Cafe il Mondo

This was the very first restaurant we stopped at on our Big Island trip, and it did NOT disappoint. The vibe was welcoming right away, and our waitress Aiza was super cheerful and full of energy — it really set the tone. The chicken wings were INSANE 🤤 easily some of the best on the island — savory, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. The pizza was just as solid with a great crust and texture. Big shoutout to the man making the wings and pizzas back there 👏 If we’re ever back on the Big Island, we’re definitely coming back.

Had a wonderful late lunch here. The pizzas were freshly created and baked. Every change that we wanted to a pizza on the menu was possible and not at all an issue. Very cheerful waitress and very nice music by a live musician!

Go for the Calzone! Jeff the chef has perfected a light, incredibly tasty, unique style that is worth every penny. Pizza's good as well. Forget the salad...expensive and unworthy. Short staffed and hours, but the overworked ones there are really nice.

Excellent Italian food in beautiful Honoka'a. The service is quick and personable. Good beer and wine selection. Oven fired pizza and canzone.

First time here. Came after receiving a recommendation from a local. Did not disappoint. Got a cheese pizza and a pepperoni pizza. We left full and happy!

Cool little restaurant with great ambiance. Food was yummy. The service was great and everything was spread out with a good pace to enjoy drinks, appetizers, and our meal.

We discovered this restaurant by chance! We were really lucky! As the pizza was so good, very tasty with fresh products :) The people working inside are really friendly 👍 very great choice if you decide to go!

Everything about this place is great. Parking easy, food awesome, service awesome, patio awesome, inside awesome, prices are great!! Chef Jeff truly takes care in his recipes. We had the Rustic Pizza and Lasagna. The bread and salad come with the meal. Everything was homemade from the meals, to rhe bread to the salad dressing were all delicious. We can't wait till we come back and can stop in again. Kudos to the Chef and his staff!

Not sure if open. The phone is never answered. We do not want to drive twenty five minutes for late lunch to be greeted with a no show.New owners; good luck!

THE FOOD AND DRINKS WERE O.K. ============================ My sister and I received a recommendation to try this restaurant from a sales person at Bentley's Home Collection in Waimea. We then drove to Honokaa and stopped in for lunch on June 14, 2023. The menu was extremely limited with basically three kinds of pizza. It was a good thing we like pizza because we were hungry and tired. We ordered the veggie combo and a cocktail. I can't remember the name of the cocktail even after looking at the short list. It was good. Another thing that was strange is that they give you paper plates for the food. It really didn't blow our socks off, but it was acceptable.

Only open 11-4 but a very cute spot in the middle of Honokaa town. Not a large menu but what they do, they do well. Friendly service, as well. Greek salad is simple but tasty- comes with a side of garlic bread. Their bread is soft and delicious. Pizzas are good. Calzone is also good.

This is a beautiful cafe with a welcoming atmosphere. The interior is nicely done in wood and stone tiles. The menu is varied with mainly Italian dishes. There are many entrees, and pizza , salads and sandwiches . There's a full bar and also desserts. The waitress was friendly and efficient. It's a comfortable place with great food. Recommended for lunch, dinner or a beer and pizza break.

The food was terrific here. My son had the lasagna special while my husband had a calzone. My salad was basic but satisfying and was the least favorite dish, so go for something cheesy! The live music was mellow and just right, and the service was lovely. Lunch will take longer than you think, so be prepared for a full hour long time. We had a big party around us which slowed the kitchen (and single pizza oven). We will be back!

Excellent food service and value. Worth every penny. I had Italian sausage calzone which is out of this world delicious. And my husband had spaghetti and meatballs and was raving about how delicious it was. Our server is very attentive. You do not want to miss these places

Super good food service and atmosphere. We did not expect to find an Italian restaurant in a place like Honokaa and were pleasantly surprised. The locals bad mouth the place because it's not Hawaiian enough. They should try eating hear before they shoot their mouths off.

Great place to enjoy some wood-fired pizza and drinks. Plus they had live music. Service was friendly too.

It's been awhile since we've been to Honoka'a but last month we were there twice and we enjoyed Cafe il Mondo both times. The food and service was excellent on both occasions. Their salads are fresh and not over-seasoned, just perfectly delicious. Calzones are flavorful and filling, and their Lasagna is the BEST, a perfect blend of meat, cheese, and delectable sauce with a perfect hint of basil. We highly recommend!

