Great restaurant looking over Hilo bay. We took out two items as we couldn't get a reservation. Hilo sunset sushi was so good with poached shrimp, spicy salmon, gochujang aioli,cucumber,sesame, sweet potato chips and tempura crisps. We also ordered side of crab cakes: it came with nice fresh salad and tasty salad dressings. We loved that too. Next time we would like to sit in the restaurant and enjoy the foods over a good view.
Lisa T.
We had dinner reservations and were seated inside with a window view. The music indoors was a bit loud for the small space. My husband and I ordered: Fried chicken with cornbread - chicken comes on top of a skillet pan with cornbread. The chicken was very hard and the cornbread was so-so. Salmon with herb roasted potatoes - this could have been a great dish but...the dish came with watery mashed potatoes (not herb roasted potatoes) that ran over into the salmon's Beurre Blanc sauce, which made the dish soupy. Almost like the salmon was sitting in a watery mash potato dish. The only good part of this dish was the salmon was wild caught and tasted decent. The wine and service was good.
Michael Mancusi
Super food and view!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bruce M.
We have been cruising the Hawaiian Islands and eating at a restaurant on each island. I have to say the Hilo Bay Cafe was an awesome experience. The ambiance is second to none and the view is simply breathtaking. Our server was Monica and she knows her trade better than any server I have encountered recently. She was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. All of her recommendations were spot on. The food was delicious. I recommend this establishment to anyone.
Ben Graham
Food and service were excellent!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup, Roll
Phil West
Came into this place with my mom and stepdad during our vacation to Hawaii. Found it through food network. Upon arrival, we were overjoyed to find that it was in a beautiful location with an incredible view of Hilo Bay. We were served by the beautiful and fun Sierra who made us laugh and ensured that we were comfortable and happy. We ordered the poke and bread as starters. My stepdad and I tried the overboard IPA which is definitely a beer I will look out for in the future. The bread was incredible, we stuffed it down immediately. The poke was the best we ever had, super excited that we were able to try some from the area where it was invented. For our entree, we all had the chicken pot pie, which was hearty, comforting, and delicious. The creamy garlic dressing on the salad was a nice touch as well. We finished off our meal with the cast iron cookie which had unique flavors that melded together beautifully. Thank you again Sierra and Hilo Bay Cafe for making sure that our experience was so special and memorable, keep up the exceptional work!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Montana Bassin
Freakin amazing! Had to come back the next day to make sure it wasn't a fluke, lol, it was not. I was a pro bartender for 17 years, Sascha is one of the best tenders I've ever been served by. Cocktails are beyond on point, service is impeccable, food is incredible, and it's right on the bay, you need to stop here when you're in Hilo.Vegetarian options: Plenty of pescatarian optionsWheelchair accessibility: No experience here, but the greeter took plenty of extra time making sure an elderly lady was able to sit comfortably at the bar, Sascha customized cocktails to cater to her sensitive teeth.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Catch of the Day, Crab Cakes
Phillip W.
Came into this place with my mom and stepdad during our vacation to Hawaii. Found it through food network. Upon arrival, we were overjoyed to find that it was in a beautiful location with an incredible view of Hilo Bay. We were served by the beautiful and fun Sierra who made us laugh and ensured that we were comfortable and happy. We ordered the poke and bread as starters. My stepdad and I tried the overboard IPA which is definitely a beer I will look out for in the future. The bread was incredible, we stuffed it down immediately. The poke was the best we ever had, super excited that we were able to try some from the area where it was invented. For our entree, we all had the chicken pot pie, which was hearty, comforting, and delicious. The creamy garlic dressing on the salad was a nice touch as well. We finished off our meal with the cast iron cookie which had unique flavors that melded together beautifully. Thank you again Sierra and Hilo Bay Cafe for making sure that our experience was so special and memorable, keep up the exceptional work!!
Dawn D.
When our friends from Tennessee came over, we decided to check out this spot on the recommendation of some local friends. The food was amazing! I went for the crab cake salad, but there were so many tempting options, I'll have to come back for more. Definitely book ahead though, it gets busy here! Just a heads up, there doesn't seem to be air conditioning, and they offer both indoor and outdoor seating. On a hot day or night, it could get pretty warm indoors.
