Hawaiian Style Cafe Hilo — Restaurant in Hawaii

Being a local business owner I truly believe in supporting local businesses. However, there will be a point and time that trying to do that is very difficult because of the quality of food that I experienced at HSC

Even before leaving Oahu I have been researching places to eat in Hilo town and a few of my friends suggested that we eat here.

The evening that we arrived we went straight here from the airport. I ordered their chicken cutlet Loco Moco and upon tasting the gravy I knew it was from powder, like just add water kine. Got excited for my first bite and when I did it was disappointed. I immediately knew that it was processed chicken pieces. Totally disappointing.  The others in my party ordered Korean chicken and garlic chicken and that was decent.

The next morning we decided to return for breakfast  amd it was a bad idea. I ordered the Numba Juan Omelet and from the description it sounded so Ono. When it came over I immediately jumped into the Omelet and it was tasty, however the peppers in the Omelet were obviously from a can.   Then the hash browns was a let down. The hash browns were cold and not cooked in the middle.  I kindly sent it back. My dish returned and once again it was raw in the middle. Another dish ordered from my party was the corned beef hash and eggs. The hash also was not fresh.   This same person had ordered this in the past and remembers the corned beef hash being fresh and "homemade."

HSC for the retail cost of your food and the type of food that's served I feel is not worth it. I wonder how much of your menu is possibly previously frozen, thawed, cooked and served? What's actually made in house?

It's not hard to get a piece of chicken, batter it up,  fry it and PROUDLY serve it? Is it really difficult to scratch make gravy?

The BEST thing about this place is the customer service we received. Our waitress at both visits were Joyce and she was full of energy, friendly and willing to assist us in anyway.

I had the pleasure to speak with the manager on duty after breakfast and expreseds my/our dissatisfaction with the food quality. For the record he did refund the cost for one plate.

Folks we (party of 4) spent nearly $160 for dinner and breakfast and it was totally not worth it.

Sad to say but there are better Hilo restaurants down the road...

The only highlight was Ikaika, who saved the day by fixing the ice cream machine and getting us our shakes. Thank you sir for keeping us from disappointment. I hope I got your name right. 5 stars.

The food that eventually came is nice. But the people make the experience. And on this trip and for us they didn’t. 1 star.

The woman standing up front was power tripping. There was a bench where we saw some ppl sitting, so when they left we sat there. (Mind you, this is not the one with a sign that said don’t sit on this bench). This woman instead of just asking us to wait on the outside gave us a whole condescending, loud, and unnecessarily stern social distancing etc. lecture. This is when she herself isn’t wearing a mask, and lots of ppl congregating in the area to pay their checks. Common, don’t be mean to us. Just tell us where to wait and we will! We are nice people, how about that welcoming spirit and niceness and all???

Later, when we got a message that your table is ready, and she still made us wait another 8 minutes because she “want to take two parties in there together”. Why? We are here, we don’t have to be delayed for another party’s behavior.

A lot of stuff was unavailable. That is ok, but how about telling us that such and such is not available today, before making us go through and make choices. Then letting us down. The food came in parts. My omelette first, and when I have gone through most it, the accompanying waffle, and later everyone else’s food. Our server checked on us once, and was generally overworked/checkout out. I get it, we are all overworked, but still this is a low bar.

A couple of other ppl did ask us how is everything and they appeared nice and friendly.

Oh! And my...

Hawaiian Style Cafe in Hilo serves up authentic local cuisine that epitomizes the essence of a great Hawaiian diner. This unpretentious eatery has rightfully earned its reputation as a favorite among locals, offering visitors a genuine taste of the islands.

The star of the show here is undoubtedly "Da Tita Moco," a hearty dish that exemplifies Hawaiian comfort food at its finest. This generous plate is a testament to the cafe's commitment to satisfying even the heartiest appetites. The flavors are spot-on, delivering a perfect balance of savory elements that will leave you craving more.

One of the most striking aspects of Hawaiian Style Cafe is the portion sizes. "Huge" barely begins to describe the mountains of food that arrive at your table. It's clear that no one leaves this establishment hungry. These enormous servings not only offer great value for money but also capture the spirit of Hawaiian hospitality - generous and welcoming.

The atmosphere is casual and unpretentious, with a bustling vibe that speaks to its popularity among locals. It's the kind of place where you can strike up a conversation with the person at the next table, sharing recommendations and stories over platefuls of delicious food.

While it may not win any awards for fine dining ambiance, Hawaiian Style Cafe excels where it counts - delivering satisfying, authentic Hawaiian diner food that keeps both locals and visitors coming back for more. It's an essential stop for anyone looking to experience true local flavor in Hilo.

Just remember to bring your appetite - you'll need it to tackle the generous portions served up at this beloved local...