Volcano's Lava Rock Cafe

Everyone was so friendly even with how busy it was. We enjoyed the steak and homemade mashed potatos were great (tho it was a little fatty in places) and fish tacos were great with coleslaw that I put on it. I just wish there was music.

I had a Hawaiian Burger with fries and a side salad. The salad and dressing was warm. The fries were great. Burger was delicious but the veggies and sauce were more on one side than the other. No one else was in the restaurant and it service was just a bit slow (only 1 server working). It was very close to the national park so that was very convenient. I’d recommend for a lunch break if you’re exploring the park!

It took about an hour and 20 minutes from the time we started waiting, until the time we got our drinks. I suspect that we would have waited longer if I hadn’t got up from the table and asked someone if there’s a way we can put in our order. Other people who were behind us in line got their drinks and food right away. Even after we put in our order, there was still a substantial wait time. The food was hit and miss. The steak was great, but the Mahi Mahi was deep fried, which was not what I expected on a dish served with rice.

Friendly atmosphere, lovely local place. Great to go to after a visit to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Had the Ola Size Katsu. Never had Katsu before, but definitely a meal for champions. Probably could pump some hard iron after it: rice for carbs, eggs and burger for protein and fats, and delicious gravy to get that blood flowing for a good workout. I was told that was the best bang for buck in terms of food amount, and I was not disappointed. The margherita I had was also very delicious. Everyone was very friendly.

It was packed but everyone was super nice. Food was fast. Not the best food value but cant expect too much out here!

We enjoyed our lunch here. Had the teriyaki chicken, fish and chips, and pork sandwich. The fries were not as good as Pine Tree Cafe, but all three meals were very good.

Quaint locale near the volcano. Food was alright and in line with a diner. For a place with a fairly captured audience it was good. It seemed like a great small-town family-type operation which I admire. If I was hungry and in the area I’d be good with swinging in… but not so pulled to drive out of my way to stop.

We were looking for a restaurant open late on our first night in town. This was one of the only locations open past 8PM. We were excited! The staff were friendly and efficient as the places was full with many larger groups. Our food came out quickly and was delicious! Overall a nice dinner spot with reasonable meal prices.

I have eaten here on and off for about 10 years now. Always had a pleasant experience. It's a great spot to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner, especially when you're visiting volcano. Tina, our waitress was a delight.

Went to try this place in volcano village. I thought it had the best variety in their menu. we ordered a bacon cheese burger and grilled mahi plate lunch. Both my wife and I thought the mahi was cooked perfectly just like my burger being so juicy. definitely recommend if you are in the area. Tina provided excellent service.

We came after visiting the volcano. There's not too many food options in this area so keep that in mind lol The service was solid. The waitress was nice and efficient. I had a grilled mahi mahi and it was fine. My sister had the fish taco and said that the fish was dry. LOL Would we come here again? Maybe. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here but if in the area and hungry why not, there's not much to choose from lol

Closed for business. Too bad because we always enjoyed their happy hour. Now I need to fill up my 85 characters

Not too bad but definitely a tourist spot. We were the only ones inside then about 30 people showed up after in the tour bus. Prices were around $20 per plate.

We luckily found this place an hour before they closed and they took our big group of 11 people. We were very grateful and the hospitality that we got was amazing. The servers were on top of it and the food came out very quickly. I ordered the Mac Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi and taro burger. My daughter ordered the fettuccine Alfredo kids meal. I truly enjoyed my plate with the mahi-mahi as the mashed potato and the fish and the coleslaw were all fresh and delicious and I wanted more. Unfortunately, the Taro burger was tasteless to me and my family that tried to bite also agreed but taro is pretty bland so it's kind of expected. I had a little bit of my daughters fettuccine and it was kind of watery, but the girls liked it and it didn't have fettuccine pasta. Had spaghetti noodles. Overall, my family was full and they enjoyed their meals and we would go back again to try out things.

