Chicken karaage was really good, super juicy and tasty. The people were especially nice. Would def…read morego again!

We wanted a last meal before board our flight home to Oakland. We spotted the YELP for Tenkatori,…read moreand while it was a ways from where we were, we went anyways... What a delight. Very clean, modern spot, a friendly family business! We had two chicken dishes- the karaage thighs, and a yakitori bento, and both were great! Plentiful, freshly fried (we were a little late, they have 2pm closing but they served us cheerfully). Service was amazing, and the other customers seem to be regulars! When the server had a moment, she told us that this is a Japanese franchise, and they also serve some of mom's special sides, which they have on a digital list. That's going to be our go to next time we are in town. What a find!!!

Phenomenal. Yes, you have to make reservations and they may take a while but it is 100% worth it…read more You can also order takeout out but it has to be in advance. I cannot recommend this place enough. The ambiance and experience are something to feel in person and watching the dishes being prepared with such precision was fascinating. The sushi is so fresh and just melts in your mouth. What a gem, truly thankful for being able to dine here. I also ordered Unagi but I ate it before I could snap a photo! Lol, it was yummy!

We made the trek (about a 2-hour drive) to try dinner here only to be met with a paper sign posted…read moreon the door that said reservations are booked until the end of the year! Wait, what? The worker was nice about it, but because they don't have a website, how were we supposed to know? We also usually try to make reservations ahead of time, but because there was no website, we figure it's a first come, first serve kind of spot. That's our bad for making that assumption, but now that I'm reading other Yelp reviews, this seems to be a years-old customer service issue. But it makes sense, since exclusivity seems to be part of the business plan (i.e. small/limited seating, reservations only). Must be working for them. Didn't work out for us though, at least in the moment. So even though we didn't try the food (I'm sure it's likely amazing), it sucked to make the drive out here. Pro tip: call first --months ahead before you plan to go here and make a reservation! After just reading some of the reviews, I learned you can do take out but must order ahead of time. Not sure how much more ahead of time. So calling would also be a good idea here. Honestly, the amount of work to just get info, a reservation, and ultimately a meal here is starting to feel cumbersome. I'm not sure I'd want to try making the effort again. We did turn a lemon situation into lemonade and instead had dinner at Ken's House of Pancakes, and they never disappoint! Had we eaten at Takenoko, we would've missed out on Ken's oxtail stew, which was listed as part of the day's special menu items, and it was one of the best meals we've had in Hilo. So, it all worked out.

Lots of parking, easy access for wheelchairs. The staff were very friendly, attentive and…read moreaccommodating. Lunch portions sizes was just right for me and prices are reasonable.

Food 4/5 - Ordered a sakura boat and unagi don. The sashimi/nigiri in the sakura boat was high…read morequality and fresh, as the texture was soft with no hints of being frozen. The roll was good, nothing to write home about. Unagi don was good, although slices for the unagi were on the thinner side. Miso soup was nice and hot. Price $$ - Price is fair with the portions that are served. Service 3/5 - Service is average, they did make a round to refill our drinks. Ambiance 4/5 - Interior is good with Japanese themed decor. Overall - Had a pleasant experience and would visit again.

from one tourist to another, this is the perfect lunch/dinner place. We got the grilled chicken…read morewrap with mango coleslaw and grilled chicken sandwich with fries. Both have amazing flavors. highly recommend! friendly staff and open concept which lets a lot of fresh air in!

TIKI DAVE of TIKI DAVE TRAVEL / TIKI DAVE'S TERRIFIC TRIPS highly recommends PINEAPPLES!…read more There is a reason this place has such great reviews. You definitely want to make a reservation in advance, especially if there are cruise ships in port. Otherwise, you're going to wait in line. I would say that the very best thing on the menu is the Teriyaki Flank Steak Appetizer ($19)....this thing is SICK. We ordered the appetizer and it is the most unique Teriyaki steak I have ever had. The teriyaki sauce is rich and just amazing. Just order it. I am still craving it. We also ordered the Lilikoi Hoisin wings and SON OF TIKI DAVE ordered the Lemon Macadamia Chicken ($28) which was delicious, too. They have a full bar and the Mai Tais are awesome. We ordered a couple a piece. Ambience and service is great. And with your receipt, you get at 10% discount at Wilson's Shave Ice across the street. TIKI DAVE from TIKI DAVE'S TERRIFIC TRIPS absolutely loves PINEAPPLES! I will be making a video of my experience so...and here it is! https://youtu.be/yVi4ZEcMw3g?is=0GTf-vESLcn0BX0_ Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/@TIKIDAVETRAVEL And follow! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565274777775&mibextid=ZbWKwL https://www.instagram.com/tikidavetravel/?__d=1%2F%3Fhidemenu%3Dtrue

Kitchen Umeko is little walk up/take out place with handmade sushi rolls, bentos, fresh fish &…read moremore. The service has always been good. The people are really nice & helpful. Some of my favorites so far are the crab cone sushi, the smoked hamachi roll & of course the poke bowl that definitely has another name. I forgot what it is called. It is on the pricier side but in this case I really feel you get what you pay for. Everything is so fresh! When you want to treat yourself or someone else try Kitchen Umeko!

