Kuhio Grille - Home Of The Famous 1lb Laulau

We were staying in Kona but shot it over to Hilo to visit friends, have lunch, then check out the volcano before heading back to Kona to catch the Walking Dead premier in our hotel room. Really. Having never eaten in Hilo, I left it up to my friends to choose as the Yelp reviews are pretty plentiful and above average for a sleepy little town. ATMOSPHERE: They're part of the Prince Kuhio Plaza but in a separate strip mall type of building near Starbucks. The inside is simple, with a mixture of booths and tables, and one hell of a ceramic lucky cat collection behind the cashier area. MENU: Breakfast, saimin, noodles, local plate lunches, seafood, Hawaiian food, salads, sandwiches, burgers. FOOD: Super Loco It's a huge portion. Out came a saimin bowl with 3 scoops of flattened rice at the bottom, topped with 2 good sized hamburger patties, 2 eggs, covered in brown gravy, with a side of macaroni salad. I couldn't tell if the patties were fresh or frozen, but they definitely weren't seasoned at all. You'd think the gravy would make up for it, but it too was super weak in the flavor department, so this dish was very disappointing. The macaroni salad was pretty good. SERVICE: We walked in and got seated immediately. It seems like the booths are the preferred seats as some peeps waited for one to open rather than take an open table. Irene was our server. Super friendly, smiley, down to earth, totally local. She checked on us often like we were her own nieces and nephews! OVERALL: I probably just tried the wrong thing dish. Maybe its something they're not known for, who knows. My friends seemed to have enjoyed their Hawaiian plates though. Pass for me.

Fabulous Lau Lau, these 1 pounder packed with meat. A little fat to render the taro leaves moist. Compared to store bought Lau Lau, the fat is 1/3 the size. Nice friendly diner atmosphere. Great pistachio cake and thick pieces of chicken katsu

Food is mid at best. Mac salad was warm. Overall, not a lot of flavor. Service was friendly and prompt. Nice view from back windows.

Food was ok I liked the fried rice.! Complimentary salad and chili pepper water Service is good Ambience is great.!

We had a great experience at Kuhio Grille. Fried rice was delicious. Mushroom bacon cheeseburger was also really good. Definitely enjoyed the laulau, delicious Hawaiian food. The peach bread pudding was really good with hot melted butter. Definitely worth visiting this restaurant when staying in Hilo.

Happy Aloha Friday! This establishment is a must go! Their Kanak attack laulau and special Miso butterfish was Ono! Outstanding customer services. The atmosphere very pleasant.

The lualua was 80% fat. "That's how it comes out sometimes", explained the waitress - and declined to amend or swap the dish. Look, I'm firmly in the "Fat is Flavor" club, but this wasn't tasty fat - just pure, unrendered fat cubes. The rest of the dishes were ok, nothing worth returning for.

This was my 2nd option because the other place had a 30 min wait. The loco moco was more jelly than I’d like. But my gf burger was spot on she said.

We got takeout to take back to the hotel because I wanted to try the 1 lb. Laulau. The Laulau was okay, the pork was a little dry and I thought it could use some salt. Overall, not the best Laulau that I've had. But the fried rice was a delicious surprise! Hubs got the half order of fried rice with an over easy egg and I got a loco moco with fried rice. The fried rice is goooood!!!

Had dinner at Kuhio Grill tonight, And I think it's a hit or miss on service. Last month we had great service and friendly servers. Tonight not so much service and not to friendly. Order was taken quickly but no personality or friendly at all. Even after drinks were brought to the table I tanked her and no response back, I know I said it loud enough too. Food came quickly and it was cooked and presented good too. The thing is that no one came back to check on us or refill my water. I'm not one to have to call someone to refill my water so just drank some of my wife's water. We waited about 10 minutes after eating and I wanted to leave already so I had to get one of the servers attention to get my bill. Two servers were busy and two was moving slow and taking story behind my table behind a short wall. Not sure if they were on a break though. I hope others do have this experience or this eatery will start to lose business.

