TLDR - the staff are very nice and this place is very convenient when visiting the area, but I know…read moreI'll never come back. The food was tasteless and I don't appreciate when places try to get a double tip. Food options around the area are very limited, but I encourage tourists to take a chance and explore further. This place is a great convenience for people visiting Hawaii's Volcano National Parks and are starving after a long day of sightseeing. Unfortunately, I was very let down considering the great reviews it has online. This is a food truck, so as expected, the parking is extremely limited and there are only two picnic tables available if you choose to sit down and eat. The area is nice if you don't mind eating outdoors. When I went, there were only 2 people working in the truck. They were extremely nice and did warn us about waiting times. There was a long line of people so we had to wait about 25mins for our food. Honestly, this is not inherently a problem, but be ready to wait if it's busy. Now for the food and the reason I'm giving this place a low rating. I was allowed to mix the carnitas tacos and the chicken taco plate given that they're all the same price. The chicken had a nice spice to it, but every item on the dish was very bland. The rice felt dry, the refried beans felt like they were straight out of a can, and it could have all used some salt. But the big nono was that it appears they included a tip in their total before handing the machine over to you to add a tip and pay. Unless you tell me Hawaii's tax is close to 20% (which I know it's not), I find it very disrespectful when businesses do this to their customers.

Food takes a while, as they're just two people running the cart! I liked the birria tacos the most…read more The couple was so kind.

A must go to spot!! Absolutely delicious and the portion size is very generous. Would come again if…read moreit wasn't my last day visiting. Very polite and friendly!

Pad Thai excellent flavor. Good proportions. Summer roll…read morefresh and tasty. Yum. Eggplant site fry has lotsa veggies. All delicious. Arrive great as can't beat the location if you are volcano watching. Or just driving by.

Great service and food…read more I had the fish tacos - they came with just the right amount of coleslaw on the side. Also had the lilikoi cheesecake which was an explosion of wonder on my tastebuds.

We were staying in the Volcano area and decided to try several restaurants in the area during our…read morevisit. Service started off friendly and attentive, but after large parties arrived, the staff seemed overwhelmed and probably was not on their A-game. The burger and fish and chips were both good. However, the "local" dishes like the saimin and kalua pork were disappointing and didn't quite meet our expectations. The restaurant has a casual, chill vibe with lots of free and convenient parking, which made it an easy stop while exploring the area. Overall, a decent option, especially if you're in the mood for burgers and fries but we would probably skip the local favorites next time.

Six stars if it were possible. Freshly made oer order and Hot and drooling yummy!!!…read more each filled generously with raspberry jam, coconut cream and bavarian cream dipped in sugar... there was a choice of many more fillings. Hey, there's always tomorrow we are staying 10 minutes away...YAY!!!!!

Easy to find roadside stand with plenty of dirt parking on a weekday morning. It's a grab and go…read morespot w/ limited shade available. The malasadas are made fresh to order, so expect a wait (it took about 20 minutes with a few parties ahead of us). There's a 3-piece minimum for $11 and an extra $1.50/2 for each filling. We wanted to try the ube malasadas but they weren't available. The standouts here are definitely the unfilled malasadas. The Original with Cinnamon Sugar was amazing--hot, fresh, and the dough beats other malasadas on the island. Skip the Ube Cheesecake filling. It had no ube flavor and a bizarrely strong, alcohol-like aftertaste (maybe too much vanilla extract?) that made it hard to finish. The Li Hing with Guava was okay, but the filling leaned a bit artificial.

The night of the 42nd volcano eruption, we enjoyed a front window seat to the massive lava…read morefountains! Created a great backdrop to a great meal. The restaurant is inside the very old classic Volcano Lodge; complete with wood fireplace. Staying in the lodge made it simple to have meals; we ate at the Rim two nights, one night at the more casual Lodge restaurant Uncle Georges Lounge. All meals were prepared very well. For the first meal, we ordered a couple of Mai Tais that were nicely flavorful. For appetizers, I can recommend the Furikake Seared Ahi; gently seared with very flavorful colorful condiments. Plus, the portion was relatively generous as well. The chef's entree special was an amazing local fish prepared attractively and tasting marvelous. For our second night, the volcano was no longer erupting and the crowds of watchers had left so the meal was far less hectic. Did a less extravagant meal of Big Island Stuffed Chicken (great stuffing of Feta cheese and greens!) and it was a great choice. (I had the Seared Ahi again!) Straying from fish my partner went with the perfectly grilled 12 oz Hawaiian beef ribeye. Finished up with a fun crème brûlée with lots of burnt sugar!. Not a restaurant to drive 1-2 hours to, but if you find yourself on the mountain, well-worth stopping for a great meal here. but try to get there when the volcano isn't erupting or you'll be trampled, pushed, and find nowhere to park.

So I haven't wrote a review in a while and I should get better at sharing my experiences. I had to…read morewrite this, know before you go your paying for the view of the volcano. Also know you can get the similar view from the other restaurant they have literally in the room right next to this one. Well there is a sitting room in between but the same view. No pretty table clothes but the same view and the food comes from the same kitchen. Our waiter was nice and pretty timely, the food was horrible. We were a party of three and all of us had the ribeye. First off they were out of asparagus so we had wilted spinach and fennel. So overly salted and the mash potatoes, they had to come from a box!!! The bread was good but the butter was excellent, the only reason this is getting two starts was our waiter and the butter!!! Our meal for three people nothing to drink but water the three ribeyes and one dessert for our 13 year old was 229.00. I don't mind paying for dinner when it's edible but we left almost all our steak on the plates and the waiter didn't even ask why. My recommendation is have dinner at the other restaurant get the view and pay way less. If you look at my review for tonight's dinner you will see I don't leave reviews just when it's bad. We had dinner in Kona tonight at fish hopper and it was excellent service and food with an amazing view as well.

I remember when I heard about Panacho Mexican food truck and my friend told me about this place and…read moreI keep and going back and it was delicious and yesterday on Friday and there food truck are always at Kai store in Hilo! There service is excellent and recommended to all of my friends and family to try there too. And if you like Mexican food and you trying there. I love their food!

Always the go to in hilo Fat and tasty burritos and tacos…read more I get breakfast and lunch usually its soooo good. Highly recommend Thursday at Ben Franklin in hilo

There were several food trucks at an event but when I saw the title and smelled the smoke, I made a…read morebee-line for this truck. I really wanted to try the brisket and ribs, but that wasn't possible unless I bought two plates. Chef suggested the brisket, so I got that with two sides of corn. Would the rather flimsy fork and no knife be enough? Oh yeah! The brisket just about fell apart. It was moist, which is hard to achieve; usually it's dried out. It was lightly sauced, enough to complement the meat, not drown it. The corn ears were juicy, also not dried out. I'll be looking for this truck next time I'm on the Hilo side! Gotta try those ribs.

I love the spicy coleslaw, I love the moist beans but more of, the best ribs on the island…read more Brisket? You don't even need a knife. Dave and Mannilyn, keep up the great work. Mahalo, Don

A great little find on the way out to Richardson's Beach. Nice menu of different wonton flavors…read morethat are fried up as you wait. The lady and gentleman running the stand are very approachable & helpful with choices. We got 5 different flavors and the Smoked Ahi & Cream Cheese was the favorite. I could order just those by the dozen. We will stop by again.

I have not had the pleasure to eat here but I can tell you these two ladies are the most wonderful…read morepeople you will ever meet and Michelle makes amazing food. If you want amazing food and amazing smiles, you won't find a better place on the island!