Where to Eat on the Big Island

Some friends and I will be on the Big Island during Thanksgiving weekend, if all goes according to plan. I lived in Hilo for two years and loved it, but I was a poor college student with no wheels, and therefore did not enjoy the many lovely dining opportunities Hilo offered.

But now, of course, I'm a highly-paid professional, and will be accompanied by other highly-paid professionals (okay, well, half of that is true--we're all teachers) and I wanna know where you'd recommend we eat.

I remember a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Pahoa that a friend took me to once; any idea if it's still there? It's right there on the main drag in downtown Pahoa. I also ate at that nice Itallian place in downtown Hilo (Cafe Pesto?), and of course Nori's late at night, and Cheng's and Ken's House of Pancakes.

Out-of-the-way is not a problem. We're looking for something unique and memorable. Any suggestions?

Comments

There's a place called Reuben's on the bayfront. It's still there; we drove past it last time we were there in February. There's a great Thai place not too far from Reuben's, if you like Thai.

The Naniloa Hotel has a restaurant right on the bay, with a big expanse of grass between the windows and the water. Despite everything one thinks of when thinking of tourist hotels, that restaurant has good food and nice ambience.

Pescatore and Harrington's

Scrivener, Luquin's is that Mexican restaurant in Pahoa you mentioned. I haven't been there in almost seven years but I've heard only good things about them.

Pescatore is located on the corner of Haili and Keawe streets. Unfortunately, I went there for lunch about a month ago and had a horrible experience. They had only two waithelp working for lunch and only one of them was allowed to take the orders and serve us. It took entirely too long to wait for our orders to be taken, wait for our food to arrive (soup & sandwiches), wait for my credit card to be charged.

I'd definitely suggest The Seaside Restaurant in Keaukaha for some great prime rib, wonderful fresh fish and their famous Furikake Salmon. Don't pass up a chance to try their fresh apple pie.

You must try to visit Daniel Thibeaut's in Kamuela -- right across from the Waimea Park. We had Parker Ranch steak and a special Kamuela greens salad...mmmm! And save room for dessert, seriously.

If you like Mexican food Reuben's in the S. Hata building down bayfront side is great. I love their taquitos and chimichangas! Thai Thai Restaurant in Volcano Village is good too but gets crowded fast.

I haven't been yet but there's a new place called Restaurant Kaikodo on Keawe that is supposed to be fantastic -- arty Asian food with a twist. Also, I've been wanting to try dinner at the Kilauea Lodge for years.

I've heard of Kaikodo - my relatives went there and said it's Asian/French fusion food. Of course, I'm not sure if we can rely on their review ("It was....okay") as they are all senior citizens, and not very - culinarily -adventurous.

My family usually makes it a point to go to the Hilo Hawaiian buffet (Hawaiian food, etc. with crab?) - I'm not sure if it's weekends only - and they swear by it, although I don't remember my own experience there.

Unfortunately my favorite cajun restaurant is no longer in downtown Hilo, so it's probably just as well that I've forgotten its name.

JennM - is it Roussel's? The Hilo restaurant closed a few years ago and oddly, it's was in the same corner of the building that Kaikodo is in now. Roussel's is still open in Waikoloa Village...

Godmother's in Pahoa is wonderful!

We had Christmas dinner there last year, and loved every bite. Plus, you can sit out on their covered lanai, and enjoy the weather.

It is nothing special, and it may no longer exist, but The Local Cafe in Laupahoehoe is a favorite of ours. Maybe we were poor, the food was cheap and nothing was better than a good cheeseburger from friendly people who treated us like long lost family. It is a little drive from Hilo, up the Hamakua coast, but if you are headed up there, its time for lunch, and it is open, I would try it.

It may also be a compelling place for us because of the following story.

A mentor of mine was pulled out to sea during the tsunami there in 1947. He was in grade school, survived, and says his father, who had drowned in a fishing accident years earlier in the same bay, came to his rescue and lifted him up from the depths of the sea and kept him afloat until rescuers carried him aboard a boat. It is a chilling story to hear him tell.

When he retired, we threw a small party for him. The highlight was the surprise visit from the man who pulled him aboard the boat.

If you go, visit the simple memorial to the children and school teachers that did not survive the tsunami. It is there in the harbor.

I don't think The Local Cafe in Laupahoehoe is open anymore. I'm from there and even though I haven't been home for awhile, my mom (who still lives there) said it closed. But Papaaloa Store near there makes ono plate lunches that you can take with you to visit the memorial down Laupahoehoe Point. It's definitely worth the visit.

Kuhio Grill!!! Great fried rice loco.

Manago Hotel for the famous pork chops

I want to second the suggestion to the SEASIDE. It's not only a restaurant, but a fishfarm. Before you eat, you can walk around the small dock and see what may end up on your plate. It's a nice small pond near the end of "4 miles" in Keaukaha. I never eat there until my parents from the mainland come visit.

Hilo Hawaiian Hotel's Queen's court is great, too. Friday night is seafood night. Eat all the seafood you want. Wear loose clothes. Be prepared to waddle, not walk, out when you're done eating.

Happy Thanksgiving...

DC

The fried opelu at the Manago Hotel (Capt. Cook) is even better!

Lived in Kona and traveled quite a bit around the Big Island for eight years. Favorite places included:

Kona Mix Plate -- awesome chicken stir fry, chicken katsu, grilled mahi

Tante's (at Kona Bowl) -- If you like Filipino food, it's the bomb. I like the shrimp sarisari. Also the fried rice plate is huge and comes with two eggs. I tried it recently after a long hiatus and it was better in the '90s. They shred the char siu now, and I prefer the chunks that Tante used to chop.

Ken's in Hilo -- People tend to forget about Ken's since it's open 24/7, but I really like the grilled teri chicken. The sauce is ono.

Now gone is the Pahoa Dairy Queen. They made the best pastrami sandwich I had, next to the ones I ate in elementary school. None of that lean pastrami stuff. Just juicy, peppery and fatty pastrami. And to top it off with a Oreo Blizzard for the drive back to Kona. Yup...

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