Grindz

[terracore]

Excellent point, but "reasonably priced" is relative to the person deciding what "reasonable" is. Somebody living in a van down by the river might find a name-brand hot dog unreasonably priced compared to a Walmart brand. Hopefully the OP can use these recommendations and internet searches to find out what works for them.

[allensylves]

Somsamai Style Thai on Furnaux, open for lunch Tuesday to Friday. Sunday she sells papaya salad,etc at Makuu Market. Limited menu but our favorite.

Allen
Finally in HPP

[Iju]

I have one more to add to the above:

Ma'ona Lunch Counter at Shipman Business Park in Keaau. Best hamburger and onion rings at very modest price. Open on weekdays only, I think.

And if you are taking the Four Mile scenic route from Papaiku to Pepeekeo, What's Shakin' has the best fish wrap, very reasonable price. The smoothie is very yummy too.

[birdmove]

Ponds? Not for me. Had a bad experience there and won't go back. If you like Thai food, the New Chiang Mai Thai Cuisine in Hilo. Currently my favorite meal period is the Buddha Rama curry dish they have a special on Tuesday at lunch. I like it so much that I call Tuesdays Buddha Rama Tuesday. Very reasonable prices. Comes with a salad. If you're lucky the salad will be a green papaya one. Their other curry dishes are super good too.

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[Wao nahele wahine]

We like Ponds for lunch, but not for dinner.

Wahine

[benthudd]

Thanks so much for these recommendations. This gives us some great ideas and leads. Last visit, we got stuck in a rut of eating at the Thai restaurant in Pahoa and Thai Thai in Volcano. Not a bad rut to be in at all--but I am determined to do a better job at meal planning this trip. We can't wait!

[hrooster]

Just to add one more: Paapaloa Store in Paapaloa (near Laupahoehoe on Hamakua coast). Food is basic, cheap. Good bar, good pizza. But 1st and 3rd Thursdays are open mic night and lots of great local talent in a cute little place overlooking the ocean.


http://the-hroost.com

[planecharlie]

Miyo's
Hinano Street, Hilo
Homestyle Japanese
Great food
Reasonable prices

[benthudd]

Thanks for everyone’s recommendations! We spent 2 and ½ weeks on the BI in June but didn’t have nearly enough time to sample all the restaurants we wanted to. This is because we took 2 fishing trips (one day with Captain Jeff (caught 1 Ono) and one day on our own with Kona Boat Rental (caught 3 huge Ono)) and ended up with 50 pounds of Ono fillet, which meant that we did a lot of cooking ourselves. Think Bubba on Forest Gump: Blackened Ono, Deep Fried Ono (2 ways), Ono Omelets, Ono pan-fried with mayonnaise (a local tip), Ono Tacos, etc. We had our fill of fish but had fun giving most of it away. Oh—in case you’re wondering, factoring in the cost of the fishing trips, our 50 pounds of Ono wins the prize for the most expensive fish we have ever had!

On the upside—we tried Poke at Susian, Hilo Farmer's Market, Ponds for lunch, Roy’s, Maku'u Market twice, Ken’s, Tex’s Drive In, and Ma'ona Lunch Counter. On the downside--we also bought dried fish in Kona (must be an acquired taste) and allowed the kids to drag us to Jack in the Box (don’t ask).

Thanks again. Maybe next time I can convince my husband to forego fishing and eat out more instead! Although who can complain about an abundance of Ono riches?

[birdmove]

Ono is my favorite fish. Sounds like you had a great trip!