Location: Hilo
Top Restaurants in Hilo
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Hawaii, United States Food Guide: 4 Barbecue food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Hilo
Find out what Barbecue restaurants to try in Hilo. The landscape of Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is diverse. Beaches of black, gray, brown and white sand give way to mountains and dramatic waterfalls. Hilo's Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo is the only U.S. zoo in a tropical rainforest. A day trip away are snow-capped Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, with observatories near 11,000 feet on both mountains, and Kilauea Caldera, an active volcano. Back in town are a farmer's market, restaurants, shopping and banyan trees planted by celebrities and politicians.
Things to do in Hilo
1. Liko Lehua Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 51 reviews
Reviewed By Christopher P
Came here for a family luncheon. Not much to look at from the outside, but don't let that fool you. The food and interior are quite nice. The place was extensively renovated and the menu is great. Had the french dip sandwich which was generous on the beef. Had a very nice side salad with a decent mix of fresh greens/veges and a really good homemade dressing - creamy ranch or italian - forget which. The jus for dipping had nice tones of ginger in it and the homemade potato salad was great. Desserts were also good. If you step out onto the rear patio, you can see Mauna Kea. Today was a clear day so we could see the entire mountain from foothills to summit - something infrequent in rainy Hilo. Definitely worth a visit.
2. Cham Cham Korean BBQ
Overall Ratings
4 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By 96720Traveler
This is a classic "Hawaiian style Korean restaurant" much like the popular Kim Chee restaurants in Honolulu. All customers are served a variety of vegetable appetizers including kim chee, bean sprouts, seaweed, and other pickled vegetables. My favoriate by far is the Spicy Pork--tender slices of pork in a very mildly spicy Korean sauce. NOTE: You go for the food, period. Not the ambiance or service.
3. L & L Drive Inn
Reviewed By T_Rex_Toyota
Not sure why all the low ratings for all of the L&L chains other than that it's not an independent restaurant. Usually, I too try to stay away from the national chain of business and try to support the local independent business when I can. But when it comes to Hawaiian bbq, there is really nothing exotic in the way to cook the food. I've tried many, and L&L seemed to have that consistency of basic Hawaiian bbq that's expected from a chain. Of all the L&L I've been on Big Island (ate at all of them embarassingly to say while we vacation there last week), the L&L in Hilo had the best taste, and the best price as well. We were on the Big Island for 5 days, and I think we had hawaiian bbq about 7 times. Give it a chance, or at least the one on Hilo.
4. Kalbi Express
Reviewed By donnaspeaks
Hilo doesn't have any truly authentic Korean restaurants. That aside, the Korean restaurants are geared to local tastes, thus offer namool (salad sides) accordingly. This is off a cold tray, if you order Kalbi, you get to pick four namools, for example. The food is fast enough, and very tasty for food-court restaurant. The staff is friendly and helpful. It is one of the places I like to go to when I am in the mood for soup. If not eating there, and if you plan to go there, you might want to bring your own container, because the soup is HOT and the take out containers are never adequate.I would recommend this Korean "fast food" restaurant for its fresh namool and good taste, but remember that it is a food court, no table service whatsoever.
