Bruh, you not gonna believe what I did..... So my original plans was to have dinner at Restaurant Miwa, at the Hilo Shopping Center because I saw my Yelp buddy - Bruddah Craig T.'s awesome review & pics. Honestly, I haven't been to da Big Island in a minute, so coming back to the Hilo Shopping Center I realized some businesses have changed hands. For one, I didn't see my beloved "Lanky's Pastries" anymore, and while looking for Restaurant Miwa, I see this restaurant nearby where Lankys used to be. The restaurant menu was posted outside by the entrance, and I saw that they served Japanese food, so assumed it was Restaurant Miwa. Little did I realized when I sat down & a girl dropped off a menu and a glass of water, that I realized I was sitting inside of the Sunlight Cafe. Lol! Well, since I was seated already, and a glass of water & menu were already at my table, I figured I'd mine as well stay, and give it a shot. After looking over the menu, I decided on the Steamed Butterfish with Misoyaki Sauce - Steamed black cod with onion, garlic & green onion in misoyaki saki sauce. My meal also came with a cup of Miso Soup, & a fresh Garden Salad. What can I say about the grub? The Steamed Butterfish with Misoyaki sauce was nicely executed, and I must say that the food portions were more than generous! The menu prices here were more than reasonable, considering today's inflation cost for almost everything. Service here was on point, and the restaurant décor was very nice & modern. Happy that I walked into this restaurant by mistake, the next time I'm in Hilo, I wouldn't mind coming back here to try more items on their menu. read more

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Food is delicious. Service is really good. Ambiance A+. Restaurant is clean and welcoming. It is so nice having dinner here. You can have a pleasant conversation over dinner. The restaurant is nice and quiet. read more

Food was great had the butterfish service was quick and friendly ambiance of restaurant is very well pleasant I willl return again 5 stars restaurant read more

I ordered the tonkatsu ramen, what I actually got was Chinese instant noodles and some very small pieces of tonkatsu. An egg was also advertised to come with the ramen but it was just three pieces of sliced scrambled egg read more

Our waiter was pleasant, but was told the shrimp tempura is only offered for dinner. I wasn't satisfied with my Teishoku selection (miso soup and 2 choices). I chose Chicken Katsu (7 or 8 thin slices) and Fried Mandoo (4 pcs). Besides the small portions, I did not care for the taste and texture of the mandoo, which I ate only 2 pcs. Not worth the cost. If I want to eat Japanese food it'll be somewhere else. read more

Great food from the salad with miso dressing to our entrees! I had the tonkatsu and teriyaki chicken and my partner had the chicken curry -- best japanese style curry on Big Island definitely. Friendly efficient service and quiet elegant ambience too read more

Cute little spot. Intimate. I ate all of my food which was surprising. Idk if it's cause I went after work and was hungry, but I didn't feel heavy or super full after either. Appreciated the miso soup came in a bowl with a covering so it stayed hot for a longer period of time. I could sip on it before my meal came, and during. FYI this place does not serve alcohol. read more

Sunlight Cafe - Shrimp tempura and tonkatsu. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This place turned out to be a very lovely establishment. The wife and I had to run errands in town and stopped in to try it out. We had an experience at the neighboring restaurant "Miwa's" and I'm comparison, it felt like a more modern American-Japanese restaurant, where as Miwa's was a little dated. The food was great, and we came on a slow day, so I couldn't say much on service. read more

Sunlight Cafe - Sunlight Cafe inside. On a slow day. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The food came out a bit slow, but was very tasty. The service was great. The waitstaff was friendly. Will be coming back! read more

Good food, good prices, great service. Ambiance and decor is great as well, with music to help you relax while you wait for your order. Been going there for years now and will continue to do so in the future. read more

Zero stars if I could Staff is rude and service is very slow! If you're hungry I would recommend finding someplace else to eat. Over an hour for food is unacceptable it's not like it's Hawaiian style cafe with hundreds of customers read more

