Arrived here around noon, but noticed a handwritten sign on their door stating they were running…read morelate. The boat arrived a bit later than anticipated. They have 2 long picnic tables right outside to sit, but other than that it'll likely be takeout. The parking lot is very compact with a 15min time limit. Not sure how strict they are about the 15min limit, but just be courteous so others can also park and enjoy the food! There was already a line when we arrived, so I recommend getting there early. Their poké also tasted so fresh! Their portions are smaller and prices are higher for the amount you get compared to other poké places... but for sure it is quality over quantity here. I'm OK with that. I'm not a huge ahi poké gal, but they didn't have salmon so I just got it with the garlic shrimp. But everything was so delicious! The seaweed salad, imitation crab salad, kimchi, and kimchi mussels were all good. Fairly simple to order: bowl vs plate (1 side for bowl and 2 sides for plate, 2 servings of poké). Brown vs white rice. Top shelf: sides. Bottom shelf: poké. They also offer a variety of sauces for your poké. They are all pretty good, but my favorite was the avocado aioli. The wet Hawaiian and Pele's kiss were also good per family. Definitely worth trying and repeating. Personally, I prefer this poké place over Pau Hana Poké. Service was nothing spectacular, just efficient and busy. No small talks here.

Portion is too small for $26 bowl food is ok nothing special ! They were cleaning the sewer line…read moreyou smell really bad when we arrived almost walk out but decided give it a try ! The plate is $50 decision Big Joke !

What a gem that's flung far from Kona, in the middle of nowhere off the side of Highway 11. It's…read moregot this old Hawaii meets Japanese comfort food charm that evokes a wistful presence from yesteryear. There's something about a flower being pinned to your hair as you're seated to eating a bowl of saimin as Unchained Melody plays in the background that brings a nostalgic smile to your face and makes you feel right at home. Oh - and if you ask the server what's in the Kona Beef Curry Stew... it's beef and curry. Ha. Tellin' them city folk like it is.

We tried out this legendary Japanese Hawaiian diner near the end of our trip. It is literally like…read morea slice out of history! Not to be missed! They have a TV showing historical clips of the Japanese immigrants who moved to Hawaii. We learned so much just dining there! The servers were very nice and friendly. They even offer free, hot green tea. It wasn't crowded when we went there for lunch. The server said we could order from the dinner menu too. The restaurant is decorated with a bunch of old family photos. It's not a fancy food location, but a place that is in the locals' hearts. Also, it's not standard Japanese American food, so don't come in looking for rolls and such! Instead, they serve fresh, perfectly prepared Japanese food with a Hawaiian twist, favorites like saimin and shrimp tempura. The large saimin ($16.17) was delicious and really hit the spot. Toppings were Spam, eggs, and veggies. Simple, but tasty! Shrimp tempura appetizer ($14.85) was a pretty large sized dish. The pieces have a lot of crunchy batter and the kids loved it. It was a bit greasy, but that's to be expected. DH got a Oyako Donburi with sashimi ($21.93). Wow, the sashimi was truly amazing! So tender, it just melts in your mouth. The eggs were cooked with bamboo pieces which kinda threw DH off. I liked them, but DH would've preferred it without. The flavor is sweet/salty and pretty mild. It came with miso soup and some pickles. Parking is right in the front and backs into the main road. It can be spicy getting out if traffic is heavy. They don't have a lot of bathrooms, so there might be a wait. Those are the downsides. Otherwise, a wonderful local place to eat!

Got 1/4 lb of a few different pokes to try. We got the salmon poke, southside sweety poke, shoyu…read morepoke, wasabi poke, slippery Hawaiian, and dhawaiian poke. The salmon and tuna were all very fresh and everything was very well seasoned. The names are very accurate in describing the poke flavor. Our favorites were the salmon poke and the slippery Hawaiian poke, saucy and great balance of savory, salty, umami, and a bit of sweetness. The wasabi poke had a very very strong wasabi flavor, so be warned! We also tried their ube lemonade and Mac salad. The ube lemonade was a nice purple color, but it didn't taste much like ube and the lemonade didn't taste fresh either. The Mac salad was a bit too creamy and dense in our opinion. So we'd skip these but definitely get the poke + rice bowl!

Omg the Superman, shoyu poke was da bomb Aunty was so…read morepleasant to talk to Open seating is cool and light breeze

This was a great surprise! We came here to go to da bead shop, we parked right in front of this…read morerestaurant before they opened, on the way back they had opened up. We each got something different my favorite was the cheesesteak ! The bread is amazing (they make their own bread and you can tell) I added their own spicy mustard and it took the sandwich to the next level, My sister has the mushroom burger and she loved it too. We also had a keki menu the chicken and rice my two year old was thrilled. We ended the meal with two cookies a rocky road and a macadamia we loved the macadamia we took one to go.