For food I had Loco moco gravy good patty was eeh Service was fast but lacked passion The ambiance was great Clean and bright Plenty of parking Will not go back

I am not a big fan of Laulau but my family is. I decided to go with the donburi... and it was the best thing I've ever tasted! The dish was flavorful and delicious. The employees welcomed us and treated us with kindness. This is a cute little spot where you need to visit.

This review is for the Hawaiian food only. I was craving Laulau before flying out and was told this was the place! I ordered the Kanak Atack: laulau, kalua pig, rice, lomi salmon, poi, pickled onions and haupia for $29. The laulau was winnaz! Idk if I was starving but omg it was super good. The leaf was cooked just right and the meat was juicy and full of flavor. The chili pepper water could have been better/spicier but it did its job. The poi was one of my favorite things on the plate, it was so fresh and the consistency and flavor was perfect. The pickled onions were different, but good. I did ask for raw onion and alea but I actually liked the pickled ones better this time around. We also ordered a loco moco but it didn't look too appetizing IMO. Anyways, come for laulau and you won't be disappointed! :)

Cute little restaurant cafe. There's a little bar area as well service was friendly. Came in for a quick lunch. The pork cutlet was so ono! Peach cream cheese square was different but it was yummy.

Had a great post-hike meal here! Shared the kanak atak between the 2 of us which was plenty filling and satisfied my Hawaiian plate craving. Love laulau and kalua pork. Really enjoyed the pickled onions and chili water they offered. Don't think I'm a huge poi fan. Service was great, we felt really welcome!

It's been some years since I've been here and since my papa wanted this place, this is where we came. This location has a good amount of parking, the room is pretty spacious and lots of windows providing natural lighting. We both ordered the Kanak Atak which included laulau (you choose between chicken or pork&beef combo), kalua pig, poi, lomi salmon, pickled onions, rice, and small bite of haupia, all for $30. It was tasty and had everything I wanted in one plate, so very worth it. The service was great, the checked on us multiple times, refilled our waters, coffee, and fruit punch. If you're visiting, you'll want to give this place a try and have a Kanak Atak then take a nap.

Decent restaurant in Hilo - we enjoyed dinner here last night. We stopped by around 6, as our landlady had recommended it. We were seated and the waitress patiently answered all our questions and took our order. Favorites: -- Tempura and Kake udon - the noodles were delicious and filling. -- Three choice combination plate - the chicken katsu was superb. We ordered the beef and pork laulau (which is their specialty) for the table to share. But I was the only one who ate it - the others didn't enjoy its soggy texture and bland taste. Service was good. Parking was easy. The bill was a little over $100 (after tax and tip). Happy to come again next time we are in Hilo.

Love the fried chicken skin. Kalua pork is always good too. Fried Noodles was yummy they even made it without white onions for me. :) Service was good, it got a bit busy and took a bit to refill our drinks. Ambiance was good at times it got quiet and then would get loud and then back to quiet. Family place to eat for sure.

Some food was good, some food was not good. this place is extremely busy! I think because the sleepy town doesn't have much else. In fact, we called for pick up and several times got a busy signal. You just have to be persistent. They do have reserved parking for pick up so that's nice. Supposedly they're famous for laulau. But I didn't like it. It was dry. However, there saimin was excellent. And their tempura was pretty good as well. nothing inside; just a normal restaurant.

No nonsense here, because it's in downtown Hilo where all the action is! Well, as much action as downtown Hilo gets. This place is so clean, the workers are on top of everything, and you will leave full satisfied. My friend had the tempura (forgot to take pictures), and I had the KG combo #2, pictured. The saimin broth was a little on the bland side (but note that I'm from Kauai, where we have Hamura Saimin), but still a quality bowl of noodles. The BBQ chicken is excellent and not overcooked. Lots of local places do tend to overcook BBQ chicken. It can get busy on weekdays, with the nearby government workers walking over here for lunch, but Sundays are smooth sailing.