Jeffrey Myrick
The food was amazing !Best food I have had on any of the islands hands down . The eggplant Parmesana was great, and the burger and ribeye we had were good as well, especially the burger !!! And the employees and the atmosphere were great as well, right on the bay front. and the hostess , who actually is the owner was super sweet and friendly as well . Will definitely be back at some point !!!!
Who knew the best burger I would have in my life so far would be in Hilo Hawaii.. A+ - Burger expert from
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseline Febres
Terrible service…. They had us wait 20 minutes for a table (2 adults, 2 kids, and a 5 months old baby). There were plenty of tables available and the hostess told us we couldn’t sit in any table because we couldn’t have a stroller in the table. She asked us if we could hold the baby while we ate and put the stroller away. Is this a joke?
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Carlos Vollbracht S.
We had a bad experience with the service at this restaurant. They made us wait for 20 minutes just to inform us that they could not accommodate the baby stroller next to our table. Instead, they suggested that we hold the baby in our arms while we eat.If you have kids, I would suggest avoiding this place.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Tara K.
This is my favorite restaurant in town. It's best to make a reservation, even for lunch. My first time there we didn't make a reservation, but were able to be accommodated at the bar since we got there right when they opened for dinner. The servers are all really friendly and the bar makes great cocktails. I have tried their bolognese pasta, a vegetarian mushroom pot pie, a butterfish salad, and steak & potatoes. I wish I could find the photo I took of a vegetarian farmer's sushi roll which was absolutely beautiful with lots of local mushrooms and micro greens - it was fresh and generous to share, I would order that roll again and again. My most recent visit was to celebrate our anniversary and the petit steak with broccolini and potatoes was unfortunately over-salted. It was right on that edge of nearly being inedible but I just couldn't bring myself to send it back and risk wasting the food. The presentation was beautiful though and my steak was cooked exactly how I wanted -medium. I can't wait to have the excuse to return and enjoy more food & drink!
Joseline F.
Terrible service.... They had us wait 20 minutes for a table (2 adults, 2 kids, and a 5 months old baby). There were plenty of tables available and the hostess told us we couldn't sit in any table because we couldn't have a stroller in the table. She asked us if we could hold the baby while we ate and put the stroller away. Is this a joke?
Great restaurant looking over Hilo bay. We took out two items as we couldn't get a reservation. Hilo sunset sushi was so good with poached shrimp, spicy salmon, gochujang aioli,cucumber,sesame, sweet potato chips and tempura crisps. We also ordered side of crab cakes: it came with nice fresh salad and tasty salad dressings. We loved that too. Next time we would like to sit in the restaurant and enjoy the foods over a good view.
We had dinner reservations and were seated inside with a window view. The music indoors was a bit loud for the small space. My husband and I ordered: Fried chicken with cornbread - chicken comes on top of a skillet pan with cornbread. The chicken was very hard and the cornbread was so-so. Salmon with herb roasted potatoes - this could have been a great dish but...the dish came with watery mashed potatoes (not herb roasted potatoes) that ran over into the salmon's Beurre Blanc sauce, which made the dish soupy. Almost like the salmon was sitting in a watery mash potato dish. The only good part of this dish was the salmon was wild caught and tasted decent. The wine and service was good.
Super food and view!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have been cruising the Hawaiian Islands and eating at a restaurant on each island. I have to say the Hilo Bay Cafe was an awesome experience. The ambiance is second to none and the view is simply breathtaking. Our server was Monica and she knows her trade better than any server I have encountered recently. She was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. All of her recommendations were spot on. The food was delicious. I recommend this establishment to anyone.