The food is always very tasty. And the wine glass is generously filled. The employees are super nice. It's a pleasure eating there.

A really nice restaurant in a country town. Very impressive interior and decor as soon as you walk in. The menu was extremely limited at the moment. Basically 3 types of pizza. The beer, especially Peroni on tap, was really cold and hit the spot. We ordered the veggie combo and the pepperoni pizzas. It was more than enough for 4 of us. The pizza was very fresh tasting and a lot better than we expected. The server got to us right away and was very friendly. She got our drinks out quickly and made sure we had everything we needed. I really hope they do well and come out of this Covid thing okay. I'd love to see the expanded menu of Italian dishes. We'll be back next time we're on the Island.

Pizza! Fresh, with delicious toppings. A small but thoughtful drink selection. Not a lot of beer on tap, though. The ambiance is very nice with unique tile work and warm wooden tables. A favorite spot.

Their food is excellent, specially their vegetarian sandwich. The Chef is very good been there for years.

My family and I drove out to Honokaa for the day from Hilo. We hadn't eaten at Cafe il Mundo in years. We arrived at 12, and waited for our food for an hour. But totally worth the wait. Our server was very attentive. Always making sure that our water glasses were filled. Including my dog. Fresh salad, fantastic pizza with amazing crust. My friend asked for a specialty sandwich it was hot fresh and delicious. Over all food, service, and atmosphere was wonderful.

Great food great service. Lasagna was splendid. Great meat sauce and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The beef from the French dip melts in your mouth. The pepperoni pizza was thick, super hot, tasty and the bread/crust was money!

Food as hands down AWESOME! When they're open... it's a beautiful restaurant, very classy and amazing architecture. But like a lot of other places in town, incredibly under staffed. Expect a long wait, it is worth it!

Great food, cold beer, friendly staff, nice environment. Have stopped here multiple times and will continue. Calzone fresh out of the brick oven...c'mon, just love the place.

Everything was delicious! Great dinner spot. Whatever you get, get something with red sauce. It was so good with the pasta. The pizza we got was delicious too, but was made with a pesto base..once we tried the sauce on the pasta, we wished we woulda gotten a pizza with the sauce. At night, bugs are attracted to the patio lights, maybe stay inside Next time! - Parking: plenty on street - Price: each person will spend $25 - $35 including tip and drink - Drinks: liquor, mixed drinks, and bottles, nothing on tap (yet)

Stopped on our way through sightseeing. Good food and friendly staff, but painfully slow service for lunch.

We miss this place so much. We don't live close to it any more :( Best pizza ever! And I don't even like pizza. My favorite is Sergio's with pesto base. Lazanya is super good also! I little tip : prepare you visit, buy a good wine, because the store across the street has only cheapo wine . Great service too!!!! Update: Since they moved to a new location (very nice btw) the food doesn't taste the same! We went couple times. And not coming back. It seams like their waitresses have no clue about the food menu or wine menu. Or we were just "lucky" to stop by when their waitress was still in training. But two times in a row ? Not my favorite pizza place any more:(

Super fresh vegetables and multiple vegetarian options. Focaccia bread was well baked. Staff is very accommodating and friendly.

Good food just a challenge to get it as the hours are very limited which I'm sure is due to staff shortage

Great ambiance, decor and bar were obviously a labor of love by someone with vast experience. Food was great, had tomato bisque, Greek salad and a calzone. Soup was excellent, salad was fresh. Make sure you've got time to wait though, calzone took over a hour from order to delivery. In our opinion, worth the wait. Crust was yummy, as was the sauce and the filling. Didn't have coffee or dessert, we were out of time, but will definitely return when we're in Honoka`a.

Wonderful restaurant with a beautiful atmosphere in Honoka'a town. I was very appreciative of how nice the staff were, as we had a large party and did takeout. We ordered a variety from the menu - from calzones to sandwiches, to pizza - and everything was fresh and tasty. Although we didn't dine-in, I was struck by the eclectic decor and cleanliness of the facilities. It really is one of the best looking restaurants in the state! This place is definitely worth a visit!

