Wanted to give Malasada's another chance after a previous disappointment in the week and the Tex Drive In really didn't let me down. My family picked up one traditional and one with bavarian creme. Both were warm and delicious but the biggest wow factor was the sheer size for the money. They tasted light/airy and had just the right amount of sugar coating. I will say leave your calorie counting at the door as you'll likely not be able to stop at 1. Overall, if you're looking for the best Malasada's on the Big Island, I would highly recommend the Tex Drive In. read more

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

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Delicious! We got the creme and strawberry malasada. Very fluffy, warm, and fresh. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. read more

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

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Drove in with my husband after we finished our zipline in Hilo. It was rainy Thursday and yet there were lots of people ordering different types of food, including their infamous Malasadas. My husband ordered 3 Malasadas (original, guava, and coconut) and a cup of Saimin. We knew Saimin would taste simple and... just simple, so we did not expect much. It was nothing more than clear liquid and noodle combo. Hahaha do not get their Saimin noodle. I gave 4 stars because the Malasadas were VERY fresh; all the fillings tasted GREAT with "just-fried" donuts. The bread was perfect, both salty and sweet. read more

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

I have so many bad feelings toward Tex after my most recent visit. There is no doubt in my mind that the Malasadas deserve 5 stars, but the experience deserves only one star. This was not our first visit to Tex, so we knew before we got there that it would be crowded and the wait would be long. We decided to order more than Malasadas given the time schedule we were on. We waited in line for 20 minutes to place our order. There are two girls behind the counter: one is working the drive thru, and the other is taking orders inside. When we finally get to the front of the line, I was blown away by the rudeness we were "welcomed" with. Keep in mind, the drive thru window had minimal cars going through, so the girl working the drive thru ended up calling us over to her register. This turned out to be our very, very bad luck. In fact, here were so many disappointments, I don't even know where to begin. -One of the items we ordered was a taco salad. When she asked us which dressing we wanted, we asked for the papaya seed dressing listed on the menu over her head. "We don't have that," she said without looking up. That left ranch and Thousand Island. Not knowing which of the two we'd like, we asked for one of each. "You have to choose one," she said, again not looking up. At that point, I said, "I'll pay for one extra." It was as if I had insulted her mother. For the first time, she looked up from the register and glared at me from under her brow, paused for a good three seconds, and then typed furiously on the register. There was not turning back from this moment. -We waited 40 minutes for our food to come out. We were a party of 5 and the line was long, so it makes sense. The bad part? When the food arrived, we aren't given enough silverware. No one wanted to go to the counter to face the angry woman behind it. Eventually, one of us went to the counter to ask for some (the only item you can get yourself are napkins, everything else is kept behind the counter). After waiting for about five minutes, I got eye contact from the angry woman and said, "When you have a chance, can I please have two forks and two knives?" She looked straight into my eyes and then walked away, completely ignoring my question. After I was ignored for a few more minutes, I asked my ten year old daughter to wait alone in the hopes that she would help a kid first. They did in the next 2 minutes. -After the pay-for-the-dressing incident of 45 minutes ago, my daughter did not even get a dressing for her salad--nor was she offered any. -By the time we got the items we needed, our food is cold. -Side note: We are eating our meal and STILL waiting for our malasadas. We hear every number getting called that ordered after us. We did order 11, so again, a large order, but at this point, 60 minutes has passed since we ordered, and everyone had malasadas except us! -Toward the end of our meal, I looked around and realized that people who had come long after us all had their malasadas. I went inside to ask about ours, and another girl behind the counter told me that the box had already come out. I explained that my number was never called. I showed her my receipt, and she claimed "someone took our box." -This didn't make sense to me as we had been watching the counter where they put the orders as they were ready. Then, I realized what had happened. As I had been standing there waiting to ask for silverware, I watched the girl who took our order serve the drive-thru window. At one point, someone brought out a big box of malasadas from the back. I could see four flavors written on the corner of the box--the same number of flavors we had ordered. I thought those must be mine because of how long I had already waited, and I was surprised when I saw the woman take them and hand them--laughing--to the man in the pickup at the drive thru. She turned to me and gave me the same glare she gave me when I said I'd pay for a second order of dressing. I realized that those had been, in all likelihood, mine. The woman I spoke to about our missing malasadas told me it would be 30 minutes before a second box would be ready. After already waiting over an hour for them, I was not happy. Eventually, she went to the back and, when she returned, said it would be 5 minutes. The malasadas were hot and fresh. Like I said, they're a 5. She was apologetic and the nicest of the bunch after she gave me an attitude about my missing malasadas. As for the food: The burger was decent. The bread was good. The fries were good. The chili fries were really soggy and did not taste good. The oriental chicken salad had no dressing and was overflowing with lettuce and minimal veggies. The taco salad was average, it just needed more dressing. And that is harder than trying to get into Fort Knox. My next trip to the Big Island, I might be skipping a trip to Tex's. read more

