Miyo's Restaurant

Decent but not as good as I expected. Luckily there wasn’t a wait when we arrived. The hosts brought us to our table immediately. It took a while for our server to get to us (seemed understaffed) but she was really nice. We ordered the fries, ribeye steak with shrimp tempura & 2 bent box. The food was tasty unfortunately the tempura was soggy.

Shrimp tempura udon was light and flavorful. I added some chili oil and it gave it a nice touch. All the tempura was perfectly fried. The staff were friendly and attentive. Also got the soft shell crab which was fishier than anticipated but good. Would come back for the udon.

Great locals place for all your Japanese favs. Had lunch at peak lunch rush. Great service, food and atmosphere. Loved the bar - what a surprise

Ah! Came here for lunch with my partner and it was so so good! They don't even offer fork and knife (you have to ask for them i think), because they gave us chopsticks! That was a first for me and it shows how authentic and good this food is! 😋

The food is excellent here and so is service. Shrimp tempura was melt in your mouth, goodness! The vegetable tempura was cooked to perfection. I enjoyed eating the sashimi. The food presentation is also good, as shown in the pictures below. It was very busy around 7 pm, almost no tables were available. Reservations are important to avoid any waiting. I definitely recommend this restaurant for excellent seafood and steak.

OMG the Ahi I had was the VERY BERY best I have ever had in my life. Man oh man…. 2 of us with Saki and meals and appetizer was 125.00. Honestly a great place with great food!

We often arrive when the restaurant opens for dinner. But when we receive our miso soup, quite often it is near lukewarm. On several occasions we had to ask the server to reheat it for us. Does the normal heating of the miso soup just starts a few minutes before the restaurant opens? Over all great service and tasty food. We miss that guitarist though.

Make no mistake, the food here is top notch. Delicious flavors with attractive presentation. The docking of one star comes from service that couldn't quite get it together for our visit. The (amazing) poke appetizer came out after 3 (incredibly delicious) of 4 entrees. That last entree was served to another guest and had to be remade. The delay was a shame, but the food was still excellent. No offer to adjust the bill, but that's ok. The food was that good.

Decent but not as good as I expected. Luckily there wasn't a wait when we arrived. The hosts brought us to our table immediately. It took a while for our server to get to us (seemed understaffed) but she was really nice. We ordered the fries, ribeye steak with shrimp tempura & 2 bent box. The food was tasty unfortunately the tempura was soggy.

I was in Hilo visiting a few of my former hula sisters, and we all went to dinner at Miyo's. It's a Japanese home-style restaurant on the second floor of a big building (very hard to find the lot and the restaurant). You have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the restaurant and walk down two flights of stairs to find the bathrooms (It's not very friendly to handicapped or to the elderly). The restaurant has about 15 plastic picnic tables and square tables. Three ladies busily work the room to ensure a great meal. We ordered the following: Appetizer of Island Caught Fresh Ahi Tuni Sashimi: The fish was so fresh, it was translucent pink. Cut into about 10 bite sized pieces, served with shreaded daikon radish, a few slices of fresh island cucumbers, and rehudrated Japanese seaweed. The fish was so fresh, you could see through the meat, it melted in your mouth, and it had a sweet salty taste to the meat. I would guess that the fish was caught off the island waters that day or yesterday. Grade: A+. Teriyaki Steak with green salad: YUMMO - it was a mixed green salad topped with a great portion of a 1/4" - 1/2" steak cut into pieces. The teriyaki steak was super delicious and grilled over a BBQ. It was marinated in an old-fashioned style teriyaki sauce (NOT the typical cheap junk stuff other restuarants serve). Delish! Grade: A! Special combination of Shrimp & veggie tempura, ahi sashimi, and teriyaki chicken. Wowzee - what a great combination! Two pieces of shrimp tempura and tons of veggie tempura (purple potato, zuchhini, broccoli, eggplant, etc). Delish! Grade: A! For dessert, we decided to share two scoops of ice cream made by a local Hilo creamery - Green Tea Ice cream, and Dragon Fruit Sorbet! WOWZEE!!! The dragon fruit sorbet tasted like it had a melon base with a generous serving of the tropical dragon fruit! Fun to eat! grade: A! Service was quick and friendly: A! Food was home cooked and tasty: A! Must see when you are in Hilo!