While on vacation, we stopped in Honokaa after a crazy hike in Waipio Valley and found this great restaurant. We loved everything about Cafe il Mondo. The food was delicious and fresh. Our waitress was super nice, attentive, and answered all our questions. We tried their pizza which was so good. Also, the caprese salad was amazing, very fresh and delicious. The Greek salad was also good, big, and fresh. I added fish "catch of the day" mahi-mahi, I believe it was... and it was so good! I would love to eat here again if I could. The owner of the restaurant, Dina has a beautiful soul, she's one of the nicest, sweetest person I've ever met. "Mahalo Cafe il Mondo" for an amazing delicious experience :)

This place is amazing. Annette is one of my favorite waitresses and Natalie is my favorite little hostess. They're both amazing wait staff as are all of the other wonderful waitresses that work there. The food is always so delicious, I love it! Recently on what must have been a busy night, I ordered takeout and the calzone we got was not cooked all the way and the dough was raw which was sad, but all the rest of our food was so delicious. I assume they probably just had too much to do, and really like one little mistake out of tons of great experiences isn't enough to make this anything less than a five star review. I absolutely love the soup of the day special as well as the mac and cheese. The potato wedges are the best thing to eat in town. I absolutely adore this place!

We stopped in for a quick lunch and found the absolute best pizza I have had in years. The crust was light but not to crispy and it had plenty of cheese, super delicious. The Island Cosmo with lime, pineapple and cranberry was also quite yummy, I had to have two. I would highly recommend this little gem.

Very nice atmosphere. COVID compliant. Fantastic pizza and calzones. Very tasty drinks. Love seeing the pizza being made. Very fresh ingredients. Friendly staff. There were a few special requests and they happily accommodated. Loved the pesto on my pizza. We will definitely return.

The ultimate traditional; thin crust, choice of pesto or red sauce pizza with my favorite fresh basil and tomato and cheese. Expect to wait because every pizza is made fresh to order. Beautiful new location in a great environment with a bar and live music Th-Sat. The pasta dishes are dreamy. I think they could improve on the salad; chill the greens and make some home made dressings like a creamy pesto? And the Apple Pie ala mode is incredible. Wow, for a minute there I forgot I was in a small village in Hawaii. Ono!

My husband and I ordered the lasagna special to take back to our airbnb to have for dinner. Even reheated it was delicious! This special also included a green salad and garlic bread. One of the best meals we've had so far on our trip.

The restaurant itself is beautiful on the inside. Pizza oven is eye catching. We waited quite some time for our Greek salad appetizer and started to notice everyone else getting their meals first. We ordered a calzone and a pizza. My boyfriend ordered only water and was never refilled until he asked. The server and busser came around with water multiple times but always skipped our table. Food was just ok. Calzone was overdone on top and dough where folded was underdone. Pizza was pale. No plates given to share. Mojito was missing sweetness and only had a small amount of sugar not mixed into the drink. There were 3 waitresses for what started as 10 groups when we got there into 15 plus 3 tables of poets not eating when we finally left. Staff was way more interested in chatting up with the locals at the bar.

Cafe Il Mondo in Honokaa town is probably the only restaurant for a demanding palate and desire for good Italian food normally found in Waimea or Kona. Honokaa is a cute little historical town on the East side of the island of Hawaii (Hamakua Coast). Cafe Il Mondo is the best restaurant in this town for a meal that rivals NY, LA, LV Italian food! It's not what you expect from a little sleepy town but worth the drive from anywhere on the island as a destination for a nice lunch or dinner outing. Some days they have a casual guitar player singing in the background while you dine in a nicely decorated, clean, and updated atmosphere. They have a nice bar with quality beers on tap as well as an open kitchen where you view a giant pizza oven and friendly staff and owner (Dena). I've eaten everything they have from the Calzone, Waipio Pizza, Greek Salad, Fresco Paradise Pizza, Roasted Chicken (great twice baked potatoes), and great fresh desserts like a Brownie Sunday to a Tahitian vanilla ice cream with coffee toppings. Peroni beer and Samuel Adams on tap! They have much more that I will continue to try but those were my fav's.

