Foodie Finds for the Merrie Monarch

     With the Merrie Monarch Festival just a few days away, wanted to let malihini know that there are great places to eat in Hilo.  Eat only what is 'ono or delicious.  If you are going out to eat, try the lunch menu which is usually cheaper than the dinner menu.

• Freddy's Restaurant - Hilo, across from the Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium:  Oriental chicken salad or Chef's salad.  Huge portions and reasonable prices.
• International House of Pancakes - Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo:  Their pancakes are unbeatable.  Best deal for oldsters is the Senior 2x2x2.
• Island Naturals - Hilo Shopping Center:  You will like their deli with a salad bar and also a hot entree bar.  They have packaged salads such as quinoa, green salads of various kinds.  Love, love their summer rolls filled with vegetables, avocado with a peanut dressing.  Buy a bottle of Tahitian Limeade from the Hanaoka Farms in Kurtistown.
• Isles Cafe - Hilo, next to the Suisan Fish Market:  You must have their grilled fish sandwich.  Slabs of tuna on a bed of lettuce and tomato.  The bun is a bit to wimpy to handle the large portion of fish.  Not the most appetizing setting but pick up your sandwiches and find a table in the Liliuokalani Park right near by and enjoy the scenery and the view of Hilo Bay.
• Kaleo's Restaurant - Pahoa Town:  Best steaks in East Hawai'i.  Pricey but worth it.
• Ken's Pancake House - Hilo:  24 hour restaurant with bottomless coffee.  Love their BLT sandwiches.  Very efficient service.  The gong signals their sumo sized meals.
• KTA Supermarket -across from the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo:  Their deli has some interesting entrees for dinner.  If they have roast beef, order it by the pound with rice and local potato salad on the side.  You will not regret this decision.  In the bakery department, buy their creme filled croissants, baked manapua, or manju.  If you are sneaking and eating a creme croissant in the car, make sure you are not wearing black or be sure to dust off the powdered sugar before going into the house.
• Kuhio Grille -Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo:  Malihini must try their one-pound laulau dinner!  I love the 1/2 order of fried rice with a sunny side egg on top.
• Lanky's Bakery - Hilo Shopping Center :  The best thing there is the glazed donuts which are more delicious than Krispy Kreme.  Folks also love their monkey bread.  You can get the maple glazed donuts topped with bacon bits and be really naughty.
• Lava Rock Cafe - Volcano behind the Kilauea General Store:  The best is their regular cheeseburger done to order with a green salad and their lilikoi house dressing.  If you are really hungry, order the Big O burger which is a gut busters for most folks.
• Manono Mini Mart - Hilo, across from the Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium:  The go-to picnic place for sandwiches, chips, beverages.  My favorite is their pastrami sandwich with a whole salad between whole wheat bread.
• Ma'ona Restaurant and Grill - Hilo Shopping Center:  Burgers, burgers, burgers...juicy, made to order burgers.  This is like a 2-3 napkin place for burgers of many kinds. 
• Miyo's Restaurant - Hilo near Big Island Candies:  A-1 Japanese food.  Love their salad and sashimi combo where the salad looks like a painting. 
• Mountain View Bakery - Mountain View Village Road:  The best butterhorns this side of paradise...buttery, tender, melts in the mouth.  They also make great coconut turnovers.  Go early because they sell out quickly.  Home of the Stone Cookies.
• Ocean Sushi - downtown Hilo on Keawe Street:  My favorite is the Hospital Roll with miso soup.
• 'Ohi'a Cafe - Volcano next door to the Volcano General Store:  Their sandwiches are to die for with locally made bread.  I love the cranberry macadamia bread with any of their sandwich fillings and loads of fresh vegetables from the Yamashiro Farm in Volcano.  Their dessert are terrible...tempations rich enough to ruin any well intentioned diet.
• One Plus One - Waiakea Kai Shopping Center in Hilo:  I love their roast duck look fun soup with its thick noodles.  My husband loves their garlic shrimp plate with their French iced coffee.  Chicken wraps are large enough to have two people share an order.
• Reuben's Mexican Restaurant - Downtown Hilo:  Start off with their chips, green salsa and a cold beer or two.  Love their beef tostada or their torta.  Good food with ample portions.  They serve margaritas by the pitcher.
• Sack N Save Market - in the Puainako Town Center, Hilo:  Get their chicken wings which are the best in town.  Their salad choices can round out the meal.  Wings are crunchy and delicious.
• Seoul Station - Across from the Kanaka'ole Stadium:  This is the home of the $5 Koren bento with a wide variety of entrees to choose from  Love their soft tofu chigae (kim chee soup) and their spicy rice cakes.  Lots of side dishes come with the eat in meals.
• Sky Garden Restaurant - 'Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo:  Wonderful salad bar that looks small but is full of wonderful veggie tidbits.  I love their beef noodle soup which is rich and flavorful.  Their kung pao chicken is a kick in the pants.  Don't order it if you are on a carbohydrateless diet.  You need rice for that dish!
• Sombat's Thai Restaurant - Next door to Ken's Pancake House in Hilo:  Go for their $7 lunch specials of which the Thai salad is my favorite.  Fresh, fresh vegetables with a wonderful Thai peanut salad dressing.
• Thai Thai Restaurant - Volcano Village:  Fresh Thai food.  Love their red curry with chicken and melt-in-the-mouth eggplant with sticky rice.  Tried their Thai curry burgers with a myriad of flavors.  I had green curry but I heard that the Penang curry is even better.

Enjoy the flavors of East Hawai'i!