I recently took a day trip to Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii for work and managed to sneak in a few things between meetings because … a girl’s gotta eat. The last time I was in Hilo I was a child so there was no comparing what was there before to what it’s like now. I relied on my co-workers to show me the way and I wasn’t disappointed.
Where we ate
Hawaiian Style Cafe
An early morning flight meant we were on island before the workday began so we stopped off for breakfast at Hawaiian Style Cafe. We were warned of the very generous portions – breakfast entrees comes with a choice of hash browns or rice (yup, we love our rice in Hawaii) AND a side of toast, Belgian waffle, or pancakes.
Let’s talk about those sides for a moment, specifically the pancakes. Be forewarned, at Hawaiian Style Cafe, a side of pancakes are two platter-sized pancakes. It’s a lot of food and definitely shareable. But if, like us, you aren’t taking home any leftovers, the food doesn’t go to waste. It goes to a local hog farm.
681 Manono Ste #101
Hilo, HI 96720
808-969-9265
Instagram: @hawaiian_style_cafe
Lehua Restaurant
Lehua Restaurant is located on the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo campus in the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. The center itself is located in a beautiful area and its space-age design surprisingly seems to fit in with its surroundings. The restaurant itself provided a nice, friendly respite in the midst of our day.
The lunch menu is a good balance of upscale local dishes and popular lunch items like burgers and salads. For dessert I opted for an affogato, needing the caffeine boost after the early morning start, but I admit to having food envy of my co-worker’s kulolo lumpia.
600 Imiloa Place
Hilo, HI 96720
Instagram: @lehua_at_imiloa
Omiyage (or what we brought back)
Two Ladies Kitchen
Known for its handmade mochi, this non-descript shop is easily identifiable by the lines outside its door. They offer an array of pre-filled boxes of chi chi dango and even oreo-filled mochi but what they are most known for are fresh fruit filled mochi. Strawberry, grape, and poha berry (also known as ground husk cherries or gooseberries) are some of the standards. They also offer seasonal varieties like nectarine and cherry.
The fresh fruit mochi are made to order so be sure to allow enough time. Be aware that the fresh fruit mochi cannot travel to the mainland due to agricultural restrictions (but they can travel to other islands within the state). They are best eaten fresh so it shouldn’t be a problem to enjoy on island.
274 Kilauea Ave.
Hilo, HI 96720
Instagram: @twoladieskitchen_hilo
Big Island Candies
We didn’t go to Big Island Candies because we have a shop on Oahu at Ala Moana Center. However, this was one of the original omiyage spots for our family. My sister would go for work and bring back boxes of chocolate dipped macadamia nut shortbread. There are other bakeries that make similar cookies but these will always be our favorite. So if the Big Island is your last stop before heading back to the mainland, be sure to stop by and take a few boxes of these delicious cookies with you.
585 Hinano St.
Hilo, HI 96720
Instagram: @bigislandcandies
0 Comments