Ponds Hilo
135 Kalanianaole Ave, Hilo, HI, 96720
Ponds Hilo Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Hilo for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Hilo for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Hilo for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
135 Kalanianaole Ave
Hilo, HI, 96720 - Phone (808) 934-7663
- Website https://www.pondshilohi.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Chris O.
After a helicopter tour we were hungry. We drove by the rest and the parking lot was filled. We decided to give it a try. We had a great time. The food was great and service was very good. This is not a 5 star rest but it was very good, nice atmosphere. We had the fish and chips and the BBQ sandwich. Both we would order again. For the area this is a very nice place.
(4)Frank R.
This was a diamond in the rough. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall, pvc pipe sign turns you off. But suprisingly food was amazing and service was great! Its almost like fine dining. I wish they upgrade the look of their restaurant.
(4)Kat T.
We came here during happy hour. The staff was wonderful and place is just cute. You can still see the old style of the restaurant but what I like is the Pond that they have of the Koi's. Which my daughter loved. It was pretty cool. Even the kids who were jumping off the bridge came over and checked it out. I ordered the pulled pork cause it looked different. It came with a sweet pink roll bread. I think it was lilikoi or something. But it was delish. The daughter ordered the fish and chip which was really good. Fish tasted fresh and not frozen. Maybe it's Koi fish and chip.. ha ha ha ha JK. The husband ordered the hamburger which he said was OK but nothing special. It needed some flavor. I also ordered a Lychee martini. OMG that was good. To bad it wasn't on the happy hour price. But it's worth the try. The place looks like it needs a remodeling but I think they are going for the old school bar/restaurant look. Bathroom is weird it's like if it was a closet/laundry room/bathroom. But still clean. They do have parking which is great. Lots of it too. So this place is good place if you wanna drink and have happy hour food. With a nice view of kids jumping off the bridge or paddle boarding. OH and don't forget the Koi pond. So beautiful.
(5)Jane M.
2 stars for horrible service. The waiter was rushing us through our meal.5 of us in our party, he was grabbing plates that we were still working on.It was barely 8 pm. We all ordered Prime Rib, they said there were 2 portions left. The other 3 had steak. Over cooked and flavorless. Won't return. Need some serious upgrade to servers.
(2)Robert K.
Very casual; open windows with fresh breezes blowing through provides an outdoor vibe. Service was very slow but my Reuben was crazy good. I was fished out so it was a nice change. The corn beef was super lean, the kraut homemade and just the right amount of everything.
(4)Debra A.
Food ... Fish and chips was good but French dip was dry and old. The macaroni / salad was awful. Great view and waiter was very nice and attentive
(4)Maila N.
For first time trying excellent customer service. Delicious meal (Egg plant parmesan/ mandarin ribs ) pineapple upside down martini. Loved it all. Great scenery.
(5)Jacob N.
Stopped by here one night while in Hilo. It's an interesting Pagoda like concept with the dining room actually built out over the pond, hence the name Ponds. I briefly relived some childhood moments by throwing bits of bread out the window to watch the fishes below greedily gobble it down. The food here was alright. Nothing very awe inspiring. The Prime Bites appetizer was a little disappointing. It was on the overcooked side as well as low on flavor. The Furikake Seared Ahi Salad was fresh, and the fish was nicely seared. I liked how they also included some wasabi with the salad for a little bit of extra flavor. The service here was alright. Our server wasn't the friendliest that I've had in Hilo, but the support wait staff, like the bussers were exceptionally more friendly and polite. If you're looking for something a little more upscale from your regular casual dining experiences in Hilo check out Ponds. They're one of the few places in Hilo that I've seen cloth napkins at (one of my indicators of a fancier than casual restaurant).
(3)Debbie W.
I gave Pond's two-stars because of the apologies we received, which were many and appreciated! If I was rating for the food only on the night we dined, it would have been a one-star. We stopped by this restaurant at the end of our trip to Hilo on the recommendation of our innkeeper. The day we arrived, the electricity was out due to some nearby accident. But, it looked very inviting, especially with the tables overlooking the Koi pond. We said we would like to come back on our last night for dinner and the hostess encouraged us to make a reservation. But, when I tried to make a reservation for 6pm, she suggested a later time and said she couldn't guarantee us a spot by the window as there is a lot of walk-in traffic at that time and a window table might not be available. Without thinking, I agreed and made the reservation for 8pm. When I walked outside to join my group, I was laughed at for agreeing to a later time and was reminded that the whole reason for making a reservation was to be guaranteed the time/table you wanted. Perhaps they cater to walk-in traffic rather than reservations because I didn't see any other reservations on the books for the time I originally requested. When we arrived the next day, we were excited because it was Sturgeon Sunday. As we sat down, our waitress came up to us quickly and apologized that there were only two sturgeons left and if we wanted to order, she would put the order in quickly so some of us could get the last two. Two of us ordered, only to be told later (with sincere apologies) that some other diner had taken our fish and now only one was left. So, one of our friends ordered another meal. When our four meals arrived, I was excited to try the only sturgeon but as I bit into the meal, I realized it was cold. On commenting to our friends, we discovered that all the meals were cold. They were again apologetic and offered to take the meal off our bill when I said I wanted to send it back. That experience, combined with slow and forgotten drink service (again apologies) were enough for our last meal in Hawaii to be a bust. Hope other diners find a different experience on a different day because it is a lovely setting for a restaurant.