We came by here for dinner with our tour group of about 12 people after visiting Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. They were ready for us, so we were seated relatively quickly. They have a full menu and bar, and their Mai-Tais are both tasty and strong. The Mac Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi was enjoyable - flaky and flavorful. The sides were average - rice, veggies, mac salad - nothing too special about them. Staff didn't seem the friendliest but were pretty efficient so that's a plus. Prices for the entrees seemed to be a bit much all things considered, but it was included in our tour cost so I'm not considering that in this review - otherwise, I'd probably give it a 3 star. This wouldn't be my first stop or first choice for dinner, but if you're hungry and looking for food, it's a decent stop.

Lava Rock Cafe is conveniently located in the town of Volcano, right outside Volcano National Park. Service was nice and friendly, unfortunately the fish tacos were dry and did not taste good. You get 3 pieces which is enough to share unfortunately I didn't like the seasoning nor the shredded cheese it came with. They do have a sizable menu so maybe try another dish if you want to have a sit down meal in a restaurant next to the park.

This water is the best water in the world I would come here to drink water and the food is good you guys should come here

STOP at the entrance of the park! We stopped at the advice of a website we found and these sandwiches are INCREDIBLE! The bread is baked fresh and they pile on ingredients. Each sandwich is made custom to order and made quick! I have been dreaming about this bread since we got them! It was great to have while we drove through the park. You can get drinks and candy / other grocery items, too.

Food was fine service is way too slow. Stick to normal food service is nice just understaffed or confused because they don't get to you for a while

In this area there aren't a lot of choices, but Lava Rock Café is certainly convenient. Just outside its entrance is the local gas station and it's in the same building is the local convenience store. The staff was attentive and helpful. We started with the Kalua Tacos. These were okay, but a bit over salted for us. We also had the Grilled Mahi Mahi. Again, this was also okay. For our purposes, the businesses here met our needs.

This place was good, not anymore!! Bad food, bad cocktails and way over priced. $20 for a small sandwich and a tiny scoop of Mac salad. Super dry over cooked burgers with no condiments. Trust me, you are not hungry enough for this!

This was a post bike ride, post soaked in the rain stop. They have plenty of parking - BEHIND the restaurant. There is a narrow pass or you can go left of the buildings. It was dead when we were there - and service was very slow. I'm glad we only ordered coffee and cheesecake because I doubt we would've seen our food. The food and drink was adequate for what we needed in the moment, but if it wasn't for its location next to the e-bikes, I would've skipped it.

My girlfriend and I got the fish tacos And here don got the volcano burger. The fish tacos were good . I would have liked bigger pieces of fish on the tacos, but I am not the one making them. They had their own touch of local flare and taste. When asked about the burger there was no answer given. Being on a beef diet I do miss getting the local burger from places . They had reggae music playing and I recognized the songs , one being "No Rain" by blind melon and as we were leaving the reggae version of "No diggity " was starting. The people were nice and the food was hot. The service at this time was quick . I did not get and drinks or desserts at this time.

Aloha, still love this little local cafe. They are so accommodating to change up your order the way you want it. Our go to for lunch when in Volcano town. Enjoy!

Don't let the distances fool you, travel to Hilo from volcanoes is about 40 minutes that being said there are only a few places near Kilauea for food and this is one. Local place, attached to a general store and gas station. Prices were typical Hawaii prices although that's not much off anywhere now, I think dinner was around 50.00 for two for burgers. Service was good, the burgers were solid, fries were excellent and I wish I had ordered a side of onion rings because the ones on the burger were ono! No complaints at all and we left full and happy -sorry no pics.

Good place to stop for lunch after a hike. It also has a gas station and a convenient store in the same lot. It was one hour to closing time and got seated within 5 mins. Nice burgers and crunchy curly fries. It also have some beautiful recent volcano eruption pictures on the wall.

We almost didn't come here because of the poor reviews, but we ignored them because it was late and we didn't have many other options. I'm glad we did, because this ended up being a fantastic meal. I got the Kailua pork quesadilla and my wife got the veggie stir fry with brown rice and mahi mahi. The prices were extremely reasonable, everyone was friendly, and the food was delicious. We'll definitely be going back at least once again before the end of our trip.

Late dinner stop on the way home from the beach. Definitely worth it! Had the chicken teriyaki salad - so good!

