Ken’s House of Pancakes

Kens was awesome. My bf and I went with another couple and we all LOVED it. my bf and I went again later. the coconut pancakes were the best pancakes I have ever had and my BF was obsessed with the malt waffle. everything was delicious, prices were good, service was great. Some of the best food we had in Hilo.

Really enjoyed the food and the service was spot on. $ 10-​$ 15 per plate but $ 24.99 for the Sumo style which we are going back to try. A must stop for anyone.

We had breakfast there this morning and our food was good but the service was great. Our waitress was nice and made sure we were happy with our food. The plates were big and we loved our omelets. I’d recommend this place if you are in town. I believe they have been here for years and its a great local landmark.

Just finished at Ken’s, I don’t even usually review places but the place was so abysmal, the service was less than pleasant, and the food was comparable to that of a Catholic school cafeteria lunch. Actually, I’m pretty sure they use the same brand of instant potatoes that my elementary Catholic school did. Calling themselves «Ken’s
House of Pancakes» but then obviously using a mix from a box is slightly insulting. I’m a pain in the ass and a snob when it comes to pancakes, they’re one of my absolute favorite foods. When they came out, I knew just by the look of them that I was going to be disappointed. They practically screamed Bisquick at me. No color developed, no flavor, either. The hash brown weren’t bad, but they were your typical shredded potatoes. The bacon and egg omelet wasn’t even terrible, it was light and loaded with bacon, but it did sit on a melted puddle of cheddar which made it difficult to want to continue to eat.
We’ve also developed a taste for Kalua pig, having eaten it at several places on both the Big Island as well as Oahu. Their Kalua pig plate was completely devoid of the rich smokiness and flavor that’s so closely associated with the traditional fare. And the mashed potatoes that came with it were definitely of the potato flake from a box variety. I tasted these and it was like being back in a school cafeteria.
The waitresses weren’t all that polite or attentive either. When we arrived we saw our waitress interacting with foreign tourists and she was very short and kind of forceful with them. I get that there’s a language barrier and it can be frustrating, however it’s Hawaii, it’s kind of understood that you might have to be a little patient. For a place that’s actually pretty charming and has a great diner feel, the food and the staff definitely does not represent that at all.

Had the pancakes and thought they were gonna be fluffy. They were pretty flat and hard to cut into. I couldn’t even finish it. Prices seemed pretty high for the area.

Yup, you can still eat here if you’re avoiding carbs. We flew into Hilo very late and LOTS of people were turning into their parking lot, we drove on for a few minutes then turned around to see what everyone was excited about.
We ended up ordering hamburger steak and Kahlua pork with cabbage. Both were offered with a «no starch» option — cottage cheese, pineapple, and tomato instead of macaroni salad and rice. Really nice that they already had an option for us. Both dinners were very big portions, but without the starchy sides were almost perfect amounts. The pancakes that other tables were ordering looked fabulous as did the oxtail stew.
Service was very friendly and our water glasses never went past ½ full. The coffee was not very good, but I think it was just an old batch as it was around 10PM — probably not the norm for this place.

Blah, nothing exciting here. Huge menu loses focus on what they could be doing. The «Rock» likes to eat here but that is because there is limited choices in Hilo.

The portions here are too big to eat. Luckily there are doggy bags. But I wonder how people can mange the even bigger Sumo portions… Well, they sell «I survived the Sumo» T-​shirts, so I guess you can manage to eat up and are allowed to be proud of it.
The water has an extreme clorine flavour. The wait once you are seated is a bit too long for my standards.
If you are eatung pancakes (or have some as sides), make sure to ask for their self-​made syrups, including Lilikoi (passion fruit), Coconut, and Guava. Mix Lilikoi and Guava in order to be blasted into flavour heaven!

KENS. HAS. A. VERY. LARGE. MENU.
When I came here, I think I had to flip the menu 10 times to finally decide on my top 10 dishes to order. Then it took another 10 minutes to decide what I wanted from my top 10 choices.
I don’t even remember what I ordered.

We had a new waitress, and she gave it her best so thats fine, but the service was pretty terrible from the get go. The menu is way too long. They need to cut the options in half and focus on making their meals better. It took the waitress forever to come take our order but the menu was so overwhelming we used the time too see how many options there were.
I had the chicken teriyaki and they dumped a lot of teriyaki on it. The chicken was incredibly tough… The mash potatoes on the side were almost certainly instant potato, so it tasted terrible.
The people I am with were disappointed with their meals as well. The turkey dinner had the same potatoes and the turkey was tough. The steak on the sandwich was too sweet.
It might be good for breakfast but its terrible for anything else. I personally would be afraid to try it for breakfast…

Satisfied my Loco Moco fix on my latest visit to Hilo. Recently moving to California, I’ve missed tasting the delicious hamburger, gravy, and yolk combination. The only drawback to this dish is the ridiculous price for two hamburger patties, three eggs, and six scoops of rice. Total came in around $ 17.50 for just the meal.
The service during this visit was awesome. Waitress frequently paid attention to our table and ensured our waters were always filled. She also had a very pleasant attitude and served us with a smile!
Great work, always satisfied with the flavor and quantity of the Sumo Moco! The pricing of the dish however outweighs the benefits received from this pleasing dish.

I LOVED this gem in Hilo, I will be back, especially when we have visitors! Great place for comfort food, friendly staff and if it’s filled with locals, then you know you’ve hit the jackpot in diners!

For a retro feel, Ken is for you. Stuck in the 70s, the walls are adorned with faded native wrestling photos (Time frame — Peter Maivia to Dwayne «The Rock» Johnson.)
Saimin was excellent and comforting on a rainy day. The Big Saimin comes with a chicken skewer that was delicious as well.
Loco Moco is served in a bowl — the «char» on the beef patty was odd tasting.
I like booth seating EXCEPT it was so cramped!
On this rainy day the parking lot got flooded, so finding a good spot was tough.