(2)Grey W.
Absolutely loved this place. I had the Macadamia nut pesto & pasta and my girlfriend had the teriyaki chicken. Both were delicious. We each had a good cocktail and listened to some great live music. Our waitress was really great as well. Couldn't recommend it enough.
(5)Aaron B.
Each time we visit Hilo we make certain that we have dinner at Ponds at least once. This trip was no exception. My wife and I both had fish, she the Mahi and I the Opakapaka. The entire meal was memorable as was the service. Attentive but not overbearing. It's a bit pricey, even by Hilo standards, but when a place is consistently this good I don't mind at all paying a bit more. Tip: when you make a reservation, or even when just showing up, be sure and ask for a table overlooking the water. These tables are in high demand and not always available but I always ask and seldom find that they cannot accommodate my request.
(4)Michael M.
It was a very nice place over looking a pond and a great view. Small but it was packed with a very friendly staff and decent menu. Came at the right time for the lobster dinner special, but only give this a four star because of the price. My son loved feeding the fish in the pond from our table which had an open window!
(4)Mapuana D.
We went to lunch right about 11:30 no one was hardly in there, but when 12:00 p.m. came around it started to get busy. Food/service was good. They have a clean koi pond below which we enjoyed looking at. Nice view beyond the pond. The only down side of this restraunt is they need to renovate change all windows new chairs and tables, glassware and silverware. This place would be styling next to this beautiful view.
(3)Aurora G.
OK, I will be honest...one of the reason's I chose this place for my birthday and 3rd year marriage anniversary luncheon is because on their website it said, "Dining at Ponds to celebrate your Anniversary or Birthday? Be sure and tell our staff and they will sing & bring the Honorees a complementary Brownie Ala Mode dessert!" They didn't need to sing, I just wanted the complimentary dessert. We started out with a waiter named Sean (or Shawn), I showed him what it said from my husband's phone and his comment was, "that's an old website, they haven't updated it in a long time," and left it at that. At some point he ended up disappearing and we ended up with a waitress named Karina...I guess that was meant to be because she gave excellent customer service by going above and beyond and bringing it to the managers attention, bless her heart. After having our meal...can check picture #30, the Bbq burger and Kalua pork sliders...I got my dessert with a candle to blow out. Thank you again Karina! and thank you for taking the picture of me and my husband "together."
(3)Samdooby R.
Not a fan. Mediocre food, HIGH prices... Caters to the cruise ship crowd. LOUD musician during dinner that seemed to purposely crank the volume so he could sing cheesy Hawaiian music... The food was the biggest turn off: Ordered the escargot and it tasted bland and rubbery. Came out warm and no flavor... Had the rib-eye and tons of gristle, weird butter that had some ammonia taste to it...the sides were typical frozen thawed, sauteed veggies. You know the broccoli, carrots, cauliflower combo. Boring, not seasoning, gross... Others had the prime rib dinner and weren't impressed. No seasoning to the meat, no crust, just a slab of beef. Or drinks were weak at best. Ordered a mojito and came back with WILTED mint leaves that were BROWN! Again, another turn off... Wont be going back, too goofy and yucky for me. Sorry Ponds, but you need an upgrade!!
(1)Brian C.
We came in here for lunch. We were a group of 7 people. They had 2 different lunch specials. One was Mahi Mahi the other was crusted crab over snapper. Me and another person picked the latter. We found that everyone got there food first, than Kuya Dan got his crusted crab, and they left me waiting, while staring out at the pond. My food arrived as everyone else was finishing. The waitress came by and told me that mine was on the house and they would deduct it from our bill. They forgot to do it, so we had to remind them. The reason for 3 stars. Even though they forgot to make my order, they made it right by apologizing and making a mends by deducting it from our check. Also the Crusted Crab dish was phenomenal.
(3)Jeneane B.
I dined at Ponds with three other business travelers. We each ordered different fish/seafood dishes, and we were all very pleased with our meals. We were seated at a window, but after sundown, so we didn't get the view we might have had (of the pond and fish) if we had dined earlier.
(4)Bruce L.
Thursday night is lobster night. Struck lucky being in town on a Thursday. Choice of 8oz lobster tail prepared in four different ways. I tried the creamy mushroom sauce variety. Excellent. For starters I enjoyed their clam chowder. Satisfied so skipped dessert. Great service, atmosphere and outlook. Prices are justified. Would give high recommendation.
(4)Cynthia B.
Fast friendly service and good choices of the fresh caught fish. I had the mahi mahi special. It was grilled and topped with a tofu salad, and served with a side of garlicy pasta and veggies. Plus, they provided soup AND salad to start. I was needless to say beyond full. We had dinner at about 8ish. It was the perfect time to avoid the crowds. But, just a heads up if you go too late you may miss the specials. The restaurant is very open, including the windows that give a nice breeze from The Pond. So, although their are a few flying friends I think that Craig's (other reviewer) opinion.
(4)Sailing G.
