Most of Hilo’s restaurants cluster in a small downtown along the bay. Meals run from about $10 for a poke bowl or plate lunch to $30-40 for a farm-to-table dinner or Pacific fusion with views over Hilo Bay.
These 16 are our go-to spots, some sit-down rooms, some just a takeout window. Nearly all sit within a few blocks of the downtown bayfront, so you can park once and hit two or three on foot in a single afternoon instead of driving spot to spot.
Table of contents
Map of our favorite Hilo restaurants
All 16 restaurants are marked on the map below. Scroll past the map for details on each place, including address, price range, and what to order.
Prices, details, and map locations below last verified June 2026.
| Name | Best for | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| 1Suisan Fish Market (Details ↓) | Poke | $10-20 |
| 2Puka Puka Kitchen (Details ↓) | Lunch takeout | $10-20 |
| 3Kum Yo’s Okazuya (Details ↓) | Good value Korean takeout | $10-20 |
| 4Poke Market (Details ↓) | Poke bowls | $10-20 |
| 5Cafe Pesto (Details ↓) | Locally sourced lunch | $20-30 |
| 6Ken’s House of Pancakes (Details ↓) | Breakfast | $20-30 |
| 7Sweet Cane Cafe (Details ↓) | Vegetarian options | $20-30 |
| 8Miyo’s (Details ↓) | Home-style japanese food | $20-30 |
| 9Hawaiian Style Cafe (Details ↓) | Large portions of homemade Hawaiian food | $20-30 |
| 10New Chiang Mai (Details ↓) | Thai food | $20-30 |
| 11Aloha Mondays (Details ↓) | Best takeout in town with small lunch and dinner menu | $20-30 |
| 12Hilo Bay Cafe (Details ↓) | Sunset dinner with views over Hilo Bay | $30-40 |
| 13Jackie Rey’s (Details ↓) | Lunch and dinner | $30-40 |
| 14Moon and Turtle (Details ↓) | Intimate farm-to-table dinners | $30-40 |
| 15Ponds Hilo (Details ↓) | Happy hour drinks and live music at night | $30-40 |
| 16Lehua Restaurant (Details ↓) | Farm to table lunch and dinner | $30-50 |
If you like our recommendations make sure to also check out our favorite restaurants in Kona, on the other side of the island.
Best restaurants in Hilo for lunch, dinner, and more
Not sure where to eat in Hilo? These are our top picks by category.
Q: What is the best restaurant in Hilo for lunch?
Cafe Pesto ($20-30) in the historic bayfront area serves locally sourced food with great wood fired pizzas and salads. For a quicker, more affordable option, Puka Puka Kitchen ($10-20) does excellent ahi don and chicken katsu. Note they’re only open 11am to 2:30pm.
Q: What is the best restaurant in Hilo for dinner?
Moon and Turtle ($30-40) serves farm-to-table cuisine in an intimate setting and is a good choice for a special evening. For dinner with a view, Hilo Bay Cafe ($30-40) has Pacific fusion, solid cocktails, and a view over Hilo Bay.
Q: What is the best poke in Hilo?
Poke Market ($10-20) on Waianuenue Ave serves some of the freshest poke in Hilo, from a pickup window. Suisan Fish Market ($10-20) has an equally impressive selection; grab a bowl and walk 2 minutes to Liliʻuokalani Park to eat with a view of Hilo Bay.
Q: What is the best restaurant in Hilo for vegetarians?
Sweet Cane Cafe is the most dedicated option with veggie breakfasts and lunches, fresh juices, and açaí bowls. Hilo Bay Cafe ($30-40) also has a solid selection of vegetarian dishes alongside their regular menu.
Q: What is the best local food to try in Hilo?
For poke, try Suisan Fish Market or Poke Market. Both serve fresh, high-quality versions of this Hawaiian staple. For classic plate lunch with large portions, Hawaiian Style Cafe on Manono Street is the local go-to.
Q: What is the best restaurant near the Hilo Bayfront?
Cafe Pesto ($20-30) sits in one of the historic buildings on the bayfront strip and works well for lunch. A block away, Puka Puka Kitchen ($10-20) is a smaller, more casual option with generous portions and locally sourced salads.
Q: What is the best cheap eat in Hilo?
Kum Yo’s Okazuya ($10-20) near the airport serves good-value Korean bentos that work well for eating on the go. Downtown, Puka Puka Kitchen ($10-20) does filling lunches at a similar price.
Our 16 favorite Restaurants in Hilo
These are our personal go-to spots, the places we come back to. The list is not ranked.
Hilo Bay Cafe
One of our favorites for dinner and drinks is Hilo Bay Cafe. The fare is Pacific fusion, and most of the ingredients are locally sourced and organic. The cocktails, sushi rolls, and veggie options are all strong, and the pulled pork is worth ordering. It sits right on the water, so the tables look out over Hilo Bay. They do lunch too, but for something more low-key, Suisan Fish Market is right next door for a poke bowl.