This hidden gem is not to be missed if you're in Hilo! It's a little tricky to find, but well worth it. It's pretty popular too, so get there early! It's situated on a gorgeous lake, so I had a lovely view (at least until the sun set). They've got an extensive selection of Japanese dishes, but don't expect to see a huge menu of sushi (in case that's what you crave). They've got a number of dinner specials that are an exceptional value. I had the sauteed ahi, with tempura veggies, rice, salad and miso. With a diet coke and generous tip it was only $20! The ahi was tender and savory. The tempura was delicious (I even enjoyed the japanese eggplant, which is not my favorite). The salad was a fresh mix of green lettuce, carrots, cucumber, sprouts, radish and tomatoes with a light vinaigrette. I couldn't even finish my meal--it was simply too much. The service was excellent and very helpful too. My only complaint is that they serve no alcohol. A neighboring diner recommended to me that I stop by the Mehana brewery (about a mile up the road) next time and grab a six pack ($6!) because Miyo's will let you bring your own beer or wine! Alas, if only I had known in advance. Next time I find myself in Hilo I guarantee I will do this.

This is the BEST Japanese restaurant in Hilo. Miyo's is on the second floor of a building at 400 Hualani St. It's hard to find at night but just head towards the big pond in the middle of Hilo. It's a friendly, family run restaurant, serving great home cooked Japanese food. Everyone was ordering the combos which came on huge plates. Their soba noodle soup is delicious. We love the atmosphere inside. The restaurant is a big open room that lets you see the kitchen. The vaulted ceiling and screen windows keeps the place cool at night. We saw a lot of locals and tourists unwinding there and best of all they allow BYO alcohol!

Miyo's is hidden in the old Waiakea Villas overlooking Waiakea pond. I think tourist may struggle a little in finding this place on a rainy Hilo night. The place is usually crowded so reservations are recommended. This place has more of a family style feeling as tables are lined up in a row and a party of 4 and a party of 2 may be sharing the same table sometimes. I had the special combo meal, great deal for the price, teri beef was a little tough, sesame chicken was okay, good sashimi, tempura was okay, good miso soup. 3-star Service was good, servers really hustle here. 4-star It's byob here, and they have live music. 4-star Overall 3.5 star PS - they are going to be moving to a new location soon.

Tucked away on the second level of a strip mall, Miyo's is definitely a hidden gem in Hilo. I really dig the ambiance though: casual, laid-back with island-like decor. I went at night, but I imagine the views are pretty nice during the daytime. I had the sesame chicken and sashimi bento box while here. Though I've had fresher sashimi elsewhere, I was told that their fish is normally much fresher early in the day. While that makes sense, shouldn't a (decent) sushi restaurant have fresh fish available no matter what time of the day it is? Though I did enjoy my sesame chicken and bento salad -- the latter was crisp and light, just the perfect side addition. A good place to check out for Japanese if you're in town and possibly one of the more standout Hilo restaurants overall.

Three stars is being nice. Service was slow they forgot about our green tea. The combos come with miso soup, rice, and a salad so we thought they were a good deal for the price. The teriyaki beef tasted charred seemed like they needed to clean the grill. The sesame chicken was breaded to my surprise so I couldn't eat that part. My husband did and said it was nice and crunchy although there was a lot of cruncies left and not very much chicken. He liked his vegetable tempura. The salad was ok until you got to the bottom then you had enough dressing on it to enjoy it. (it came out on the plate with the entree) Make reservations early we tried for a 6:30 reservation and they only had 7:30! Once we got the bill I noticed the price for my dish was incorrect. They just said I had an old menu and shrugged it off. So expect about a 1-2 dollar increase if you get the old menu. Hard to find in the dark if you use google maps keep driving into what looks like an apartment/ condos and you will start to see a group of buildings with businesses the one you are looking for is ahead and a little to the right they are up the stairs. It is BYOB they do not serve any alcohol but are ok with you bringing your own.

First of all: make a reservation for dinner! There is a little crowd gathering around the stairs before this place even opens (even on a Thursday!) and woe to you if you didn't make a reservation. That being said.. this place is delicious! I got the sashimi (Ahi) + beef dinner combo for $14, comes with soup and salad. The sashimi fresh... melts in your mouth, and the beef was not over-cooked. Next time I'm going to get an extra dish of Ahi! My friend got the tofu steak, which comes with this yummy sauteed asian eggplant thingy ($11). The soup was not watered down, and the tea is free. A great value overlooking a lovely pond, and there's this guy playing island music in the corner. Just remember to make a reservation!!

Miyo's is off the beaten path and not a place that you can easily come by, but it is certainly worth the trek! They feature a casual/outdoor atmosphere with simple Japanese food at decent prices. Their location right along the lake would make for a nice view during the day! My friends raved about this place and I was really anxious to try it. Each of us ordering our bento boxes, I chose a combination of grilled Salmon, teriyaki grilled beef, and it also came with sashimi, tempura and your usual japanese side dishes. Needless to say the sashimi was just downright fantastic. It was a extremely high quality tuna and extremely fresh! The salmon had good flavor but was unfortunately marred by being over-cooked. Same went with the teriyaki beef, however the meat was still extremely tender. That being said...with all that, it was a good deal! The service was decent, but lackluster. For me, a good service experience never allows my water to go empty...it did that multiple times during my dinner and it took us awhile to place our order and to get our check...so be prepared! The highlight of the evening for me came in the form of a bowl of creamy goodness....The green tea ice cream. For this reason alone, I really want to give it a fourth star, but my yelp-ethics prevent me from doing so.... All in all a great place for Japanese food and dinner, I definitely will be checking it out again in the hopes I revise with a four or five star review!

I was expecting this place to be pretty good. I was totally let down! The waitress screwed up my order, and had to remake it. Although, i think only part of it was remade. Maybe that would explain the soggy, greasy tempura. I rarely order anything fried, but it came with my dish. I've actually enjoyed tempura at other restaurants.These were just gross. I had the salmon shioyaki.Big mistake! It was overcooked, and so salty it was almost inedible. If you've ever had decent,(let alone,great) Japanese food,stay away from this place! It's horribly disappointing! Which is really too bad since the restaurant has a nice view. What a total waste of space!

Reservation for 16 @ 6:30 p.m. We arrive at 6:05 p.m. and told we need to wait. OK, so we wait outside with the mosquitos and get chewed on. By 6:20 12 of our party is waiting. 6:25 I asked if we can sit (my grandma was getting tired) and they only had 12 places reserved and we were to wait for the people next to our table leave to seat everyone (16)! Service SUCKED big time, servers were rude and when we asked for a manager there was none. Food was good and tasty but some in our party got their food when half of us were done eating. Granted it was on Saturday night but when you have a reservation for 16 people please staff accordingly or have a manager on site! Two stars for the food and rudeness we had to put up with...negative stars for the staff.

So, while slow service has been mentioned in other reviews, I would say ours was inexcusable (and we even gave Miyo's a second chance on a slower night). The food was decent, but nothing particularly special. However, on our first visit, the woman who greeted us was brisk and seemed put-upon. Our server was disinterested and inattentive. Our rice was served after the majority of our meal was finished and it took 15+ minutes to get a bottle opener. It was quite busy and the options in Hilo are not vast, so we decided a few days later to give it another try... We even made a reservation this time. We sat down and... nothing. About fifteen minutes lapsed while our wine warmed before anyone even said a word to us. Our order was taken quickly, no water even offered. We asked for a bottle opener... Another 15 or 20 minutes passes and we watch our "waitress" set an EMPTY table with water and such. Long story short, we had to go up to the kitchen and ask for our rice and not a single person checked in with us. Our bill was silently dropped on the table. Maybe this was because we are tourists, a young couple, or they just don't value customer service. I'm not sure. But we will not be recommending Miyo's to friends, family, or our colleagues.

Good food but not incredibly veg friendly. Very salty (the food and the servers...hahaha). This place was REALLY hard to find! It's hidden in what seemed like a random apartment complex. Weird... Regardless, I don't think I'll go back.

This is the most amazing japanese homestyle-restaurant I have ever been to!! Everything on the menu is amazing. They have everything from meats, to seafood, to vegan fare! If you're vegan they have an awesome tofu salad, as well as the tofu steak! They have some sushi here but they mostly focus on traditional japanese meals. The restaurant is also located in one of Hilo's most beautiful parks, Wailoa. The view is gorgeous- lagoon, palm trees, bridges...... *sigh* I miss it!

Good and has maintained their flavor over the years. I heard they are moving the restaurant; to that I say "'bout time!" While it has the best location/view in town and the shoji screen windows are wonderful, that place is dirty, grimy, cramped (with the volume of tables they fit in there), and the bathroom for the restaurant is worse than the Wailoa park bathrooms just down the way. Its as if no one ever cleans them and/or people flood the toilets every day and throw paper towels and toilet paper everywhere, then smear dirt over every possible surface. I have no idea how they have managed to pass health code inspections every year. Please move, Miyos. Also, don't raise your prices any more. A few new specials couldn't hurt either. Their "specials" menu has never changed in the 15+ years that I've eaten there, except that the prices have gone way up.

A wonderful Japanese gem in the middle of Hilo, you've got to know where it is to find it. They tend to be busy so always call ahead for reservations. It has a cafe atmosphere and a lovely view out on the pond. The prices are also very reasonable.

Hidden gem! Tough stairs to climb (not a place to bring your grandparents for dinner). No waiting area as well. It gets tough when it's busy. You step right into the dining area. Nonetheless. I still go for their combination plates! Under $15.00. My first choice will always be SESAME CHICKEN. The sauce is to die for! I still can't figure it out! The combo plates come with a generous amount of salad with a variety of veggies tossed with their special vinaigrette. So fresh! Their BEEF TERIYAKI and SABA is also yummy. For appetizer when I'm super hungry I get the SASHIMI. It's almost always good quality. Go early. Make reservations, especially on weekends and Mondays (when most Japanese restaurants in Hilo closed) Service goes down when it's full house (like any other restaurant) but it's worth the wait. If you're lucky you might catch some live evening music as well =)

Great, authentic, fresh, & very decently priced Japanese food! BOYB

I've been here two times this week, both before and after my mainland trip. awesome food. I can't believe that we haven't eaten here since moving back. the food is great, service is also fantastic, be sure to make a reservation for any peak period - otherwise, you will be out of luck. the sesame chicken is awesome, and ahi is also excellent. restaurant is in an older cute-sy "strip" mall (a mini campus of small buildings), alittle off the beaten path. parking is eccletic and limited. try to get one of the table one the perimeter for the view and wooden chairs. tables in the middle of the restaurant use folding tables and plastic lawn chairs. prices are reasonable. bring your own alcohol, no liqueur license here.

We visited Miyo's on a recent trip to the Big Island. Miyo's was chosen based on the excellent reviews the restaurant has received on several sites. We arrived pretty much when the restaurant opened at 5:30. Since it was a Wednesday, we didn't think there was going to be much trouble getting a seat -- boy, were we wrong! The very kind staff squeezed us in after asking whether or not we had a reservation (we didn't), and the place soon started flooding with locals. Parties of two and parties of ten alike all had reservations -- and all came with their own bottles of wine and beer, which the staff puts in the frigde and serves during dinner. The food, too, was quick and excellent. This isn't a spot for sushi rolls (although there was some sashimi on the specials menu), but if you like Japanese food, it's hard to beat this family-owned and run spot. Go for one of the daily specials and you definitely won't be sorry.

Went here for my Mother-in-law's birthday in October after dark and despite the good reviews we heard, were sorely disappointed. The worst part was when a cockroach crawled out of our napkin/chopstick holder in the middle of our table and crawled all over our table as we scrambled to catch it. We also saw a second one during our dinner. Service was terrible. It took a half an hour for the server to come take our order or get us water. Twice while taking our order she walked off to seat another table. We rarely saw our server, who was also quite rude. My in-laws lived in Japan for 4 years and know what good Japanese food tastes like, and this was NOT it. I completely agree with other comments I've seen about the tempura being soggy, their oil temp must not be high enough. All the food we ordered was below par. The side salads were not worth paying extra for with the scant amount of lettuce they give, although their homemade dressing was the only positive thing I found in our experience. To top everything off, we sat at a cheap fold out table that was sticky with green plastic lawn chairs that were very uncomfortable. Our table was right next to the door so it was loud and with lots of traffic going around our table. We will not be going back to Miyos and would not recommend it if you are looking for decent Japanese food. If you do decide to go, make sure to call ahead to make a reservation. We went on a Tuesday night and they turned everyone away who didn't have a reservation.

The food is delicious, and there are a lot of choices. However, they only have white rice (no brown), and you'll often be turned away if you don't have reservations. And sometimes you'll get hungry again while you wait a few hours for your check.

I have been here numerous times. From date nights to a girls night out. Yes parking is bad and seating consists of plastic tables and chairs, but I always return because I love my food! Word is they ARE moving soon... I dont know if its true, but maybe they can get reservations situated as well, because that seems to be an issue if its crowded. It is BYOB,which is great, but probably why people tend to linger for awhile. The foods great, I will continue eating here, but they do have some things to work on.

The food is outstanding and cheap. The service is just OK. The ambiance is cool, but the tables are always sticky (what's that about?!). The view is great during the day. This place fills up quick, so better make a reservation. Favorite dish - Tofu Steak! Definitely worth a visit - good food for a good price.

this place has good local Japanese food. I don't think it's a place for foodies. it's okay food. not impressed but not disappointed

Miyo's is probably the best Japanese restaurant on the island of Hawaii. The reasonable prices fir their bento boxes and the quality of food surpasses even the high end restaurants on Oahu. I stayed in Hilo for 3 months and ate here at least once a week. Must trys are their sashimi, the sesame chicken(altho not my favorite). Go early as seats fill up quick and as with most outer-island establishments they close at a relatively early time. Often they have live musicians playing and the view of the lake behind the building a treasure by itself, but u have to go before sunset as there are no lights on the lake. One down side, no A/c, but luckily Hilo is one of the cooler places on the big island.

Amazing sesame chicken and tonkatsu combo. Very busy and warm, but worth the wait, and once you're seated amd eating, temperature doesn't matter. Great staff, comfortable bustling environment. Prices were reasonable for the quality and quantity of food.

We went out for dinner, the soup was delicious (very genuine) and the beef was also good. It was casual and what you get is far better than what you would get at any other Japanese restaurant for the price. Make reservations on weekends...we went on a Tuesday and we were lucky to get a table at 6:00. The only gripe I had were the flies and moths were a bit annoying and the servers were in a hurry --both understandable.

Mmmm... Fried oysters and Tempura~!! I was surprised this is most hidden gem in Hilo, I think. It is located behind a condominium complex, by board of water supply and district court. I could never find it if I wasn't the person who like to wonder around. Never been a fan of fried oysters but theirs!

I have been here twice now and plan on coming back many times had the special combo and the sesame chicken, sashimi and miso soup is not to be missed! The location is a little hard to find but the view and ambiance is spectacular. They had live music both times we went on a Thursday night. You might need reservations on the weekends as the tables get reserved especially the ones by the window.

We like the location on the pond. The Beef Teriyaki is good. The Tempura has been good as well. We have eaten here many times. There is one younger waitress who is nice, and an older one who is very sour. The place is dirty. The tables always feel sticky. It is one of the best Japanese Restaurants in Hilo. The one in the Puainako Shopping Center is much cleaner, more pleasant to eat in and has a very friendly staff; the food is just not as good though. We prefer to eat at Nihon even though it is a bit more expensive. The Nihon Restaurant has a nice ocean view, good food and friendly service. Update: Avoid the young Haole waiter! Twice he has completely forgotten us. Update: The surfaces are still very sticky. It must be their cleaning solution. The service is friendlier. Our waiter the other night was excellent. The Combination Plate is our favorite. It is busy and sometimes long waits for food, the the food is good.

One of my family's favorite places--even a pick for special birthday dinners. The food is fresh and some of the best Japanese food around. No sushi though! My only complaint is the deteriorating state of the building. Outside it is just plain dirty,smelly, and unkept--and it is starting to affect my choice to eat there. Reservations are a must almost any night of the week. Try the sesame chicken and tempura.

Best food!! Make reservation!! Live music and good price!!

I have been a few times now, and I can definitely say I'm a fan. They are always busy. Don't try to go for dinner without a reservation. They used to have a table near the kitchen available for us forgot-to-make-a-reservation people, but even that one was reserved last time we went in. Bring your own beer. I usually order udon (which has always been yummy), and I always drool over people eating sesame chicken at other tables. I can't say I trust the broth to be vegetarian in the vegetable-only dishes... we found what were almost certainly pieces of meat at the bottom of our udon once. Oh well, I'm not that strict... it probably made it taste better anyway... ;)

Their food is so good! Only thing is they have been busy every time I've gone so its good to make reservations ahead of time. The sesame chicken is really good. There is also a really nice view of the park and I enjoyed that.

Yummy. An out-of-the-way nook, some authentic Japanese tastes. Loved the cold tofu with miso paste, the udon noodles, the saba sautéed. Breaded shrimp good too.

Good food and value, very stressful service. I enjoyed the vegetarian combo, although it seemed dominated by the salad. The fried tofu (requested instead of cold tofu) was super delicious but there was only a very small potion of it. The service was crazy! Everyone working there seemed huffy and impatient. Despite the relative speed, my veg tempura was cold soon after it was delivered. Probably better to come here on off hours?

I came here one night and ordered a combination plate with sesame chicken and tempura to-go. It took me maybe 10 minutes to get to eating the food, but by then the sesame chicken became soggy and the tempura was not great. The flavors were pretty good despite the texture and the amount of food makes this place a great value. This is not an accurate review because the food was not eaten right out of the kitchen, but it's good to know how long your food will last if you get take-out.

Good portion, friendly staff ,but they seem to be bit understaffed to me. Their historical plantation style building looks like Japanese old temple. Vegetable tempura was very good. So was Tonkatsu. I'll definitely return when I'm in Hilo

Five of us ate lunch there on Monday, March 12th, 2012. Four of us got violently ill from food poisoning late that evening. Vomiting and diarrhea. I had to spend the night in an ER with IV fluids running because of such severe retching. I don't think I've been so miserable in my life. Did anyone else get sick this day? The food was so-so. Japanese food in the Bay Area is FAR superior- and has never made me sick! Don't know what it was- the old-looking pickled cabbage? The rice that had been sitting out too long? Unwashed lettuce? There was a large dead bug in my salad dressing- but that's a side issue. My ER bill was thousands of dollars- and I'll have to pay at least $500 of it. Quite an expensive lunch.

A fellow Yelper once said that Hilo would be the perfect setting for a noir film shot in Hawaii. If such a film existed, its characters would undoubtedly dine at Miyo's - a rustic Japanese restaurant in a desolate shopping center on the Waiakea Fishpond. Patrons bring their own beer and feast on homestyle dishes such as Sukiyaki (my favorite). A musician interprets showtunes for a lively crowd, and all the sounds drift out the open windows into the dark night. Reservations are advisable on weekends.

Hidden in the back streets of sleepy Hilo town is a well kept local secret, Miyo's. It's really difficult to find and even describe how to get there. An upstairs open air restaurant (it's enclosed by screens) over looking Waiakea Fishpond, the restaurant looks like one of those old Japanese shanty huts. The stairs are steep and there is no handicap access. It's dingy, dirty, and the food tastes really good! This is one of those diamonds in the rough that people talk about. The prices are good and parking is plentiful although it's usually dark. Even though it's hard to find, I would take some time to search this one out.

I found this place via Yelp on my recent trip to Hilo and was not disappointed!! I do have to admit it was kind of hard to find, it's a hole in the wall in an area that I couldn't quite figure out -- was it was a shopping plaza or the back of an apartment complex?!? The area looked run down and sketch. But once I found it, I was pleasantly surprised, it had a view overlooking the pond, a guitarist playing good music in the corner and the restaurant was half full (the other half of the tables were reserved - probably by locals who know how hard it is to get a table there). Luckily my family and i were having an early dinner so we were able to score a table. I ordered the sesame chicken, hubby had the beef, and my son had a kid's portion of the udon. We all enjoyed our meals - the portions were a lot bigger than we expected. The service was fast and good. I will be sure to go again when I go back to Hilo!!

As a frequent customer here, I've noticed the portion sizes are not consistent. When it's busy, the portion sizes are smaller. The food is good, but lately the fluctuations of portion sizes have become a disappointment. Also, the staff needs to improve on remembering customer's orders and side orders. 95% of the time one or more items are forgotten. This is also frustrating.

Hard to find, especially at night when we went. Made reservations but they lost it and and sat us down on a table with another customer. Went to the restroom, it's down stairs and spooky. Place is really crowded and hot, no AC. Left before ordering. Won't go back unless reviews improve.

Earlier this month we went to Miyo's for lunch - I had never been before and am always up for trying new places! We went during lunch with about 10 people. The menu is quite expansive, but I had to go with one of the combo meals (gotta love trying bits of plenty different things!). I got the salmon and cold tofu which came with a huge amount of salad, miso soup and rice. The view of the pond/park are very nice and calming. I really enjoyed the lunch and want to return the next time I'm in Hilo.

We went with 2 other friends to Miyo's for lunch. It was recommended to us and we were looking forward to a nice meal. We arrived at 1:30 and the hostess was quick to tell us that Miyo's closed at 2. Hmm bad sign.We ordered quickly. Despite our first encounter, service was friendly and efficient. I had the Chicken Teri Don (spicy) the others had various other lunch meals. The Miso soup came to all of us and was quite good. Everyone also had complimentary pickled cabbage. I don't eat cabbage but everyone else enjoyed it. Now for what I find happens in most Hawaiian restaurants, and it's a pet peeve of mine, the food started arriving at the table at various times, but within 5 minutes we all had our lunch orders in front of us. I won't ding them for this as they are not alone in this habit. Lunch was very good. Tasty and fresh. Don't let the neglected mall that it resides in scare you. It's worth the visit. The decor leave A LOT to be desired, green lawn chairs for seating... REALLY? But it does has a nice view of the ocean. High Point: Tasty and fresh food. Can't wait to try other menu items Low Point: Food comes out at various times. ( I hate that) Changes we'll come back: Definitely! Had the ambiance been better, and the food been served to us at the same time, I would have given it 5 stars.

Not sure whether I'm just spoiled by high quality Japanese food where I live, or if the standards around Hilo are low, but our experience here tonight was beyond disappointing. We had a reservation for 5:30pm, and were promptly seated, and placed our order. My son ordered the tonkatsu, I ordered the special combination dinner with fresh tofu & sesame chicken, and my wife ordered the special combination dinner with sesame chicken and beef terriyaki. My son's food was served first, then mine a good 10 minutes later (without explanation). After waiting another 15 minutes with no explanation, my wife flagged down a server to inquire when her food would be served. The (wrong) response from the server was "oh, you didn't get it yet?". Seriously? She then waited another 5 minutes without so much as an explanation, and flagged down the server again to ask what was taking so long. The only response was "it will be out soon". Huh? A full 35 minutes after my son's food was served, my wife's was finally brought out, with no apology or explanation, although it was clear that the order was lost somewhere, and they started over from scratch. Both I & my son had nearly finished our food by that point. A minute later, they gave us a bowl of fried tofu "on the house", but still no apology for the excessive delay in my wife's food. It is less than amateurish of the wait staff to not keep track of whether their orders have been served. Worse that the customers have to repeatedly flag them down simply to remind them that the food hasn't been served. As for the food itself, it could best be described as mediocre. The sashimi was almost tasteless. The tempura was somewhat soggy. The sauce on my tofu was sickeningly salty. The sesame chicken was decent, but definitely not anything special. Oh, and the complimentary fried tofu was sitting in a pool of broth rendering the entire thing a soggy, mess. I simply do not understand the large number of glowing reviews. This is by no stretch of the imagination good Japanese food, and the service is simply horrific.

Good and cheap. A bit difficult to find though. Great food, a hidden gem of Hilo.