Big Island Grinds

I don’t understand why people love these so much. They are hard, bland and stale.

They do taste really good with coffee though. Maybe it’s the Hawaiian version of biscotti?

Well, maybe I do understand them after all. Good cookies these are.

Mt View Bakery Inc
18-1319 Old Volcano Rd
Mountain View, HI
(808) 968-6353

Honolulu, Oahu

It smells so good everytime I visit (or pass) here. They make one of the best cups of coffee!

That big contraption in the middle of the store is a coffee roaster. I see them actually using it sometimes, so this might be why the coffee tastes so fresh.

I was lucky on my visit because their coffee of the day was the Kona Peaberry, a special type of coffee berry that less than 5% of the entire crop yields.

The flavor is much more intense and a bit sweeter than regular Kona coffee. It’s just hard to describe how happy this made me!

Also ordered was a Cafe Mocha.

Not too sweet with the espresso flavor still dominating, this was an excellent mocha!

Honolulu Coffee Company
Ala Moana Shopping Center, Upper Level
1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Space #3066
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 949-1500

Bear’s Coffee is a wonderful little street-side cafe located in Downtown Hilo. They open late for breakfast and stay open for lunch too. It’s one of my favorite places to go on a slow weekend morning!

The outdoor tables add a nice touch, especially since it’s downtown Hilo. Lots of people frequent here to read a newspaper, sip some coffee, and relax.

Inside is a really cozy atmosphere with fresh orchids on every table and lots of stuffed bears on the wall. The smell of strong coffee fills the air, instantly waking me up. I couldn’t wait to order my first cup of coffee!

After a couple minutes we were served some water and given the menus. The service is really friendly here.

You can click on the menus to view a large version.

Soon later, I ordered a cup of coffee ($1.50).

The coffee here is sooo good! Brewed strong and dark with great flavor. This was a Kona blend. They often rotate their house coffee, but they also have other blends brewed, which you can request. This is some of the best coffee I’ve ever had in Hilo.

My friend ordered a cafe mocha ($3.00).

It tasted very strong and the chocolate had a nice bitter taste to it. It wasn’t too sweet either. They don’t really mess around with their espresso or chocolate.

After a few sips of coffee we ordered our food.

I ordered a waffle with papaya and apple bananas ($4.50). I usually don’t order the waffle with fruits, but since this is for you guys, I thought I’d go all out and add some color.

The waffles here are AMAZING! The outside is surprisingly crispy and the inside is very light, soft, and fluffy. It has a wonderful light malt flavor. Hands down the best waffle in Hilo. The papayas and bananas were nice and sweet. You can also order a waffle with blueberries or strawberries.

Also ordered were the souffled eggs ($3.25) with cheddar cheese (+$0.65) and ham (+$1.00). It also comes with a choice of english muffin, multi-grain, russian rye, or raisin toast.

The menu says that the eggs are “steamed light and fluffy on our espresso machine”. The eggs were very light and fluffy, but they tasted just a little dry, perhaps because they were steamed? The cheddar cheese and ham was really good, though, and there are a wide range of other toppings which you can add on.

With the great food, nice service, and great prices, I always enjoy it here at Bears, and after one more coffee refill, I was completely satisfied!

Bear’s Coffee
106 Keawe
Hilo, HI 96720
Tel. (808) 935-0708
Cash or Personal Checks only

Ken’s House of Pancakes is a legend in Hilo. Located on the corner of a busy intersection near the hotels and the airport, locals and tourists alike flock to this seemingly always busy restaurant for their huge fluffy 3-egg omelettes, sumo sized saimins and loco mocos, burgers, oxtail stew, and a whole array of local and American foods. Also, where else can you go for a sit-down meal at 3am in the morning in Hilo? Ken’s is the only place!

Here is a sampling of their menu. Notice the Sumo Moco at the bottom!

From the menu:
“Sumo” Moco - This is a serious “bell ringer”. 6 scoops rice, choice of spam (4), 5 oz. Lean “Home Grown” beef patty (2), or 6 oz. mahi-mahi. Gravy + 3 eggs any style. *drool*

Ken’s has a relatively new thing going on that when anyone orders a “Sumo” menu item such as the Sumo Moco or the Sumo Min (a huge amount of saimin and garnishes), they ring this bell really loud…

…and all the waitresses/waiters yell a resounding, “SUMO”!!!!!!! They seem to have gotten it down to a science already, with perfect timing. Even the regulars join in and yell “SUMO”!!!! It gets especially louder as the clubbing-folk stumble in after the night is over.

The people at Ken’s are very warm and full of the aloha spirit. Even at the most crowded times, you can see that they are under pressure, but they still keep their cool and are nice and attentive. It feels like a big family in there.

On this visit, we sat at the counter since there were no seats available. The cooks and waitresses were going at it full blast.

Here’s their counter setup. The ketchup and tabasco is offered when the food comes.

I ordered the “Pocho” (under $7).

3 eggs with portuguese sausage, onions, and cheddar cheese. Don’t mistake this for one of their omelettes… their omelettes are bigger and fluffier. I ordered this since I wasn’t feeling hungry enough for their huge omelettes. The eggs were soft and the portuguese sausage was tasty. I put shoyu and tabasco all over.

It also came with pancakes.

Ken’s pancakes are deliciously fluffy and yummy. They also have coconut and lilikoi syrup by request, which is a great option! Although these aren’t the best pancakes I’ve had, they are still very good.

Also ordered was their Oxtail Stew (~$10).

The oxtails are extremely tender and the tomato-based stew has a deep, rich flavor. The serving is very generous, with lots of oxtail. Carrots and celery accompany the oxtails. On the side is mac salad and 2 scoops rice. Tabasco is highly recommended for dis one! I know you guys stay drooling already!

On another visit, I had a loco moco, which I just have to include here!

Ken’s loco moco is one of the better loco mocos in Hilo. The hamburger patty is big and freshly grilled. The gravy is homemade and is lighter (in color) than the regular packaged brown gravy used by most places, but it also tastes better than most places. The gravy matches the loco really well. The eggs (it came with two, but you can’t really tell in the picture) were cooked just right. At $5.45, it’s a more expensive loco moco, but still a good deal for a nice sit-down place.

Also really good are Ken’s fries, served by the basket (shown halfway eaten already).

The fries are really crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Excellent.

A pancake house has to have good coffee, and Ken’s coffee is always hot, fresh, and rich.

They keep a thermos container full of coffee at your table so that you can drink as much as you like.

Hilo is very lucky to have Ken’s House of Pancakes and I couldn’t wait to feature them on here.

Ken’s House of Pancakes
1730 Kamehameha Ave.
Hilo , HI 96720
(808) 538-1877
Open 24 hours.