My favorite is their spicy Beef soup..or the chicken ginger soup.. Very good when you're feeling under the weather or on a chilly day.. read more

Just picked my order of grilled pork and shrimp with veggies and vermicelli noodles So tasty!!! Loved it This is my go to place when hungry for Vietnamese food The best read more

The food quality and sizes were very well appreciated. Surprised that it isn't busier than it was. Look forward to our next takeout.

Great food!! Have watched the kids in this family business grow up and have always enjoyed their restaurant and especially the ono food. read more

Heard how good their Vietnamese salad w/ chicken was so thought I'd go and try it out . Now it's my favorite dish and I order it from them often . Service person was nice and courteous I think there's only two workers there , one who takes the orders and one that does the cooking - most likely family owned . This place only does take outs . I usually order their lettuce Vietnamese salad with grilled chicken - non spicy (since I need to eat more vegetables in my diet ) and egg rolls - nice , hot and crunchy . It's portion is pretty hefty veggies was fresh & crispy and satifies my tummy just perfectly The sauce that's comes with it makes it very tasty I'm yet to try other entrees on their menu . I wish they had a menu with pictures too - of their food so I have a better idea of what they are , I'm not very familiar with Vietnamese food . But I'm sure everything is delicious ! You should try it out when your in downtown Hilo they are located right next door to Bobas where u can also get a Boba drink too ! Help keep small family business to thrive here in Hilo by supporting them to stay open . Give them a try , I'm sure you'll like their food ! Sorry I didn't take a better picture! read more

Yen's Cafe - Vietnamese salad with grilled chicken and egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great food. Never barfed after eating here. Problem is that you never know when they open! Oh well. Keep trying. Regards Beau Toichi read more

Hadn't been here in years. It used to be one of my go-tos when I was in college and lived closer to that part of town. I am currently very pregnant and was struck with the insatiable craving for a cold noodle plate. The place closer to the part of town I was going to was not answering my phone, so I decided to take a trip down memory lane and get my cold noodle plate from Yen's. I ordered the #35 - the grilled chicken and spring roll cold noodle plate. My husband has some weird bias against Yen's, so only wanted a side of spring rolls. Anyway, ordered by phone and went and picked up my order from their handy pickup window. I felt the temperature of the food, nice and warm, and I immediately knew I needed to find the nearest park to pull over and eat my plate. This was by far the best cold noodle plate I have had in years! It makes all the ones I have had from other Vietnamese places in town and elsewhere seem boring and bland. There was of course the chicken and spring rolls, all nice an flavorful and warm, and the noodles, just the right coolness, but at the bottom were a ton of veggies: cucumbers, lettuce, mint, mung bean sprouts, and on top were pickled carrots and dikon. The sauce was the usual cold noodle sauce, which was again nice and flavorful. All together, everything really was nice. Perfect meal for a very warm Hilo day. I felt bad, but when I got home to bring my husband his spring rolls, they had gotten soggy. He still ate them all. I am definitely going here again the next time I get the craving for a cold noodle plate! read more

Love their food! Eaten there numerous times during high school and now 20 years later the food tastes the same , only downfall is no sit down dining read more

Such a bummer they no longer have sit down dining, as I use to love coming to this family-run hole in the wall joint. Only open for take-out 3 days a week does not make me feel confident that Yen's is taking itself seriously, and is able to maintain fresh quality ingredients. Last few times I've ordered take-out the quality was greasy and mediocre. I hope they can get their act together and have normal business hours again. So many old customers like me would return to support them. read more

THEY TAKE CREDIT CARDS NOW :) See my previous review for more details. The older son who waits tables is also an excellent stand up bass player in the local volunteer orchestra. read more

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Call ahead to pick up your order, so you don't wait. Only take out and it's the best! Food 10/10.. gonna go back for the fish! read more

I have been going there for years, even during takeout only during the pandemc, but went there a few days ago and still only doing takeout and the price has gone up considerably. I'm now going to look elsewhere for my cold rice plates. read more

Really great place for takeout I'm rarely disappointed. She has the best cold noodle salads. Grilled pork amazing. Black bean string bean delicious. Best salt and pepper squid a little salty but yum. Can't go wrong with pho. read more

This is the kind of food that we WISH we could make at home. Everything we get here is so good. We always want to try other dishes but we get so addicted to whatever we do get that it's taking a really long time to explore the menu. I have ordered the lemongrass chicken, and the spicy lemongrass chicken, and both come with a really great salad. They make an excellent ginger chicken which is often sold out. I love their spring rolls that you wrap in lettuce and dip into their sauce. I also love their cold noodle salad and their noodle cake. Sadly that is as far as I have gotten. My coworkers and I eat here at least once a week for lunch. This is a hole in the wall establishment with odd service-but I just don't care, because the food is so good. They do take credit and debit cards. I recommend this place for take out lunch or dinner. Call ahead to make sure they are open and place an order. They have a funny schedule-some days they close at 2 and they seem to be closed Mondays--calling to confirm if they are open is a good idea. They are across the street from the Hilo Library between Cozmic Cones and Blanes. Enjoy! read more