No matter how hard I tried, it seems that our food just disappears within 5 minutes. I LOVE their…read moreCoconut Curry. Big chunks of Ono, plump shrimp, and mouth watering curry sauce. I just cannot resist. Can't take my time, nor pace myself. It is so good, you'll want more when you cleaned your plate. Do try their desserts! Lilikoi cheesecake is a must, but also raspberry Lava Cake was heavenly. Wonderful service. Great food. Every time we eat here.

KTA Express, you're a lifesaver!…read more I came to the KTA Express store twice in recent weeks, and this store/supermarket totally saved me from having to drive back in town (Kailua-Kona) to buy something I sorely needed. I was working at a local bank next door doing some lock work when I realized I needed a few 9-volt batteries to fix something. Being that I was traveling, and did not have access to all my normal gear, I asked the bank people where was the nearest store? Originally I was worried that I might have to drive all the way back to Kailua-Kona to get what I needed, but luckily KTA had a store in Kealakekua. Walked over to the KTA store, as it was just a hop, skip, & jump away from the local bank (where I was working). Got what I needed, and time & resources were saved that day! Last week Thursday I found myself back in Kealakekua working at a credit union this time. No, I didn't need anything in particular for the credit union this time, but after finishing the job at the credit union, the KTA store was very convenient for me to get some drinks & some grub. Apparently the KTA Express has a vendor - L&L Drive-In that does pre-made - ready to eat bentos. Some of the items looked pretty good, so I decided to give it a shot & picked up a mini BBQ Chicken & Noodle Bento. The mini bento was pretty tasty, and best part of it all is that I didn't have to go far to get my lunch grub. KTA Express in Kealakekua, you're a lifesaver! Lol!

DAY 5 of Vacation - This local market was located down the street from a restaurant we just dined…read moreat. We needed more hygiene products and travel items. Parking: They have a small parking lot. Very easy to find. Free parking. This was a large market. It had everything a grocery store provided, but products were a bit more expensive than usual. I walked around and noticed there were fresh fruits in their grocery section. They also had fun snacks in the freezer section. We found everything we needed to restock for the rest of our trip.

Everything we ordered was cooked perfectly. We chose the bone marrow, lamb shank and short rib. The…read morebone marrow was the best we've ever had. We ended with "Hannah's" bananas foster and it was sinful! My dad was having trouble with a wound he got earlier in the day and the team came to the rescue with their first aid kit so we didn't have to leave the dinner we were looking forward to. Above and beyond!

Eating at the Theatery was truly an experience. At first we were getting antsy, thinking why our…read morefood was taking so long, no one had checked on us but as we drove home after dinner we realized that we've become so accustomed to swallowing food at a restauraunt and running out, hour max. Dinner at the Theatery was such a wonderful experience, it starts when you walk into the restauraunt and are greeted by the gorgeous Hawaiian sky, an indoor outdoor experience. The decor, ambiance, music, seating arrangements, lighting, it feels intentional, intimate and classy. We ordered appetizers - focaccia and grilled flatbread. Focaccia 10/10 - crunchy, yet soft, grilled flavor and the butter. Mmmmmmmm yum. Grilled flatbread 5/10 - not what I expected... Lychee martini 10/10 - classy, tropical, sweet but not too sweet ;-) I ordered the glazed lamb shank - the flavor was beautiful, the meat was juicey, soft and fell off the bone, paired with coconut rice and coconut curry. It was an amazing mixture of different flavors that worked so well together. I think we also got the Kanpachi - it was good but the lamb was our favorite. Finished off the evening with the dessert show with the banana foster - it was way too sweet for me but the show was very entertaining to watch :-). Our favorite dessert was the lilikoi crème Brûlée. (Not pictured). Perfect balance between sweet and savory. Crunchy yet creamy. So delicious!! We loved our experience at the theatery - dining felt like an experience, indulging in the art of eating and enjoying conversation with your dining partner. Will go again.

This is a must stop for ral Hawaiian food if you are near Captain Cook on the Big Island…read more Super friendly staff. Small place but food is amazing. Had chicken laulau, kalua pig/cabbage and mac salad. Meat was SO tender!! Coconut cake for dessert Delicious!

So good Love laulau…read moreThe lady at the counter is so nice! Cute place!!! Was there around 11 on a Friday, had parking and table space to dine in, no problem!