We visited here on our way back from site seeing. We arrived just before 2pm. We were a large part of 7 and were seated and a beautiful long table. We were nervous they wouldn't let us in because Yelp said they closed at 2, but we noticed they didn't actually close the whole time we were there. We started with the Greek salad which was extremely fresh and oh so yummy! We also had cheesy focaccia that came with a side of pesto, very enjoyable. I ordered the meat pizza. I don't remember the name. I split the 12 inch with my husband and it was just enough. Others in our party ordered the Hawaiian which was also really good. My kids said they liked their wings. I also really enjoyed their drinks. I had the lava lava and mojito, both delicious. What impressed me the most was the friendly staff and chef. The chef came out and said hello, asked us how our meal was. You could tell he really takes pride in what he's making. When we visit again, we will for sure stop by and I'll make sure to take pictures of the delicious food.

Excellent food and service. Food here is always top notch. Their lasagne is some of the best I have ever eaten. The lemon drop martinis are the best on the island.

20 mins to have a seat (1/2 restaurant was empty)... 45 more mins to get two soups... 1,5 hour to get a pizza... Great food -POOR services.

A great lunch on a rainy day after visiting the Waipi'o Valley- their hours differed than what was listed on Yelp- they were open from 12-5 pm today on a Tuesday. Really cute interior with a sweet (but very damp today) covered patio area. Pro tip- arrive here early and try to get served first if you are hungry, which we were! We were first seated and first to order, but they only had one cook, a hostess and one server and by the time we left there were at least 6 parties there, and only one was getting their main course at that time. We ordered at 12:10 and got a chef salad and one large margarita pizza and we left at almost 1pm. So, wait was long, but food was delicious- the pizza crust brick oven baked and very light and crispy- great sauce and fresh basil. Wonderful and gracious service!! Super clean!!

Found this hidden gem after visiting Waipi'o Valley. The live music was so beautiful but not overpowering. The ambiance and stonework were beautiful and the food was delicious. We had their daily special of Fettuccine Alfredo with Mushroom and Chicken and also a Calzone. Both had amazing taste and the side of marinara tasted like they made it right before handing it to me - drool worthy. The calzone was also beautiful with obviously fresh made crust and perfectly done in their stone oven. Would come back again in a heartbeat!

Awesome Greek salad and Calzone on the Hamakua Coast. It's also the only place to get a Greek salad this Hamakua coast side of the island. Support Local Businesses

Decent pizza for the location! Service was glacially slow, 15 minutes to take the order, and 45+ to receive one pizza...at 1:30 pm! Would eat here again, as there are few choices. They were out of bread.

We've eaten here twice before and had great experiences. We decided to enjoy lunch there for my birthday yesterday and was very disappointed with our experience. We got there and there was one other party of maybe 6, and a party of 2 already seated. We sat down and ordered salad and bread while we decided what mains to order. Meanwhile others were being seated and the restaurant started to fill. We saw one table that came after us order before us. Then we ordered. We enjoyed our salads and bread and waited for our pizzas and pasta. Then we waited and waited and waited. During that wait, two other tables that came in AFTER us had ordered, gotten their food, finished their meals, paid their bills and left! We still hadn't gotten our food!! I understand they were busy, but I don't understand why others got served before us when they came after us, AND the server made NO attempt to explain or apologize for any of it. It was simple unacceptable and I don't think we'll be going back any time soon. As a couple of side notes...the pizza, salad and bread was delicious. I wouldn't say well worth the wait, but delicious. Also, the server messed up the pizza order for my husband, and took that pizza off the bill. She also messed up my son's order. We didn't say anything about it because we were just so fed up. Sorry, Cafe Il Mondo. We used to be fans.

I grew up here in Honokaa and Cafe IL Mundo has always been one of my favs. The new location is gorgeous. Beautiful stone work and craftsmanship! The food is still delicious and the owners are always so friendly and welcoming The Waipio pizza is my favorite, I love the fresh veggies and the yummy crust! The lasagna was hearty and comes with a house salad and bread. Perfect on this rainy day. The special today was spaghetti with meatballs with a house salad and bread My boyfriend loves spaghetti and was definitely a fan! The chicken calzone was filling (somehow my mom managed to finish the whole thing!!). We went around 12 and it was busy, we waited a while for our food but I didn't mind. You can tell a lot of love and preparation goes into the food. Will definitely be back next time I visit home!