I was visiting my sister in Hilo from Washington. On her birthday, took her to Pond's Hilo (formerly Harrington's). The restaurant went trough several management changes over the years. The setting is a single level rambler, moderate-sized restaurant ... a bit funky on the outside overlooking a pond, including a pen with koi fish. A medium sized restaurant with a bar/tv and seating areas with pond views. The service was pleasant and attentive from waitresses wearing Hawaiian dress. Chef Damien came out to chat for a few minutes. My sister ordered leg of lamb, rare ($24.95)...it comes with soup or salad, roasted broccoli and a baked potato. I ordered the calamari appetizer ($11.95 and a seared ahi salad ($14.95) The lamb came nicely done, rare as ordered, tender. Basic green salad, vegetables and potato. The calamari was nicely done, ample portion, although batter was somewhat plain (came with simple spicy dip and lemon wedge, garnish). The seared ahi (tuna) salad (rare) was beautifully presented and very nicely complemented with a crisp Caesar style salad with tomatoes. This a highly recommended dish. The only negative which it made four stars instead of five is that the salad was a big skimpy, and bread was not really bread, but a sweet roll. Overall, it was good experience and would go again. Dinner for two was about $80 with tip/tax (no dessert, no wine).
(4)Jeanette C.
Had the surf and turf special during lunch time. The crab cakes came with the correct sauce and the steak was made with skirts. It was very enjoyable. Could see the hostess tattoos and the busboy ears were gauged but the service there was excellent.
(5)Mary a.
SECOND BEST ON THE ISLAND We can no longer say there is no place to get decent Mexican food on the island, but it is not great or even really good....just good, decent, OK. Location gets 5 stars. The beer 4 stars. The food 3 stars. The intrusive waitress 2 stars. It is too expensive and not exceptional like Harrington's was. Mexican night (Mondays) was sort of a disappointment. The bland salsa had chunks of canned stewed tomatoes in it and the basket of chips was small for two people. My husband like his fish and my small enchiladas were tasty. There is really no good Mexican food on the big island, so if you want Mexican this is the place. But only Monday nights. (Ema's in Keaau is better, but only open for lunch and is really just a take out place.)
(3)Jamie G.
The food was pretty good and would have gotten 3 or even 3.5 stars but the service was horrible and to be honest they are lucky they are even getting 2 stars. They were out of all fish. So we could not get any of the stuff we really wanted and had to settle for what they had available. To start we were seated very quickly but then ignored for 30 min before we even got out drink order taken. Then once our order was in it took forever for our food to come. We had 2 couples and our son(18 months old). They did have a nice highchairs for our son which was a plus but we got evil looks whenever he made a little noise. We ordered 2 orders of calamari, one for each couple, but they brought it on the same plate and said they played them together but it didn't look any bigger than the single order on the table next to us. Not to mention it was rubbery which is a sign of over cooking the squid. We wanted to order a fish salad but they were out of fish so we asked if we could get steak instead. They said sure and brought us a steak salad. It was okay nothing to write home about. Then we got the bill and paid it(with an awesome tip because we are good people) and hung out for about 20 more min talking. We were getting ready to leave and the waitress came up with another bill and said I forgot to add the steak salad here's another bill for you to pay. The fish salads were about $15 and they were charging $30 for our steak Cesar salad.... Are you kidding me!!!! It was worth maybe $12-15 but $30 for a mediocre at best salad after we already paid and tipped over $100 is ridiculous. Needless to say we will never be going back. It's a real shame because we own a home right up the street and visit all the time. Would have been nice to have an awesome family oriented restaurant close but we will have to keep looking. Could have been an off night but I wouldn't trust it again.
(2)Mercedes R.
I love this restaurant! I had the kalua sliders and it was ono! I took my kids there as well and they ate the fish and chips, it was the best we've ever ate in hilo. Customer service was awsome the cook came out and introduced himself. The location is great and the view is a plus. Awesome restaurant!
(5)Jay W.
Great food and friendly service. Besides the food, Ponds has an awesome ovelook of Ice Pond in Hilo one of the only restaurants with a close up view.
(5)Glenn R.
My wife and I really liked this place. Wonderful old Hawaiian atmosphere, casual and unpretentious, very friendly staff and great food. Highly recommended for seafood, steak, or whatevahs. Good prices too.
(4)Gary P.
5 stars considering this is Hilo. My wife and I ate here last week. It was so good we went back three times. Easily the best restaurant in Hilo. Great view on a little bay with great views anywhere you sit. Tiny bar but very inviting and the bartender was great. Many locals eat here. 5 minute walk from The Hilo Hawaiian. We would gladly return.
(5)Denise L.
One of our fav's for Happy Hour (Pau Hana time). We go for the Mai Tai's. Good drink selection. We order the fish n chips or burgers. We enjoy The Pond's.
(4)Amy L.
