Verna’s Drive In
So it’s 4am in rainy Hilo, you’re partied out, and you got major munchies. Where to go? “Ken’s!”, you may say. Others say, “Verna’s!”
I lived in Hilo all this time and only recently, with the guidance of some friends (I’m a sheltered boy), did I realize that Verna’s is open 24 hours on weekend nights. This experience really opened my eyes… finally some variety after midnight on the weekends!
Verna’s is located right across Ken’s on the other side of the street corner.
Another picture during the day:
At this hour there were a bunch of rowdy people hanging out in the parking lot, possibly eating some Verna’s food, and a few people ordering and waiting for their food.
Here are the menus posted on the front window (click to zoom). They get some real local kine grindz!
I was advised that the teri burgers are good here, which made me overjoyed since I love teri burgers. Teri burger ($1.70) it is!
I’m not sure if it was the beer, but this burger tasted simply amazing! The burger patty was nice and thick, cooked just right, very moist and tender, and the teriyaki flavor went throughout all of the meat like they marinated it. Just the right amount of mayo and one piece of lettuce was applied to the burger, which worked really well. The bun was nice and soft, soaking up all the teri-goodness. Only thing that would make this burger better was if it was flame-broiled.
I also managed to steal some fries. Hey, it’s some fries and a shaka.
Fries are to a teri burger like rice is to pork adobo. They are essential to have together! Although these fries were good, they could’ve been more crisp on the outside. I wasn’t complaining though.
After a great teri burger experience, I had to come back to Verna’s to try some of their other food…
Verna’s Loco Moco ($2.95)
I had high hopes on this one, especially since the guy in front of me ordered two loco mocos. Unfortunately, this loco moco was very bad. The burger was overcooked, and somewhat dry, with not much flavor. The gravy was very basic, too salty, and uninspiring. The egg was overcooked (the yolk was partially hardened). The rice was slightly overcooked too. Bummers.
Chicken Katsu ($5.70)
This was a different style of chicken katsu, which uses a different kind of breading, more similar to fried chicken. It tasted good, but it felt like I was eating cut up chicken patties instead. On the plus side, the chicken was moist and flavorful. The sauce was also ok – not too sweet. I don’t think I would order this again, just because I prefer panko breading.
Kamuela Special ($5.95)
The Kamuela Special consists of fried noodles with teri beef and mac salad. Nice concept, but the noodles tasted a bit bland and the teri beef was too sweet and over-flavored. The mac salad was not bad, though.
So, what’s the verdict? Ken’s or Verna’s? That’s a tough one since I have more eating experiences at Ken’s. It also depends on what you want to eat. Burgers? Verna’s. Loco Moco? Ken’s. Low on cash? Verna’s! Want real local style drive inn food? Verna’s.
I’m sure Verna’s has a lot more to offer than the dishes I’ve tried, and I will definitely go back for the teri burger and other offerings.
Verna’s Drive In
1765 Kamehameha Ave
Hilo HI 96720
Phone: 808-935-2776
October 23rd, 2005 at 6:21 am
I was craving for good old Hilo loco moco and went to Cafe 100. Was complete disappointed as theirs seem to be a frozen patty and dry. I was still craving for a good loco moco and tried Verna’s. I agree with you on Verna’s loco moco. Wasn’t very happy. A good loco moco seems to be so elusive nowadays.
You know how us “visitors from Honolulu” always looking for Big Island smoke meat to take back with us. I was surprised Verna’s served smoke meat and onions plate lunch. At least that craving was satisfied.
October 24th, 2005 at 12:42 am
ugh…verna’s. i dunno if they cleaned up the place, but the one and only time i went there, it was naaaasty! there were bugs flying around in the kitchen and there were, i swear, at least a hundred huge roaches in the restroom….i refused to order anything and refuse to ever go there again. also, a friend of ours found a roach tucked neatly at the bottom of his meal!!! cafe 100 is another place i refuse to eat…there were feathers still connected to the chicken i ordered and it totally grossed me out! it still gives me the heebee jeebees just thinking about those two places!
October 24th, 2005 at 5:58 am
I guess after a night of partying …a dry overcooked Loco doesn’t matter much to the wasted mouth…. but to a “pro” like James, it must have been a nightmare.
