We were told to come here for the donuts. So we had high expectations. We worked it into our trip itinerary. We finally made it here, ordered our food off of the huge menu, then waited..... they gave us our drinks and donuts then nothing else. After everyone around us kept getting there food and still nothing for us, so we went up and asked. Apparently since the girl at the counter gave us a part of our order the ticket got closed or or something. They re entered it into the system and we finally got our order a few minutes later. My Hawaii burger was just so so. The "bun" was way too things and the meat was very gamey tasting. But the pineapple lettuce and tomato were good. So I ate those basically as a lettuce wrap. My daughter liked her chiller dog. The others thought their food was so so. The donuts were good but very dense. I guess they have to be to hold all of that filling. It was decent. But I wouldn't go out t here again. read more

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This place was not what I had remembered from years ago. But maybe my tastes have changed. We stopped here twice: on the way to and from Waipio valley. We ordered two malasadas with haupia and Bavarian cream filling. Average at best, nothing to write home about. We didn't end up finishing int them. For dinner, we ordered the Korean chicken and mahi mahi (as recommended by the cashier) and were sorely dIsappointed. The Korean chicken was ok at best. Exactly what one would expect. Chicken wings with some sweet sauce and sesame seeds. The mahi mahi was horrendous. Three small pieces of SUPER dry fish that was only edible with a generous tar tar sauce dunking (we don't even like tar tar sauce!). Bleh! We ordered the mango smoothie as well hoping for a refreshing post hike drink. Disappointing. If there was an ounce of in powdered tasting mango, we couldn't taste it in the slightest! Probably won't be coming back. Better luck at a local foodland. read more

We went through the drive through for malasadas because the line inside was too long. That was a good call because we were able to get our malasada order filled immediately. Tried the haupia and Bavarian cream. Omg, so delicious. Could not move after devouring the huge malasada. read more

Freshly made plain and fruit-filled malasadas are worth a stop on your wavy back to Kona from Hilo!

This review is just for the malasadas. They are delicious! Surprisingly fluffy and light, and even though covered with granulated sugar, not too sweet. I don't know why I only ordered 4 of these... should have gotten many more. The price of the malasadas was good, too. My favorite was actually the original with no filling. I found it to be fluffier than the filling ones. read more

Tex Drive In - Haupia filled malasadas - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

Pretty much all three, you can not zero in on just one because the folks that run it are the most friendly people you can ever meet!

We finally were able to stop at Tex Drive Inn for their famous Malasadas. We ordered 2 of the following Boston cream, mango, guava. We also ordered from the menu a cheeseburger, as well as a all beef chilli dog with cheese. The burger was so large I could hardly get my mouth over it. Very good better than home made. The Chilli dog with cheese was so tasty, well worth the stop. Now let's get to the malasadas, the biggest malasadas I've ever had was so yummy!! That was a meal on it's own!!! We were there early, so there was no line up. I can see this place does get busy as the day goes on. Shopped at the gift store for some gifts. By the time we left, Tex was hopp'in busy!!! Well worth the stop!! Glad we listen To Fran from Yelp!!! read more

Yeasty, thick malasadas. Very different than Leonard's but a must stop driving to/from Hilo/Kohala. read more

Tex Drive In - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

When we come to the big island we always stopped by Tex's Drive in for a Malasadas and lunch. This visit was no exception. The malasadas were less tasty and filling was substantially less than in the past. I will not come here again and recommend you go elsewhere. Long line slow service. read more

Tex Drive In - Eating - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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The place to go for malasadas on the Big Island. They have many food options--from breakfast to burgers to plate lunch--but I've only had the donuts here. Bavarian cream is my favorite. They're good, but I think they're one notch below Leonard's in Waikiki. read more

This was THE spot to get hot fresh malasadas! They were huge, stuffed with warm goodness and the prices were SOOOO reasonable! read more

Tex Drive In - Chocolate filled, strawberry filled, lemon filled, custard filled - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

Malasadas!! So yummy! They had lots of filling flavors. We got the Bavarian creme and coconut creme. Delicioso! Tex's has indoor and outdoor seating in a casual environment. First timers should go in to see the cute and kitschy gift shop, but when the lines get long, the drive thru is the way to go, bradah! Plate lunches and lots of lunch options abound, too, but the Malasadas were the real draw for me! read more

