and offered a free chocolate bar, but then went on to say "Yeah, I've heard a lot of stories" & "We're not a fast food restaurant" & "There's no way to know what time the order went in". He was rude and totally gaslighting me. I showed him a text from my husband with his order at 8:34am. It was 9:45am. The owner said "That's not proof". I was shocked by his tone & lack of understanding. The server was standing right there beside us and just looked down & never said a word. I kept asking her to tell him what happened, but she wouldn't make eye contact or say anything. I asked the owner to verify my story with the server or the cooks, but he said it didn't matter. I told him it was challenging with my two year because he was losing patience. The owner looked down at my child & said sarcastically "yeah, he's definitely losing it". I literally would have still paid full price and tipped well if there was communication from the server as to why things were taking longer or the owner was understanding & compassionate. The owner did end up giving me $20 off and we got our food 1 hr and 15 minutes later. They didn't give us utensils, napkins or butter for the pancakes. The food was cold & subpar. I walked out crying because of how I felt when the owner was speaking to me & how he made it seem like I was making up a story. I'm a great patron and a great tipper, but this was an awful experience. I will never go there again. As I was walking out crying, the water spill was still all over the table/floor & the owner was sword fighting a customer with wooden sticks inside the restaurant. I couldn't even make this stuff up. What a shit show. AVOID THIS RESTAURANT!!

Cajón Scramble
Manny F.

The service and experience was amazing. The live music was perfect for breakfast. The food is all homemade and with fresh ingredients. The fruit with each plate was perfectly picked and ripe. The Moco Loco was delicious. The coffee was local and brewed fresh. I highly recommend this location.

Jungle Breakfast
Niña C.

I loved getting the jungle breakfast, it was like being able to try a little bit of everything that's offered. I loved the ambiance probably the most though and hawaiian music, and while I am on vacation and am searching for authentic hawaiian food and vibes, I couldn't help but be reminded of home aswell and I honestly loved that. I would definitely recommend trying their homemade hot sauce too, while the food was good, I am a lover of spice and it definitely enhanced my food. Everyone working was very nice and I wish I could come here daily and am sad I have to part with such a gem.

Breakfast plate with spam 10/2023
Keith B.

We popped in for a simple breakfast, and they delivered. The entire place is painted, showcasing art, (and at night evidently has live music? I don't know what we drove by...) But for the morning - it was just us. My partner had a simple breakfast, it filled her up and got her some spam (lightly grilled, very tasty). I opted, as always, for the loco moco. Thicker gravy than elsewhere, perfectly cooked eggs. Great flavor. And a small side of fruit (just enough to add some sweetness to breakfast). It's worth hitting the nearby parking lot and walking over for a nice simple breakfast and coffee.

Indoor dining room

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7 months ago

Cool vibe with great food and service. They had live entertainment while we were there, and it was pretty good.

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

Server was good but food was awful. How can someone mess up on hash browns and scrambled eggs so bad.

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

Pele's Kitchen is just one of those places you'll be going back to again and again. Heart of the Old Pahoa Town and lovely staff!

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8 months ago

Wonderful breakfast options. Gluten free waffles. Pahoa ambiance. Everything I tried has been great!

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