Food and service were excellent!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup, Roll
Came into this place with my mom and stepdad during our vacation to Hawaii. Found it through food network. Upon arrival, we were overjoyed to find that it was in a beautiful location with an incredible view of Hilo Bay. We were served by the beautiful and fun Sierra who made us laugh and ensured that we were comfortable and happy. We ordered the poke and bread as starters. My stepdad and I tried the overboard IPA which is definitely a beer I will look out for in the future. The bread was incredible, we stuffed it down immediately. The poke was the best we ever had, super excited that we were able to try some from the area where it was invented. For our entree, we all had the chicken pot pie, which was hearty, comforting, and delicious. The creamy garlic dressing on the salad was a nice touch as well. We finished off our meal with the cast iron cookie which had unique flavors that melded together beautifully. Thank you again Sierra and Hilo Bay Cafe for making sure that our experience was so special and memorable, keep up the exceptional work!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Freakin amazing! Had to come back the next day to make sure it wasn't a fluke, lol, it was not. I was a pro bartender for 17 years, Sascha is one of the best tenders I've ever been served by. Cocktails are beyond on point, service is impeccable, food is incredible, and it's right on the bay, you need to stop here when you're in Hilo.Vegetarian options: Plenty of pescatarian optionsWheelchair accessibility: No experience here, but the greeter took plenty of extra time making sure an elderly lady was able to sit comfortably at the bar, Sascha customized cocktails to cater to her sensitive teeth.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Catch of the Day, Crab Cakes
Came into this place with my mom and stepdad during our vacation to Hawaii. Found it through food network. Upon arrival, we were overjoyed to find that it was in a beautiful location with an incredible view of Hilo Bay. We were served by the beautiful and fun Sierra who made us laugh and ensured that we were comfortable and happy. We ordered the poke and bread as starters. My stepdad and I tried the overboard IPA which is definitely a beer I will look out for in the future. The bread was incredible, we stuffed it down immediately. The poke was the best we ever had, super excited that we were able to try some from the area where it was invented. For our entree, we all had the chicken pot pie, which was hearty, comforting, and delicious. The creamy garlic dressing on the salad was a nice touch as well. We finished off our meal with the cast iron cookie which had unique flavors that melded together beautifully. Thank you again Sierra and Hilo Bay Cafe for making sure that our experience was so special and memorable, keep up the exceptional work!!
When our friends from Tennessee came over, we decided to check out this spot on the recommendation of some local friends. The food was amazing! I went for the crab cake salad, but there were so many tempting options, I'll have to come back for more. Definitely book ahead though, it gets busy here! Just a heads up, there doesn't seem to be air conditioning, and they offer both indoor and outdoor seating. On a hot day or night, it could get pretty warm indoors.
The food was amazing !Best food I have had on any of the islands hands down . The eggplant Parmesana was great, and the burger and ribeye we had were good as well, especially the burger !!! And the employees and the atmosphere were great as well, right on the bay front. and the hostess , who actually is the owner was super sweet and friendly as well . Will definitely be back at some point !!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Who knew the best burger I would have in my life so far would be in Hilo Hawaii.. A+ - Burger expert from
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terrible service…. They had us wait 20 minutes for a table (2 adults, 2 kids, and a 5 months old baby). There were plenty of tables available and the hostess told us we couldn’t sit in any table because we couldn’t have a stroller in the table. She asked us if we could hold the baby while we ate and put the stroller away. Is this a joke?
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
We had a bad experience with the service at this restaurant. They made us wait for 20 minutes just to inform us that they could not accommodate the baby stroller next to our table. Instead, they suggested that we hold the baby in our arms while we eat.If you have kids, I would suggest avoiding this place.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
This is my favorite restaurant in town. It's best to make a reservation, even for lunch. My first time there we didn't make a reservation, but were able to be accommodated at the bar since we got there right when they opened for dinner. The servers are all really friendly and the bar makes great cocktails. I have tried their bolognese pasta, a vegetarian mushroom pot pie, a butterfish salad, and steak & potatoes. I wish I could find the photo I took of a vegetarian farmer's sushi roll which was absolutely beautiful with lots of local mushrooms and micro greens - it was fresh and generous to share, I would order that roll again and again. My most recent visit was to celebrate our anniversary and the petit steak with broccolini and potatoes was unfortunately over-salted. It was right on that edge of nearly being inedible but I just couldn't bring myself to send it back and risk wasting the food. The presentation was beautiful though and my steak was cooked exactly how I wanted -medium. I can't wait to have the excuse to return and enjoy more food & drink!
Terrible service.... They had us wait 20 minutes for a table (2 adults, 2 kids, and a 5 months old baby). There were plenty of tables available and the hostess told us we couldn't sit in any table because we couldn't have a stroller in the table. She asked us if we could hold the baby while we ate and put the stroller away. Is this a joke?