Ponds Hilo

We had such a lovely experience at Ponds Restaurant in Hilo! The food was absolutely delicious — the salmon was perfectly cooked, the steak tender and flavorful, and the macadamia nut pesto pasta was outstanding — rich, fresh, and full of local flavor. The portions were hearty and beautifully presented. What really made the evening special, though, was the warm and friendly staff. Everyone was so welcoming and attentive. You can tell they truly care about their guests.

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.

We had come twice 5 years ago and the service was ok. We decided to give it another chance. Took my wife there for her Birthday. Ruben was our sever and he was very friendly and informative...great service! My wife had the lobster and I had the thick prime rib. Food was really good. They surprised us with a birthday chocolate cake and strawberry ice cream on the house and then surprised us again with a birthday picture. It was pouring rain as we were leaving and we had umbrella service to our car. Truly impeccable service from beginning to end!!

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.

I ordered two appetizers, the crab and spinach dip and the steak with pineapple. Both were amazing, server was super attentive, the environment is perfect. They also let us feed the fish!

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!

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.

Such awesome charm this restaurant just feels like big island vibes. Great service and fair prices. The food was delicious. I got the Cajun Chicken Salad and my wife got the Ahi Tuna Salad. She said the tuna was absolutely perfect. The view is awesome, super peaceful and lends itself to endless conversation. Im sure locals love this spot and I recommend anyone visiting Hilo to eat lunch or dinner at Ponds!