Island/Italian - good combination and other Hilo, HI Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Cafe Pesto

Our first day in Hilo and my brother and his wife took us to Cafe Pesto for lunch and I was surprised to find a place with this name. The cuisine is "ethnically diverse Island cuisine" and is very fresh and tasty.

Favorite Dish: I had Linguini al Pesto which was came with grilled smoked chicken-apple sausage vine-ripened tomatoes, and a roasted tomato-basil marinara. My wife had a Mililii sandwich which had garlic basted shrimp, pacific crab, sliced mushrooms,
blended cheeses on French bread. Both were very filling and delicious.

I highly recommend Pesto's and suggest you allow some time for your meal as it may be crowded. We had about a 15 minute wait to be seated.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 969-6640
Address: 308 Kamehameha Ave.
Directions: Downtown Hilo on the main street facing Hilo Bay
Website: http://www.cafepesto.com/

Restaurant Name: Pescatori

Okay, my outlook is still very provincial but finding this combination of an Italian cafe serving belgian waffles in Hilo surprised me. However, it is a lovely place with a lot of pleasant woodwork and traditional but very nice art work on the walls. You can see part of a fox hunt scene behind our table. BTW most of my restaurant tips on these pages will feature the same 3 or 4 people (my wife, brother & sister-in-law) - hope you don't get too tired of us.

Favorite Dish: As we frequently do at breakfast my wife and I shared our orders - a Belgian waffle with strawberries and cream and a fritatta with Italian sausage anc cheese. Both were very delicious and the combination cannot be beat.

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 808 969-9090
Address: 235 Keawe Street
Directions: Downtown Hilo

Restaurant Name: Lava Rock Cafe

This is a pretty much no frills kind of burger and milkshake kind of place. It bills itself as the place where locals eat and has a menu of deli items, stir fries and desserts with a good reputation. They offer live entertainment on weekend nights and Internet access all the time

Favorite Dish: Had a very tasty Reuben sandwich, cole slaw and a beer. Very basic and very good.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 808 767-8526
Address: Old Volcano Road, Volcano, Hawaii
Directions: Behind Kilaueu General Store

Restaurant Name: What's Shakin'

This is a tiny little place sort of in the middle of nowhere but well worth a stop as their food is outstanding. Their smoothies are pure fresh fruit and juice. They freeze the fruit so there is no ice or sugar added. They also grow a lot of their own fruits and vegetables right on their What's Shakin' Farm. As we ate lunch we could see some of the bananas and other fruits growing nearby. The place is small roadside place where you go to the window to order and then hope you can find a spot as the seating is limited to the surrounding porch.

Favorite Dish: The smoothies are indeed wonderful as are the sandwiches. I had an excellent salad of their locally grown greens, avacado, tomatoes and albacore tuna. Their guacamole is the best I have eaten. They also bake banana nut bread which is excellent.

This is simple lunch or light fare but you will not find better tasting or fresher food anywhere.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 964-3080
Address: 17-999 Old Mamalahoa Hwy., Pepeeko
Directions: They are located not far from Onomea Bay on Hwy 19 in Pepeekeo. Open 10:00-5:00 7 days a week.

Restaurant Name: Island Cantinz

Finding a Mexican restaurant in Hilo was a bit of a surprise but somewhat mediocre food should not have been. The place is attractive and right in downtown Hilo, but the food was not really above average.

Also, this is the first Mexican restaurant I have ever seen that does not serve beer (or any alcoholic beverages). Our waitress apologized and told us we could go around the corner, get some and bring it in. It turns out we would have had time to go after it and make a good start on drinking it before our food arrived.

Favorite Dish: Nothing we had was very memorable. I asked my wife and she doesn't even recall what she ate but said it was not that great.

I do remember having a tamale with my meal as I am constantly searching for that rare commodity, a good tamale. Alas, it is not here either.

I don't mean that the food was awful. It just wasn't very good - suffice it to say that I would not return there for a meal.

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Theme: Mexican
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 969-7009
Address: 110 Kalakaua Street
Directions: Downtown Hilo.