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.

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!

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!

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!