Food is really fresh...and great! I like the chef and server. Often take friends that are visiting…read morefrom out of town...Satisfied and never any complaints.

Food taste, quality, and presentation was excellent. Taste was 5.0!…read more Service was good. Ambiance was a bit like visiting Thailand - eclectic, colorful, busy. For us, in Hilo, HI, it was perfect, quaint in it's oriental way. Easy to talk. Superb freshness and taste. I had fresh Opakapaka with shrimp. My wife had sweet & sour shrimp. This is a locals favorite.

Nori's is a shining landmark in the childhood memories of my SO, a cozy, homestyle establishment…read moreknown fondly among the locals. After an impulsive flight to the sleepy town of Hilo, we just had to stop by and see how this iconic institution had fared. Straight up - they don't make it easy. It seems that Nori's has shifted their business, and don't even offer dine-in service anymore. Hours are extremely limited for take-out only, from 11-6 on Friday-Sunday. That being said, the people working were incredibly kind, and locals still filtered through to purchase chocolate mochi and snacks. It's got that low-key, homey vibe that truly feels like an escape from the big city. Parking is easy in their big lot that is shared with a sports bar, where the hours don't overlap much. We placed our order and waited in the little wooden two person booths, a wistful reminder of the dining experience of the past. Ancient newspaper articles from the cornerstone Tribune Herald adorned the walls, above aging gumball and toy machines with quarter turners. I still remember the satisfying click as the machine released a rush of colorful runts, or perhaps a gumball into a plastic vortex. Anyways, check out the pictures - servings here are NOT for the faint of heart. We ordered a Big Plate (for two people, allegedly), which included mac salad, fried noodles, musubis, kalbi, fish jun, bbq beef, and chicken skewers. For a little over $30, I swear we could've eaten for a couple days. They literally gave us a catering pan of food, with a mountain of mac salad in a separate container. - Kalbi - Sweet, flavorful, meaty. Not the most tender short rib, but top tier marinade. - BBQ Beef - Tasty, tender, and thin cut. Solid offering. - Fried Fish - Jun style with egg batter, amazingly flaky and moist. Tartar sauce included had a little mustard zing to it. - Chicken Skewers - While overcooked and dry, these were so delicious I wanted more. The brushed sauce was so sweet and savory. - Musubis - Massive rice balls with a strip of nori. Probably like 2 scoop rice each at least. Nothing special but gotta have da rice. - Fried noodles - Soft and springy, a bit bland compared to the proteins, but dear god this was a heaping pile that could feed a small family. - Mac Salad - Bland. Needs salt, vinegar, anything more to elevate it. Again, they gave a generous serving, but we barely touched this one. We also tried the hilo style saimin. We must be looking at a different dictionary cuz the "small" was quite large. Fresh, springy noodles in a silky, savory saimin broth, adorned with the traditional naruto, spam, and green onion accompaniments. It's pricier than most at almost $10, but it's fresh and you won't be hungry. I'm impressed at the relative value that Nori's offers in today's economy, but sad at their limited take-out only hours. I hope that one day they return to their full, former glory.

They've been open ever since 1983 and the experts of classic saimin with generous toppings. They do…read morenot skimp. There is spam, egg, char su, and wonton if you choose the Hilo special. The broth is on the salty side and is based from dried seaweed. At this time it's take out only. No dine in. Accepts card and cash. Call in ahead of time to avoid a wait. They are a no fufu business, just straight to the point saimin. They got rice plates and BBQ meat too! (: Happy yelping and eating!

No doubt YONG's Kal-bi is best Korean food on this island. We were expecting Hawaiian version of…read moreKorean food, but it turned out to be very authentic. We came back two nights in a roll to try more dishes. Yukgaejang was flavorful without being salty. It had perfect amount of spiciness and big portion size was a bonus for hungry tourists. We also had their shishito/chives pancake. It was huge and enough to share with whole family. Their butterfish dish was absolutely perfect and we appreciated less salty and buttery fish (as name suggests). We would have gone back for more but unfortunately they are closed Sundays and Mondays. Service was fast and friendly even though they were very busy (lots of phone orders too). It's order at the counter but they bring food out to you. Highly recommend!!

Following a scenic drive through Kapa'au and into Waimea, Yong's Kalbi turned out to be the…read morehighlight of our evening. At first, I didn't spot any Korean staff, so I wasn't expecting much in terms of authenticity. But we ordered #24 -- the Kalbi, BBQ Chicken, Mandoo -- along with Kimchi Jjigae, and to our surprise, everything was outstanding. The Kalbi, in particular, was exceptional: tender, flavorful, and perfectly marinated with no excess fat. I can confidently say the recent positive reviews were spot on. This place is a hidden gem, especially considering how remote it is on the Big Island. I found out later the main chef was a Korean man working mainly in the kitchen. We highly recommend it -- even to fellow Koreans seeking a taste of home. The steady stream of takeout orders also suggests it's a popular and budget-friendly option for families.

