23 Best Japanese Restaurants in Hilo

“Stop here for breakfast and try the different foods. The food was amazing and the staff were very helpful when helping to pick out what we wanted. A full box and 2 juices was only about $17 so worth the price! The photo here shows how excited we were to dig in and not capture all the food! There isn't places to sit and eat but we found a nice park to enjoy it at.“

“It's in an industrial area & building. The fried chicken is so good. Lightly battered & perfectly cooked. Everything on my plate was gluten-free. I felt very safe eating here.

Dietary restrictions: Gluten-free fried chicken & knowledgable staff.“

“I love Hilo lunch shop, they are the best okazuya shop on the island. I can't really say there's anything that I've had that I didn't like, and I've tried more than half of what they have on their menu. My favorite is the maki sushi, nori chicken, and hash. I'd recommend getting their dipping sauce as well, which is usually included at the end (Get extra sauce, it tastes good on a bunch of their food items).

I feel like there's always a line, so be prepared for that. The wait can be 15-20 minutes long at times before they take your order. There's not a whole lot of space for the people in line, so it gets a little cramped in there. And there is no seating, so be prepared to take your food to go.

I haven't perfected the perfect time to show up. If you go too early, sometimes not all the food is made. If you go too late, they do run out of food quickly. I've heard the best is to call in your order so you can hopefully get everything you're trying to order.“

“Okonomiyaki and sashimi omakase and miso salmon are my favs! Miso ramen is yummy.“

“Good food.. perfect noodle soup..“

“This place is fast and the service and taste are consistently good. Some of my favorites are the fried tofu curry, spicy ramen, teriyaki chicken, mushroom skewers, miso eggplant, and potstickers. They make a pretty brownie sundae for dessert. There is an ice cream place next door that is open during the day too. They are open on Mondays which is notable in Hilo. We like to make reservations here for family parties, but there are usually tables available for walk-ins. You can definitely eat here during your lunch hour. This place is very clean and quiet with pleasant instrumental music.“

“Poke cake Best ever Ever“

“If you're into Classical Japanese dishes, this place is worth checking out. They offer a variety of traditional options, and we tried the Chirashi Sushi along with a Dinner featuring Fried Fish, Chicken Katsu, and Pork Shogayaki. The food overall was good, with everything tasting fresh. However, our experience was hindered by slow service – we had to wait quite a while for our dishes and any additional requests. On a positive note, the green tea dessert was a tasty end to our meal.“

“The food is always excellent - the ceviche is amazing! Reservations are a must - staff is friendly and knowledgeable.“

“Small Japanese takeout restaurant with super fresh poke. The poke is unbelievably fresh and seasoned to perfection. I had the poke bowl with spicy and shoyu poke that came with sushi rice and seaweed salad. They also had bentos & sushi available. The staff (cashier and cook) were very helpful. I absolutely recommend giving their food a try.“

“Almost everything can be made vegan. My niece’s daughter was with us. She doesn’t like any sauces. The chef made plain noodles with just a little garlic and soy sauce. It’s a small restaurant that also makes bento boxes for the local KTA market.“

“Brown rice sushi Intricate sauces Fresh“

“Drinks and everything we got were soo delicious!! Husband got the chinese fish which is the snapper as of right now and I got the pan seared duck. Also got the soup of the day which is the potato soup and got a sushi roll. Will definitely be back here if we ever come back to The Big Island!“

“Very busy at 7pm on a Thursday. Didn't take more then 5 mins to be seated. Service was very polite and fast. Fuji Mountain Roll and Okinawa Roll tasted great with fresh ingredients and right temperatures for Tempura. Shumai (Shrimp Dumpling) looked like tater tots but tasted great with good crunchy exterior and soft hot insides. 5 Piece Sashima was average size pieces of good quality and 5 different fish. Very clean very fresh tasting with great texture. Overall great experience and well come back.“

“Awesome drive in walk up window service style food. The best French fries around and tasty burgers. They have local favorites as well including breakfast. Outside dining only or food to go. Popular with the early morning blue collar workers and always seems busy for breakfast and lunch. We went before the lunch crowd showed up so service was pretty quick. It was a little more expensive than I would have expected. Two burgers, 2 fries, and 2 sodas was around $35. However, I will definitely be back and look forward to trying their Loco moco next time.“

“So....I've passed this place for years and somehow never eaten here, and finally we did.

I am a huge fan of places that serve kimchi fried rice...it's one of my favorite things to eat. You have to love kimchi to like it... keep that in mind.

This one was solid, but I was really surprised about the teriyaki chicken...honestly it was one of the best I've eaten in Hilo town. I highly recommend this dish if you like the rice, but if not, the chicken was yummy, can't go wrong with that!

My husband ordered the mochiko chicken.
The plate sizes are way bigger than we expected, so it makes the price seem reasonable.
I couldn't stop eating his lol!!! It was super crispy and moist on the inside....I definitely couldn't make it like this at home! So we both ? recommend the mochiko chicken.

Honestly, I can't wait to go back...the menu is huge! JAPANESE AND KOREAN and some American things for people who would rather have that. Go check it out.

Do keep in mind this is a local place, not fast food... so have patience with the servers and know it's worth the wait if you go in during a rush time when it's full.“

“Amazing food. Had the chirashi chefs choice. Great service. Tea was tastey. Only eight spots to sit around in a sushi bar set up. Reservations required. Had a ring a bell to get in.

Parking: Parking stalls directly in front. Lots of stalls in the lots bit it is a bit chaotic.“

“Small, cozy place. I got a bento box that was ready to go and some spam musubi. The meat in the bento box was delicious! I really liked how the bento boxes were already created. I think you can get custom orders, but I like the grab and go option.“

“I found my favorite restaurant in Hilo on the Big Island.I recommend the ribs & spice chicken combo. Of the 4 side dishes, I don't recommend the japchae because it's too spicy.Noodles are also good when you're craving hot soup.You can order without tip and eat in the common area or To Go.“

“Great sushi at a really fair price! Everything is freshly prepared on site, you can practically see the chef doing it.
It seems to be exclusively food to-go, but that doesn't bother me at all.
We actually ate the 30 pieces menu as a couple and were pleasantly full.
I can really only recommend it.“

“This hole-in-the-wall restaurant was a little tricky to find, but well worth it. The food was delicious, especially the Teriyaki meat. I'm not a huge meat eater, but wow was that good. Not a scrap left on the plate. The rest of my family who ate here agreed that it was delicious and would come back for the Teriyaki alone. They also have many awards displayed in their store, so it seems the locals agree.“

“On June 16, 2021, my mom, husband, and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Izakaya Miyo after a long, stressful year. It's a prix fixe menu ($99 per person at the time). I highly recommend this restaurant to celebrate a special occasion or just to treat yourself. Chef Louis Pauole is very warm and friendly and explains each dish to you. This is not just a meal, but it is a memorable experience for the senses. Every dish is both beautiful and delicious! Standing ovation!“

“My first time eating at Genki Sushi by myself. There was a 20% dine in promotion happening. Service was quick, efficient, and friendly. Atmosphere was enjoyable, quiet enough where you could have a conversation with someone. I appreciated the menu since there were photos of each of the dishes-no guessing required. Ordered four dishes and enjoyed every one.“