Had a simple but great dinner here, and very reasonably priced, especially for the area. I asked my server to make a chili mac since chili and linguine were on the menu. She added cheese and (real) sour cream. I close potato mac salad as my side. Glass of chardonnay was under $10 and a healthy pour. Server was responsive and honest. Very happy!

The burgers here were great! Super friendly service (Thanks Renata!) and good beers on tap. Inside was nice and cozy. Definitely a great place for lunch!

Worst wings ever!!!!!!!!!!! Don't waist your money !!!!!!!! Go to Hilo........this place sucks beyond belief!!!!!raw raw raw raw raw raw raw raw raw raw wings were RAW!!!!!!

We just finished lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. The Lava Rock has good food at moderate prices. Their taco salad is the BEST!

This is the best meal we've had since arriving on the island five days ago! The food was really fresh and tasty and the atmosphere was friendly. The teriyaki chicken salad was especially good along with the bacon cheeseburger. Definitely would recommend and super close to Volcano National Park! The bathroom was also clean and service was great.

Great service. Great prices and yummy food. I wish I had taken a picture of the Chinese chicken salad before I started eating it, but it was so good that I couldn't wait to take a photo.

Service was fast. If you are looking for homemade local Hawaiian fare, this is a nice casual diner. They even have frozen drinks.

Visited the Lava Rock Cafe after a long day at Volcano's National Park. The place is relatively small, sort of dive bar feel. The food was pretty basic, Hawaiian diner vibe. I had ordered the ribs which were super chewy and the sides were pretty bland. My friend had ordered the mac-nut fish which she said was good. They had a little gift shop next door that sold their salad dressing that was really tasty and some other cute souvenirs. The place is perfect if you just wanna grab a bite or a brew, I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to visit but it was solid for what we were feeling.

We visited in early November with a group size of 12, arriving at 6pm. We didn't call in advance. They were awesome! Seated us quickly. Food came quickly. And it was tasty. Our group ordered burgers, Mahi Mahi, fish tacos, loco moco, and desserts. We are all family, so I tried a little of everyone's meals. Everything was yummy. No complaints at all. Our waitress was nice, responsive, respectful, and kind. I read reviews about slow service, so we were a little wary, but our experience was 100% positive. A+, 5 stars, we absolutely loved this place.

Not bad. Thicker cut of mahi mahi was cooked well, juicy. The smaller cut was dry. Passion fruit cheesecake was ok. Only the top 1/4" is passion fruit filling. But the crust was delicious, had a crunch to it like they added macadamia nuts.

Came to this place while doing an electric bike tour of the nearby volcano. This place is fairly small but has outdoor seating and a bar. My party and I ordered the Mahi Mahi dish and the servings were very small and disappointing. However, the sides and the salad that came with the dish were good. The onion rings were absolutely amazing. I've never had them prepared like these were. The onion was crispy and there was minimal flakey breading. Overall would recommend coming to this place if you are nearby.

We stopped in for a late lunch and we tried the French Dip and the Teriyaki Beef lunch plate. Both were excellent and we grow our own beef so we are picky. Our waitress Shannon did a great job and the food came out quickly and hot. We topped the date off with peanut butter cheese cake. How do you say it Mahalo from NE.

Shannon was excellent, friendly and efficient! we love the Lava Rock Cafe. it's my Moms bday and they made it very special. My Mon has been a patron for over 20 years. Higilt recomended!

I had the kalua taco with cole slaw..it was filling and yummy.My partner had the club sandwich with fries..he was very happy. Our server Renata very friendly ..love the service

We were hungry after visiting the volcano so we decided to stop in this place not too far from there. The service was pretty good. I had the fish tacos with mahi I believe. They were alright, but the tortillas fell a part on each taco. I would recommend a different tortilla or doubling up. We also shared a Kailua pork quesadilla which was quite tasty. Their curly fries are worth the upcharge as well.

We were here for dinner before visiting the park. The food was excellent, we had the Kalua quesadilla, and the Mahi mahi salad with Lilikoi dressing, plenty for two hungry people. We also had the two margaritas and both were great! Nice laid back service.