I am really disappointed to write this review. We have been to this restaurant many times now both for lunch and dinner. Usually the food and service are very good. The employees seem friendly and we normally enjoy our meals here. Well this past Thursday we went in for Lobster Lovers Night. They had a board outside that had 3 or 4 different "specials" that you could choose from. We had a different waitress and she was not attentive at all. She didn't know the specials and rambled on quoting the wrong things. I actually walked back outside to read the board and share the info. with the other guests at our table. After careful consideration I selected one of the specials that was supposed to be lobster in a risotto. After this experience, I would like to suggest that the management prints out "specials" of the day on a piece of paper with the full description and the price and place it in the menu like Cafe Pesto, another local restaurant does. This would take care of the waitress who can't remember the ingredients and for patrons like me who was completely shocked by what I received at the price charged. We all ordered wine, drinks, etc. and our waitress was very slow refilling them or asking if we would like to order another. We are very patient, but we asked for more bread and she never brought it. She was not that busy, it just didn't seem like she cared. I had the soup of the day and it was beef vegetable and it looked very oily. It is hard to decribe, but it did not look appetizing nor did it have a good flavor so I decided to simply wait for my entree. When our meals arrived I almost laughed at mine. There were maybe 4 bites of lobster in my rice risotto. The pieces I did have were very chewy and the risotto didn't have much flavor at all. I did notice other people at a table next to us and they ordered lobster tails and that was probably a much better selection. I was very disappointed in this meal. My husband ordered a steak topped with butter and garlic, there was a crazy amount of garlic on top of it. He had to use his fork to scrape off all the garlic before he could eat the steak. We ordered desserts for our table. Then later we asked the waitress for a box. She came back with a check but no box, we had to ask and wait for a long time before we finally received it. She walked right past us many times so it was frustrating. But all in all we would have chalked it up to a bad night and disappointing service. Then our bill came, I was extremely shocked and upset that they charged me $39.95 for my pasta with a few bites of lobster. I think this was truly taking advantage of the "specials" and I would not have ordered this if I knew the amount of lobster I would receive for this price. We are okay with spending money for a good meal, but I almost asked to have the manager come over or to speak to the chef about this incident. But then I just decided that I should have asked the price if I was worried about it. And again, if there would have been more lobster and better quality I wouldn't have minded the price. I think if this restaurant wants to stay in business and have repeat guests, then they really need to get the service and pricing in line with other restaurants in the area. I am guessing they have different chefs because the other meals we have had were all much better than this one. We will probably not go back to this restaurant after this and it is sad, because the location is nice and we really enjoy the live music they usually have at night.
(2)Richard M.
I wanted to like this place! So I will Put it out there that my experience may be colored by my disappointment. We had friends from out of the country come to stay with us. As a Thank you they wanted to take us out. Being Hawaii, they really wanted to experience a good seafood place. We tried to find something and decided to settle on Ponds. (Local Groan here) The Decore is 70's Italian, dark wooden with a full bar. A place I can imagine having a smoking and nonsmoking section from my youth. I had expected white table cloth and got that really fun nice table setting with plastic slab over it to give you the illusion of a nice table but the ease of cleaning experience. If everything was to follow suit I expected the 10 page menu, you know the small book of options that are all the same dish with minor changes. instead the menu was barely two pages. For a "seafood" restaurant the seafood options were limited. The best fish options actually came from the daily special. The service was not my best experience. I'm fairly certain BOTH of the servers in our section were new, and had not yet developed their own rhythm. On the Up side! The food was great! if I was rating my experience only on food it would be a 3 maybe even a 3.5 stars. we had the tempura mushrooms, and an herb encrusted tuna both were excellent starters. I had the sturgeon over herb mashed potatoes. well cooked tasted great, my only complaint, cause im a picky *@!#!@$ is that it came to the table tepid. Our one friend whom did not order the fish nor the steak had a pesto noodle dish with prawns. The prawns apparently where great, but they were so heavy handed with the pesto (who knew that could be an issue) that he had trouble finishing it. we all shared a desert,your average came to the store frozen thawed cake. It was as to be expected. The price points where good, the food was excellent! The service needs help and the atmosphere need an update STAT! the management was very apologetic, but did nothing to make it right. all and all I liked the food! I may return cause i think every restaurant deserves a second chance.
(2)Susan B.
Our last night in Hawaii. My husband's prime rib was tender & flavorful. My Salmon entree was well prepared & the crabmeat soup was delightful! Nice presentation, good wine list. Casual atmosphere. Attentive service. Soft jazz guitar (live) very nice. Reasonable prices for Hawaii.
(4)Peter A.
I really liked our lunch here and the drinks were also fun and creative. The salad I had was the best of ten days dining in the Islands. The manager was excellent and the view of the ponds, fish and turtles was really fun it was a great way to end our vacation and honeymoon. Service great, bar fun and this is certainly a find in that neck of the woods. Those who know me understand that I have the simplest of tastes, I only want the best. This is the best no doubt.
(4)Sandi K.
A classy little hideaway with great service and better than good food.
(4)J C.
We just got back from Hawaii and ate at this cute little place on the water. People told us we would have a hard time finding a good place to eat in Hilo but Ponds exceeded our expectations for this town. We chose it because it was walking distance from our hotel and were pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be very good. I ordered the Ono and my friend ordered the Salmon. Both were on the specials menu for the evening. They turned out to be just delicious and very flavorful. We went fairly late so the place had mostly emptied out for the night. The couple sitting next to us remarked to each other on their way out that everything they had eaten was fantastic. We were seated next to open windows that overlooked a Koi pond and when we were done with our meal our waitress brought us some Koi food to feed to them. It kinda made a fun end to the evening.
(4)Danny B.
Great ambience right by crystal clear water. Ask for window seat and maybe spot some tropical fish. Shared shrimp cocktail. Large shrimp cooked just right. Cocktail sauce has a pop to it. Wife had fried shrimp and chips and I had pork sliders. Both very tasty. Maybe a bit pricey but other than that great.
(4)SM L.