Kuhio Grille is one of the many well-loved spots in Hilo and I've been visiting this place for years. They have a variety of items but are known for the 1 lb laulau and Hawaiian food, as well as some of their Japanese and local favorites like the Fried Rice. My go to is the Boneless Korean Chicken with Fried Rice, which is often found on their specials menu. If you have a sweet tooth, they also have some delicious desserts here and there's usually at least one type of cheesecake available. The service is as great as most local places in Hilo! They're very pleasant and quick to take your orders; no complaints here. The inside is also like your standard local diner with booths, tables, and it's overall well-lit and clean. Plenty of parking available in the private lot outside the restaurant. It's one of those places that I visit when I'm visiting home and in the mood for local food!

Great service! Very sweet employees. They're fried rice had a smoky taste, so if you like that you will enjoy it.

DO THE LOCO MOCO at Kuhio Grille, you will not be disappointed! After a long morning hike, we decided to carb up (not the recommended healthy habit lol). Service was limited but the casual atmosphere led us not to expect much. I ordered the Original Kuhio Grille Fried Rice Loco, although I truly wanted to order the double for the 'gram. But thankfully my sister decided to share it with her hubby so I at least got a photo LOL. It's probably the worst possible food you could eat, health wise. But after a long hike in the rain and I mean, when in Hawaii, you have to get a loco moco at least once... with fried rice! It was delicious - although my single order had an egg shell right on top... but I picked it off and retook my photos after I realized it. My mom ordered the fresh pork cutlet and they give you SO much in a single order and it was delicious. My dad tried the Lau Lau and unfortunately it was a little dry. Overall, I definitely recommend stopping by Kuhio Grille if you're in the Hilo area.

This is a locally owned and family run business and our first experience was really good. When we went back today it was just ok. Not bad, just not great. We ordered the tempura platter, kanak attack, and kalua pork plate. We also got the fried chicken skin as an appetizer. The tempura batter was a bit heavy handed and the sauce was thin (not a lot of flavor), but the veggies and shrimp were cooked well. The chicken skin needed salt but otherwise was fried well. And the chili peppah watah had no spice. We enjoyed the kanak attack, the laulau was ok but the poi was really good and so was the haupia. The ladies were friendly and we had three servers who checked in on us during the meal. The restaurant was very Christmasy with beautiful homemade decorations. We'll go back and hopefully it's a better day for the cooks.

Had the yakitori chicken and it was amazing! Happy that I followed my friend's recommendation! Will definitely be back! The atmosphere was nice and decorated, real family vibe. Taste of the food was what really did it for me. Thanks for everything! Service was also exceptional, no long wait, friendly staff and very attentive.

lau lau pork/beef and chicken soo tender and tasty! poi was good had several bowls and big portions---Haupia off da charts! Definitely one of my family's fav lil spot when visiting them back in Big Island.

Had to give this place 5 stars since we did come here 2x same day..lol!! Breakfast was pretty packed on a Wednesday, but our group of 6 was seated fairly quickly. The waitress was very friendly and provided us wid da chili pepper water, tobasco, etc. We didn't have to ask. The ambiance is da same in every cafe...nothing fancy. Food was amazing. Check out da pictures and come check it out for yourselves.

If you are in Hilo and looking for a great comfort place to eat, this is it! There are so many savory dishes and the portions are big. Service is down to earth and full of aloha. Popular family restaurant because of their menu choice's and portions.

I don't know if this is worth a review. Walked out before eating. Place was dirty dingy and unfriendly. The prices were completely outrageous. I get it cost have gone up but come on. I was really wanting some of their famous lau lau. Oh well.

I came to Hilo for a day and was craving some Hawaiian food. Came upon this spot and I'm glad we did. Laulau was moist and not dry. Kalua was decent as well. Overall good meal for the price. Nothing ever beats home cooked, but you can get close to it.

We came here for dinner 2x on our latest visit to Hilo. Both times we were quickly seated (once a table was available of course). Servers were friendly, efficient. We tried the famous 1lb lau lau special (pork), the shrimp tempura, andthe saimin soup. The lau lau was tender and tasty. The shrimp tempura cooked right and seasoned well. Sides of ono were cooked right and tasty :) The saimin, a big island tradition, had a nice broth and noodles cooked right, served with traditional side of mustard that locals like to add, so I did. Desserts looked fantastic but we had to pass being too full. The fried rice is a big serving and excellent, assuming you're ok with spam, which we are. Locals love their spam :) cheaper here than back home! We'll keep coming back here when we visit, its casual, prices good and great island fare.

