Hilo Bay Cafe

123 Lihiwai St, Hilo
(808) 935-4939

Recent Reviews

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NingNing

Eggplant custard was very good
Zucchini fritters oily but good dressing enhanced the zucchini flavor
2nd Coleslaw love the crisp but flavor was watered down vinaigrette as first one had to be sent back (don’t want to say why)
Seafood po boy small portion tasted more batter hardly seafood and bread and no seasoning for flavor
Sadly fries were served cold with chicken on sourdough bread was soggy from oil absorption
Love the decor
staff seemed overwhelmed spoke quickly on special felt rush

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

t m

Been here 5 times now and have had decent experiences. However, tonight’s wasn’t one of them. The two entrees, that we get every time we come, were about half the portion size as normal. Taste was comparable but food significantly less. Normally I’d let it slide but for the amount of money paid, and time spent waiting, I’m not happy. Not sure if there are new cooks or if they’ve decided to start giving less but it was not worth it. Just trying to be honest.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

B\u0026M Luz

We arrived around 5pm with no reservation but were sat quickly. We shared the ribeye with the au gratin and the short ribs with mushrooms and noodles. The ribeye was perfect and the au gratin was delicious, but the short ribs were the chef's kiss! So yummy with locally sources noodles which were fun and on top of the short ribs there were sauteed onions and so much cheese on top, I loved it. We also got a hot chocolate to share which was good, but the mug was so hot we burnt our mouths trying to drink it. Over all, very enjoyable- great food, good portions and reasonably priced, some locally sources ingredients, friendly service and very nice view of the bay. Just a side note that the online menu does not appear to be updated to what was available at the restaurant.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Kelly N

Much too pricey for what you get.Fries were limp and lukewarm. Salad had way too much dressing.
Wish I’d gone back to Pesto’s.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

Russell Nagamine

One of my favorites in Hilo, great view,great people, great food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Matthew Karlson

Fantastic food. Fantastic service. Fantastic drinks. Fantastic location. Must go to in Hilo!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Frank D'Allessandro

Fabulous place for dining. A very different menu. Reservations are helpful. We shared a poke appetizer (photo), and shared an insanely delicious main course, duck, duck Demi (photo). Our table was in the outdoor lanai. It was raining, but we were adequately covered. The view of Hilo Bay, (photo), is stunning.
I can’t say enough about our server, Isabelle. She was very friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and how the dishes were prepared, and when we asked about recommendations for things to do in Hilo, gave us many suggestions.
A must go to place when in Hilo.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Zack

Good food. Terrible service. Hostess wouldn’t seat us outside and didn’t give us a reason. Server routinely forgot our requests and the response time for requests and our ticket were far out of reasonable.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 2

Astrid Harris

Great location with a view of the bay, fabulous food, and hospitable staff. Had a wonderful experience!

Big thanks to Sierra for accommodating us before our reservation time and for managing to get us outside too!

And also big thanks to Alexandra who was warm, professional, knowledgeable, and offered lovely suggestions.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Christy Perritt

Beautiful place to grab lunch with a view. Great food and drinks. Also located across the street from a beautiful park for a nice afternoon walk. Great place to spend that few hours off the cruise ship

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Richard Patterson

Great service , but expensive for small portions. Fries are yuck too salty and not crispy. Small pork chop and three small pieces of asparagus.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5

Glenda

Mushroom lettuce wraps were divine, and wine list varied and well priced. Service was a bit disjointed several persons involved) but sincere nonetheless. Only change i would make? See if something can be done about the hard plastic chairs scraping on the tile floors, All patrons look like a scolded child despite every effort to slide them back with some level of consideration.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

S.H Traveler

Best place we ate on the Big Island. The restaurant looks new and modern. We needed a place to cool down and relax from a day of hiking and exploring and we found the perfect place. My favorite dish was the mushroom pot pie. The shrimp yakisoba noodles was a bit much and might be more popular for locals because it’s huge.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Archana Ramaswamy

Great view, interesting and flavorful foods. A surprising number of vegetarian options. Drinks were pretty good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Jessica Burkholder

The food was great and our server was awesome!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

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