Tex Drive In - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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Almost every time I post a picture of a malasada, a comment will appear about the malasadas from Tex Drive In. So of course I had to put it on the itinerary! Located on the Big Island in Honaka'a, it was about an hour drive from Hilo and gave us gorgeous views of the Hamakua Coast. Tex Drive In offers a pretty extensive menu including breakfast, fresh salads, stews, Hawaiian plates, and so much more. Most importantly, they offer their famous malasadas either plain or filled. You can get your malasada filled with guava, chocolate, haupia, and more, but I went with Bavarian crème. After a couple of bites of my veggie omelet with fried rice, I started on my malasada. After all, we did drive an hour to try it! It was pretty delicious. I wouldn't say it's the best in Hawaii because it wasn't like your traditional malasada. I thought it had a more bread-like texture and the crème was divine. Definitely a must try if you are in the area. read more

Tex Drive In - Malasadas made here! - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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OMG!!!! Portuguese doughnuts like no other!!! They're called Masaladas. Although this place is pretty hidden, DON'T pass it by... and if you do, TURN BACK!! Even if you're stuffed from eating at the Hawaiian Cafe. They're made to order and there can be a line. This place seems like a local favorite and dedicated tourist destination. Best eaten hot!! read more

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We went there especially for the malasadas they are famous for. For the uninitiated malasadas are Portuguese donuts with fillings like jelly donuts. The malasadas are then covered with powdered sugar to enhance the tastiness We had the mango and coconut flavors and both were amazing. The fillings are nicely flavored and not too sweet. They leave a bit out so you know which is which. They are served hot and they have a krispy kreme style window where you can see these tasty treats being made. They were served super quick and thankfully they have no credit card minimums. Pro tip: the place has a back entrance with parking as well. read more

Tex Drive In - Coconut and Mango Malasadas - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

We obviously tried the malasadas. The Coconut filling was the bomb and the guava one was a bit artificial. The donut itself was excellent. Try the bento you won't regret. The Portuguese sausage leaves you wanting more. The spam is great. The chicken is excellent and juicy and tender. It all comes with eggs and rice. Rice is way too much for a person. They have a variety of options and they are quite busy. Thank god for this place on our way from Hilo to kona read more

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There's a lot of hype about Malasadas when going to Hawaii. I was excited to try them freshly made in Oahu from Leonard's. I was very surprised that I was not a fan. Tried them a couple times and a variety of flavors too. When we went to the Big Island, Tex Drive In was on Hubs "must try" list for Malasadas. He insisted we make the drive and I'm so glad we did. OMG it was so good!! It was warm, the custard was delish, it wasn't greasy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If there wasn't a line after we arrived, I would have ordered another one! December 2023 read more

Drive to Tex Drive In was worth the drive! Malasadas were served warm and made to order. read more

Tex Drive In - Mango malasada - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

Along Hawaii Belt Road in Honokaa is a green building called Tex Drive In. Drive over to the front side of the building, and you will see that this is a popular place. Tex Drive In is famous for their malasadas (Portuguese donuts), and it is a place I always like to stop at when going to or from Hilo. The malasadas are made fresh throughout the day, and you can watch them being made through the giant window. You can get a plain malasada for $1.30 each, or you can add a filling to make it $2.10 each. Filling options include Bavarian cream, chocolate, strawberry, mango, guava, and haupia (coconut). The malasadas are huge. They are so light and fluffy, but they are super filling. One malasada is more than enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. For those with less of a sweet tooth, half of a malasada might be a good amount. Aside from malasadas, there is a food menu with plenty of local dishes and an all-day breakfast menu. The prices are very reasonable. A single entree item can easily come out to under $15 or maybe even $10. During one of my stops here, I got myself a breakfast burrito wrap. The burrito was okay, and the hash browns that it came with were kind of bland. However, the portion was huge. I barely managed to finish half of my breakfast after already having a malasada. The ordering process is super easy. Order and pick up at the counter. There is a drive-through as well, but I have not used it. The line to order moves quickly enough, and the wait time for the food is pretty short. After that, it is self-service. There are only a few tables inside. Most of the seating is outside. Seat yourself and enjoy your food. Make sure to pick up after yourself and throw away your trash. Restrooms and parking spaces are plentiful. There is also a gift shop inside that sells souvenirs and a bunch of random items. Tex Drive In is a bit of a drive to get to from Kona or Hilo, but it is a good drive to make for some hot and tasty malasadas. read more