Google Seared Ahi and you will get beautiful pink barely cooked fish. What we received was brown/grey Ahi. Served on a wooded tray, can you say Salmonella? Decided to try it anyway. Rubbery and the taste was all wrong. Sent it back. We ordered the Classic burger, it was okay. The garlic fries were awesome though! The coke was watery and we barely saw our waitress. The koi pond was cool, but the fish are actually over fed and unhealthy. Some of them can barely move. If you have another choice on dinner, I suggest to take it.
(1)Stephanie N.
OMG. Had the fish taco salad for lunch. It was off da chain. That's all I'm gonna say.
(5)Sue W.
Wonderful meal, service and drinks.. Going back Monday for lunch.
(5)Paul D.
Ordered pork chops and the came out pink. Nice ambience with very poor chef. Something like this has happened numerous times. I'm local and many friends had similar incidents. Unless you just want a sandwich, stay away from this place! Awful escargot .. Canned?
(1)Edwina K.
I have been here twice for lunch and both experiences have been great! My most recent visit was this past Wed. Had lunch with 7 of my colleagues and everyone enjoyed their dishes: from fish and chips to a reuben sandwhich. Two of us had the BBQ Kalua Pork sliders on guava bread rolls - so ono! The portions are good and you definitely leave feeling stuffed! Definitely my fav Hilo lunch spot so far. With the nice view (love the turtles), friendly service, and good food, how can I not give this place 5 stars!
(5)Jason W.
Good service and some mean food. Try the Reuben or Fresh Catch sandwich! The Coconut Cream Pie is awesome as well. And can't go wrong with the Loco Moco.
(4)Zack W.
Excellent food! HUGE PORTIONS! Quality was super and the fish soup was outstanding!
(4)Stefannye S.
A family friend kept insisting that we go to Harrington's for a nice seafood dinner when we were in Hilo so I got on Yelp to find out where the place was and what others thought about it. I find out that it is now called Pond's and that it is nowhere near as good as it used to be. According to the bartender, ownership changed about a year ago and in my experience, when ownership changes, so does the quality. We took the suggestion of other reviewers and went to The Seaside Restaurant just up the street and it was delicious! We decided to stop by Pond's for some drinks and dessert after. The bartender was not happy to see us and seemed like he really did not want to be there, the waitress was nice enough and accommodated our request for a takeout box for the dessert. The desserts looked sad on the tray and were expensive. My tiny macadamia cream pie cost $6 and at it's widest point was an inch and a half. I have never seen a smaller piece of pie at a restaurant, and especially not one that cost so much. In short, unfriendly bartender, small portions, expensive food. we wont be going back. The Seaside is 100% better
(1)Josh G.
Who are you people? How can you give this overpriced place 4 or 5 stars? Yes if you get a good seat you can see the pond and the fish, but, and its a BIG but! The food is horrible. The cost is worse. I am giving my 2 stars to the fish and the turtles. The service wasn't great either.
(2)Jamie M.
Sorry to say that we listened to a recommendation we received from our hotel. The location was nice but the ambiance inside could have been nicer. The food was well below average, the steak bites appetizer was horrible. The only thing worse then the food was the price. If you are coming from the main land you will be disappointed here. Save the money and eat at Cafe Pesto.
(1)Ted A.
Great spot. Fast prompt friendly service. I had the ahi sandwich, lunch special. It was a job well done and it tasted great. My wife had a mahi plate - pan seared, it was dry. They are located on the water! and you can look out into the pond and see lots of fish- it is a great vacation relax chill environment that has terrific service and a great breeze with all the windows and doors open.
(4)RJ M.
What an awesome experience! All of the food was amazing, the service was fast and never left us with an empty glass, and the view is beautiful. If you're refining about going here stop thinking and just go... now!
(5)Andree H.
Easily a five star experience and recommended by our inn keeper. We showed up late and without reservations but were seated within ten minutes. We started with tempura mushrooms followed by scallops in a brie chardonnay sauce and ahi with a lovely salsa topping. They had a great wine list.
(5)Steve C.
I am often left puzzled by people who give restaurants like this 5 stars. My experience at this place was much different. My partner and I arrived around 6:30pm and were promptly seated. The staff was friendly. Our waitress, while "sweet" was most unprofessional. She called us "honey" and "sugar" and while these are meant to be endearing terms they are not appropriate for use in food service with people you don't even know. When presenting the specials of the evening, the waitress had to read them to us. I asked her to repeat the description of the salmon dish and she did. She asked us about appetizers and we declined stating that we might be interested in dessert after dinner. When my salmon entre arrived it was not as described. In addition, the side salads were room temperature and not crisp. It was as though they had been left sitting out. My baked potato cost an additional $2 which I find tacky in a place holding itself up as fine dining. The baked potato was gummy like it had been warmed over or done in a microwave oven. There were two tiny stainless steel ramikens with the potato, one with butter the other with sour cream. I think they used an eye dropper for the amount of each. I had to ask for more to adequately deal with this dreadful $2-extra baked potato. My salmon was supposed to be on a bed of rice (as described twice by the waitress) and it came out with no rice and had grilled sliced green peppers and onions with some sort of sauce over it which I don't recall was part of the description. I did not mention it and ate it as served. My partner gave me his sour cream so there was no need to use the extra. The waitress acted annoyed when she asked if it was enough and I told her my partner had given me his. When it came time for dessert, the waitress came around with a tray holding quite a number of items. We declined as we were full and the waitress acted slighted annoyed and even whined about our not ordering dessert! To top it all off, this disappointing meal came to a grand total of approx. $60 including tip and we had only entres--no drinks, wine, dessert or coffee. We won't be returning.