This place is exactly what you’d expect from an amazing family diner. Comfy seating, great food at great prices. The service is excellent. I can’t wait to come back next time I’m on the other side of the island :-).

Ugh! This place is sooooooo dirty. I cant stand any restaurants with filthy silverware and plates. Condiments on each table is so dirty too. I couldnt eat my food seeing all that. There were food under my table and it was just gross. Table was also sticky and… everything was so dirty!
I know this place specializes pancakes but they have a lot of local favorites as well. I was recommended Loco Moco and it wasnt good at all. I thought they were going to serve it on a plate but instead they served it in a cheap bowl with LOTS of overcooked white rice. It was gross! The presentation of the food itself was very unappetizing too.
I also tried some strawberry and blueberry pancakes and they were mediocre at best. I’ve had better elsewhere. Thats for sure.
It was so hard to get the waitress’ attention that I had to get up and go tell her myself! I am not coming back here ever again… Didnt like a single thing.

Did you hear about the angry pancake? He flipped!
Ken’s House of Pancakes; it’s one of the most beloved eateries in the town of Hilo. Located right at the end of Kamehameha Avenue, it’s got a prime location. Easily accessible for both locals and tourists alike. Especially since it’s right on the way into town from the wharf where all of the cruise ships come in to dock.
Aside from the location, I would say Ken’s has a decently sized parking lot. It certainly has enough parking spaces to accommodate a full house. If you get there and there is absolutely no parking to be found, odds are they’re just about full. The parking in general isn’t too shabby though.
The diner style seating is also very nice at Ken’s. You can either sit in a multitude of booths, or at a bar. It’s very cool!
Now, I could try to sum up the menu at Ken’s, but I really wouldn’t be doing it any justice. Just know that if there’s a popular local food, you can get it at Ken’s, and it will be good. I’m also a very big fan of their burgers that they serve; the Paniolo burger in particular. It’s a bbq sauce burger with an 8oz patty that always manages to hit the spot. And, obviously, you can’t miss with some good ‘ol pancakes at Ken’s. It’s what they do, and they do it well!
The service at Ken’s is also normally very friendly and quick/​efficient. All in all, going to Ken’s will typically result in a great dining experience. If you want to eat like the locals, this is definitely a stop that you need to make. It’s a Hilo town staple that you can’t miss out on.

Love this place! We went at 3am and our waitress was really nice! We got the Benedict crab cakes and the tripe stew. The prices can be a bit pricey, but you get a lot for your money! There are so many things on the menu! Local food too!
The cool thing about this place are the photos on the wall of the celebrities that have been there and every time someone orders a SUMO meal, everyone (even the customers) yell out SUMO!
Highly recommend for anyone visiting Hilo!

Petite pause pancake-​burgers? Ici c’est trèeeeeees américain, donc du sucre, du gras en veux tu en voilà. Ceci dit comme j’aime ça… On s’est fait bien plaisir, une adresse à recommander, avec d’excellents cheeseburgers

We stopped over here once we landed in Hilo. Pancakes is my sweeties vice. I don’t really mind them once I dress them up with syrup and butter. Apparently this place is open 24 hours serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was packed when we walked in. There was only a few minute wait so I decided to look at the pictures, and menu on the wall. I noticed they stated the prices had changed.
The menu was packed with tons of breakfast options. I just wanted something simple and not to heavy. Pancakes seem to be given with any egg order. I was considering the omelette, but realized the portions were massive as I looked around. I settled on the Jess stack me from the keiki side. Unfortunately, there was no substitutions. I had two pancakes, bacon, and one egg. If I customized it to my liking it would’ve cost more then the dish itself. They even charge for flavored syrup on the table.
Hubby was satisfied with his meal with corn beef hash, eggs, bacon and a side of pancakes. I had some of his corn beef which was not bad at all. Our waitress was not really warm or inviting. I understand she had to tend to several tables, but customer service is key. Once we got our check we went to the front and paid. If you want to get a quick breakfast with coffee on the run this would be the spot to go to.

Awesome!
We tried to go to Ken’s a few times and I don’t think we actually got a parking place until the 4^th try… woo hoo! After eating here I finally understand why the parking lot is always full. The food and service is amazing. Your only problem is to make sure you come hungry! Check out my picture of the #16 Crab Cakes and Eggs… it was enough to feed 2 or 3 people. But hey… I was hungry so I gave it my best shot and got the rest to go. It was simply delicious. My husband and son didn’t have their food on their plates long enough to identify… and so sorry I didn’t take pictures of theirs too.
I want to give a special shout out to Auntie Wilma… wonderful waitress. I felt like she treated us like family or knew us for 10 years, yet we never met her before. Mahalo! We’ll be back!

Standing in a check out line at a candy store, I was searching for place to eat for lunch on Unilocal.I typed key word «loco moco» as I was thinking isn’t it a must try local dish in Hilo, Hawaii?
I asked a cashier at a candy store between two restaurants showed up on Unilocal search and he said this place is one of famous restaurant in Hilo. Ok, local recommendation sounds good.
When we showed up 20 mins after noon, this place was busy! We were told to wait 5 – 10 mins but our table was ready within a few mins.
Service was a bit slow but we were there during peak lunch hours. Our server was friendly.
Loco moco was what I expected. Two scoops of rice, a hamburger patty, spicy brown gravy, and topped with fried egg. Nothing healthy or fancy about this, it was originally created as a quick meal. I enjoyed my loco moco and quickly finished my meal.
It’s always good to try local dish to understand their culture and history. Loco moco was a nice quick meal and hit my spot, we were on our way to the next destination as a tourist.