I had a great experience there. Not many places open at volcano at night so this was the place! I ordered the loco moco and it tasted great! Simple island comfort food on a cold night! Thanks for being open I needed that! I loved the art work displayed of the volcano. Nice diner feel to the place. The folks there took care of our needs and got a beer while I waited for take out.

Lots of options to choose from which was nice. Came around 3PM on a weekday - wasn't too crowded so service was fast.

Service was great! Food was just okay. I had the double pattie hamburger, the patties are a bit dry. There was also no mayonnaise on the bun, it would have helped with the dryness. My husband had the blackened mahi mahi. It was okay. I wish they served it with salad and not french fries.

Huge food portions, great taste, and friendly service. We came in after spending the morning hiking in the park, and they were maybe 1/2 full. Definitely stop in and grab some food.

Great food and friendly service. Tucked away next to a tiny gas station. Teriyaki beef plate was good all made in house. Local dive vibe. Not a lot of food options in this area. Definitely recommend trying this place.

Very quick service and the food was just as good. Chill ambiance for every family member.

Came here when I was visiting to try and get a table to sit down and grab a bite but my husband and I waited a ridiculously long time without any of the servers acknowledging us or the parties in front of us. I understand there were only 1 or 2 staffs on duty but he could have said he'd be right with us... nope, no acknowledgment. Go somewhere else if you're hungry. Not worth the wait.

We were trying to find a pizza place that was near this Cafe and couldn't so we ended up here. Service was good, the waitress was very nice. Food was good. My husband got the Mac nut mahi-mahi. It was a bit over coated and cook but he eat the entire plate. He had the Mac pasta as the side which is actually a potato salad with noodles. My son got the mahi-mahi fish tacos. They were a little plain for him but agin he devoured the entire plate. The others got the burgers which they liked but the fries were soggy. I got the Kalbi Ribs and they were delicious!! The steam veggies were okay. The ambiance was nothing to brag about but the pictures on the wall were very nice to look at. I would go back and I highly recommend this place.

Alright, we've been staying at Kiluea Military Camp for the last three nights, and we're burgered out at the 10 pin cafe. The lodge resteraunt was pricey. Did a lot of digging looking for a resteraunt. We thought we were going to get stuck driving into Hilo after driving all day from Kona side. Then this place just outside the Valcano National Park popped up. In desperation of not having to drive for 2 more hours in and back from Hilo, we went for it. Service was prompt. We hit during dinner rush, so our party of 5 had to wait a few minutes. The menu was diverse for a roadside cafe. The service was excellent, pricing was reasonable (especially for a tourist area), food was delivered shortly after ordering, and good-sized portions. Thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Would recommend.

Came here after full day at Volcano National Park. Happy to get some food. Was told that there is wait time of 30 minutes which was okay for us. There was some work party or something like that on so a lot of tables were full. ( it was really busy) we got our table when one group left. We got our water and we're waiting for our waitress who was hanging out checks etc to other tables. We waited for 30 minutes for the waitress. The waitress started with the people who came after us and when she got to our table never apologized for the wait we said finally it was a long wait and she just walked off to chit chat/ gossip with her coworkers about us. She came back and we ordered quickly as we all knew what we wanted. There were only three tables full including us. I ordered beer which I never got. The food was served quickly and it was really good. But the service was terrible.

We ordered take out food and we had to pay for the boxes. We paid the sweet potato fries $5 extra and there were dry and overcooked (maybe old fries reheated). We ordered some burgers including one vegetarian and they were just ok. The French fries were also dry. Food expensive for 3 burgers and some fries. Will not recommend it.

The fries were not crispy. The hamburger was fine. Your options are pretty limited next to Volcano's National Park, and I think this was a pretty good option that I would do again! My boyfriend got the turkey burger, which was probably a bad idea. It seemed like a turkey patty that had probably been sitting in the freezer for a long time. I'd probably recommend that he get a normal burger, or the pulled pork next time.

The pumpkin crunch is ono and so is the taco salad. Perfect for take-out on a Saturday night.