I'm a very tuff critic when it comes to pizza being from the east coast. I tried to find something good about this pizza with sausage and hamakua mushrooms and olives. Dough no crunch ,sauce minimal and too much cheese. & parmasen in little packets.

Came for lunch on "Shop Small Saturday" in Honokaa. Had the daily specials - the potato rosemary soup with toasted focaccia was amazing! Not too much herbs, jussssst right with some cheese and onion - seriously delicious!!!!!! Also ordered the cheeseburger pizza special and I AM IN LOVE! The sautéed onion topping with olives hamburger, tomatoes and cheese....... you just need to try it!

Love this place Very worth the 56 mile drive from our home. I ordered the Greek Calzone. The dough was perfect, not hard and dry like some other restaurants I have previously dined. At the first cut the ingredients oozed out slowly and I knew this was the winner! The wait was well worth it for the calzone was made to order. My husband ordered the dinner salad and soup of the day which was zucchini chicken soup. He was well impressed with the soup as well. We will be back again for sure. If you are expecting to dine in a restaurant expecting quick fast food this is not the place. The food is made fresh to order and I appreciate that.

Let's start with the basics. We were in the middle of NO WHERE. Seriously I couldn't pronounce the name of the town as a mainlander and felt like I had gone back in time 20 years as we drove through the streets (which in many ways was very nice). We had been out on a drive and was about an hour from our condo. So what do you do in a foreign land with nothing but your wit, devilishly handsome good looks, and your iPhone? You pull up Yelp that's what you do given the other two are more fiction than fact! So we did and since we wanted pizza this place sounded like a fit. As I was reading about it, my wife says there's a place and funny enough it was the same Il Mondo that I was reading about. We walk in and I'm going, what did we get ourselves into? The place is alright looking, but I'm in the middle of the mountains of Hawaii...(seriously Hawaii and looking for pizza!!! are you kidding). We sit down and the place is okay, nothing fancy and kind of small yet then again it's kind of cool and obviously not a chain which is good (support your local economy and all). I read about the calzone on yelp so being a fan by nature I order my stand by the italian sausage while my wife orders the Greek. We wait and take in the scenes of the restaurant for what felt like a good amount of time, but the waitress was nice and we weren't in a rush so all is good. Finally after a while the waitress comes around the corner with our food and HOLY COW! This is not a calzone...it's art! I'm mean seriously check out the pics I took they look ridiculous. No wonder we had to wait, they literally made it from scratch and it looked good. I took the first bite and man was I hooked. It was possibly the best calzone I have ever experienced and I travel a LOT (NYC, Chicago, etc...) and this little hole in the wall had the audacity to create this! What did I do to get so lucky. We ooh'd and ahh'd for what seemed like forever as we devoured what had once been a Picasso of italian inspired perfection. Note: Cash Only. Does not accept credit cards, but Amazing Food!!! In the words of the Governator...I'll be back!

Once again made it to this cute little town. Cafe El. Mondo what can I say? Had the Canta Napoli pizza. Being half Neapolitan I went with it. Pepperoni, sausage, peppers and onions. The crust was delicious. The toppings fresh and tasty. This is the best pizza on the Big Island. Big island pizza is good but this is great. That being said, bring your own wine. They charge a cork fee whatever that is. I opened my own. They did give me a glass. Bring cash because they have not discovered Square. Would have been 5 stars if not for the wine and cash thingy.

Great ambiance & friendly staff / patrons. Good pizza... combined with decent wine = an awesome place to go enjoy lunch!!!

After an active day of visiting the local farmers' markets, we stopped in Honokaa to get a great lunch at Cafe I'll Mondo. One of us got a luncheon salad e we hole the other two had a fish sandwich (salmon today). Everything was delicious, as expected. Highly recommended for good, fresh food in this part of the Big Island. we'll be back!

If you are on the big island, a must see is Waipi'o valley. After your killer hike (it's no joke) make sure to stop in at Cafe il Mondo. Located in the hostoric town of Honoka'a, this little jewel is a wonderful find. There were plenty of locals eating here which is usually a good sign. The staff is friendly, the food is good the cocktails are amazing. Make sure to try the Waipio Rocks lilikoi lihing mui margarita. It is divine! The pizza dough is made fresh onsite daily and you can tell! Hubby and I had the calzone. They were moist and delicious!