(2)Kenji I.
Poor hostess had to answer phone call more than she had time to help us when we arrived. Strawberry margarita was terrible. Nancy was a great wait help. Prime rib was excellent. Ambiance was nice; by the water with a fish pond.
(3)Gee V.
My wife and I happened upon this restaurant after a day long journey touring the island. Called our daughter who was back at the hotel in Waikoloa and asked for a recommendation. A computer search revealed Ponds. My wife and I were very pleased with the meal and service. I ordered the salmon special and she ordered the pulled pork which were both delicious. Next time we are in Hilo, we'll be back.
(4)M H.
I'm disappointed every time I eat here! I only go when others insist that we meet here. Recently had dinner here. Ordered eggplant parmesan. This turned out to be four nearly uncooked slices of egg plant, barely topped with some overly sweet tomato sauce and almost no cheese. I politely asked the server to return the dish for some egg plant that was actually cooked (egg plant is one vegie that is NOT good raw), which they did, but it was then returned with three pieces of egg plant. Regardless of the taste and degree of doneness, three pieces of egg plant does not make a $20 dollar entree. it was served with a side of very dry pasta with no flavor. My companion had a steak which was overcooked and he said it was tough. The service seems to have improved, but the quality of the food is still just awful. Previously they were noted for consistently serving burned garlic break on top of their pasta dishes-this became a joke at our work place. Particularly since they put the burn side down as if trying to hide it. It's hard to believe that "professionals" operate this place. Better just go down the street and eat at Verna's drive inn. Not that they are particularly known as fine chefs, but at least they don't charge you $20 for chicken katsu. Just go there and pay $8 for equally bad food, but at least the portion sizes are larger.
(1)X X.
So earlier tonight I had a romantic dinner for 1 here! I have been to Hilo 3x and never noticed this place. A local told me how great it is there, so I decided to eat dinner at Ponds. Glad I discovered this place. I would call this fine dining by Hilo standards. I had the special which was Ono with capers, roasted mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, a salad, and rolls with an amazing garlic butter for 22.95. It was a splurge, but I had to check out this place. It was well worth the money and I am cheap. I normally hate fish, but this was excellent and tasted fresh. A friend of mine who cooks told me that the tastiest fish and freshest, is the kind that has no noticeable odor. Had no smell! The potatoes were great too. At first I thought there was bacon in it because the taste was so delicious. I asked the server to find out and it turned out it was just the potato skin (I don't eat pork). My server was friendly and fast, as was the cute bus boy. They also each spent a lot of time talking to me about Kau, a town where the bus boy grew up. I felt bad because he was told to talk less, and get to work! Would easily recommend this place and would love to come back with family, friends, or a date. On top of it, you could get 2 cocktails for under $15 in a classy environment! I love you Ponds!
(5)Kimo C.
OK OK I finally got to get to eat @ "The Ponds" to see what all the buzz was all about..... My review would have been 4-5 stars for a few things. First of all the place has an awesome atmosphere! We were seated right away at a very nice water side table and was greeted by out server Jen-(who seemed to not be having a good day) we were asked if we wanted any drinks and I ordered a lilikoi iced tea (funky tasting) and the wife ordered just water. I wanted to order an order of escargot but the wife had some concern about the brandy (my wife is pregnant). So we ordered the prime bites in garlic butter (really good!). We were given out app before we were served bread :( those prime bites would have been awesome with bread. We ordered two of their salads I ordered the Seared Furikake Ahi Cesar, and my Wife ordered a regular Cesar and a cup of their corn chowder (Don't even get me started on that soup.....:( ) than changed her order to a House salad with prime rib slices (really good value only $1 more than a regular Cesar). We got our food and the server still brought out a Cesar for the wife (I think she forgot). We sent it back and her salad was finally correct in record time none the less..... my Cesar was OK, the Chefs need to learn to serve salads on chilled plates and my croutons were nasty! The Wife's salad was presented very very nicely! we discovered that the Prime rib was served cold on top of the greens, along with the usual fat that comes on prime rib (good eats hot, to me not good eats cold) Come on cold beef fat! Yuck! I expected a bit more from the likes of this place and it's owners awesome food!!! well their young to the "fine dining" world and maybe one day I'll teach them how to make soup ;)
(3)Ruth S.
Had a really nice experience here tonight. Called around 5:00 pm for a reservation for 10 people, it was a Thursday night and no problem accommodating us at 7:15 pm. Seated quickly, served drinks right away, order taken soon thereafter. All meals were completely consumed, with pleasure! Very good food. Decent pricing for portions and choices of sides. An overall very good restaurant. Casual, Hilo experience. Satisfied customers!! The only reason I didn't give a 5 is because my entree was not AMAZING, it was good Prime Rib, thin but tasty. I did LOVE The Macadamia Nut Pesto pasta available as a side. I'd give 4.5 but didn't see the option to do so.
(4)Scott C.
This is one of the most friendly places to stop in. The beer is always super cold, and the staff is super friendly. Who doesn't like feeding the fish as you have a great meal. A must stop to fuel up and continue the adventure of Hilo.
