Allen’s Huli Sue’s Barbeque & Grill

This restaurant is now back as The Fish and the Hog with even more sandwiches, salads, barbecue plates, and the terrific banana cream pie with prices to go along. Looks to be the Huli Sue folks so more informal and open for lunch on Saturdays too.
Allen’s Table was v good but hard for the economic times.

My wife and I love this place. The atmosphere is relaxed and open and everyone working there seems very welcoming without being overbearing. Dinners sit around picnic tables and large windows let in tons of light. The food is homemade, simple yet interesting and absolutely delicious. You know someone is doing it right when all the details are attended to – the fruit and little garnishes, for example, are all super fresh and very tasty.
This may not be a place to take the spouse for your anniversary but its a great place to have lunch and just hang out.

It was a dark and stormy night. We were driving from Hilo back to our hotel on Waikoloa Beach, and not many restaurant options presented themselves.
We drove by Huli Sue’s and decided to keep going — from the outside, it looked dark and shady. We didn’t want to any trouble. But the stomach growling was intense, and we turned back. I even told my wife to stay in the car with the engine running while I checked out the place.
All of the above is true.
It turned out to be the best dining experience we had in Hawaii. I ordered the crispy skinned fish while my wife ordered the fried green zebras along with rosemary honey biscuits. The food was incredible, service was outstanding, décor was a bit cold with the high ceiling. Not many people on a Monday evening which was expected.
My understanding is the restaurant changed with new ownership. I’m glad we got to enjoy the «new» Allen’s Table and will be back if we ever visit the Big Island again.

One of the more memorable meals on the big island…
Farm fresh dining, the menu will vary. Friendly staff and affordable dining.
The Dumplings were really good. So was the Garlic Fried Rice. Will def return on our next visit.

To sum it up 5 stars for lunch no stars at all for dinner. I like every aspect about this laid back place during the day when they serve bbq plates of gigantic proportions, dripping with grissle and topped with my favorite kind of onion rings.
Up until recently i believe they have been strictly a bbq shack. This would have garnered a 5++++ star rating from me in all respects. Now for dinner it is some sort of cuisine at a woping $ 30+ dollar a plate. I have no idea what drove this awesome rib shack to pick up a chef and try its hand at fine dining. I wish they would do away with it and just do what they do best.
After surfing all day in Kona then getting into Waimea at 6:30pm, belly aching for a pulled pork sandwich and onion rings its pretty depressing to see a waiter in suit and tie, no bbq, no pints of beers served out of jars (which is awesome) and only candle lit fancy table settings.
The atmosphere is strained to me. A casual back yard porch bbq by day moonlighting as Merriman’s by night. Just doesn’t do it for me. I will never find that place attractive as fine dining and will only go there during the day.

I came here to write a review on one of my favorite restaurants on the big island. they had amazing corn pudding, big onion rings, and some of the best smoky brisket and pork i’ve had, especially on the island. it offered something unique. It took the bbq shack idea to a new place with the local organic ingredients that really packed a punchy flavor. best of all, this could all be had at reasonable prices around $ 20.
now i find out that one of my favorite restaurants is serving up asian-​fusion fare for $ 30+ a plate. I know people will dig it for being apparently different and edgy in a ginger-​soy anglaise food porn sort of way, but I miss the down to earth smoky hunks of meat that used to be offered. As far as what’s offered now, i’ve seen it before, in Merrimans, Thiebaut’s, and Red Water Café. In the mean time, my one star mourns the loss of a great restaurant, and shame that they keep the positive reviews prior to this big change, which reviewed a completely different dining experience

What a cute place to go to. Yes it was a little drive from where I was staying but it was totally worth it. All the reviews were correct. IT’S AMAZING! The BBQ sauce is amazing and very unique. You can waste you time going to all the chain restaurants and having the same ol stuff. Or you can try a local place that will leave you wanting more. There Banana cream pie is the best pie I have ever had in the entire world! Try this place! It’s amazing!

DISCLAIMER: The listing of «BBQ» this falls under is accurate for lunch but NOT dinner. Don’t be misled into thinking this is a BBQ joint if you come for dinner, I would call it «American».
I have to say that because we came for dinner and watched as people walked away thinking they would get Tony Roma’s but they missed out on one of the best dining experiences on the Big Island.
For dinner we had the Goat Taco’s to start with which were amazing! Good portion sizes, excellent flavor and texture and the meat was cooked perfect and tender. We shared the Garlic Grilled Crostono as we are fans of pâté and this was the perfect way to start the meal. Delicious, delectable and decadent… the perfect appetizer!
The main course… Whole Broiled Kampachi. Out of this world. If you haven’t tried this yet you absolutely have to. The skin was crispy without being crunchy, it was cooked perfectly through and the size of the fish was massive. Much larger than we were used to seeing but moist and seasoned perfectly. We still dream of this dinner and it set a standard that will be hard to beat.
Put this on your MUST TRY list but go for dinner if you want to enjoy a true culinary gem.

