Not sure if there are any pine trees in Hawaii but I'm certainly PINING over Pine Tree Cafe. I ordered their most popular dish, the Garlic Furikake Chicken which was super crunchy and delicious. Like KFC but Hawaiian. The sriracha aioli complemented everything. To try to be healthy, to offset the 2 scoops of rice, we ordered a salad for the side with the house shoyu dressing which was very light and lots of umami flavor as the chefs would say. The line gets long at around 6 pm so I'd recommend getting there at 5 pm. I would come back to eat some other lunch plates! read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Garlic Furikake chicken plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

I love pine tree. Workers are really nice, there's a lot of options, I love their musubis and their garlic chicken plate. Generous portion for the price. Lots of places to sit too. Great spot for lunch. read more

extensive menu selection here. Stopped to grab food for our dinner to go. It took a bit of time but we got everything hot and packed well. I also saw a lot of yummy looking deserts that I didn't get to try. The teriyaki beef was delish and the mac salad was very good as well. My son got the captains platter which he enjoyed. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Captains platter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Must get the pork bulgogi--it's got a great savory, charred flavor. Their rice is really good too.

Strip mall counter service with not much ambience. But clean. Out door seating is around. Food will come in Styrofoam as it is very much a take out joint. Our counter service person was super friendly and nice. The food is excellent and a really good value--which explains its popularity. I had the ono fish and chips and they were delightful. Only problem--too much food. A huge order of fries and five huge pieces of fish beautifully fried in tempura batter. The fish was delicious and fresh. Even the ice tea from the ice tea dispenser was good. Since I am not a fan of macaroni salad, I got a tossed salad instead. It was large, fresh and tasty. It is obvious why this place wins awards. Local love it. Close to the airport so good for a meal before or after a flight. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Ono fish and chips - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Based on a recommendation from a local, we came here for our first meal on the Big Island! The constant line of customers was a great sign and their large menu of breakfast, burgers and lunch & dinner plates has something to please everyone. I was torn between ordering off of their regular menu or their variety of specials posted by the entrance. Everything sounded so good! + Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken ($15.95): This is their most popular item! The lightly breaded chicken had a nice crunch to it and was drizzled with a "spicy" aioli. Now it wasn't super garlicky nor spicy... but it was still a delicious dish and had a little hint of sweetness. We chose salad as our side which was filled with fresh vegetables. + Korean Mix Plate ($18.95): I couldn't decide what to order, so I went for the mix plate that included three different meats. The pork bulgogi was sliced thin and lightly marinated, but a little on the fatty side. I enjoyed the kalbi ribs which were meaty with a true char flavor. Finally, the Korean Fried Chicken... This was the BEST thing I ate during my trip! It was crispy on the outside, juicy inside and covered in an addicting sweet glaze. The Korean Fried Chicken stands alone as its own menu item which I assume is a larger serving of what I got. My mix plate also included kimchi which had daikon instead of cabbage. It wasn't too spicy and helped cut the fat from the succulent meats. I didn't care for the side of mac salad as it had way too much tuna which was completely overpowering. At peak lunch time, service was actually pretty quick. We only had to wait about 10 minutes for our food, which gave us time to find a table. There's limited seating inside and even less outside. We happened to get lucky with an outdoor table as another group was leaving. The staff also adheres to safety measures which I appreciated. When a customer walked in without a mask, one of the cashiers politely asked him to put one on. Overall, I was impressed by Pine Tree Cafe. I recommend ordering from their selection of lunch or dinner plates for the best value. If you're in the mood for breakfast, their options may sound tempting, but the pricing seems a little steep for what you'll receive ($7.50 for two pancakes, for instance). Ultimately, my rating comes down to the fact that their Korean Fried Chicken is at the top of my list compared to everything else I ate that WEEK. Needless to say, it's five stars from me! read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Korean Mix Plate ($18.95) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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We stopped in after landing at Kona Airport, it was only about 5 minutes away from the airport which made the location convenient. It was pretty busy in the restaurant and not the most cleanly stop.. restrooms are located outside and are public for the shopping mall. It's not the most comfortable place to sit down and have a meal after a long flight. We ended up needing to find seating outside at a picnic table and the people walking around didn't look the most friendly. Needless to say I wasn't super comfortable at this location. The food itself was also very greasy, 100% Hawaiian comfort food, if that is what you are craving you may have a better experience than I did but the quality of the food was lacking for me. read more

