Hana Hou Restaurant & Bakery

I went back and forth between four and five stars for a few seconds. not because of the food, or due to the service or atmosphere. Five stars the most honest answer — I hesitated only for a moment due to the nearly complete lack of competition in Naalehu or Ka’u in general. The community and visitors are lucky to have Hana Hou. This is, by far, the best restaurant in the area and you will not be disappointed — unless you have un-​realistic expectations.
The food is solid and varied. The specials and fish are the way to go… I had some Ono here that I still dream about. No joke. It was great — ample portion, delicious and unpretentious. That’s important to note: unpretentious. Just the way we like it and authentically Hawaii (which is one of the best things about Ka’u in general).
I hope the owners become millionaires and, even then, they resist the temptation to change the décor! Part of the charm is the family run, local appeal and part of the appeal is in the unfussy décor and time standing still vibe. We own a condo near Punalu’u beach, and are blessed to visit Hawaii almost every year. Why change what works so well? I’d be disappointed if we lost any part of the continuity of the appearance and great food found at Hana Ho.
We recommend Hana Hou (meaning: Do It Again) to anyone we can. Go. Enjoy… you’ll be glad you did and if you find yourself in Ka’u for a while, go again. Aloha.

Great food! Friendly service! We ordered the pastrami sandwich and loco moco. Both were delicious. Definitely recommend eating here if you are going to visit the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach!

Hana Hou is the perfect place to stop after an adventure on the south side of the island or if you just happen to be passing through.
The lightly weathered building has slat windows and the homemade bread makes the good sandwiches fantastic. This place is mom and pop in all the right ways.

There is not many choices around the area and to be honest Hana hou was not bad. I ordered Reuben which was good and the price was also reasonable.

Let me start by saying this place is Amazing, if your looking for some home cooked «local» dishes this place is it! If your a «malahini» or visitor and are accustomed to fine dining, this is not the place for Y O U to stop! Drive to the Volcano House! It’s a family run business that’s been serving the community of KA’U for Y E A R S! We who live and get to call this district home wouldn’t trade this restaurant for anything else. Btw: Desserts are to die for!

We stopped here for the macadamia nut pie because of the reviews, and the restaurant was quite empty when we arrived. Three of us shared a slice of pie, and it was quite good. It was really creamy and there was a strong coconut taste, and the pie had a lot of macadamia nuts! The crust was lined with macadamia nuts as well, and it was tasty. It was too sweet though. I can’t imagine eating it by myself. It was about $ 5 including tax for the slice, which I think is too high for the quantity and quality. The food menu isn’t too extensive, and it has some really random dishes.

We came after visiting the black sand beach, and were not disappointed. If you’re about it, I highly recommend ordering a quesadilla with bacon. It’s as delicious as it sounds.

It’s a cute diner where locals go. We were driving back from the volcanoes visit and found this place. Delicious homemade food. Great experience w native Hawaiians! Had awesome loco molo thing– worth the drive! Definitely recommend and I want to come
Back to try the papaya chicken salad and pies! Ymummy

There aren’t many restaurants on the long and varied drive back to Captain Cook from Kilauea. I overheard a recommendation for Hana Hou, «the yellow restaurant across from the Punaluu Bakery,» given by a tour guide to other visitors while we were stopping off at Punaluu Black Sand Beach, and other reviews gave Hana Hou high praise. We were hungry and ready.
Hana Hou is a Hawaiian time machine. When the door swings shut behind you, the ‘80s hits and the ‘50s aqua Naugahide chairs and laminate tables erase and blur decades. Glass cases of pies and desserts evoke the diners of movies. Pie and coffee, 15 cents. No waitstaff or other employees were seen for several minutes out front.
The food is average to good, and wholly unrefined. I had a chicken katsu and barbecue pork combo, with a quite-​fresh stack of greens and lilikoi dressing, and a small scoop of rice. The lilikoi dressing could have benefited from being a vinaigrette instead of being suffocated by a mayonnaise base, but it was still made in-​house, and deserves modest respect. The heap of kalua pork was mixed with a good BBQ sauce, with a kick. There wasn’t much katsu, but it was tender and not greasy, and came with a better katsu sauce than, say, L&L.
My companion didn’t have my luck. He ordered the kalua pork burrito. They forgot to add cheese, and sent it out with both chipotle and verde sauces, though he ordered only chipotle. The massive, cheeseless burrito even looked dried-​out as he cut into the crusty, bare tortilla shell. He was eventually grateful that they delivered cups of both sauces, because those and the sour cream were the only flavor and moisture the burrito had.
We didn’t have dessert; too full. If you think the front of the house is nostalgic, use the restrooms. And watch out for insects as you do so.

Small local place so I had to try the loco moco. I wanted to go with something a little different so I substituted fried rice for white rice and went with Portuguese sausage. The plate was huge and smothered in gravy. The meal was good and filling.