Enjoyed the Chicken Katsu Ramen with the spicy soup base, served with an "appetizer of the day" which happened to be the eggplant with miso sauce! A great deal for $12.99...delicious and filling!! Will definitely be back again! read more

Sunlight Cafe - Enjoyed the tasty Chicken Katsu Ramen with spicy soup base and an "appetizer of the day" - the eggplant with miso sauce. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Went there and they were closed door was locked nobody acknowledged us but they were supposed to be open. A bunch of Chinese (perhaps their family members?) eating and sounded like grumbling on the table could hear it from the outside. There was still a lot of empty tables to be open as they should have been. The old lady working in the kitchen seems to have a very short and vocal temper. This time it wasn't my choice to eat there. I was invited to eat out. Given a choice, I wouldn't eat there. There are other better places choose from like few doors down at Happy Valley. read more

I was really not impressed with the food. I bought the 21 day aged steak which was not to my husbands liking. I was wondering why there was no one in the restaurant...no I know! read more

Came here for lunch on Saturday after a nice swim at the community pool with the family. I was feeling a bit like a cold coming on and really wanted a hot bowl of ramen. The place is clean and pleasantly decorated with a nice modern feel. The 10 tables have tiny vases and pyramid salt and pepper shakers , paper napkins and utensils, and the seats were comfortable. There are tables and some booth seating. The service was attentive and friendly. My wife had chicken teriyaki that came with a two scoops of rice and a side salad and it was good. My daughter had a cheese burger with fries. Oddly the burger came with mustard on it but it was easily wiped off with a paper napkin. The burger was good and the fries were very good. I had the ramen which on the menu came with vegetable, egg, green onion, kamaboko and sesame seed. My bowl was missing the egg. The soup was mildly spicy, just enough. The broth was hot with with a good salty flavor that for a person looking for something to combat a cold was just right for what I was looking for. The noodles although clearly not freshly hand made were long and cooked perfectly. I enjoyed the ramen and it made me feel a lot better. read more

We ate at Sunlight Cafe for the first time last month. My first impression of the restaurant was that it has a nice ambiance. Although there is not a lot of seating (35-40 people max), it's very nicely set up and comfortable. It is located at the Hilo Shopping Center on Kilauea Ave with lots of parking. When we ate there for dinner on a Saturday night at around 6:30 p.m. there was only one other couple there, and two more groups of four came in after us. The service was o.k., and the food came pretty fast. The one big let down for me was that I was not able to order the combination of food that I wanted. If you order a combination plate, you can only order one selection from the "A" side of the menu and the other selection must be from the "B" side of the menu. So my craving of Beef teriyaki with butterfish could not be done:-( Even when I told the waitress that I was willing to pay extra for that combo. The food that I did eat tasted really good, it was chicken katsu with butterfish (love butterfish). The only thing that I didn't like about it was that sesame seeds were put on everything: the katsu, butterfish and on top of the katsu sauce. We ordered an appetizer which was a bbq stick combo of chicken, mushrooms, shrimp and bacon wrapped scallops, but that also had sesame seeds sprinkled on that too!! I have nothing against sesame seeds, but I don't want it on everything. Recommendations for Sunlight Cafe: let people order whatever they want on the menu (charge more if need be), and hold back on the sesame seeds!! Restaurant set up: 5 stars (very nice) The service: 2.5 stars The food: 3 stars I recommend Sunlight Cafe if you like a nice setting, and Japanese food with Chinese influence. Just don't be suprised if you cannot order the combination of food that you like. read more