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I think the service is slow because it's so busy. Or maybe because there were only 1-2 people takimg orders. Or maybe they were short staffed with cooks. I paid way more than I expected for a meal with 5 wings. (Korean chicken.) However, they were delicious! On the other hand, my friend's portion of kalbi was generous, so I guess I just ordered the wrong thing. There's a reasonable amount of seating inside and out. Place was clean all around, but staff was less than friendly (no eye contact, no verbal response to requests), so I don't think I'll be going back. Maybe they were just having an off day? ‍ read more

Our go to place when heading to the beach. The cheeseburger deluxe with bacon and onion rings is the best. The spicy garlic chicken rocks too read more

This was our first meal after landing in Kona. The Ahi tuna over rice really hit the spot. They have such an extensive menu, it was almost a bit hard to know what to order. It took a while to order, but once we did the food came quickly. The cafe felt a bit like a school cafeteria. Overall it was pleasant experience. We were happy they had food at 3pm in the afternoon. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Fried poke bowl (ahi) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We were looking for a quick plate lunch fix after landing at the KOA airport and came across this spot. The service was great and friendly but the food unfortunately fell a little short. I would say the only standout was the kalbi ribs, which were fatty, juicy, and well-marinated. The fried chicken was juicy but needed more seasoning, and the Mac salad had a bit of a different aftertaste (maybe contained crab?) The side of spam musubi also lacked some sort of marinade/teriyaki sauce. read more

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One of the best places for lunch or dinner in Kailua Kona. It's boasts an extensive menu, including local favorites like Oxtail Soup, Spicy Garlic Shrimp and Loco Moco! The portions are generous and the service is fast. They also have lots to choose from for the sweet tooth; from bread pudding, cake and even macaroons. Parking is a breeze as the mall it is in has free parking and is never full. Be prepared to line up as it does get busy at lunch and dinner. They have several indoor tables as well as outdoor seating. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Main counter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

This is a cute little cafe about 5 minutes away from the Kona airport. I travel to Kona often for work but I've only tried this place once but based on the taste I am planning on checking more things off the menu. I had the Korean chicken with white rice and Mac salad with a brownie on the side. The chicken was soooo juicy and had so much flavor I can't wait to go back. read more

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Came to Kona,Hawaii today and right off the plane we went here cause the reviews were good and we didn't want to go anywhere else on our first day. The menu is huge from breakfast foods to dinner. We got a couple of kids meals chicken tenders no picture. Cheeseburger meals. We also got the Korean fried chicken with the Kabli beef which was outstanding we also got the kaarage chicken which was also good too. Now the shoyu chicken was not awesome it tasted like boiled chicken in soy sauce but the one thing it doesn't taste a lick like soy sauce which I wished it did cause I hate boiled meat specifically chicken. And with all that liquid that they give you think they give you rice but no they give you French fries which I thought was weird the onion rings and French fries were ok. The service at this place also is OK. They didn't give us any forks with our food so we had to go back up there and it took a really long time for them to give it to us which was also weird. The ambiance isn't anything to write about you can't see a beach or a sunset or waves or anything it was breezy. In the end I'm glad that we went here cause now I know what the bar is like here. I won't be coming back to this place again now to my next destination. read more

Another local spot that is a must! A perfect spot to grab food on your way to the beach also. It's also a great spot because it's open every day. We loved the spicy garlic chicken bowl, teriyaki burger, spam musubi with furikake, and spam breakfast burrito. Ample parking! read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Spicy garlic chicken bowl. I got this twice! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