Our wait person seemed like they were in a rush and we barely saw her. The only person who was consistently checking on us was the individual refilling our waters. I ordered the grilled fish with mashed potatoes and a side of the mac salad. Everything I ordered had no flavor. The fish was overcooked. The mac salad seemed to be mayo with a side of noodles. I would not recommend this place if you are under the age of 50.

Loved this place last time we came but today the lau lau was just a pile of mush . Basically inedible

Great food overlooking a beautiful park in downtown Hilo. My server was friendly and suggested the Laulau special. It was a great choice and paired with rice and mac salad. I also tried some chicken katsu which was similarly delicious. Extensive menu covers breakfast, Hawaiian food, and Japanese. I can't wait to go back and try more!

Fantastic! Don't let the mediocre reviews fool you. My friends and I split the Yakitori Chicken and it was some of the most juicy and flavorful chicken I've ever had. The ambiance is cozy and chill, decorated sweetly for the holidays. The service was also very quick, we waited less than 5 minutes for our food. I highly recommend you make a stop here.

My other favorite places to eat lunch and Kuhio Grille and they have excellent customer service at kuhio grille and I would rates this restaurant five stars at this places. I order mushrooms and bacon cheeseburger sandwiches and with French fries!! And delicious lunch today!!! Here is the picture of my delicious lunch today!!!

Really wanted loco moco so gave this place a shot. Nice table service, very fast and attentive. Atmosphere is good, very clean, kind of Dennys layout. Booths and tables. Food was great. Got clsssic loco with fried rice. Rice on its own was good, lots pieces of ham. Rest came out nice and hot.. Good flavors. Reasonable prices especially for table service.

I dined here for lunch after driving from Kona to Hilo and it was wonderful. Service was fast and we were seated immediately. The tables are just a bit too close to each other so it got a little tight. I tried the 1lb laulau which was tasty. The pork was well cooked but the chunk was so big that I didn't feel that the flavor was even throughout the whole thing. I also prefer if the meat was a bit more soft. They had many other good dishes like saimin and donburi. I also had the lilikoi cheesecake which is handsdown THE BEST I've ever had on the island. It was amazing!!! I wanted to buy more for the drive home.

Who doesn't need a pound of laulau?!? This place was packed when we came in for lunch. We stuck with the laulau with the kalua pork, the lechon plate and the grilled fish of the day, which was Ono, and upgraded to fried rice instead of steamed. We ate family style. This is the way to go so you can try everything! Crazy good! Their bar is full of maneki-nekos and I had to get a picture of that! Just a cool local joint to where you can get good local eats! There was a woman celebrating her birthday and she was 95 and her friends were all in their 90's! The whole restaurant sang and clapped. This place just has a good homey feel.

Service was amazing and the servers were very helpful with recommendations. There are so many options to choose from for both breakfast & lunch! The portions are also very HUGE! This is a must try if you're visiting Hilo! Thank you again!

I was a little shocked to see what is happening to this restaurant. The food is average but nothing special. I cannot understand why they stop serving alcohol at 7:15. But I guess it's because they close very early. There is one waitress who served us was not friendly. We were in the middle of our meal when they swept up and started to put the chairs up on the tables. The vibe is very negative and not very pleasant. I'm hoping that they can improve because it would be sad if Hilo lost a restaurant. We don't have many quality restaurants here so it would be sad if they don't survive.

Relaxing beautiful atmosphere breakfast all day! Fast service. Friendly waiters. Great menu- lots to choose from.