Suisan Fish Market
The selection at the Suisan Fish Market is large and the fish about as fresh as it gets.
Take your bowls to go and walk two minutes down to Liliʻuokalani Park to eat at one of the picnic tables. You’ll see kids jumping off the rocks across the bridge at Coconut Island, groups of local fishermen along the rock wall, and canoe paddlers practicing in the bay. It’s an easy place to lose an hour.
Cafe Pesto
Another good spot for lunch or dinner, though lunch is the better value, is Cafe Pesto. It sits in the old bayfront area, in one of the historic buildings along the strip. The food is locally sourced and fresh. Our go-to orders are the wood-fired shrimp and Thai sweet chili pizza and the crab cake salad, and the grilled fish burger with purple potato salad is a reliable pick too. The lilikoi (passion fruit) martini is worth adding.
Jackie Rey’s
In the same vein as Cafe Pesto, just up the street, is Jackie Rey’s: a relaxed but polished room with creative dishes alongside tried-and-true classics.
On our last visit (December 2025) the lunch menu was underwhelming, so we’d steer you here for dinner rather than lunch.
Puka Puka Kitchen
For lower-key downtown Hilo, stop in at Puka Puka Kitchen (just a block down from Cafe Pesto). Their opening hours are super limited (11am-2:30pm) and the dining room is tiny. The ahi don and chicken katsu are the standouts, both served with garlic rice and a mountain of fresh, locally sourced salad in a light house dressing. They also do fresh bentos to go, which are great if you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing and prefer a more relaxed lunch outside under a tree somewhere.
The day’s specials go up by hand on the sidewalk board rather than a printed menu.
Ken’s House of Pancakes
Ken’s House of Pancakes is the breakfast standby. Ken’s is old as rocks and a Hilo institution: the aunties working there have been at it for decades, always with big smiles and fresh flower arrangements in their hair. Portions are huge, so plan to share. The macadamia nut pancakes and the bananas foster French toast are the ones to order.
Sweet Cane Cafe
Sweet Cane Cafe is the pick for a vegetarian breakfast or lunch: good coffee, fresh juices, and açaí bowls.
Moon and Turtle
Moon and Turtle serves a changing menu from local farms. It’s a good choice for a quieter dinner out.
Miyo’s
Miyo’s does home-style Japanese food with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. The cooking is solid and the room is relaxed.
Hawaiian Style Cafe
Hawaiian Style Cafe has locations in Hilo and Waimea; the Hilo one is at 681 Manono Street.
They serve homemade Hawaiian food in large portions, so come hungry. One of our go-to orders is their poke bowls (poke is marinated raw fish).
Ponds in Hilo
Ponds sits beside a koi pond in a historic building, which is where the name comes from. They cook with ingredients from local farmers and have live music most nights. The food is good value, and the tables sit beside the koi pond.
Kum Yo’s Okazuya (Korean)
An unpretentious Korean spot near the Hilo airport, open for breakfast and lunch. Like Suisan Fish Market, it’s a good place to grab food for the road. We go for the bentos: good value and filling (a bento is a single-portion takeout meal with rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and cooked vegetables).
Kum Yo’s has no website, so their Yelp listing is the best place to check details.
Poke Market
A small shop turning out some of the freshest poke on the Big Island. There’s only a pickup window, so you’ll need to find your own spot to eat.
It’s at 41 Waianuenue Ave, and there’s more on their website.
New Chiang Mai (Thai food)
New Chiang Mai has served Thai food in downtown Hilo since 2007. The food is fresh and the portions are generous.
It’s at 110 Kalakaua Street, and the menu is on their website.
Lehua Restaurant
Lehua blends traditional Hawaiian ingredients with modern cooking technique, and the menu is rooted in local, seasonal ingredients. For a closer look, watch the 15-minute “On the Line” episode on the Bon Appétit website.
It’s at 600 Imiloa Pl in Hilo, and there’s more on their website.
Aloha Mondays
A takeout spot we’ve come to rely on. The small lunch and dinner menu is fresh and seasonal and changes weekly, so check their Instagram account for what’s on now.
It’s at 1348 Kilauea Avenue, and the weekly menu is on their website.
Good to know before you eat in Hilo
Many Hilo restaurants close early, and several of our picks are built around lunch. Puka Puka Kitchen is open 11am to 2:30pm only, and Kum Yo’s Okazuya and Sweet Cane Cafe stick to breakfast and lunch. Make lunch your main sit-down meal downtown, and check current hours before you head out, since a few kitchens close between lunch and dinner.
For an evening meal or drinks, the sit-down spots that run later are Hilo Bay Cafe, Moon and Turtle, Jackie Rey’s, Ponds, and Cafe Pesto. If you’d rather eat outside, take poke to go from Suisan Fish Market or Poke Market and carry it over to Liliʻuokalani Park on the bay, which is what we do on a clear afternoon.
Related: the Hilo Farmers Market for produce and local food stalls, and our Hilo highlights guide for what to do between meals.