First stop from the airport when you want to have some good local food? Pine Tree Cafe! Everything I've tried here is good....kalua pork & cabbage, Korean BBQ, shoyu chicken. Today was Loco Moco. And, it didn't disappoint! Service is good. They are friendly and efficient. The restaurant is kept clean too. And there is also outdoor seating. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Small Loco Moco comes with one scoop of rice and one hamburger patty. So ONO - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We are visiting the Big Island for the first time, and the lady from Budget recommended this local grinds place. The place was busy, clean and the staff were friendly. The food was delicious. They have tons of food to choose from on their menu for you. We had our go-to local food favorites, which are spicy garlic chicken, which was a little hard instead of crunchy, but the flavor was good. The kalbi (short ribs) was very good. The macaroni salad was a little interesting as it had tuna mix with it. We prefer the original macaroni salad. Overall, it's a good place to stop by to fill your hunger. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Spicy Garlic Chicken - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Why do you look at customers and not ask , can I help you? Keep talking story to each other/ maybe your food is good but your customer service is going downhill! read more

Eat where the locals eat. Great food and Aloha service. Casual setting and again great food! Best macaroni salad Big Island style Near Costco and the airport. My family eats here every time we visit the Big Island. Mahalo! read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Short ribs baby! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Very efficient and know staff. Enjoyed my breakfast thoroughly. French toast was perfectly cooked. Lots of locals and tourists enjoying their meals here. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Food is always yummy Fried Poke plate is my favorite. My daughter loves the boneless Kalbi!

Pros: large menus with many possibilities, good food, fresh food, reasonably priced Cons: not much, the wait time is slightly long when they are busy but it's not terrible A great place to grab breakfast/brunch/lunch. Don't forget to grab a coffee from Kona Mountain Coffee next door. They are good as well read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Where yummy foods are served - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Good reviews brought us here. With lots of parking spaces, it's easy to get in here. It was a bit packed but we were able to order and get our food within a reasonable amount of time. There were tables inside and a few outside. Food was just ok. I didn't think it was great or anything, just edible. We got the lunch plates. I got the grilled mahi with fried shrimp. Mine also came with a salad. I was not impressed. The salad was literally salad, no dressing or anything. The mahi just tasted bland. The shrimp was ok but didn't have any flavors either. We did come back one morning to get musubi. However we were told that we could only get it if we order 12 or more. We were shocked. So we just left. There were also no bathrooms, probably due to covid, not sure. Place is ok if you are extremely hungry and need something to fill your tummy. I probably wouldn't return. read more