Fantastic & authentic food! The sashimi was very fresh and the gobo kinpira, poke, and mitarashi…read moredango were all excellent. Service was very friendly. It's a small, to-go only spot. Parking was easy & convenient.

Good quality, brown rice, great price! This place is located in a small food hall in downtown Hilo…read more The service is fast and the food is delicious.

I can't say enough good things about this place. It's a hidden gem close to the Hilo farmers'…read moremarket. We ate there multiple times and the sushi is so fresh and delicious. You have to place your order at the register, and it's made to order so everything is fresh. It's a family-owned business and the couple that owns it are so nice, they do all the work too. I love the photos on the walls, and there are multiple tables available. Clean and nice. I hope we will have a chance to eat there soon and experience their Aloha

Best sushi for the price in Hilo. Consistent quality and very easy to order online. Take out only…read more Easy parking next door

Haven't been here in well over 5+ years. Used to enjoy coming here with my other half for an…read moreaffordable sushi place on a college student's budget. Looks like it switched to take-out only since COVID. They still have the 26 piece and 30 piece options as a good bang for your buck. However, it seems to be all that it is now. The online ordering has been a nice addition but the system seems finicky. The rice portions are meager, the fish still tastes fresh but is very thinly sliced, fillings are very small. You can get a cheap sushi roll here, but don't expect it to satisfy you. What didn't sit right with us is that we placed a pick up order for 11:45am, yet we got a notification that our order was ready at 11:08am. Food safety wise we don't think it should be an issue and it tasted okay, but I prefer raw fish to be cold and not lukewarm.

We stumped on this place looking for a quick lunch pick up and I was pleasantly surprised because…read morethe poke bowl was so delicious!! Ahi was super fresh and just a right amount of seasoning and spiciness. I had to go back very next day for another poke bowl . They have burgers too and kids enjoyed their food too. Definitely I will be back again when I come to Hilo!

Wow!!! Never really thought of getting lunch at the market place. But we were hungry and too hot to…read morewalk to a restaurant. What a great decision! We opted for the chicken adobo with Mac salad and the special Hawaiian style combo plate with kalua pork, poi, lomi salmon, poke and more! Everything was absolutely delicious! Service was excellent and the aunties gave us great suggestions.

Super friendly staff and best poke I've had on the island. Yuzu salmon was the only one left at 1pm…read moreon a weekday - I'm guessing they usually sell out fast! All the options looked really good and the yuzu salmon was so delicious! The yuzu wasn't overpowering. I usually don't like mayo based sauces but this one was light and great! Id love to try the ahi next time. Takeout only here!

A takeout window along the street that you can just walk up to and order. AKA no indoor seating! We…read moreweren't aware of that when we came here. The menu is on a small transparent board infront of the window and there's a couple of staff inside. There's only outdoor seating here along the sidewalk so be aware! We were really hot from the humid weather so we walked with our food to our cars and drove elsewhere to eat the poke. There were also a lot of others that took all of the seats, so it worked out. The poke we got was served very quickly. Upon ordering, the staff walks to the back and prepares the bowl. Hence this is a good spot for a very quick lunch while you are on the go. My girlfriend and I shared the 1/4 poke bowl since we weren't too hungry. The 1/4 bowl is $16.25 while the 1/2 bowl is $19.95. With tax, our 1/4 bowl became $19.87 for the total, but I think it's because we also chose salmon. The local fish is the ahi tuna from Hawaii but we were craving salmon since we had ahi tuna the other day. On the menu, it wasn't written down but we asked and they had some. FLAVORS we chose: Ginger Scallion and Chili Garlic Crunch. These sauces and flavors were so unique. We did not know how it would taste but they were definitely very interesting and paired strongly with the tender fish. The salmon wasn't too exceptional, we were hoping that there was an additional charge, that the salmon would taste really good but it wasn't the case. The sauces felt overpowering in our opinions. The crab meat here was shredded and soft. Overall, it was a bowl of fresh poke, can't go too wrong with that. Would definitely wish for larger portions to get more money's worth.

Food is okay, service is not great, we have to wait for a refill as our server (we feel like)…read moreflirting with a customer, and she did not pay attention to what we need like water, etc, ambiance is okay.

Got takeout for someone's birthday dinner, so I can't speak to the dine-in experience. We got a few…read morerolls to split -- all were exactly what you'd expect. The guy who took our order was awesome. An old menu we found online showed they carried unagi donburi, but the more recent menus no longer showed it as an option. The guy we spoke to on the phone to place our order was awesome -- he told us he could make anything we wanted so, alas, we got an unagi donburi. It was also tasty, but nothing you wouldn't expect. The udon we got was really good and felt like the most unique thing we had ordered, however, it was a little on the salty side. Overall a great experience and a great addition to the Japanese food scene in Hilo