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The coconut filled Malasada was DElicious and amazing. The cream is not super sweet and the bun part is so fluffy. Chocolate filled was basically just chocolate pudding inside a Malasada...meh. Like the chocolate pudding inside those little plastic pudding cups-not some sort of homemade chocolate cream you'd expect at a bakery. The mango was decent as well. Very fruity, if that's your palate. And the plain is really good too if you aren't a cream filled person. But the coconut, oh the coconut...I'm still dreaming about it. read more

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

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Really guys? Come on! We were just in line with like 40 other cars and they just told us they sold about 100 malasadas to one person and the rest of us would have to wait 30 minutes. Wouldn't it make more sense for that one guy to wait 30 minutes for his 100 malasadas versus the 40 other cars wanting 2-4 just to try to have the experience? Really disappointed. I've been coming here for 5 years every year. I took a detour out of my way to come here today to buy some for my clients. Please train your employees how to handle these types of situations, it's not their fault if they haven't been trained. read more

The malasadas are OK, but the food was horrendous. This is a tourist trap, plain and simple. My wife compared it to bad cafeteria food. The food is served in styrofoam boxes, bad for the environment. Overpriced and overrated, we plan to avoid on future visits to the Big Island. read more

Came to visit as a recommendation for malasadas. Got enticed by diner type fast food menu and ordered a classic loco moco hamburger and a teri-fried shrimp plate. I shoulda of just stuck to the malasadas, however that was overrated. The food was ok because I was hungry but quality was 3 out of 5 due to hot and crunchy shrimp. The teri beef was paper thin and dry which the combo was $14.00-rip off blud! Hubby personally liked the loco moco but I thought it was too gravy heavy for me. Now, the malasadas? Too dense. They look big and fluffy, but first bite was not the experience I expected. The flavored fillings were pretty good though and I loved they were hot and fresh to order. Not knowing this I ordered a dozen. read more

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

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Went yesterday to pick food and malasadas for a mothers day picnic. We ordered 1 fish and chips 1 bacon cheese burger and 1 teri beef and fried chicken plate 2 plain and 2 chocolate filled malas Fish and chips were good the tarter sauce was a little on the vinegar side very tangy. My husband seemed like he liked the burger but didnt finish it all, i took one bite from it and thought it was just Ok. I wish more places would make their own meat patties itll make such a huge difference. The Teri beef was terrible it tasted old and re fried in butter. Want not edible and it came 4 small fried chicken wings/drums that were ok nothing special. Disappointed on the food part but the malasadas were yum!! read more

What's a masalada? I dunno, what's a masalada wit' you? Like the other reviews, Tex is another local food wonder of Hawaii that is a must come visit. We came for the experience to taste the fresh masaladas. Not indigenous to Hawaii, but Tex is a popular hotspot for them. So, to answer the question; OK, it's a donut. Only with more surface area. The cream or jelly fillings are pretty original and are served fresh every day. If you haven't tried one before, come here. And don't get greedy ordering these fine, pillowey cakes of goodness. Order 2 for yourself and 2 for your honey and enjoy. You'll thank me later. Tex also serves other meals such as burgers, loco moco, and many other luncheonette meals, but we didn't come for that experience. read more

Excellent hot malasadas - we drove about 45 min to get here and it was well worth it. We tried one of each of the fillings available - chocolate, Bavarian cream, strawberry, and apple. All of them were great - apple was the favorite. read more

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

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Definitely five stars for the malasadas. I was really happy with the selection and that they were super fresh even on a Wednesday afternoon. The food I ordered was OK. The pork was a little extra salty and they got my sides wrong but again the malasadas were on point read more

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

Be prepared to wait a long time to order and get your food. It took us 30 mins to Oder and then when we finally got it 25 min later, it was missing an item and the gal working the pick up area was annoyed with me!? While waiting for my missing item, a man came in to pick his food that he ordered over the phone. The same gal told him, he had to wait In the "Order" line which was pretty long. Not sure I understand that logic. read more

Tex Drive In - Not many places to sit. - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