October 25th, 2005 at 10:25 am
James – It seems that you have more options for late night eating in Hilo then we do here in San Diego, inless you want Denny’s or a Taco Shop you’re S-O-L.
October 25th, 2005 at 6:16 pm
Hi James,
Just got back from Kona and I have to say that I was surprised that everything closed so early. On Saturday, places like the Manago Hotel closed at 7:30 pm! YIKES….
I love teriburgers and especially ones that contain homemade patties. That one looks so good right now! =P
October 27th, 2005 at 8:24 am
lance, sorry about your bad loco moco experiences
next time let me know when you are here and we can grind some good ones! yeah, verna’s get really local style stuff on their menu!
lope, that sounds disgusting, but hey i’m filipino and have a really good immune system
as long as taste good and nothing weird in my food, i’m cool and don’t want to know what’s back there! haha
dean, lol.. well that’s what scares me.. when i tried the loco moco i was totally sober. i also tried the teri burger later on sober and it wasn’t as good (but still good!)… i think the teri burgers taste best in the wee hours because it was given time to marinate… dont’ get the ones in the morning where they just start to marinate them, i guess.
Kirk, I would’ve thought San Diego got lots of late night options. Ewww I hate denny’s! Taco shops…. mmmm. no late night loco mocos?
Those are the best.
Reid, I was sad you wasn’t able to come to Hilo side! Manago hotel closed at 7:30? man… I thought I remember eating there later than that. They supposed to have a mean pork chop. Where did you eat? I’ll keep a close eye on your food blog
Speaking of teri burgers, i’ve seen some reviews of yours with teri burgers at drive in’s… I will def check them out next time I’m on Oahu!
March 25th, 2006 at 10:16 am
I love their tag line: “If no can, no can. If can, Verna’s!” This place has been every kind of restaurant. I remember back in the day when it was Dairy Queen!
I feel sorry for the people who work their, no AC!
June 12th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Verna’s teri burger with Swiss cheese…ono! Das ’nuff fo me!! =)
August 14th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Hey! Thanks for putting a post about Verna’s.. I tried looking for some review on Yelp! But that didn’t help. Haha. I’m from San Francisco so our Hawaiian food consists of only Japanese BBQ with a slab of mac salad on the side. =/ So I was hoping to find more local style type of food in Hilo. =)
I’m moving to Hilo for college this coming week & I asked my friend who’s from Kona to recommend some good late night dining places and she told me to go to Verna’s. She seems to be very happy about the food there but reading your post made me feel iffy. I guess I’m just going to have to try it out on my own.
But, thanks again for the post! Pretty helpful!
March 12th, 2009 at 8:17 am
it depends on who is cooking the food. some cooks are lazy and dont care about the quality. i have tried everything on the menu. i live in the mainland now and if i were to go back to hilo. i would eat at verna’s.
October 25th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
I was curious about Verna’s, since it a local establishment – I thought I’d give it a try since my family always go to Ken’s House of Pancakes when we are in Hilo. Verna’s was quite disappointing; it was less than mediocre. The loco moco gravy was quite blaaah and the patty was too salty. Our family all agreed, we will stick with Ken’s House of Pancakes; their food is always ono, they give good portions and the service is great.
July 19th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I wish on the mainland we had something close to Verna’s . I have been craving a local bowl since i left there last summer . Love the food and everything . miss you .
Christina
March 27th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
I love Verna’s Ono Burger!
June 9th, 2011 at 7:11 am
I’ve been gone 7 years and I can’t wait for my return next month, just so I can eat a Shrimp Burger ~
January 28th, 2012 at 2:54 pm
iPhone…
[...]Big Island Grinds » Verna’s Drive In[...]…
June 20th, 2012 at 6:58 am
dean…..bra ..HAAAAAWAIAN..LOL
June 20th, 2012 at 6:58 am
hooooo ba, vernas katsu wit da korean sauce..
July 10th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Just ordered a Teri loco at vernas waited 30 min for it and got an over cooked plain loco. Service is bad and a disappointing meal all around. Don’t think I’ll go back. Kens is right across the street.
July 11th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
This place was filthy I would rather go to a McDonald than eat at a place like that.
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