Looking for the best restaurants in Hilo? Whether you want a quick poke bowl, a farm-to-table dinner, or a classic Hawaiian plate lunch, Hilo’s food scene has a lot to offer. Most restaurants are clustered in and around downtown, making it easy to explore on foot. Below you’ll find our personal favorites for every budget and occasion: from $10 takeout spots to sit-down dinners with views over Hilo Bay.
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 |
| 16Leuhua 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 sunset panorama over Hilo Bay.
Q: What is the best poke in Hilo?
Poke Market ($10-20) on Waianuenue Ave was voted one of the best poke bowls in the state. 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) offers filling lunches at a similar price point.
Our 16 favorite Restaurants in Hilo
These are our personal go-to spots—places we return to again and again. The list isn’t ranked. Every single one earns a spot for a reason.
Hilo Bay Cafe
One of our favorites for dinner/drinks is Hilo Bay Cafe. The fare is Pacific fusion and the majority of their ingredients are locally sourced and organic. Wonderful cocktails, great sushi rolls, plenty of great veggie options but also an incredible pulled pork. Most importantly, the views of Hilo Bay are just stunning! They also do lunch, but if you are in the area and looking for something a little more low-key, I would suggest a visit to Suisan Fish market right next door for a poke bowl.
Suisan Fish Market
The selection at the Suisan Fish Market is impressive and the fish the freshest you’ll find. Even if you’re not a fish fan, you’ll undoubtedly find something tasty.
The best thing to do is take your bowls to go and walk 2 minutes down to the Liliʻuokalani park to enjoy them on one of the picnic tables there. You’ll see kids jumping off the rocks across the bridge at Coconut Island, local groups of fisherman hanging out along the rock wall, and canoe paddlers out practicing in the bay. I could spend hours down there!
Cafe Pesto
Another great spot in Hilo for lunch or dinner (though lunch is much better value) is Cafe Pesto. This is along the old historic bayfront area in one of the most beautiful buildings along the strip. The food here is also locally sourced and very fresh. My favorite is the wood fired shrimp and Thai sweet chili pizza and the crab cake salad. My wife always gets the grilled fish burger with purple potato salad. You can’t go wrong with a lilikoi (passion fruit) martini either.
Jackie Rey’s
In the same vein as Cafe Pesto is Jackie Rey’s, just up the street. Beautiful setting, friendly staff, creative dishes and tried and true classics.
Note that at our last visit (December 2025) their lunch menu was quite disappointing, so perhaps only consider Jackie Rey’s for dinner.
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 but they just get everything right. The ahi don, chicken katsu, and garlic rice are especially good and everything is served with a mountain of fresh and colorful locally sourced salad lightly coated in a dressing that will knock your socks off. 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 Pancake house is great for breakfast. Ken’s is old as rocks and an absolute icon in Hilo town. The aunties working there have been around for decades, always with the same big smiles and bright flower arrangements in their hair. Portions here are HUGE so it’s a good idea to share. The macadamia nut pancakes and bananas foster French toast are so good, they really deserve their very own postcards.
Sweet Cane Cafe
Sweet Cane Cafe is also fantastic for veggie breakfast or lunch. GREAT coffee, fresh juices and açaí bowls.
Moon and Turtle
Moon and Turtle is perfect for high quality cuisine in a very warm and low key setting.
Miyo’s
Miyo’s serves home-style Japanese cuisine featuring fresh locally sourced ingredients. The food is excellent and the atmosphere very relaxed.
Hawaiian Style Cafe
Hawaiian Style Cafe has restaurants in Hilo and Waimea. The one in Hilo is located at 681 Manono Street.
Hawaiian style cafe serves homemade Hawaiian food in large portions so make sure that you are hungry before walking through their doors. One of our favorite dishes are their poke bowls (poke is marinated raw fish, delicious!).
Ponds in Hilo
Ponds is a historic local dining restaurant located on the edge of a scenic Koi ponds (hence the name). They use ingredients from local farmers and have live music almost every night. Great atmosphere and price/quality ration for the food.
Kum Yo’s Okazuya (Korean)
Unpretentious Korean restaurant close to the Hilo airport opened for breakfast and lunch. Like the Suisan Fish Market this is a good place to pick up food for on the road. We like Kum Yo’s for their tasty and good value Bentos (a Bento is a single-portion take-out meal with rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and cooked vegetables).
Kum Yo’s Okazuya has no website, so for more information you should have a look at e.g. their Yelp listing.
Poke Market
A small store that serves up some of the most delicious, freshest, and highest quality poke on the Big Island – they were even voted as serving one of the best poke bowls in the state! Note that they only have a pick up window, so you will need to find your own place to eat your order.
Located at 41 Waianuenue Ave, you can find their website here.
New Chiang Mai (Thai food)
New Chiang Mai serves excellent Thai food in downtown Hilo since 2007. Their food is fresh and flavorful, and the serving sizes are generous.
Located at 110 kalakaua street, you can find their website here.
Lehua Restaurant
Lehua is a new restaurant in Hilo that blends traditional Hawaiian ingredients with modern cooking techniques in a way that feels thoughtful rather than trendy. The menu is rooted in local flavors and seasonal products. Curious? See the following 15 minute “On the Line” episode on the Bon Appétit website.
Located at 600 Imiloa Pl, Hilo, HI 96720, you can find their website here.
Takeout only Aloha Mondays:
Our new favorite restaurant for takeout! They have a small lunch and dinner menu featuring a fresh, seasonal menu that changes weekly – see their current menu on their instagram account.
Located at 1348 Kilauea Avenue, you can find their website here.