(5)Reg R.
Got seated quickly for a Friday evening. Love the koi pond! I had the salmon salad. My wife had the Macadamia nut pesto pasta. Both dishes were enjoyable. 4 stars. Food orders were a little slow.
(4)Eddie A.
This was the worst meal I've ever had in Hawaii. For starters, the bread rolls were hard as a rock like they had just been microwaved. I took a chance on the steak enchilada, as it was "fiesta night" and the chef was supposedly from Mexico. My food was inedible. Awful flavor, awful presentation, complete with poop-brown colored sauce smeared all over the plate. I took a few bites and couldn't take anymore. They need to do away with the tacky "theme nights" that echo their sister pancake house (same owner) and just focus on doing something right. The service was equally bad and we caught the bus boy with his fingers up his nose while he smoked cigarettes outside the front door. No one seemed happy to be working there and it is amazing that the place has stayed in business for this long. The decor is horribly outdated and dingy and complete with tacky clear vinyl table cloth. My advice. Skip this craphole and go somewhere else.
(1)Jake C.
Yelp 365 Challenge 2015 #25/365 We came here with my family for dinner, and at around 4:30 I called to make a reservation for 5 at 6:30 with no problem. Nice! I actually called again after 6 to change it to 6:45 because we were running late and that was no problem as well. When we got there we were seated quickly, but had to wait for my mom who was running a little late. The service was a bit spotty because it looked like there was only one waitress, but once we got our orders in, the appetizers, salad, and then entrees were delivered in a good amount of time. Also, my water glass was always filled so that's a plus! For the appetizers, we ordered the Spinach & Artichoke Dip & Tempura Mushrooms. I've never had tempura mushrooms, but they were pretty good! They came with a honey mustard dipping sauce, and tasted great. Spinach & artichoke dip is usually the same everywhere you get it, and that's a good thing. It was really good, with 6 pieces of bread, but when we asked for more bread (since there was a lot of dip left over), they gave us dinner rolls to finish it off. Would have been nice to get more of the pesto bread that came with it, but it did the job. For my entree, I ordered the 16 oz. rib eye with white rice. It was fatter than it was wider, which is different, but still good! I only wish that I got two scoops of rice instead of one. Wasn't enough! I also got to try Rachel's Top Sirloin, but it was a little tough for me. I dipped it in the sour cream that was on the baked potato, and that was one of the best decisions i made all night! I tried my dad's prime rib, and it tasted like a normal prime rib to me. Nothing special. My mom's shrimp scampi was pretty good though! For dessert, we ordered some mud pie ice cream, haupia ice cream, and shared this brownie dessert with ice cream that was really really good. The brownie was warm and chewy, and the mixture of ice cream and brownie really hit the spot. Although my review is mainly positive, I can't seem to give this place more than a 3-star rating. Pricing is a little high, food tasted decent, and service was okay, but I can't guarantee that I would come back here for a meal.
(3)Lisa M.
First of all, our server Travis was great he didn't rush us or try to spew out the specials in his first table side visit he was professional and personable. The bus staff is top notch. My water glass was always full. We had a rib eye which was slightly under cooked but had a nice flavor. The smashed potatoes were fab u lous!! Try the Mai tai. Very yummy. This has been my best meal on the Big Island.
(5)Donna D.
I love this place. It is casual and has a nice Hawaiiana feel. Staff is friendly. Cocktails are great and the food Ono! Love the salads most but the fish and chips are epic.
(5)Dean I.
This is a decent seafood and steakhouse. Glynis, our waitress was friendly and had great suggestions. The staff was also hustling, especially at the later part of valentine's day dinner rush! Also, live music! We had the artichoke crab dip w/ crostini, entrees were scallops and fettuccine, and crab crusted opakapaka. Dessert was cheesecake w/ blueberries. All were ok, nothing outstanding, however, it was valentine's day, so I know it was busy. If it weren't for Glynis and staff, it would be mediocre. We'll be back on a regular day for a better look at the food.
(4)Rachel W.
Ponds really caught my eye because it's situated with a view overlooking Ice Ponds, a favorite swimming spot for locals. I'm a sucker for a restaurant with a nice view, so I was excited to go to dinner here with Jake's family while we were in Hilo. I walked into the restaurant expecting modern plantation decor, but what I got was something a little outdated. With all the florals and older wooden furniture, I kind of felt like I was going to grandma's for dinner. They could really turn this place into a destination with just a little bit of re-decorating. We were seated next to a window, so I was stoked. There was also another surprise -- a view of a koi pond right below us! Although the views were great, I found that sitting next to the window can get pretty chilly if the wind is blowing. I figured out the windows slide, so you can adjust it to your liking. Service was a little slow throughout the evening. It looked like there was only one waitress, so that was probably the reason. However, once we ordered, everything came out at an appropriate time. For appetizers, we tried the the Hot Artichoke Crab Dip and the Mushrooms Tempura. The mushrooms were interesting, as they used "beer-tempura-panko" to coat the whole thing. Let me tell you though, I was a huge fan of the crab dip. It was delicious spread on the toasted baguettes that came with the dish. We asked for more bread to finish off the dip, but they brought us some rolls instead of the baguette slices -- which weren't as good. I ordered the 10 oz. Mauna Loa Top Sirloin ($20) for my meal, which came with your choice of salad. My steak was a little chewy and overcooked. I gotta say, it was really disappointing. The dish also came with a baked potato, but those are always delicious. I wasn't ready to fall in love with any of the desserts here because nothing looked super special, but I tried some of the Brownie Sundae (a la mode), and I was in *heaven.* It is so delicious. I recommend not leaving until you've tried it. We also ordered some ice cream, which isn't on the menu. If you ask your server, they'll tell you which flavors they have that day. We got to choose from vanilla, mud pie, and haupia, and it comes in a nice tall ice cream glass! More than I bargained for, as I was pretty full. It's a quaint little restaurant with nice views, but I'm not sure I'd come back. Nothing really made me want more, if you know what I mean. PARKING: The restaurant has its own private lot, so there's free parking and nothing to worry about!