A friend recommended this spot, so we stopped on the way to the Waipi'o Valley when it started raining pretty heavily. Ordered the Bavarian creme, mango, and coconut cream. Ended up getting guava which I was fine with but my hubby doesn't like the taste of guava as much. The dough was fresh and tasty read more

Tex Drive In - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

Stopped here on our way back to Kona after hiking in Waipio valley. We got 3 different malasadas- haupia, Apple, and strawberry. We wanted to try the guava, but that flavor wasn't available at the time. The haupia was definitely my favorite! I would definitely recommend trying these if you're passing through Honokaa! read more

Tex Drive In - Haupia, Apple, and strawberry malasadas - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

I tried three different places for malasadas. This place has my vote for the best malasadas on the Big Island read more

Tex Drive In - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

I think they ripped off my dad. He got a plate and was asked what he wanted as his side. He asked for tossed salad. He assumed that rice would be included, but instead he got all salad. When he told them that he didnt want double salad and wanted rice and a salad, they made him pay $4 for a side of rice. I dont see how anyone can make this kind of ordering mistake. Most places will ask the person what kind of starch and then ask what kind of side salad. It's not rocket science. Poor customer service and the food wasnt as good as years before. read more

Who doesn't love a good Malasala? These were the best I ever had! There were 4 of us and we ordered 4 different flavors. Strawberry, chocolate, mango & coconut cream. We cut them up into quarters and tasted each one! I was speachless. The were so good. We drove through then parked and ate then outside the store. That is a hint faster service. If you are in the area (even if you are not) go here! read more

Tex Drive In - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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The katsu 10 years ago was amazing. If they brought back that katsu they would have my 5 stars. Not this chicken burger patty.

One of my favorite things I ate on the Big Island were the malasadas made fresh from Tex Drive In. This place was about an hour drive from where we were staying in Waikoloa, and we stopped in on our way to Akaka Falls. There is so much on the menu to choose from and everything sounded so good! We got our first Moco Loco of our stay with Kalua Pork and a box of six assorted malasadas. Was not prepared for how blown my mind would be after the first bite! Incredible start to our trip. There's ample seating outside, and not too many people here on a Saturday morning around 9AM. We feasted on the malasadas for the next few days - by the third day they started to get a bit stale but that's to be expected. My favorite flavor was the bavarian creme followed by haupia. Both of them were to die for! It was a bit too far and out of the way from our other destinations for us to make another trek out here but we talked about this place for the remainder of our trip. I highly recommend it! read more

The malasadas were a delicious, tasty & fluffy treat we got to enjoy while on our honeymoon. The drive-thru was also speedy, and the service was excellent! read more

Tex Drive-In had great malasadas (a more doughy sugary Portuguese donut) and I would eat so many if I lived in the area. I gave them 4 stars not for the food but for the friendliness of the staff. The food alone was great, 5 stars. If the older lady working there wasn't so rude, I would have rated it differently. I should have just gone through the drive in but wanted a picture of the inside (to help their business). If you are in the Waimea area, go try a malasada. Have one of the younger workers help you out, not the older lady who is maybe a manager. read more

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Overpriced, tourist trap. Horrible costumer service no one greets you. It's a historic landmark been around for a long time. It's def worth trying the Malasadas. It's bussin! Regular tourist attraction Japanese tourists bus stops multiple times a day, just hope you're not there at the same time. Restroom is bad, zero up keep trust me you'd feel better going outside. Long wait. Order ahead if possible! ONLY POSITIVE - Known for plain Malasadas you can order one item ahead, it's worth it. However they will put you hold and forget about you. It's a hit and miss. Rest of the food is eh. No flavor go to Blane's downtown read more

Someone on our tour wanted breakfast on our way to Hilo. The driver made a pit stop at this place and he said about the best malasadas on the Big Island. Ok, I thought, fried dough with filling, biggggg dealllllll We got two malasadas. One with mango filling and the other one with strawberry. GET THE MANGO ONE. Too bad we stay too far away from this place otherwise this would be my breakfast go-to! read more