Gotta admit, when I ordered the thanksgiving special ($25 a plate) I was not expecting... this. Considering the hype and reviews, I was expecting something more edible. Presentation was already a bit disappointing but somewhat understandable. But, the taste was just- I hate to say it about one of my favorite restaurants, but this was honestly DIS-GUS-TING!! I hate to complain but this was just awful. Your "fresh roasted turkey " was dry af and had this freeze-dry/old taste to it, the "homestyle stuffing" was mushy and absolutely soaked in watery gravy, the "pineapple raisin glazed ham" tastes and looks like a deli slice that was pan-fried, and the yam was super freaking wet. The mashed potatoes were okay, nothing to write home about, but compared to the rest of this "plate"? I'm just grateful SOMETHING was edible. The serving of pie was, first of all, pretty small- more like a tiny bar than a slice. The texture though- I can honestly say that I've never had pumpkin pie this mushy inside the bottom crust was also soaked, and I'm honestly not sure how you can get that kind of texture but W O W Considering I spent over $100 total on this (4 plates + tax), this was the most disappointing experience I've ever had at a restaurant. I usually love y'all's food, but this was just

Our family came in party of 19 . Called ahead but only had walk ins today- when we arrived they welcomed us and waited a bit, not long, for them to set up our seating area. Got our orders and food came out quicker than expected. My portion was good and I had half to take home. I craved the Lau Lau and thank my cousins for taking me here to Kuhio Grille for my Lau Lau when on this trip

Looking for a restaurant to have breakfast in the Hilo area we decided to go to Kuhio Grille. They have a good selection of breakfast items on the menu. I had a waffle and side order bacon. The bacon was ordered medium and it came out perfect. The waffle was had a slight crisp on the outside and tender in the inside. We had a party of six and had no negative remarks about the food. The service was good and our server was pleasant. Enjoy

I was a bit disappointed in the chicken lau lau. It was kind of dry. It was huge, but the taste was just kind or ordinary. Maybe I should have ordered the pork. Hard to know. The place wasn't real crowded but because there were 5 of us we did have to wait for a bigger table. Desserts looked good, I debated on whether or not to order, and decided against it. Service was good but didn't make up for the ordinary food. I guess I thought the food would be better since we heard so many raves about it. With so many people in the restaurant, we thought it would be better than it was. Just okay, not great.

The waitress and host were friendly and it has "home" vibe. The food look and taste delicious. Generous portions.

Great food, great service and great location. Here you can get your Hawaiian must haves, the Chinese noodles dishes were a little plain, but the Hawaiian dishes were very good. And the prices were very reasonable. Ambiance and decor could be better, but they made it up in service.

Great food, clean restaurant and restrooms, waitstaff is very kind. I would return and recommend! Beautiful views out the large windows. A great family food spot.

The service was great, they have friendly waitresses taking orders. I got the Tonkatsu plate, that came with Long rice and that was delicious. I also got the Kalua Pork with rice and Mac salad. I should've went with all rice instead and got lomi salmon cuz the Kalua pig was so ONO. Next time Kuhio, next time!

Great food and great atmosphere. Lau lau is big and delicious! The fried chicken skin is just like mom's. Loved everything.

Local Hawaiian and Japanese flavors in Hawaii style. There was so much to choose from in the breakfast menu. I enjoyed the oyaku donburi for breakfast! It was perfect. Don't forget to ask about the biscuits (warmed).

What an amazing place to have great Hawaiian food! The place was bright & airy, the service was exceptional, and the restaurant was nice & clean. I had the laulau combo with the fried rice. It was delicious and not salty at all. It was filled with fork tender beef & chicken. I will definitely come here again!

Mahalo to the staff at Kūhiō Grille for being awesome. From the time our party of 8 sat to the time we left the restaurant, they were so kind and attentive. I had the laulau plate with 2 scoops of rice and mac salad. The laulau was seasoned perfectly with lots of luau leaf. I tried the fried chicken skins also and that was crunchy and delicious. For dessert, the blueberry cream cheese with shortbread was yummy! Their new location (where the old Liko Lehua was) is much more spacious than their previous place. I like the wall with all the "cats". Will be coming here when visiting the Big lsland again.

Take-out order for braised beef stew. T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!!! Two large pieces of potatoes and carrots, 4 1" pieces of boneless beef. Gravy was not cooked piping hot. Rice was a combination of old and new. Spent $24.00 including tip. Never again. Stew should have been served in a bowl. Totally disappointed as I'm not a first time customer.

Better places to eat for the price. Portion small. Service lacking. Bacon fries was good.

Love this local Hilo staple. Food is consistent and I love the curb side take out option. Always a favorite.