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I was lucky enough to visit this spot after recommendation from a local right before my flight back to the mainland on my first-ever trip to the Big Island. Boy, am I glad we stopped by! Located just a few minutes away from Kona Airport, this should be your first or final (or both!) stop for a delicious and authentic Hawaiian meal. Their menu is enormous, and it took me a few minutes before I could settle on just one dish. Had I come earlier in my trip, I would've come back more often, or ordered more and eaten the leftovers as breakfast or a snack. I saw a picture of the spicy garlic chicken and I just knew that I had to try it! The restaurant was busy, but service was quick, and my friend and I were fortunate to find indoor seating inside the clean, spaced out restaurant. Not much to be said about the interior decor, because the food was definitely the star here. The garlic chicken was served fresh, hot, and crispy in a box with brown rice and some veggies used as garnish. While this box of goodness could've fed two, I wasn't about to leave a single bite. To say it was delicious would be an understatement, and I will definitely be coming back to try their loco mocos and other favorites on my next trip back to Kona! So, overall: -The good: Huge servings, freshly prepared and delicious food, at very fair prices. Come try multiple dishes and share with your crew! -The bad: The place can be busy during peak hours! If you're trying to come right before your flight out of Kona, leave ample time to wait, or order ahead! -The ugly: Nothing ugly about this place--only that I hadn't heard about it sooner! read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Amazing garlic chicken over brown rice! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We needed a quick fix coming from the airport. This was pretty much the closest restaurant. Here was our experience. AMBIANCE: Parking: Plaza parking, it was pretty busy but we were able to find something. Seating: Plenty of seating inside and outside. COVID-19 protocol so seats were more limited. Feels: The spot is in a random plaza. Not too far away from the airport. Great place for a stop as there's a market, coffee spot, and a gas station. The spot itself is pretty hustle and bustle. Lots of people eating, coming and going, with orders being shouted across the kitchen. I dig the Island music playing in the background. Nothing too flashy but the food is great! FOOD: Fried Ahi Poke, Fries, & Mac Salad (Recommend) Deeeelicious! Fresh poke, thick cut and fresh fries (choice of rice too), and savory and comforting mac salad. Poke was well cooked and juicy, the sesame seeds and the Japanese mayo gave it a good kick. A great fulfilling combo. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Awesome! Quick and friendly food TL; DR OVERALL: 4.5 Stars. Excellent! A well rounded menu, delicious food, and at a reasonable price. Great first impressions if you're trying modern Hawaii food. TIPS: * Call ahead of time to reduce your wait. * Pretty much the closest restaurant to the airport. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Fried Poke with fries and mac salad. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Definitely went at a good time of 7 am where it wasn't as busy. Being a tourist of the Big Island I felt very welcome and at ease at this place. I got the spicy garlic chicken based off of numerous recommendations and I'll say that it was very tasty but not mind blowing as I was lead to believe. My friend got the short ribs which were very tasty and made me wish I ordered those instead haha. But overall I would say that this place is a safe bet for a good tasty meal :) read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Spicy Garlic Chicken - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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You walk in, order at the counter, find a table and wait for your name to be called. Nothing fancy, but pretty good breakfast. The Hawaiian French toast here was excellent. The breakfast burrito was super small for the price. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Hawaiian French Toast. The picture does no justice - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Pine Tree Cafe is a fantastic spot near the airport for a quick bite. The menu is extensive with options for all diners.

French toast was amazing Service was fast great place for breakfast plate lunch at reasonable prices read more

The only regret I had coming here during my last lunch on the island was that I hadn't visited here sooner. I called in my order ahead of time and in about 20-25 minutes it was ready. They have a few indoor dining seats right now but there are plenty outside. They seem to be constantly busy, but it was well worth the seemingly short wait. My Spicy Garlic Chicken came out hot, fresh, and fragrant. It hit me and I knew instantly that this shit came straight out the fryer. It was time to buckle up. In short, this was the kind of garlic chicken I was after all week. The chicken had a palpable crunch and the sauce on top was creamy and only mildly spicy. The sweet soy sauce was consistently in each bite and lent itself to the juiciness of the chicken. I opted to get my plate with brown rice, and it was the perfect vessel to sop up and leftover sauce. The portion itself was big and could easily feed two people. This was the perfect snack for the long flight home. Even several hours later the chicken was still crunchy. It made a few people perk up in their seats trying to figure out where the delicious smell was coming from! The macaroni salad was creamy and delicious as well. Needless to say, I'll be stopping by every time I'm on the island. In fact, will be my first stop after landing at the Kona airport. Broke da Mouth who? Broke da Mouth Grindz has the lines and all the hype, but their garlic furikake chicken is subpar and could not compare to what's being served at Pine Tree Cafe. It's simply better food at the same price but half the wait time. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Conveniently located next to Matsuyama Market. This Cafe has an extension list of lunch items. A great place to stop before you board a flight on the Ellison International Airport, since it's only 3.5 or so miles away. Given it was only 10:15am, I decided to order a Fried Poke Bowl. To my surprise it was not dipped in batter or deep fried, but very simply pan fried. The flavoring was good with the garlic aioli sauce, the fish had a meaty texture since it was cook but personally I am more accustomed to having the poke raw. Fortunately, i ordered the Raw Spicy Tuna Poke & liked it better. I can't say this cafe left a great impression on me, but maybe I didn't order the more popular items that other Yelpers recommend. read more