Tried this place out for lunch after a friend brought back the Summer Rolls to work. Rolls are a lot bigger than we're used to. CASH ONLY!! Small place that can seat maybe 6 or 7 parties of 4 or less. Service was pretty good, especially since we sat at the table right in front of the cashier. Water refilled when needed and food came out in a timely manner. Food was really tasty. I always get vermicelli noodles with chicken and spring rolls. I enjoyed the steamed fish with black bean sauce, but it can be pretty salty so it would go well with some rice. Overall, good experience. read more

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I was hesitant to stop in this hole-in-the-wall "mom & pop" (literally - family owned) bistro. It is smaller than you would expect a restaurant would be, but don't let that stop you from giving it a shot. I walked in and noticed this very quaint small setup with about 6 good sized tables including booths. I was greeted right away by, assuming, the son and daughter - and my order was taken promptly. Very quick and efficient service. I ordered the summer rolls as I usually always do at a Vietnamese eatery, but I was brought the spring rolls by mistake. Instead of correcting the young girl, I ate it - insisting that I break habit and be adventurous on vacation. High risk, high reward. This was my first time having this dish and I was utterly impressed by the freshness and flavor. The spring rolls were about 7" in length and served with romain lettuce and a sweet sauce. You wrap the spring rolls in the lettuce and dip, dunk, and do it again! I got the combination beef pho equipped and fully loaded with thick cuts of brisket and steak. So hearty! The tendons were thick and chewy, the tripe was perfectly cooked and plentiful. The broth, which makes any pho dish, was flavorful and clean tasting. The fresh, bountiful basil and parsley helped enhance the herbal concoction; the sliced green jalepenos added the nostalgic spicy kick I crave. No refills offered for water, so drink sparingly or be prepared to wave one of the kids down for a refill. Best pho is Hilo! Must try! read more

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After visiting the famous Saturday Hilo Farmer's market, and not finding anything savory I wanted for lunch, I started craving vietnamese bun (cold vermicelli salad). I thought...if it's hot in San Jose, what do I eat? Bun! So after yelping, I ended up at this hole in the wall, mom and pop restaurant. Just like in San Jose, the kids were helping out running the restaurant. I felt bad cuz the little boy had to vacate the only table left for me. I told the girl he could stay....but he had to play in the kitchen. Ordered the chicken/fried roll bun. Was deeeelish! Good porportion of the greens, herbs, noodles. The fried rolls were skinnier than usual but just as good. Chicken was less portion than restaurants back home, but fine w/me cuz it filled me up...and the quality was tastier. I was also surprised, as the fish sauce wasn't watered down for the unseasoned tourist palates. Spice just right. Noodles were "al dente". No skimpping on the herbs. I have a feeling this is a locals place. If you are into service, decor etc, you should probably go else where. In my experience, whether in the states or abroad....the BEST food are at places that look sketchy. When I left, I saw all these suckers next door eating expensive fried foods, when Yen's was just next door! Their loss ; b read more

Yen's Cafe - Bun w chicken and fried roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Have been going here for years. Their pho is great on a rainy day(everyday here lol) and the spring rolls are always crispy.

I really liked this place but last night was my final visit. Usually order the cold noodles but decided to splurge on 3 menu items all over $11. I felt the price of total meal did not justify the small portions and the lack of taste. Although a yelper before me mentioned credit cards now accepted, their signage was very confusing. Big letters CASH ONLY but underneath some card verbiage and words crossed out in red sharpie. Anyway taste was one size fits all; nothing original all the same gravy. Ordered 2 chicken dishes, Kung pao and chicken green beans. The total amount of chicken equal to maybe 3 boneless chicken thighs- For $20+ terrible value. Vegetable cake noodle- very little cake noodle and old white cabbage ends not one mushroom, celery, but lots of tough Choi sum stems No water refills and not returning read more

Glad we decided to eat here. Came it around 6pm wasn't busy. There was only one other couple in the restaurant. Was seated immediately. Took a whole to browse the menu. Everything looked really good. Decided on a Vietnamese Crepe, howevee they were out of that, so I chose the summer roll and the special cake noodle (mind you I love me some cake noodle, so it has to be good). The summer roll came first. It was filled with shrimp and chicken and had mint, it was really good and refreshing. They put a lot of noodles inside of it too which makes it worth it. Finished the roll and waited a bit for my noodles. But let me tell you, it was worth the wait. The cake noodle was refreshing and hot. Very clean tasting. It was flavourful and rich, but didn't leave me feeling heavy. Will definately come back, and recommend to anyone visitin! read more

