Kaleo’s Bar and Grill

We enjoyed the food very much. We got fresh fish Ono and Ahi. My husband (who doesn’t eat such food normally) said, they can prepare healthy food that tastes realy delicious! And the dessert — Brownie with Icecream — was just awesome!
They have nice waiters there and also live music in the afternoon.

The nicest restaurant in Pahoa and the yummiest. Our family had the ribs, chicken katsu, fresh Ono w a volcanic rub and pineapple salsa, and the chicken stir fry– all delicious and affordable. And the kaluha wontons for our appetizer was ah-​mazing. The restaurant had wonderful ambience. A true gem of Pahoa. Attentive and polite wait staff plus live music. And the desserts were awesome. We did the lillikoi cheesecake, lava cake, and ice cream brownie sundae. I thought the cheesecake was the best– it even had lillikoi seeds in it.
We will return for sure on our next visit!

Decided to go back to this place and have lunch after having a wonderful dinner there a few months ago. They had talked about doing a Happy Hour back then but still wasnt offered. Much unlike our initial visit it had only a hand full of diners and missing the lively entertainment that makes evenings so special. We ordered the coconut calamari as our appetizer once again because it had been the best we’d ever had. This time is was still really good but the first time cooked to perfection, this time a little more chewy. We ordered a couple of fancy cocktails and again lacked that boozy kick for the hefty price. For our entrees hubby ordered the shrimp pasta which came with garlic toast and green salad. He seemed pleased but based on being in a med. size soup bowl I assumed it must be a lunch portion and lunch price. I ordered the flank steak salad, it too came on a side salad plate forcing a problem when trying to cut into bite size portions spilling lettuce onto the table. Not sure why the small dishware as the bill still reflected full price. My steak portion was good either way but the salad underneath was skimpy as were the toppings. Hubby had about 3 large shrimp, not sure that justifies the price. We ordered another round of drinks trying something different, they were again just OK. So the bill comes and for 1 App, 2 lunch size entrees, 4 cocktails the total came to 85.00!!! Now mind you had we been there during the evening surrounded by the great Hawaiian live entertainment, had full portions and drinks that you could tell had alcohol in them this would have been fine as it was on our first visit (other than drink issue), but this experience left us disappointed.

Incredibly friendly and attentive wait staff. The pork was the best I had on the island, and the ambiance was perfect. The live music was amazing. An impromptu hula dance from the hostess was the cherry on top.

I loved the live music! Our server was friendly as well. The food was okay, not bad but this wouldn’t be a destination restaurant for me. It was kind of something you’d cook at home.

We came because of the reviews. And they weren’t lying! We had the surf and turf very generous portion huge crab legs pre-​cracked thank goodness, and my husband had the Korean Ribs Oh My Goodness Tender goodness huge serving! We asked for a cool seat and got one right in front of the AC :) they don’t open the windows till evening so other seats can be warm. Nice atmosphere we came in celebration of our 40^th anniversary and were not disappointed!

Kaleo’s is the best restaurant in Pahoa and one of the best restaurant’s on the Big Island.
I LOVE the Kal Bi Ribs, I could literally eat them every day (no joke — when I was living on the island I would have them at least twice a week). The Lilikoi Cheesecake is another must have — especially if you’re just visiting, it’s nearly impossible to find lilikoi on the Mainland.
If you’re going for dinner reservations are recommended, Kaleo’s gets really busy. They can accommodate surprisingly large parties in the patio — again reservations would be recommended for that.
The fish is FRESH, the owner is almost always there, the servers are amazing (and will quickly get to know you if you’re regular enough), there is usually a live performer for the dinner service, and the ambiance is lovely.

Love love love the place. The food is amazing and the wait staff is sweet and attentive. I even had to say no more water as my glass never was empty!
I have been here twice now and have to say I am impressed.
Keep it up!
Heart you guys:)

We stopped here for lunch when we were going circle island and I could not be more happy that we did. We started with two appetizers, kalua pork won tons and the ahi roll. Both were amazing and we ate them all up quickly. My sister and I got the tempura Mahi and wow, I can’t say enough about how fresh and delicious they were. My mom and Auntie’s salads were also very good and while the table next to us had a slight service hitch, ours was very good.
We will be back again and I can’t wait!

This is a great, low-​key spot to enjoy a nice dinner. I came last week Saturday and again tonight, and I was impressed both times. I ordered the prime rib, which they only offer Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was awesome, which is why I came back a second time! They sold out tonight, which makes sense since it was so good. It’s 12oz, which is way too much for me for one meal, but makes a great lunch the next day… This time I tried the lava cake; it looks nice and tasted ok, but I’ll skip it next time.
Both times there was a live musician, different each time, but both very good. It creates a nice ambiance, and isn’t too loud, which is often the case with live music.
The staff here are great too, I was seated in Tony’s section outside both times. He not only remembered my name, but also my drink order. He’s probably the sweetest, most genuine guy I’ve encountered in a long time. He clearly loves people, and his job. He’s attentive, but not over the top, which was nice. Treated me like an old friend, which will make me come back every time I’m in the area.
Overall it’s a great place to have a casual meal with the family, or friends, or even a romantic dinner for a special occasion. I dig this place…

I’m a local and a regular. This has often been our date night spot or friends birthday dinner location. I do have a favorite which is the lemon caper cream chicken with brown rice and mixed veggies (try to eat healthy) but love the burgers as well. I’ve tried the pasta to my favorite steak salad and even the filet tips and mushroom cream. I love it all. The ribs are yummy but size always changes so we often skip that and the kalbi is also a hit and miss, but tonight was a hit! The desert is delicious and the cheese cake is the best.

I’ve frequented this place probably 15 times, & in the PAST I’d give this place 4.5 stars. This is a combined scoring based on the overall experience; food, quick friendly service, the Liliko’i cheesecake, & the awesomeness of sharing my meal with countless darling geckos.
However, we ate lunch here last week & I was embarrassed to have raved about it to my parents only to be greatly disappointed by several factors as listed below.
1.) Mom’s burger was ordered med-​rare but was delivered VERY well done (dry & gray), while my Dad’s was perfect. How?
2.) Kailua pork & cabbage: Small dish of 70% cabbage, 15% shred pork, & 15% big glob of pork fat. Yuk!
3.) Fish wrap: mostly rice, served in a greatly fractured spinach tortilla so you had to eat it with a fork. I can understand it breaking apart WHILE eating it, but for the staff to actually see it & SERVE it like that is poor form.
4.) Fish taco special: biggest joke of all, see picture! Watery mess from the slaw macerated the tortilla & actually served an approx 1oz chunk of cold fish, yet also overcooked, & burnt on one side!
So the entire meal was pretty upsetting (except the Liliko’i cheesecake which is worth dying for). Since we’ve had far more good meals there than bad, we gave it another try tonight, but shouldn’t have.
Started with Ahi tempura appetizer which we’ve had in the past & was tasty. Tonight it wasn’t fried in light flakey tempura as advertised. Instead it had nearly a ¼″ thick layer of oil-​laden batter with a layer of panko as well. The Ahi was minute in quantity– only present in the visible part of the roll & just rice throughout the rest. But most disturbing was the «fresh» Ahi was GRAY not red! Needless to say, we didn’t order any dinner there, but took some cheesecake to go (hey, we’re not too proud to skip the only good part ;)
Such a bummer. Fortunately staff is still great, fast, cheesecake is bomb, & the entertaining geckos alone are worth 3+ stars, but I’m so disappointed in the decreased quality of food.

Delicious food, awesome staff, and a very comfortable atmosphere, with tasteful live music almost every night; this is the best place for dinner in Pahoa.
We visited Kaleo’s 4 or 5 times during our 2 week stay in Pahoa. The food was top quality. We loved the Coconut Shrimp, Mahi Rolls, and Seared Ahi Sashimi appetizers. I loved the Volcano Fresh Fish, and my Dad loved the Special, Prime Rib… so bomb! The dessert is on point too! The cheesecake… Oh my!!! Rich, amazing taste, heaven-​like?
Bethany is awesome. Honestly, probably the best bartender I’ve ever had. Her sweet, caring attitude definitely drew us back a few times. Her rockin’ smile didn’t hurt either :) AND, she makes a killer Mojito. Ask her to add some fruit purée to add a new dimension to the classic mint drink.
Like I said, Kaleo’s is the best place for dinner in Pahoa, hands down. If I were you, I’d be headed here right now!

MAHALO!!!
On our baby moon we decided to have lunch here after a long and amazing day at the tide pools. We showed up at 3 ish and the place was empty but we were seated and started to look over the menu. Everything sounded really tasty. We decided to start with the pork wontons. Super good. We polished that off and decided to split the special. Fresh mahi mahi tacos with sweet potato fries. The tacos had and awesome mango salsa and the fries were crispy and you could tell very fresh. Our server was very attentive and our drinks were never empty.
I felt like the dining options on this side of the island were limited so this was a breath of fresh air! It for sure was one of my favorite meals. Also the price was right!

I ordered the pulled bbq pork sandwich which comes with lettuce, pickles and tomato on the side, which I think is weird but a personal preference. It also came with what the server called onion rings i think but it was all one ball of onion dipped in beer batter, with the center of the ball still wet and uncooked.
The tomato was old and soft. The french fries on my plate, which my girlfriend ordered were undercooked for the most part. Quite firm still. My salad which was served on my girlfriends plate had a piece of old lettuce. The dressing was not tossed into the salad. The julienned carrots were served at the bottom of the salad. Very hard to get off the plate. The bbq pork sandwich was not to bad without the weird toppings. It had a large piece of fat in it though.
My girlfriend ordered the BBQ Cheddar bacon burger medium and was served medium well. She enjoyed the burger all right so she said.
My server asked me if everything was OK and I told her about the tomato, fries and onion rings because I hadn’t gotten to the rest of the food yet to say anything. She took it to the kitchen but they only refried the onion ball.
The parking lot is watched by a kid employed by the restaurant for security which is a nice touch with all these drunkards walking around town. Made me feel safer with leaving my car there to walk down the street to get pizza after the bummer here.
I would not return here or recommend this place based upon my first experience.

Pahoa is a quaint little town with a big personality.
A quick check with Unilocal and we’re off to Kaleo’s for lunch.
Kalua pork won tons as our starter. Fantastic!
Da kine burger for me. It seriously rocked. Honest ingredients deliciously prepared.
Blackened fish BLT for Mrs. Delish! Very flavorful and fresh!
BTW, the mango margarita was solid.
But the must-​have is the lilikoi cheesecake. I don’t have the literary ability to describe the ginormous flavor of this wondrous, magical offering. Just know you will remember this tasty treat for years to come.
This local gem is definitely worth visiting.

Excellent food. We actually had one of our best meals on the island here. We came in for a late lunch after taking the scenic drive on route 137.
We ordered the ahi poke and it did not disappoint us, one can hardly go wrong ordering poke anywhere on the island.
For the main course we ordered the coconut crusted shrimp and coconut chicken curry. The food arrived very quick. Both dishes came with a side of rice. The chicken curry was just so good, very creamy, rich and perfectly seasoned. The coconut crusted shrimp could easily be the best fried shrimp dish we have ever had. The crust with the coconut flakes was perfectly crunchy.
The portions were just right for our appetite. Service was great. I would recommend everyone who visits Hilo to try this place out, worth the 40 minute drive.

If you’re staying in Hilo and are looking for a dinner spot after visiting Punalu’u Beach, this place is a great stop. We arrived around 7pm and were greeted by friendly staff and a band playing local music. I started with a refreshing Lilikoi mojito, then went on to order the following to share:
Kalua pork wontons– generous portions of pork filling, crispy, with a delicious sauce. I recommend this dish if you only order one appetizer!
Ahi tempura roll– the parking attendant kept raving about this so we made sure to order it. The ahi is fresh and is perfectly crisp, however, wished there was a little more kick in the sauce!
Sesame crusted ahi– Ahi and Mahi were the fish of the day and you can order it in 4 different ways. We decided to get it crusted in sesame and extra raw! The fish was fresh but we wished it had been flavored a bit more before being crusted in the sesame. The brown rice and accompanying vegetables on the other hand were flavorful and was a perfect partner to the ahi. $ 28 was market price.
Fried banana– 4 pieces of hot fried banana with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. What’s not to love?!
We enjoyed the romantic atmosphere and good service here! Only 30 minutes from Hilo if you’re willing to make the drive.

This place has something for everyone. A wide variety of food and cocktails. Live music as well! We love their kalua wontons and calamari. Never disappointed here. We tend to eat here on special occasions like birthdays and other celebrations! Just took my dad here for his birthday and we weren’t let down. We make the drive from Hilo to Pahoa for this gem!

This is still about the best restaurant in this whole quadrant of the island, so I’ll give ‘em 5 stars.
In a celebratory mood following the historic Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, we found ourselves at Kehena beach and then Kaleo’s. We sat on the porch out front since we didn’t have reservations. Got to witness a rock fight between two Pahoans across the street… local color. The young guy guarding your car in Kaleo’s private parking lot was very nice. Be sure to tip him.
I hadn’t been for a few years and was looking forward to seeing what was new … and somewhat disappointed that the menu still seemed pretty much identical to my last visit in 2012. Waitress was the highlight… loved her. Disappointed by our Mai Tais which were just too sweet. Bartender needed help and drinks seemed to be running late throughout the restaurant. Kalua pork wontons were good, as was the «island favorite» sirloin tips in brandy cream sauce. Although it seemed like a smaller portion than I remembered from years past. Kind of felt like like somebody new cooking menu items devised by a different chef a few cycles previous.
That’s all my gripes. Overall we had a great time, enjoyed our meal, and definitely recommend eating here.
2 drinks, 2 apps, 2 «island favorite» entrees, one dessert, tax and tip… $ 100.