Best meal on the island. The service was awesome, refills kept coming and our server was super nice. I decided to try the corn pudding. If cornbread and bread pudding had a love child it would be the corn pudding. The pineapple mint tea was more juice than tea, so I didn’t love it. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE BANANA CREAM PIE! UH-​MAZE-​ING!!!
Thick creamy banana custard filling, fluffy whipped cream and rich chocolate. I hate banana cream pie, but this one made me a believer. If you’re on the island, make sure you come to Huli Sue’s. I only wish we had one at home :(

I hate it when people say things like, «I don’t like pie, but this was delicious!» It makes me wonder, well, if I *do* like pie, then perhaps I will think it’s awful.
Call me a hypocrite.
Barbecue is not my favorite meal. And I almost always pass on the cole slaw. But my husband is a big fan of the ‘cue, so we indulge him every once in awhile. I got a pulled pork sandwich, which was delicious, and I ate every bite of my delicious cole slaw. What do they put in that stuff? The other three adults shared the giant sampler platter. Holy cow and pig, that was a lot of food. We got to take some back to the hotel for breakfast.
I loved checking in and seeing local Unilocal friend Nish with his thumbs up review.
Service was friendly and efficient. I don’t know if I’d make the trip just to eat here (or for any barbecue), but we always like to visit this area anyway. I suspect we’ll be back.

We came here for an early dinner. It was hit or miss for us. The service was wonderful, the food: My husbands dinner was probably the best he’s ever had. He had the slow cooked brisket with their homemade BBQ sauce and delicious fries. I can’t even explain in words how incredible this meal was. I kept stealing bites from his plate. The sauce was AMAZING! He couldn’t believe how good it was. I shared the fish tacos with my daughter and we both thought it was average. My son had the quesadillas and he thought they were good as well, not great but good. If you go here, trust me, get their slow cooked brisket with BBQ sauce. trust me! SO SO good!

Excellent BBQ! I had the sampler plate, which I shared. It was. Heaping pile of brisket, pulled pork, spicy chicken, ribs and locally made smoked sausage. My wife got a fish taco and to my surprise they had a pretty awesome mahi mahi fish taco. If you are in Waimea, make the stop. The BBQ is mouth watering. It is a little pricey, but what isn’t in Hawaii?
Yum!!!

Stopped by after a long day exploring Hilo. The portions are huge, but yummy.
I had the fresh fish (Ono) sandwich which was fantastic. My wife had the salad bar and a hot dog. The hot dog was kosher, grilled and a foot long and delicious. Everyone else had the brisket sandwiches with fries. The fries were cut thick and fried to perfection.
Very good place to stop if you are in the Waimea area.

I am definitely a fan and will definitely go back if around Kamuela again. My friend and I shared the bbq sampler for $ 30 which fed us and then some — highly recommended. While we weren’t wowed by the bbq chicken on the sample or the bok choy side, we were wowed with the tender, juicy, tasty ribs, brisket and pork and we enjoyed the baked beans. While I’m not a big on corn pudding my friend thought it was maybe the best she’s had. Please make the milk shakes colder — tasted great but melted too soon. There’s quite a few items on the menu that I’d like to try. Our service was friendly and the restaurant was clean and inviting. Hope I can return some day.

My party of four ordered the sampler plate ($ 30) which comes with two sides after 5pm. Baby Bok Choy and green salad were our choices. Of course we added BBQ Pork Nachos ($ 12). Gosh, was it all sooooooo good. The waitress did not let us over order which was very nice. One of my party members ordered a pineapple mint drink ($ 7) which was oddly refreshing. We all came up for air when the plates were empty and left completely satisfied.

Ultimate Guide raved about this restaurant, so in we go. Like being in an old kitchen, or schoolhouse. Very relaxed. Neat collection of vintage platters on the walls.
Husband raved about the salad bar, what a good variety it had and everything super fresh. We ordered the smoked brisket sandwich and the smoked chicken sandwich. Our eye bugged out when we saw the huge platters that were served to us. An enormous onion ring adorned the top of the sandwich, and the enormous sandwich was matched only by the huge pile of fries. We don’t eat nasty fattening fries. It was impossible to ignore these fries, however. They were well browned on the outside and perfect on the inside.
The smoked meat was amazing! The BBQ sauce was very tasty. The sandwich roll was that yellow Hawaiian bread type of bread, and just delicious.

A bowl of cole slaw accompanied the sandwich order. It was a ridiculously large portion. We ate as much as we could, looked at the amount left over, and agreed that we could have shared that remaining portion easily. The flavor of the cole slaw is enhanced with dill.

Even the coffee was great. The serving size of coffee and the iced tea was huge. There were 4 or 5 huge cakes in a bakery case. It was impossible for us to find the room for dessert, and it was clear that they are well known for their desserts.
Get over the unimpressive appearance of the place. The service was friendly and prompt. The food was unforgettable.

Huli Sues has some tasty comfort Grindz. We started off with the chili cheese fries and all I have to say is daaaaaaaaaang!
We shared the sampler platter with slow roasted pork, melt in your mouth ribs, juicy chicken, and a chunk of brisket. Now I grew up in Austin, TX so we take our BBQ seriously.
Was it worth the price? Sure.
Was it the best BBQ Mr Smidgens has ever consumed? Nah.
They do have some awesome sauces you can request on the side so as not to drown your food. Remember kids​.Mr. Lemon says and sings don’t drown your food. He is always right.
They have a good looking salad bar as well. You should check it out. If you think I am talking to you I probably am.
They make a mean milkshake and they serve all of their drinks in mason jars. The staff is super friendly and the food comes out lickety split.
Next time I am going to try some of their pies. That’s right I said pies. not pie. Don’t judge me.

This was my favorite meal on the island! Husband had the Beef Brisket with Franks Smoked Sausage and Grilled Pineapple Rings and the Paniolo-​Chipotle sauce. I had the Pork Roast which was like a juicy cross between Kahlua Pork and Pulled Pork (in a good way) with the Crackseed sauce which should just be called crack because it’s THAT yummy. For sides I had the Ranch-​Dill Slaw and local grilled veggie — which that day was a buttered and grilled baby bokchoy. We also shared a banana cream pie slice! Oh my! what a pie!
All the meat was tender with a good — but not overpowering — smoky flavor.
Venue has a wonderful Portuguese Hawaiian barn look to it, and the waitstaff is FAST and friendly.

DELICIOUS hand-​cut fries with a little bit of skin on! Great sauces, too — try the sweet and sour li hung mui sauce. the chicken breast meat was a bit dry the day I went, but it’s hard to keep that moist without brining it (guess they don’t?) and the rest of the chicken (and other meats) more than makes up for it with delicious tender tastiness.
The nachos are great, and their drinks are served in huge quart-​sized Mason jars! I like how there’s a little flannel blanket on the back of a chair at each table, in case it gets cold. (You ARE up in the mountains after all!)
They had a rockin’ greek salad on their menu a while back which activated some sort of delicious Greek salad gene in my DNA and I’ve been having them like twice a week ever since, but when I went back this time they didn’t have it! Please bring back the delicious Greek salad, Huli Sue’s! Maybe it’s just a dinner menu thing, but it was SO GREAT! Very lemony dressing with lots of feta and real kalamata olives, not those crappy canned ones. Red onions, more lemon juice, cucumbers, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Heaven!
The ranch-​dill coleslaw is really great — not too creamy, and the dill really works! I’ll have to try it next time I made ‘slaw at home.
This, along with Merriman’s, is one of THE places that we have to hit when we’re in Waimea. Go there!
Ohhh my goodness, I just saw that they do Sunday brunch now. Time for another trip to Hawaii! :)

Someone had mentioned to me that the best bbq (and perhaps only) on the Big Island was to had at Huli Sue’s. I’m not sure if it’s either the very best, or the only, but it’s up there.
After a long drive, we pulled into the parking lot and entered the ramshackle establishment. Our hostess/​waitress was all smile, and motioned us to sit down wherever we’d like.
The menu has all sort of hearty options, outside of the bbq pantheon, like coconut curry, chili, burgers, etc. But come on now, you’ve got to go for the smoked stuff! I went with the chicken (they were already sold out of the pork!), and the Wife went with the beef, and both were rich and scrumptious. Oh, that sauce, quite like none other.
Somehow, make room for one of their humongous slices of pie, the banana crème will do just fine.