Ken's House of Pancakes — Restaurant in Hawaii

I haven't been to Ken's in awhile and probably won't go back for a very long time. My group of four waited over 40 minutes to be seated. Many who came after us were seated before. After 25 minutes one of our party inquired what was up? At that time, we were told they were waiting on a table. You see, I'm obese and can't fit into a booth. So instead of coming to us and discussing it or informing us of their delay for our group, we had to initiate. At about 35 minutes, I got up and peered into the dining area and could only see one table on the other side of where the front entrance was. The hostess said they were waiting on a table. I made the comment that we had been waiting for 40 minutes and I can honestly say it was a comment, not a threat, yelling or temper tantrum. She said it looks like a table is coming available! We waited a few minutes more for the people to leave and the table cleaned. We finally had our seats. All is good! Nope, the manager comes to the table inquiring about who was being mean to the hostess? Turns out she complained about me mentioning our 40 minute wait. What? The mere mention of being displeased because of a 40 minute wait while at least 20 groups were seated before you, who arrived at Ken's after you is being mean? The waitress was fantastic. Been working there for 30 years. Very kind and professional. Food was adequate and tasty. Note: Ken's Pancake House has only 4 tables and the rest are booths or bar seating. If you can't fit in a booth, don't go to Ken's on a...

Ken’s House of Pancakes is the place where breakfast dreams come true (and possibly may defeat you).

If you find yourself in Hilo and you’re not at Ken’s House of Pancakes, you’re doing breakfast wrong. This place is a local legend — the kind of spot where the syrup alone would make you never leave, and the menu is so huge you might need a few rest days just to read it all.

The coconut syrup? Life-changing. Forget your diet, your worries, maybe even your own name — just pour it over your pancakes and accept that you’ve reached peak island happiness. Speaking of pancakes, they’re the obvious star here: fluffy, plate-sized, and clearly baked with some kind of aloha magic.

But don’t sleep on the rest of the menu. The crab omelette was rich and decadent without being over the top, and the breakfast sandwich could probably double as a building material — sturdy, satisfying, and guaranteed to keep you full until… well… tomorrow.

For the brave (or possibly the unhinged), the Sumo challenges are here to test your willpower and your waistband. They’re massive. They’re slightly terrifying. They’re the culinary equivalent of a bear hug from an NFL lineman — comforting, but you’re not sure you’ll survive.

Bottom line: Whether you’re here for a casual stack of pancakes or to earn your place in the Sumo Hall of Fame, Ken’s is the breakfast epicenter of Hilo. Just bring your appetite — and maybe your...

Our experience at Ken’s House of Pancakes was horrible! We spent roughly half an hour waiting for our table and when we finally got our table we had to wait 20 minutes to order. I get that it was busy, but they continued to seat more and more people and not bother to pay attention to us. When the waitress came to take our order, she wasn’t totally paying attention to us and was very flustered. We waited FOREVER for our food to get to our table, probably about 45 minutes, and when it got there, some of our food was cold! The bacon and French toast we ordered were both cold, the bacon was practically alive, and the egg we ordered over medium was over easy. The coconut syrup we got was not as good as some that we’ve had before. When we went to pay, it was so overpriced! The waitress didn’t bother to tell us that the side we ordered was going to cost extra, and we ended up paying over $70 for three people! And of course, when we went to pay, their system was down, so we had to pay in cash. I do understand that they are probably short staffed with covid and all, but still, it shouldn’t take two hours at this place to actually eat...