I just bought a saimin which consisted of 2 slices of spam and 3 cut pieces of scrambled egg. Which cost $7.00 not worth it! I have never seen a saimin which cost $7.00 and 2 slices of spam that's crazy. I seen other pics of saimin which had more toppings. read more

BEST Malasadas ever!!!! A must try! I prefer the original but the cream filled ones are a great change / option as well

This place is so special, the malasadas are such a lifetime experience. So big when you're young, smaller when you're a teen, and big again as an adult. Bavarian Cream is my favorite filling. So good!! read more

Tex Drive In - Bavarian cream filled malasada - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

July 21, 2018: The Double Cheeseburger is the BOMB! They smother the top with Mayo and Katsup to this deluxe style burger and it is truly something to enjoy. No Fries for me, had the Onion Rings which were really good as well. Had a fountain drink with lots of Ice and topped of my meal with Molassadas filled with Butter Cream filling and life was wonderful. July 25, 2018: This morning, could hardly wait to experience another burger. Sadly, the Cheeseburger was a sad excuse for a meal. Maybe, 1/2 tsp. Katsup on top and no Mayo. The French Fries were good, and the Molassada filled with Butter Cream was really good. What a difference a cook makes. read more

The best Malasada in town. The food is good and not pricey. Service is fast and you have to share your food with roosters and birds around. They know how to patiently wait for your leftovers. read more

Love,love,loved the malasadas here.Bought some plain,banana crème,coconut cream (haupio),guava.Loved all of them.They were warm and perfect on a rainy evening.Had malasadas elsewhere but didn't like it as much as these. read more

Tex Drive In - Didn't have patience to click before I took a bite.Yummm - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

Delicious food! Especially the Malasadas. I had never had Loco Moco before but wanted to try a local food. I enjoyed it! read more

Tex Drive In - Bavarian Crème Malasada was to die for! - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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Best malasadas in hawaii. Better than oahu's pipeline and Leonard's. Fluffier and denser and higher dough:sugar ratio which I personally love. It's worth the trip. read more

Best Malasadas in Hawaii. They come out fresh, hot and full of filling! Every time we go to Hilo we take the long way just to get Tex! read more

Tex Drive In - The Best! - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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You've got to stop here if you're on this side of the island. They're famous for their malasadas but their breakfast is pretty good too! It's pretty cool watching the malasadas being made much like walking into a Krispy Kreme and watching your glazed donut in production. I was so excited about all the different fillings on the menu but honestly the malasada itself is the best flavor. It's so soft and delicious you don't even need filling. I didn't try their burgers but I saw that they are huge! Definitely big enough to share if you're not a big eater. I had the beef Hash which came in two small patties with 2 eggs and lots of rice . Private parking lot. Indoor and outdoor seating. Gift shop attached. read more

Tex Drive In - Malasadas in the making - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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We were told by our hotel rep to try this place...and it was not good at all. We had the burgers and goodness it was way worse than fast food. The beef looked like meat gone wrong. It made me feel so disgusted after..first time I was not able to finish a burger. Tried the malasadas and they were eh...if you are a visitor I do not recommend. read more

The malasadas are delicious. They were warm and the fillings were delightful. The chocolate filling was a thick pudding with plenty to spare. The strawberry was refreshing. The banana was a little thin but tasted delicious. Highly recommend. read more

We stopped by here for malasadas only. I enjoyed my Bavarian cream one and my son loved his chocolate filled one. Way bigger and fluffier than the ones offered on Oahu. A definite stop if you are passing through the area. read more

This has to be the most amazing destination in all of Big Island, with the nicest staff to boot! My family of four and I visited this location on a whim for a quick lunch, and were met with the most delicious loco moco, shrimp burger, and malasadas (our first time trying). We were visiting from California. We really enjoyed the malasadas--we tried the apple and blueberry flavors. Food aside, I must give a very big THANK YOU to their amazing manager, Trina (I hope I am spelling her name correctly). I had accidentally left my bag (along with some very important belongings inside--my credit card, driver's license, etc.) at the table we had eaten at. Unfortunately this was my final day on the island and were well on our way to our next destination when I made the ghastly realization. I called everywhere I had been that day, and when I called Tex Drive In, the nice lady on the line let me know that a kind customer had given them my bag. The next day, I called the restaurant and spoke with Trina, who gave me the kindest reassurance that she would personally ship my bag to my home address *in California* as soon as possible on her *personal time outside of work hours*, in the most cost-effective way for me as possible. She did not ask for any compensation or delay the process, and immediately helped ship my bag. During this entire process, Trina has been extremely gracious, even picking up my call when I was checking on the status of the bag and offering to call me to make sure my bag had arrived. A couple days later, my bag was safely delivered to my door. Words can't describe how grateful I am to Trina, Tex Drive In, the amazing staff their, the customer who turned in my bag for all their help! Trina, if you are reading this, I can't thank you enough for shipping my bag to me. I will definitely visit again next time I'm on the island and if possible, give you a big hug for all you did for me! TLDR; Tex Drive In on Big Island is the best place to go for a delicious bite and Trina, their manager, is the sweetest and kindest person ever! read more

