Kawamoto Store

"Great local carryout. Been coming here since I was a kid some 50 years ago. They still serve traditional local fare. So nice to come back and find some things are still the same."

"Quick Summary Nice little gem in Hilo, when you want to get your fried food fix. Can call ahead to skip on the line, but the line moves pretty quickly. The staff are very friendly and patient. My favorites are their tempura, particularly their fish. Food- 5 stars Really solid batter on their tempura. Would highly recommend their tempura'd fish. Definitely balance it out with some pickles and musubi, but the highlight was the tempura fish Service- 5 stars The staff are very friendly and patient. They were awesome Bottom Line Good and fast tempura with excellent service. It's street parking only, but people come and go quickly."

"Line was out the door at like 9am, but sooo worth it! We ended up ordering a build your own bento box en route to Volcano Nat’l park, and boy I wish I had enough time to go to this place once more before we left. The shrimp tempura and the ono tempura was so tender and fantastic. I preferred the ono to the mahi imo (mahi was a little on the drier side). I’d skip the musubi, unless you’re looking for a heavy rice snack to hold you over. The long rice is like a thick glass noodle and it was delicious!! I didn’t want to share with my fiancé lol. Tempura eggplant and the shoyu fish cake were both excellent as well (the latter was a little sweet but I rather liked it). Overall, everything was delicious here – highly recommend! Oh oh and the Japanese manju cake things that are in plastic packages. They’re like pie crust outside and red bean inside. Pretty tasty!"

"I was heading to the hostel on my way back from farmers market and decided to give this place a try when I saw the line out the door. One of the best decisions I've made on this trip!!! The prices are super affordable, especially compared to the same things that you'd get at farmers market (like spam musubi). I built a custom bento box for my partner and I and it came out to just over $12. And we have leftovers in the fridge! Super yummy, super affordable, super worth the (admittedly long, but I went about 10am) wait."

"When in Hilo… Okazuya is a must! Japanese plantation days finger/picnic foods ordered one piece at a time! Take-out only! Kawamoto’s resonates 80-years of history and it has a special place in my heart. $10 per person buys you a lot!"