Yen's Cafe - Garlic String Beans with Black Bean Sauce - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Eating at Yen's is always so satisfying. I usually order the cold noodle salad with fried spring rolls and shrimp. The sweet sour vinegar dressing brings it all together. The greens are fresh and I like the addition of mint and cilantro in the salad. The black bean garlic fried green beans are another favorite. My husband likes the ginger chicken rice plate and my girlfriend likes the crispy fried noodles with veggies. Everything I have tried there won't disappoint. It is a small family run restaurant. I have been going there for years and have watched their children grow up. They all help in the restaurant, too. If you're downtown, give Yen's a try! read more

Good food, WHEN it's open. Does not follow hours posted online or on the door. Closes unannounced frequently! Called to confirm if open, came to restaurant 30 minutes later to find it closed. ????? read more

Stopped by for a quick lunch and it was amazing! I had the pork and egg rolls on cold vermicelli noodles and it was delicious!! Great service with a smile and no long wait for our food (during lunch rush too!) Definitely coming back soon!! read more

Yen's Cafe - Pork and egg rolls on cold vermicelli noodles! Definitely coming back for more!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This is one of the better Vietnamese restaurants on the island. Small hole in the wall, just 6 tables. I ordered a grilled Vietnamese cold noodle (grilled pork and egg roll), special Pho and special fried rice. Also a Thai iced tea. Again with the cilantro for Pho, only place so far that had culantro was Pho Viet. Similar to New Saigon, they also had jalapenos. I was surprised to see that their special Pho had tripe. Only Vietnamese restaurant to have tripe on this island so far. Food came out quick. Food was a little better than average. read more

Yen's Cafe - Special Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great service from friendly family members. The pho and the chow fun are great! Serves both Vietnamese & Chinese food and it is all delicious! String beans with garlic black bean sauce keeps me coming back. Large fresh shrimp with veg in a lite sauce is best I have eaten anywhere! read more

Well, ok, I was wrong. I won't be going back. The re-order after their bag fell apart, which I paid full price for, they only made up a 1/3 order of curry and sent me on my way. I didn't notice until I got back to my office. I will not go back there, and I will recommend against people going there. They suck. read more

Yen's Cafe - That's it??? - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great vermicelli bowls. My husband got the pho and wasn't impressed but I'm the one writing the review and I loved their vermicelli bowls. They have fresh and really delicious spring rolls and my children love their boba teas. If a restaurant does a certain dish well that I like or reminds me of food I could get in my hometown, l rate it for the one dish. That's what I'm doing here. Hilo is tricky when it comes to good food so I'm always thankful for places that have a dish that I really enjoy. Try their vermicelli bowls. So good! read more

Second attempt at new places to try in Hilo, from fellow Yelpers' recommendations. Sadly to say, second strike of the day. I'm a massively huge fan of Vietnamese, and it's a shame we just don't have the Vietnamese populace here to warrant better restaurants. Reading previous reviews of Yen's, someone mentioned this is not real Vietnamese food. I would have to actually agree. Well, it might not be authentic like you would get in Saigon, but it is still technically called Vietnamese food, akin to a California Roll being called Japanese food. I wanted to order the pork chop plate with crab cake, a pretty good example of what Vietnamese eat (it's not just pho, which many people may think), but was told they didn't have any crab cake. :( That lead me to choose the grilled pork with egg roll vermicelli noodles (bun thit noung cha gio). This is kind of like the Chicken Teriyaki of Vietnamese food, the safe American-friendly go-to dish. I have no problem with that, and can usually use this to gauge flavor to other restaurants. Same goes with pho. Same goes with Pad Thai and green papaya salad when eating Thai food. Anyhow, on to the dish. The rice bowl came out and looked great. When adding my hot sauce and fish sauce, I noticed there was not a lot of pork in it. Just a few carefully layered pieces to appear more abundant than it really was. Next, the fried egg rolls were pretty thin and left a lot to be desired. Lots of layers of rice paper, not a lot going on in between though. Once all mixed and eaten, there was something missing........flavor. It was just very bland. I really wish I could say better things about it, but it just wasn't good. I would have to honestly say this is the least tasty Vietnamese food I have ever tried. I won't say that it was bad, I've yet to eat bad Vietnamese, because I could still eat and finish it. Perhaps I have been too spoiled with amazing restaurants when in the mainland, but even locally, the others I have tried are better- even dare I say it, Bale (yikes!). Yes, Bale is better than this. read more