Decided to take a stop here, on the way to Waimea valley. We ordered original, coconut and guava flavour. We have visited Leonard's a number of times in Oahu, so it's obvious that we started comparing both the malasadas. Tex malasadas weren't bad, but at same time not great either. It was decent, good to have. read more

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I don't even know where to begin on this one. We stayed in Waikoloa and drove all over the island in the rental car. The drive was fun and enlightening and BEAUTIFUL!! Let's go ahead and put this out there... it's a diner, drive in, and dive. So don't go expecting fine dining and chandeliers. But the food is AMAZING!! Eat as many malasadas as you can stuff in you!!! All the flavors are delicious. And you get to watch someone making them. The food is delicious too. We got the Benton box with the spam which is so much better there than in the contiguous states. Go eat there. Get a cute shirt, and a box of malasadas. read more

As locals, we've been coming here for ever and the last two times we were served previously frozen chicken patties. The first time I was understanding, thinking that they must have gotten slammed and they resorted to the frozen patties, but our last visit we ordered chicken katsu and a chicken burger, both served with chicken patties. Not to mention the manager believes she's above the law and discriminates against medical exemptions. We won't be patronizing this place anymore. read more

Tex Drive In - Loco Moco made with frozen chicken patty. Don't waste your money on this - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

Delicious hot malasadas and totally worth the drive from anywhere in the island, though they are a little more bread-y and heavy than I recall. Still really yummy. read more

malasada spot $2.20, now as drive-through window. Bavarian cream, but no guava. fresh oven warmed malasada sugary donut, very filling, ok compared to others, stop by on way to or from Hilo read more

Six of us went for supper. We ordered fish and chips. The fish was tasty however the fries were cold. My husband asked for new hot fries. We waited for fifteen minutes but no replacement fries. He went up to the counter to ask how long it would be, she said oh you had to bring up the cold fries before we will give you new ones. Were we supposed to put the fish on the table? Very poor customer service. Plus the place is getting run down. Will be going elsewhere to eat in the future. read more

Recommended by our concierge . Did not disappoint. Nice drive from our resort. The Malasadas were great and was neat to see how they make them. Next visit will try some local dishes that they have on their menu which had an assortment of options. read more

Aloha Tex Drive In Me and my ohana have great memories of Tex Drive In. And I'm sure COVID has a lot to do with the overall appearance of the place. I came for breakfast today at about 6:30am and it's far from appealing. The windows are dirty, rubbish all over the floor and it just looks like it's gone down hill. Malasadas isn't continually made. Gotta get your order in before it runs out. That RARELY TO NEVER happened with the previous owners--the Scandinavian woman and her sons ran the business. The plants outside the premises was well appointed and landscape manicured. I'm waiting for my food and overall it's sad and not inviting. I do hope this changes. P.S. the food was really good read more

Tex Drive In - Front where a customer would go up to counter and order food - Fast Food Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

Malasadas for the win! We came here just for malasadas, and it was such a great stop right before going to the black sand beach. The malasadas came out warm and fresh. We tried the Bavarian cream, and the mango. Both fillings were good, but the Bavarian cream had a better balance. I didn't get to try their other food options, but the malasadas was definitely a very satisfying afternoon snack :D read more

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

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Delicious Portugese (malasadas) donuts! We were on our way to Waipi'o lookout but the weather turned on us. So here we are on a rainy day eating comfort food. I had the Bavarian Creme donut which was delicious but broke my diet. Other flavors include guava mango and coconut. There is a gift shop here as well. You can watch the ladies making the malasadas. read more

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

Mango malasada! A must whenever I'm on the Big Island. Delicious very single time. Don't miss the experience!

Oh my god. Nothing has ever tasted as good as a Portuguese malasada from Tex's. So fresh. So soft and fluffy. Hand dipped in sugar. The creme filling is exquisite and necessary. It's warm and smooth. I will be back one day!! read more

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

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I came here specifically for the malasadas. Worth the drive. We ordered mango, Bavarian cream and chocolate. So yummy especially for the road trip around the island. Service was super fast read more

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