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This place is a local classic! The food is so good and the portions are huge! For the price you are getting a lot of food. The service is efficient and quick. The ambiance is good, the restaurant is clean and has a lot of seating. I would recommend coming early because some days this place is more crowded. I generally get the Spicy Chicken Plate! The sauce is very good and adds a lot of taste to this dish. If you are ever curious about local food this is a great spot to get your toes wet! read more

Pine Tree Cafe - The spicy chicken plate. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Had an early lunch about 10:30. The place was busy, but we still got our food in about 10 minutes. Hubby had a chef salad w/teriyaki chicken, which was HUGE. One whole container for the salad and another for the chicken. It came with big cottage fries which were delicious. I had the clam chowder, which was also amazing, and we're from the Seattle area, so we're pretty picky when it comes to clam chowder. Highly recommend this place. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Food and customer service is outstanding! definitely would recommend!! Lots of indoor seating also read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Garlic chicken, loco moco and spam/ eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Located about 3 miles South of Kona Airport on Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy. Plenty of parking. This place was busy on a Tuesday for lunch but it did not take too long to get the food. The cheeseburger was standard, pretty good (see photo). Good size. We also got Loco Moco and hamburger steak plate (see photos). The loco mocos had about 2 patties and the hamburger steak plate had 3-4 patties. In the photo you see 3 scoops of rice because my friend wanted all rice no mac salad. The only down side is the plate lunches were between $13-17 which is alittle high even for the amount you get. Maybe this is standard for the Big Island nowdays but still seemed a little high. But the food was very good. Since my friend didnt eat all 3-4 patties I got to benefit from some of that as well. I posted 2 photos of the menu when we were there last week but they also have them on their website. read more

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The menu says potato Mac salad - why on earth is there tuna in it? I don't want that as a side - that's not an ingredient you don't mention. Our order took an extremely long time (45 min) to come out and the staff was not on it or very nice. The chicken katsu was good. read more

PTC was one of the very few places open next to my first stop on my "Kona" day of the trip. It came highly suggested on Yelp and the food looked delicious. I ordered the loco moco- quick and tasty. They got busy pretty fast- and the steadily moved. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Pine tree cafe is close to the airport so it's a great place to stop if you've been on a long flight and you land hungry. Pine trees has a large selection of food, but the plate lunch items are all that I tried. This is a counter service restaurant and each time I've come here they have a few people working to manage all the orders coming in. The wait was pretty short to get my food and the cashier who rang me up was very nice. I got the spicy garlic chicken and fried poke with Mac salad. The poke was very good, flavorful and tender with a nice sauce. However, for me, the winner was the spicy garlic chicken. Tender chunks of fried chicken with no bones and a delicious garlic sauce that was not very spicy at all. It was pretty perfect. In Hawaii you have two schools of thought on Mac salad. The purists which have macaroni, shredded carrots, and mayonnaise. And the kitchen sink approach which throws all types of things in with the macaroni. If you see peas, it's the kitchen sink, and that's what pine trees serves. They also put tuna in their Mac salad. While I regularly prefer the more basic Mac salad, this kitchen sink variety is very good as well. I'm not going to convert my Mac salad religion but I can eat theirs from time to time; just don't forget to put the shoyu on it. read more

I came here for breakfast right before heading off to the airport. I got the fried egg sandwich (with no meat, melted cheese). It was decent but surprisingly, unremarkable. Given how much I loved the lunch selection, it was a little disappointment but to be fair, what should I have expected from a fried egg sandwich. Perhaps better, crunchier lettuce. The Korean Spicy Chicken (which I got a bite out of) was pretty good. Crunchy outside and juicy meat in the inside. The Mac salad is the still the most superior Mac salad in the world. I stand by that fact. read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Fried egg sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Okay straight up amazing service, staff is so nice and the food was hella amazing. The poke and fish was especially life changing. Coming from nyc I got good food too but seriously this blew my mind. Such a chill place and vibe too. Felt so welcoming read more

Pine Tree Cafe - Poke, grilled fish(?), some hamburger with grave, katsu dip - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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