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Their menu looked like any other, not much deviation from the typical dishes, however I could probably eat Japanese food like on the menu every single day. There's joy in these simple kinds of dishes. Love that it's byob! Although they didn't have those small ceramic cups for sake, our server brought these small glass shotglasses that worked fine. I really enjoyed our appetizer: EGGPLANT with MISO SAUCE $5.99: The eggplant was cooked nicely, the skin still on with a charred look and flavor to it, which was a nice textural contrast to the very tender of the eggplant on the inside. I was surprised it was easy to eat with the skin being left on, it wasn't chewy at all, and the flavor was spot on, not too salty and just the right amount of subtle miso to it. I ordered a teishoku, with both options from "Column A" from their menu which was an additional $2 charge onto the $16.99 price tag: BUTTERFISH SHIYOYAKI + UNAGI $18.99: The miso soup to start was good, light in color yet tasty enough, but also not too salty, and was served piping hot. But the fish seemed to be sort of doused in the shiyoyaki sauce, kind of a no-no for me. The quality of the fish and eel was pretty good but I wish they went very light on the sauces and focused more on enhancing the natural flavors of the fish rather than hiding them by adding the thick sauces. My friend ordered TEMPURA which must have been just okay, she wasn't oohing or aahing over it. We couldn't say not to their GREEN TEA ICE CREAM on the dessert menu. We finished it off easily. My friend said it was from Hilo Homemade Ice Cream, so I was happy to see that Sunlight partners up with fellow local businesses. Although the food is decent and on the lackluster side, I think they could improve a little and bring in more customers. Located just to the right of Lanky's Bakery at the Hilo Shopping Plaza, you can't miss this spot. Decor and ambiance is handsome, with deep rich wood flooring and tables, a beautiful look to the contrast of the dark and light walls. Of course service was attentive since we were the only customers from 6:30pm until closing; I was surprised there weren't more patrons, but then again it was a weekday, not to mention the day after Christmas. read more

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We really enjoyed our dinner here. Everything we ordered was really good. We really enjoyed the attention to detail and the little things they do. My miso was served with a cover and came really hot and had an excellent flavor. My Teishoku was neat, excellent salad dressing and neat presentation with my shrimp tempura and chicken katsu. One thing also, our rice was really good. Not wet, or dry and hard....it was nice fluffy good quality rice cooked perfectly which made our whole meal taste better. All the little things really were enjoyable. Our green tea was excellent quality, you can tell when you're steeping it and see the cloudiness that it's good green tea. Also, they serve Hilo homemade ice cream ginger and green tea was really good. Very comfortable family style dining and lots of menu choices. Our server was also very attentive to us and very pleasant. Mahalo! read more

Sunlight Cafe - Shrimp tempura and chicken katsu Teishoku. - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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One of our favorite Japanese Cuisine & Grill Restaurant in Hilo. My family loves the shrimp curry, grilled steak, shrimp tempura and ramen. We visit here at least once a month. The waitress is very attentive to our needs and handles a full restaurant on her own. The atmosphere is very relaxing and inviting. A great place to visit with family or someone special. If desired BYOB is allowed. read more

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This place was a favorite, then each time the portions of food served kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller. We even had to wipe down and disinfect our table this time. Never patronizing nor recommending this place again. Sad. Gave it 3 stars only because the food tasted good, otherwise, would have been 2 stars. read more

Cute & Romantic place to dine....Food was Average.....didn't like all the Sesame Seeds they put on mostly all their dishes.....eeewwww....I like the Green Tea Ice Cream! Thats always a plus for me!! Yum!!! read more

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The ramen noodles were instant, the mandoo was handmade but very bland along with the broth. The server was very quite and didn't talk to us. Overall okay place but you can get much better food for similar prices. read more

