Quite literally "over the edge," Huggo's allows patrons to enjoy both ocean side dining and premiere seafood dishes. The dishes can be taken to go and enjoyed at the pier nearby, in a park or just down the road while watching the surf. While taking in the view of spectacular Kailua Bay, be sure to sample one of the house specialties — steamed clams and flavorful garlic chicken earn particular nods. After dinner, make your way to thatch-roofed Huggo's on the Rocks, a popular outdoor bar and dance club whose specialty drinks and beautiful clientele always ensure a great time.
Recommended for Take Out because: Huggo's serves delicious local seafood dishes that can be enjoyed at nearby beaches.
Jade's expert tip: Enjoy your meal down the street and watch the surf from the beach.
Just across the street from the cruise port, the pub at the Big Island's most famous brewery is a terrific place to wind down after shopping. Brewery tours are quick and personal — an added bonus is that visitors over 21 get to sample the products. Kona's on premises brewpub serves cold mugs of the brewery's top sellers, including Fire Rock Pale, Pacific Golden Ale, and Longboard Lager, and the cozy setting easily pulls you in, making it difficult to leave. Great Hawaiian influenced pub grub — pizzas, salads, and sandwiches — is also available. Sample what's in season since the rest of the brews can be found all year long.
Recommended for Take Out because: Offering delicious pizzas and burgers, the brewing company served ideal food to take to eat at a nearby beach.
Jade's expert tip: Order pizzas and enjoy them down the street on the Kailua Pier.
Read more about Kona Brewing Company: Kailua-Kona Pub & Brewery →
"For beer lovers, by beer lovers" is the slogan at Humpy's Alehouse where a huge array of beers on tap and really good bar food make for happy days and fun filled nightlife. Humpy's is the new spot in Kailua Kona for a good beer with an ocean view, and it's close to the cruise port in Kona. Located on Kailua's main and front street along the ocean, the pub is centrally located to be enjoyed while shopping, at the beach, or eating elsewhere along the strip. It's a popular hangout with both locals and visitors alike so you'll get the best of both worlds.
Recommended for Take Out because: Humpy's is an ideal place for to go food because it's surrounded by lovely outdoor spots to eat.
Jade's expert tip: Take the food to go and eat it at Kahalu'u Beach while watching the surf.
Coffee fans love the Big Island for many reasons, and this place is one of them. You'll find freshly brewed, 100% Kona coffee here, along with an assortment of sweets and sandwiches. Grab a quick bite and hit the road, or sit down and order a full breakfast such as eggs and waffles to leisurely enjoy at the tables out front while looking at the ocean. Or what may be better, ask for your meal to go and head right across the street and eat it while sitting on the sand. This is a great place to people-watch and chat.
Recommended for Take Out because: Island Lava Java is the ideal place for to go food, it's good on the go and there's plenty of outdoor places to enjoy it nearby.
Jade's expert tip: Take the meal to go and enjoy across the street at the beach.
Cafe 100 has been around for years, and it continues to offer great, filling food at unbeatable prices. In fact, it's the ideal place to try Hawaiian comfort food. Take the loco moco, for instance — it's a heap of white rice topped with a hamburger patty and a fried egg, then smothered in gravy. Caf-- 100 invented it back in the early 1950s, and today, they offer several variations, including one made with Spam. Although the Loco Moco is served all day, you may want to sample other dishes, which range from Kalua pork to beef stew and teriyaki beef.
Recommended for Take Out because: Cafe 100 serves traditional local dishes made to go and is near many parks and beaches to eat the food at.
Jade's expert tip: Order take out and enjoy the meal at Liliuokalani Park.
Hilo Bay's Cafe Pesto enjoys quite a reputation for innovative pizzas, which range from traditional Italian varieties to recipes bearing Mediterranean or Pacific Rim touches. They can be enjoyed across the street by the ocean or at a nearby park. The restaurant gets packed at lunch; everybody from local business types to tourists clamor for a daily fix of pizza topped with shiitake mushrooms, artichokes, chipotle-seasoned chicken, or chili-grilled shrimp. Diners wanting to go a different route may opt for an Asian catch stromboli with shrimp tempura and an Oregon wasabi snow crab caesar salad or a Sandalwood panini (Japanese eggplant, marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and rosemary gorgonzola). Another location is in Kawaihae (808-882-1071).