This review is based on the Pho Dac Biet. This is not authentic Vietnamese food and it is a disservice to other Yelpers for other it to be described as such. I had such high hopes after reading some of these reviews and was utterly dissappointed with my Pho Dac Biet. There was no beefiness to the broth (lack of or not enough beef bone marrow when making the broth) and it was too overly seasoned (heavy on star anise) and also slightly sweet. I come from San Jose, CA so I know what Pho is supposed to taste like and this was on the low end of authenticity. It was sad to see the thickly sliced rare beef and thickly sliced fatty brisket, tiny bits of tripe and 1 beef ball sliced in half. The bean sprouts were small and dried up as was the slice of lemon (small and dried up). Luckily, I was hungry and it was edible. On another note, this appears to be a family run restaurant and I have to appreciate that. The kids sit around watching tv and help out when customers come in. We were never greeted by an adult -- actually, never greeted at all - and at no time did an adult come out from the kitchen. The daughter just came up and dropped some menus off on our table then only spoke when taking our order to confirm what we were ordering. From the sound of things, it was one adult in the rear kitchen fulfilling all the orders. Or order of 5 different dishes came out one at a time, about 5 minutes apart after an initial 30 minute wait. I could forgive the long wait for our food if the food was reasonable, but again, it is a disservice to Yelp to call this authentic Vietnamese food. read more

Mean grindz!!! Went for lunch and had the Vietnamese Rice Noodle plate (grilled chicken and shrimp) Co-worker had the spring roll and grilled pork Vietnamese rice noodle plate. Perfectly seasoned, fresh veggies, perfect consistency w/ the noodles, good all around...BUT...the highlight of the meal was the green beans w/ black bean n garlic sauce!! MEAN!!! Cheehuu!!! The owner said is wife grows the green beans on their farm so it was ridiculously fresh and crunchy, black bean sauce had the perfect amount of salt and the fried garlic and shallots were perfect!!! And everything was inexpensive! Will be back! Chee!! read more

A cute family owned business! CASH ONLY! Their cold noodle bowls are my fav. Very fresh and filling. Their sauce is perfect for this dish so I order extra! read more

Yen's Cafe - two trays of asian food - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Love this place! The best cold noddles in Hilo and their sauce is amazing! If you ever get a chance, head over!

I will usually give a restaurant at least 2 tries. In this case I gave it 3. Their Pho tastes as though their soup came from a can of beef broth. It had no flavor of spices or marrow that I expect from the Vietnamese dish. The waitress did not smile, in fact she obviously did not want to be there. Something you'll see in a family restaurant business, but it didn't help the poor quality of Pho. read more

Yen's Cafe - #15 - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

If you're ever in Hilo with a chicken pho crave, this IS the place to go! I first ate here almost 10 years ago - it was a fan of one of my UHH professors. I am going to review the chicken pho, primarily because it seems to be a difficult dish to get right. First off, the price is reasonable - under $10. The chicken parts aren't the dried up breast cut up - oh, no! Its tender cut up chicken thighs in a sizeable portion to the rice noodle. The broth itself is delectable - not sweet, like Pho 808 in Kapolei, and has the strong taste of a pork bone broth. Each serving of soup comes with its own serving of veggies: bean sprouts, hot chiles, basil, & lime. De-lish! Every chicken pho Ive ever had I have compared to here and so far, Yen's IS the best. read more

Went to lunch here with a couple of friends. Nice family owned chinese-thai restaurant with good food at a reasonable price. Check for restaurant hours before going... Not open on weekends. read more

Yen's Cafe - Black Bean string beans...i like it spiced right not overpowering. - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Food was great! Service was lacking :-( This was the opinion of 3 people in party. Person answering phone didn't give name, no one inside restaurant gave (wore) name. When called ahead of time stating 6 people were coming... 4 top table had reserved sign. ?! OK. Water was brought, hot tea was requested, ok. Chinese food brought on serving plates. Six people had 1 plate to eat from?! Well I put food on a napkin, requested extra plates. The rice (simplest dish) was brought last. I guess an after thought. Hot tea lid left open then requested twice... Server's were nice, no personality- "uh, yeah, we're out of that- lemon chicken, egg plant" etc. Blank look. "No, we don't have orange chicken". Food was good. We would return, food was inexpensive. We just understand- no frills like smiles, minimal courtesy, patience required with service. read more

Doesn't look like much when you walk past it but Yen's is a hidden gem in the heart of Hilo. Family owned, lovely authentic food, and a great atmosphere. Not to mention, the customer service is unbelievable. We had Richy wait on us and he exceeded our expectations. We will be back to eat again. read more

Love their Grilled Pork Cold Noodle plate! The marinade is soooooo good and service is friendly and fast!

Great food, small and comfortable place. Convenient location. Try it out..affordable. k, no like write more, hope dis enough already!

Very friendly family restaurant. Veggies look and taste home grown. Pho shrimp was very good. Also pork fried rice was unique and very tasty. read more

Yen's Cafe - Very good Pho shrimp & pork fried rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii