Ponds Hilo

A Very Pleasant Lunch Ponds is a no nonsense eatery with a rustic dining room, great views and very good food. My one complaint is that the information on their website is several years old, and many of the items we were interested in were no longer available and prices were considerably higher than expected. That said, I still recommend Ponds. The Beer was about as cold as it could be without being frozen. The Crab Dip was especially good. The Calamari was nothing special, but good enough. The star of the meal was the Mango Cheesecake - simply the best we have ever tasted. Give Ponds a try - I think you will be glad you did.

This restaurant is a charming waterfront Hilo classic. We finally stopped in for lunch after running into one of the chefs who recommended the fish and chips. They use Opakapaka and tempura beer batter. I got the Captain's boat which had two pieces of fish, two big shrimp and two big scallops with garlic fries. Everything was delicious. We also got the same fish with lemon caper sauce. Great views, good service, prices were on the higher side but good quality food.

THIS PLACE WAS WONDERFUL. Took my partner there for an anniversary date and had a wonderful time. The fish and chips and crab were amazing. Our waitress was very kind and patient all the service there was quick and fast! Over a 10 out of 10 date night spot.

Ponds has a beautiful view of the waterfront. We saw a turtle as well. Food was good and arrived fairly quickly. Highly recommend the crab cakes, taste and quantity was great! Fried calamari was good. The fried fish was okay, could have been more flavorful. The mashed potato was a little bland too. But the views were great and we had a good time!

What a lovely place! Awesome ambiance and delicious food. They were very accommodating of my kids, too — they were able to make them something a bit off menu and gave them food to feed the koi. The live music was a nice touch. Really liked the Mac nut pesto!

From across Reeds Bay, the restaurant exterior exudes old Hawaii, and you get the same sense when you walk into the main dining room. We were taken to the other dining space to the left, which also overlooked the bay, which is a serene, calm portion of Hilo Bay just west of the Port. We walked over from our hotel, but there seemed to ample parking in their lot and surrounding street parking. It seemed to be a quiet Monday night for the restaurant, save for the exuberant birthday crowd in the main room. Live entertainment in the form of a solo singer was installed in the main room, so if you prefer a quieter ambiance (although the music was quite mellow), ask for the other dining room. Our server was quick and friendly, not batting an eye when taking my dinner order - appetizer and a dessert, to be brought out simultaneously if possible. Hubby was pleased at the selection of craft beer on tap, and loved his Furikake Seared Ahi Ceasar Salad, commenting on how fresh the fish tasted. I was a little disappointed that the Hot Crab and Spinach Dip featured fake crab, and the creme brulee was your standard creme brulee, but nothing to complain about.

What a pleasant evening. We made a reservation and got a window table overlooking the koi pond. Did not have an issue with mosquitos. The food was delicious and the music soft and delightful. The performer sang beautifully. The crab dip was amazing! Very rich and indulgent. And the crab was not overpowered by the cheese. We got the Friday night special: Prime Rib & Lobster. Indulgent but a very Good deal. Hubby had the Teri-steak sizzling platter. Meat was so tender. They had him at pineapple. Got bread pudding for dessert! So good! Flavorful & moist!

Live music, surf and turf, koi fish pond where the children can feed the fish from the table so you can enjoy your food, great service and equally great atmosphere. Only demerit was the lackluster margarita our server recommended… other than that everything is very legit here. Cheers!