Recommended for Take Out because: Cafe Pesto offers gourmet pizzas, that are ideal to take out to eat.
Jade's expert tip: Put together your own pizza and enjoy it at Liliuokalani Park.
Amazing beer! If that got your attention, then the Big Island Brewhaus is for you. The locally crafted beer is truly one of the top breweries in the islands, and as the newest one serves up great food and beef in an ideal location, in the sleepy paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) town of Waimea. Located on the side of the main road in Waimea, it's an ideal location when traversing the Hamakua Coast between Kona and Hilo. Here amazing and award winning beer is combined with really good Mexican food, both making the brewhaus worth a stop in their own right. Dine, or just drop in and take a growler (half gallon) to go in a custom glass bottle.
Recommended for Take Out because: The brewhaus serves the best locally made beer and amazing Mexican food.
Jade's expert tip: Grab food and a growler to go and enjoy down the road at Hapuna Beach Park.
Full Moon Caf� is a family owned and operated (by two brothers) restaurant that uses much local and organic ingredients in their menu. They call the menu new American and Asian fusion seafood. The international menu has a Pacific emphasis and a strong focus on fresh and raw fish The fish are caught by local fishermen and they use grass fed Big Island beef. A unique menu boasts dishes such as: -Yaki Udon — Sweet shrimp and house cured Kiawe-smoked bacon, sweet cabbage, ali'i mushrooms, brussels petals, chili-garlic sticky sauce. -Crispy Flatbread — Smoked ahi and white bean puree, organic lemon zest-infused olive oil -Market Fish Plate — Pan-roast uku fillet, ripe ulu & wild boar hash, Ka'u sweet corn, farmers' market vegetables, mahi-bone and red miso reduction Just a short drive from the Hilo cruise port, Full Moon is located in Downtown Hilo, an area every visitor should explore while in town.
Recommended for Take Out because: As one of Hilo's newest Asian fustion restaurants, Full Moon Cafe offers delicious and fresh gourmet food.
Jade's expert tip: Order to go and eat across the street on the ocean.
Best described as a natural food superstore, Island Naturals in an island staple for natural food, products, spirits, beauty products, and home supplies. What really awesome is that their breakfast hot bar serves just about everything you could want in the morning, no matter your taste. Eggs, sausage, fake sausage, tofu, pastries, and more along with really good Hawaiian coffee. Take it on the road or enjoy outside at tables. With locations in Pahoa, Hilo, and two in Kona, natural food can be obtained all over the island. The store has just about everything organic, natural and eco-friendly you could need. A highlight here is the hot bar and salad bar, with a changing menu each day that offers really good ready to eat food all day long.
Recommended for Take Out because: Island Naturals offers natural and organic meals to take out.
Jade's expert tip: Take food to go and enjoy it by the water at Coconut Island.
Miyo's restaurant has been serving up great Japanese food for over a decade. You won't find sushi here, but you'll find amazing curries, katsus, salads, udon and soba dishes, and tempura. The portions are good sized, and you won't leave hungry. There's plenty of vegetarian options on the menu, and lot's of fish dishes made with locally caught fish. The full meals come with miso soup, a small salad and Japanese pickles. Miyo's keeps it sustainable by serving Hilo Homemade Ice Cream for dessert (try the ginger or green tea) and it always has been and still is, BYOB (bring your own beer or wine). Miyo's is a favorite for any locals, and that's why it's usually pretty busy. The low key restaurant mixes simplicity with elegance and the brand new building features wooden tables and walls, a kitchen full view, and a fountain and live acoustic music.
Recommended for Take Out because: Miyo's serves delicious homes style Japanese food that can be enjoyed at nearby parks and beaches.
Jade's expert tip: Get some Miyo's take out and enjoy at Liliuokalani Park or Coconut Island.