We stopped here after spending all day at the beaches and knew after our 3 hour trek back home, we would be so hungry that Taco Bell will be our only option!
I got the fried rice with chicken and a side of potato macaroni salad — It wasn’t overly salty or bland perfect seasoning. Most places the macaroni salad is tart or too much mayo this was delicious
Husband got the fish & chips — the fish was perfectly cooked with the right amount of seasoning.
We both got a glass of lilikoi lemonade and definitely leave room for dessert — I heard the homemade pies are delicious! We shared an apple for the drive back home and I wish it was warmed up with a scoop of ice cream. We joked if we could do half of chocolate cream with half of apple pie — she said no (no sense of humor?)
The only thing that got me was the service, it was okay — it was only one lady helping us and since it was near closing, you could sense she was ready to head home. Not the friendliest but not rude at all.
If you need to use the restrooms, it’s outside and if it’s after dark it looks sketchy but it is safe AND clean so no worries here.
* Fun fact: There is an autographed picture of Gordon Ramsey who’s dined here — if he approves of this hidden gem — I guess it’s totally worth of anyone to try this! *

We came for lunch on a Friday around 12:30 and were seated immediately.
The décor and feel is a throwback to the 60’s and very simple. It felt like we were in an old diner.
I ordered the pork taco special, which was a little bland for my taste but the handmade shells were great! I enjoyed every bite.
My partner ordered the two meat special and got the shredded pork with gravy and fried chicken. He said they were very good.
We finished with the macadamia nut cream pie which lived up to its reviews! Very rich and delicious! I savored every single bite!
This is a perfect place to hit from Hilo before hitting the green sand beach

I can only speak for the breakfast. I got an omelette with 4 items (the waitress gave me one item free for no reason): Portuguese sausage, bacon, mushroom, and grilled onions with a side of fried potatoes. The omelette had great consistency and flavor with generous portions.
The ambiance was whatever, but doesn’t really matter to me when the server was very nice and the food was really tasty!

Honestly, how can anyone really justify a lower than 5 star review here?
What a special place and a real time capsule, the whole little town really! How lucky we are, anyone, that has found themselves here for even just a moment. Let alone a really tasty meal, amazing desert and service with Aloha.
My partner and I each enjoyed a Breakfast Burrito and shared a slice of Macadamia Nut Cream pie. The burritos were filling, fresh and delicious. The pie was really one of the best pies I have ever had. One of the locals highly recommended the Carrot Cake, when they have it. So glad they were out of it, probably would have had a piece of that too. For breakfast!
The service was great, very relaxed and friendly. I really enjoyed watching the locals and regulars coming in picking up and ordering togo orders. They all knew each other by name. The greetings and conversation were all very friendly and fitting of this small town.
If you traveled here on vacation definitely stop here, leave your drama in the rental car and enjoy the Southern Most Restaurant in the US.

This is one of the few places to stop along this stretch of the road, and well worth it! Just off the main road with parking across the street.
Great atmosphere and food. Service was a bit slow, but that seems to be the way it is in Hawaii. I had the burrito with pulled pork and chipotle sauce (on the side since it was spicy hot) and it was filling and tasty. We finished our meal with the Macadamia nut pie, a restaurant specialty.

The burger here is probably the best thing ever! The beef just tastes so fresh and light. Other than that everything else is just so so… Therefore, it gets an A-​Ok rating.
And not to forget the service was also so so… I wish it was a little better but i guess they might’ve been understaffed.
I also had the stuffed papaya salad (chicken and macadamia) with a side salad, but it was lacking flavor.

The staff was super friendly and attentive. The waitress answered our questions about what dishes to get with what meat would be best.
We got the loco moco and the macadamia chicken with pesto macaroni salad. Both were super tasty!
We stopped here after visiting the black sand beach and on our way to the green sand beach. It worked out well as a atop and service was fast so we could get to the beach quickly.
The décor was nice too– local artists that made copper animals were displayed on the walls and were also for purchase.
Overall a great place for locals or tourists!

Hana Hou restaurant located in my stomping grounds of Naalehu. It’s a little pricey even for a town where jobs are very very limited.
The food is pretty decent. I had the Hamburger Steak there. The portion sizes are okay, the mini is super small. You’re better off getting the regular sized plate. Still expensive, for the food the flavor profile is there.

The fried fish is fresh market fish and delicious. The MacNut Cream Pie is amazing. The coffee is fresh and delicious.
The service is good, prompt, and accurate but not exactly what I would call hospitable — no complaint … Just an observation.
I would give 5 stars but it was just not quite there.

We wanted to like this place, but the fact that it’s the Southern Most Restaurant in the United States doesn’t make the food taste any better or improve the décor. Upon entrance it was obvious this place needs a healthy makeover. Meanwhile, the ladies working here are sweet and friendly, which eases the pain of the lack of flavor in the food.
We ordered hamburgers and when they arrived we thought they’d be good. They were hand-​padded, looked fresh and tasty, but the first bite proved otherwise. If you’re from the mainland, don’t expect a burger here to taste like Five Guys, The Counter or any burger you eat locally. This is a different grade of beef: the chewy, grainy, tasteless kind (and the wedge potatoes we upgraded to were equally bland). In short, don’t order a burger.
Keep in mind, however, there’s very few places to eat on this site of the island, none of which are award-​winning. You’ll likely end up here and if you do, order one of the pies — they’re the best thing on the menu and will impress. The entrees, on the other hand, wont.