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I usually wait to go to a place at least 3 times before I write a review. I have gone to Sunlight Cafe more than 3 times...but I keep ordering the same thing!! I can't help it - the saimin is just too good. So to be fair I only know one dish here intimately...I've also made all of my dining partners order the same thing so I haven't gotten to sample any of the other dishes. But oh...the saimin. Or ramen I guess. A friend of mine who lives in Oahu now was craving Sunlight Cafe's saimin - I thought, but you live in Oahu? Why would you crave a Hilo place saimin? So I tried it, and I know why!! The broth is just salty enough without being overpowering - really good flavor! And you can tell it is homemade and not from a powder. The noodles are the soft kine - I would guess that they are fresh and not dehydrated. Get komoboko, plenty green onions, egg...I know it doesn't sound crazy special, but trust me. All together the flavor is just so ono! You have your choice of ordering it with katsu, tempura, teriyaki...but I've always gotten the mandoo. Can't help it - it comes with a side of vinegar for dipping and 6 (or 5?) pieces of mandoo. I never think I'm going to finish, but I haven't left food in my bowl yet! My guess is the same love and care that goes into their ramen goes into all of the other dishes. It is family run and owned, and definitely cared for. Service is subtle and fast, atmosphere is kinda hipster meets samurai. Clean and cool. I'd like to say I'll try something else next time I go...but that saimin calls to me on a cold rainy day! read more

Great food. Excellent atmosphere. Competitive prices. You will not be disappointed. read more

Sunlight Cafe - Shrimp chow mein. Excellent! - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Had the teriyaki chicken here and it was AWFUL!! We couldn't even eat it!! How do u mess up Teri chicken?!! What's worst is when we told them that it tasted bad they said "it tastes ok to us" and they didn't even offer to get us something else or take it off the bill! (which is what other good businesses would do!) this isn't the first time I've found their service to b less than friendly. Their "NEVER SMILE" server I could tolerate but this whole Teri chicken incident is jus too much! I'd say skip it and spend ur hard earned money somewhere that they appreciate u. read more

I love the atmosphere!! Perfect for romantic dinner! I pretty much love allllllll of their food! read more

Sunlight Cafe - Pork cutlet with curry:) - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Son loves Teri chicken. Ramen is good too! Quaint place that has never been too crowded. Citrus iced tea is wicked. Butterfish is fabulous.

Food 3.5 stars Service 2 stars Restaurant atmosphere and cleanliness 3 stars Restroom 1 star ickiness We went here after driving via the North side of the Big Island, from Kona to Hilo. First of all, DO NOT follow the directions you get if you click "Directions" on Yelp Mobile for iPhone. It will send you on a wild goose chase way up near University of Hawaii, Hilo. This restaurant is in the same strip mall as Island Natural Market. If you want accurate directions, search on the market, not the restaurant. Oh, and definitely visit Island Natural, if only for entertainment value. I've never seen so many freaky looking people in one place, in my life. I ordered the Tofu Ramen, and my BF ordered the beef teriaki ramen. Both were very good but not particularly orgasmic. They were in a tasty broth and there was plenty of protien. And they were steaming hot. The ramen noodles themselves were fine -- not home made; nothing to make a big deal over. We ate everything and left satisfied. Maybe I'm spoiled, coming from the LA area, with plentiful noodle houses. For Hilo, this place probably deserves more stars, but I'm basing my review on my prior experiences in similar restaurants. The service was OK. Given that, for a while we were the only customers in the restaurant, I'd think that we would have received more prompt drink refills. Oh well, it eventually happened but the service was not stellar. The only restroom is outside the restaurant in a corner of the strip mall. Pretty nasty and ancient. Like, tiny square sinks protruding from the wall with antique fixtures. Dirty tile, no paper towels. Hot, muggy, and smelly. Ewe. That's another reason for less stars. If a restaurant cares, they'll make sure the restroom is clean, even if it is a communal restroom. This restaurant was OK but I wouldn't go out of my way to go back. read more

Hours of operation sign needs to be posted out front. Phone rings and rings after-hours, with no recordings. Cold reception by female worker who opened the door, as we waited outside, then she walked back in. No greetings, did not hold door open for us. But meal was good. read more

I had no idea this restaurant existed until a friend arranged a get-together there. Nice atmosphere and delicious grilled Saba (mackerel). The portions could have been a bit larger but no other complaints. read more