Excellent malasadas: yeast raised, puffy and soft, with delicious fruit jam or cream fillings. They are quite large, one can easily be shared for two people. Not exactly healthy food but the taste will not disappoint. Definitely worth a stop if you are driving through from Hilo or nearby Botanical Garden. The place can be busy, so prepare for a wait. There are outdoor dining tables sheltered from sun and rain. read more

You order at the counter and wait for your number to be called. You can watch the malasada magic happening behind the glass window. Outdoor seating to eat. Malasadas plain or Bavarian creme are huge and well worth the money. The food was so-so. Saimin was basic and good, Teri beef plate was okay but messy with all the sauce. Cashier was unfriendly (Carole according to receipt) maybe she woke up on wrong side of bed or just despises tourists?! She had the same monotonous greeting to the locals as well, but with us she had a little 'tude. A local friend recommended this place to us and we happened to be passing thru on our way to a cacao farm. I might try the drive thru next time, but only for malasadas. read more

Delicious!!! We always stop here on our way to Kona from Hilo or visa versa. The malasadas are delicious!!!! We bought 4 haupia filled, 4 guava filled and 4 cream filled. These are very tasty! When you bite into one it's like an explosion of goodness! The dough of this golden fried square morsel is covered in granulated sugar. Then filled with your choice of fillings. The haupia is a creamy coconut flavored filling. Not too sweet but perfectly sweetened to match the crunchy goodness of the malasada. The same with the guava filling. Nice guava tartness to offer contrast to the sugar coated golden fried square. My daughter liked the Bavarian cream the best. She said it had a delicious custard filling. You need to make this a stop when ever traveling by it in Honokaa, Hawaii. Must place to go!! read more

Unfortunately they were all out of haupia malasadas but we got traditional and they were great. Also tried the loco moco. It was standard and good and I also tried the burger which was pretty good! Interesting bread on it. Parking was super easy and they have places outdoors to sit and eat read more

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Dear Tex, You know you're well loved. You know that there is consistently a large line. I want to respect that the pandemic has left you understaffed. But still. This shouldn't come as a surprise and people shouldn't be waiting upwards of 45 minutes for their food if you say you're a drive-in. Turning a hungry person away (ahem...me) at the drive-through and saying to order inside after the car in front of me ordered somehow is just bad form and confusing. Help your poor overworked employees. Design a better system. Maybe dispense with some of the made to order backlog for now. Or maybe my opinion doesn't matter because you're going to pack them in anyway. Love, A fan read more

We stopped in here on recommendation. The view from this spot is amazing. Small little drive in spot. The staff was super welcoming. We came here with one thing in mind. Had to get the Malasadas. We got two to split. They are very filling. They came out fresh and covered with sugar. They were piping hot. We didn't wait for them to cool down. They were that good. These are a must try if you are in the area. They also have the filled if you like. They had options of apple, cherry, blueberry, chocolate or Bavarian cream. This is a popular spot. The line was long and it went slow. These are made fresh to order so expect a little wait. There is just a couple people working here so when you arrive, be patient. These are worth the wait! read more

Service is outstanding, the Malasada's so fresh it melted in our mouth. We ordered to keep driving we wanted to get more, we headed out To HAWI, onolicious Aloha read more

We really enjoyed our quick meal here. I got the grilled cheese which was cooked perfectly and my husband got the beef stir fry and really enjoyed it. We also got the malasada with strawberry filling. This is one of the best I had in the island. I think the thing that made it so good was that the strawberry filling was not too sweet like some of the other places and had a tartness to it that offset the sweetness of the dough. I would definitely recommend this place if you're in the area. read more

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Large masaladas. Great prices. Very tasty. Came here in the morning, no line whatsoever. Will definitely come back!

TLDR: huge malasadas always hot and ready! Definitely worth stopping by! Located just past a school (those lucky kids) up on a hill. Malasadas only at the drive thru window. If you want other food items you need to dine in. Malasada flavors: chocolate, coconut, strawberry, mango, guava, and a couple I don't remember. Malasadas: oh my god they are divine and MAN are they large and in charge! Warm, fluffy, delightfully chewy and the filling is oh so good! Only downside is they are a bit messy to eat but who's complaining when there's that last lick of sugar on your fingers? Coconut cream: hint of coconut. Lighter tasting than I expected but still so good! read more