If I could leave 0 stars I would . I came in today for just the roast duck and shrimp fried rice ,…read moreand let me tell you, I should've just ate the paper menu because it probably would've tasted better . My first red flag was when the table in the front had a hair in their food .... But hey that's beside the point. The shrimp fried rice had 7 shrimp...7!!! It's not seasoned at all just egg and boiled shrimp , not even a lil green onion or soy sauce ..then the duck was like greasy and lacked luster and I asked for the duck "sauce "/ drippings and I was given hosin sauce ( ew) but I ate some because I'm not wasting my money lol. Did I mention I payed $58....... And for that much I would've expected the customer service to be top tier ... and no shocker the food matched the customer service 0/10 again. I'm not mad just disappointed. First restaurant in Hilo -0 /10 .

My family and I have just started eating here and been here many 5 times max, but the food has been…read moregreat every time so far. The restaurant itself seems like your typical Chinese restaurant setup with some booths along the window and larger round tables in the middle. It is a smaller restaurant, so maybe 10ish tables are inside max. We try to mix things up every time we come, but we always get the salt pepper pork ribs and the hot and sour soup! I find most places are either a hot or miss with the soup, but they are definitely my favorite place that makes it! And the pork ribs are the best. As my mom puts it, they're the perfect accompaniment to any meal since they're so crispy and tasty. She even commented she would get just the ribs so she can "snack" on it while watching the Super Bowl. Service can be a bit on the slower side, but every time we came, there's only been one person in the front answering the phone while catering to the people dining in and I believe they make the food when you order it so definitely not a quick place to eat if you're short on time but I find the wait always worth it.

It was a pleasure to discover this exceptional establishment offering a fusion of Asian cuisines…read more Food quality: Everything was fresh, tasty, and good portions for the money. Ambiente: Cozy, clean, and nicely decorated. Price: Priced right, and two people can enjoy a wonderful meal for under $116. Service: Right off the bat, the hospitality felt welcoming, the service was attentive, and our orders came very quickly. Good job!

Very underwhelming experience, this restaurant is Japanese in name only…read more For starters, after being seated we had a 1 hour wait to be served food for a table of 4. And then we the food finally came, it was cold and unappetizing. Miso soup was way too salty and the salad was perfectly average. The beef teriyaki and chicken katsu combo plate came out lukewarm which is unacceptable considering I waited 1 hour and they can't even bring hot food. Shrimp tempura according to my mom was underwhelming and not the best tasting. Beef curry was the worst out of all the dishes. It was so watered down and tasted like water, 0 curry flavor whatsoever. Considering these plates were $25 each, I'd stay clear of this place. Definite tourist trap. If you want authentic Japanese food, go to the ramen place nextdoor instead. They have a better curry rice bowl despite being a ramen place.

very delicious food and acceptable service! one of the best places for Pho! Prices are reasonable…read moreand big portions!!!

The beef rib curry was divine and the papaya salad with shrimp was very refreshing :-)…read more We recommend getting the halo-halo for dessert!

Chef Rhoda from Top Chef iykyk!…read more Had a Mai Tai, glass of red wine, 8oz Prime Tenderloin, and mango sticky rice. Everything was delicious! Exquisite!! Definitely pricey as it's located in the Mauna Lani resort and primarily caters to tourists in the area but the food was to die for, service was attentive when needed but not over-bearing, and it's situated right on the beach. Open air concept and overall beach vibes/ The White Lotus season 1 decor very similar to other restaurants in the nearby. Lol. There also seems to be a house cat named Grumbles that freely roams around. Tell him I said "Hi!"

Amazing food and wonderful experience. We were staying at the Mauna Lani, and had to try its…read moresignature restaurant (especially since a few in our party were big fans of Chef Rhoda in Top Chef). Each dish we tried had an amazing mix of flavors. Everything was fresh, even the pull apart bread. I opted for the Ahi Tuna, and it was cooked to perfection. The oysters were excellent as well. We also LOVED the ambiance. It seems most tables, whether indoors or outside, faced the ocean with an open concept. Therefore, even the indoor tables are technically outdoors. This was the perfect set up to watch an amazing Hawaiian sunset during dinner. As expected the service was very friendly and attentive. This is one of those must visit spots on the big island. Even if we don't stay at the Mauna Lani next visit, we're definitely going to still visit this place.

The food here is so delicious and you can feel is homemade! Came here twice--I'm pregnant and baby…read moreloved the food here! We got chicken yakisoba one night which fed both my husband and I the portion was huge and the second night we got sukiyaki--also delicious and tasted like home! The service was great--we got our food to go but the ladies who helped were super sweet

Really great traditional style Japanese food! This is a ma and pop style place... nothing fancy but…read moregood service and good food!