Hilo gets overlooked. Visitors drive through on the way to Volcanoes, eat at the first thing they see, and leave. That is a mistake. Downtown Hilo has a food scene built by Japanese immigrants, Filipino families, and Portuguese bakers who have been cooking for a hundred years and do not care about tourist dollars.

This is the real guide. Cafe 100 and Ken's House of Pancakes are the starting point — the loco moco origin and the 24-hour diner. But Hilo goes deeper.

The Seaside Restaurant

Seaside Restaurant, The is the most unique dining experience in Hilo and one of the most unusual restaurants in the state. The restaurant sits on Waiakea Fish Ponds — 30-acre brackish ponds fed by springs from Mauna Loa. The fish on your plate — mullet, aholehole, catfish — were raised in those ponds and harvested that morning. You can watch the ponds from the dining room. The mullet preparation (broiled, with a light garlic butter) is the local order. Nothing on the menu comes from farther than the ponds outside.

Reservations are required. The atmosphere is old Hawaii supper club — not fancy, but deliberate. If you eat one dinner in Hilo, this is it.

Morning in Hilo

Bears Coffee on Keawe Street opens early and has been the Hilo morning ritual for decades. The regulars arrive before 7am. Espresso that is actually good. A full breakfast menu. Outdoor seating facing the street. No pretense. Hilo Bay Café is the other option — larger, more food variety, Hilo Bay view from the banquet room.

Short N Sweet Bakery & Café does the best malasadas outside of Leonard's and the best cream puffs in Hilo. The Portuguese sweet bread is worth the drive. Open early, sells out by midday.

Lunch

Nori's Saimin & Snacks, Inc. is the Hilo saimin institution — small bowls, big flavor, decades of muscle memory behind every order. Cafe Pesto at the S. Hata Building is the best sit-down lunch in downtown Hilo — wood-fired pizzas, local seafood pastas, good salads. Open Tuesday–Sunday.

For plate lunch: Hilo Town Tavern & Pizza doubles as a local sports bar and a genuinely good plate lunch spot at lunch service. Ken's House of Pancakes does loco moco 24 hours and is the benchmark version on the Big Island.

The Farmers Market

The Hilo Farmers Market on Mamo Street (Wednesday and Saturday) is not a restaurant, but it is the best food experience in Hilo at 7am on a Saturday. The papaya, longan, and rambutan at the fruit stands are cheaper than anywhere on the island. The prepared food vendors — poke, tamales, Filipino plates — are often better than the restaurants. Arrive by 8am before the good stuff is gone.