Food was good. Looked just like the photos. Had the unagi and chicken combo. Probably the most generous piece of unagi I've been served in a long time. read more

This is the second time I have eaten here and I gave it another go! Nice presentation of food. However, the tempura and chicken katsu were cooked in a microwave (at least reheated). Furthermore, the chicken tasted old and was strange and stringy. The first time I ate there the eggplant was overcooked and dried out and the saba was cooked to long and also dry. There were two pieces actually and the bigger piece came out pretty good but the smaller piece suffered. Service is also lacking, we were one of two tables dining and never got a refill on water or a check-in from the waitress. Oh well, Back to my consistently good thai restaurant! read more

My first time eating here. Modern decor, clean, fast service. 6 of us opted to eat Japanese and stumbled onto Sunlight Cafe. I had the mix plate, mahi, tonkatsu, teri chicken, and when it came I couldn't believe the portion size. It was huge, and for $13 it was worth it. The meal came with 2 scoops of rice and a choice of toss or mac salad. Only bad part is green tea is priced by the cup and they use tea bags instead of having the tea served in a tea pot. Recommend green tea as part of the meal. Other than that I'll be a return customer when back in Hilo. read more

Love the atmosphere! Quiet and calm...the perfect setting after a stressful day. The furikake butterfish is 'ono!

It had to happen eventually. We found a bad restaurant in Hilo. Despite its attractive interior, the food and service at the Sunlight Cafe are, unfortunately, beyond poor. Our food arrived cold, undercooked, and overly tough and fatty. We tried the teriyaki chicken and were disappointed when it was partially raw inside and covered in chewy fat. The miso soup was also cold and completely without flavor. The salad was the only part of the dish that was worth eating, and to the restaurant's credit, it was very good, as was the dressing. However, when the problems with our dishes were brought to our server's attention, she took the chicken back to the kitchen, never returned with it or a substitute, and refused to remove the item from the bill. This resulted in us each eating a $12 side salad. Due to the late hour and having a fussy baby, we went ahead and paid and left rather than arguing with management, so this review is my only recourse for such bad service and undesirable food. As there are many other quality options for the types of food prepared here, including Restaurant Miwa in the same complex, I would avoid eating at this establishment. read more

3 stars A-OK. It's a nice clean contemporary setting (once you get inside)...service was efficient and food was good. We were in a rush and I had the same thing I had last time... mixed skewer plate was 2 grilled shrimp on a skewer, skewer of mushroom, skewer of chicken yakitori. Skewers are a little small but included miso soup, salad, and furikake rice for $12.99. My friends enjoyed their meals also (fried tofu curry and fried fish and chips)... although nothing was a "knock-out" we all were satisfied and happy. read more

Every time we come here I have excellent service, and the food is great! We usually get the deluxe teishoku. One from column A and B. Ambiance is very quaint. Even when there are a lot of ppl, it doesn't get too loud. read more

My husband & I have been there 3 times and each time we've gone there we were very pleased with what we ate. We Started with the fried tofu with a miso sauce . I've had the shrimp tempura & fried shrimp, the dipping sauce was delicious; chicken Katsu was good too. My husband has tried their salmon, beef teriyaki & shiitake mushrooms in skewers. He enjoyed that as well. The atmosphere is very calming...very relaxing. The restaurant it self is not very big, but comfortable. The prices are great too! We definitely will be back read more

The other reviews have it right, this place is really nice. I really liked everything I tried, especially ramen/saimin with chicken katsu. A lot of places somehow mess up chicken katsu and make it too dry. So far, the Big Island is 2/2. Ramen/Saimin with Chicken Katsu Mandu Eggplant appetizer - pleasantly surprisingly good (came with meal) read more

The Fried Shrimp Was Too Crispy. Not enough shrimp. The eggplant and shrimp tempura was good.. I enjoyed.. The service could be better.