(3)Issa H.
Great place, love the location. The koi fish watching is so relaxing. It's a great stop after the beach, the prim rib bites are my favorite. Hope they open for breakfast soon
(4)Barb A.
Great service. Food is better than average. Live music too. A little loud for me. I had a difficult time hearing my wife but we also had a large group sitting next to us. The food was good but nothing overly special. My wife had the scallops and I had a steak. We shared the shrimp appetizer. I would return again. Our waiter was awesome. Funny and charming. Good little place right on the water/pond.
(4)Bob L.
We had a great time here; relaxed atmosphere, great service and good food. Great prices for drinks - half of what our resort charges! Everybody was pleased with their meal. Bread pudding desert was great!!
(4)Mojo M.
After many good meals in the past I was looking forward to my crab/avocado sandwich. However the avocado was rotten. The substitute sandwich left me a bit nauseous. So sad because I really liked this place
(3)Annz Z.
Didn't care much for my food.. Nothing really wowed me.. Except for our waitress... Glynnis...Who was really not attentive at all. Never asked how we were doing, she even passed us like 8 times and did nothing... WOW!! She was really attentive to a family of like 10 or more. Who I actually think she might have been related to because she was carrying the baby and talking story most of our time we were there.... The boys pouring us our water and taking care of our plates was way more helpful. So we tipped them.. Anyways.. Our waitress sucked. And our food was so so..
(2)Micah A.
This place is bomb dot com! The employees are filled with aloha and the food is Ono as ever! Best part, it's in WaiÄkea Town.
(5)Bob A.
Stopped here for a quick lunch. Location overlooks a pond.... guess that is where they got the name. Decor is dated but pretty cool, kinda a Hawaiian kitsch. Service was great.... but... the menu was blah. Not to exciting or any signature dish. Ordered a hamburger (yea... that blah). Burger was tasty but nothing jumped out at me. Would stop in again if no other choices but would definitley try something new if I could.
(3)Raven B.
Fake Vegan and I liked this place a lot. It has a very Hawaiian old school touristy feel to it. Kitchy with excellent food and the second best Mai Tai's on the Island after Kona Inn. Funny, the owners of the Shipman House B&B (great place to stay BTW) had never eaten here, so we technically found it on our own. The place is sitting on the edge of the pond and has a koi pond as well. Each time we ate here was for lunch in which we ordered a burger and/or fish sandwich. Great every time. I would totally go back. Not necessarily, though with Fave Vegan as it was weird being his escort. Kind of heartbreaking actually.
(5)Carissa H.
One of my favorites by far in Hilo. The staff are always on it. Food is awesome. They have a little bit of everything. I highly recommend it. And the deserts are to die for.
(5)Lance T.
The food and service was alright. The location was excellent as it was next to a natural pond and overlooked ornamental carp and other fishes.
(3)Troy C.
Made three visits here. The food and service were great all three times. The staff was very friendly and attentive. Loved the Korean Kalbi chicken and the Oriental salad.
(4)Brian N.
I really hoped to be able to rave about this place, but I'm afraid my review of Ponds is mixed. Me, my hanai brother and his sweetie took my 24 y.o. daughter here last night for her birthday dinner. On the plus side, I really appreciated that the host asked me if we were coming for a special occaison when I made my reservation-they gave my daughter a free dessert, the whole staff (including the cooks) came out at the end of our meal to sing happ b-day, and the host took a souviner photo and gave her a card). Throughout the evening, the staff was welcoming, professional and efficient. Ok-half a star Next, the ambiance. I agree with other reviewers who noted that the decor is dated and could use some refreshing to say the least. However, the breezes from the open windows are nice, and if you are lucky enough to be sitting water side, the views of the koi pond and lagoon are lovely. Live music, too. Ok-another half a star, The drinks-our Lava Flows were really good but kinda small (don't these usually come in tall glasses?), my hanai bro's gin and tonics were appropriately strong, but his sweetie correctly observed that the lilikoi lemon drop didn't have much lilikoi flavor. Half a star. Finally, the food. For pupus, we had calamari and escargot-the first was tasty but rather small for the price, and the second was covered with melted cheese rather than the more typical garlic and herb butter. For entrees, my daughter and I both had prime rib with baked spuds, with good creamed horseradish and nondescript au ju. The rib and potato were both quite good. My hanai bro liked his opakapaka, but the"crabmeat crust" and sauce were unnecessary and not well intigrated components. His sweetie didn't like her salmon-the sauce was kinda meh (but bad on her for not ordering a locally caught fish). Both of them complained that their veggies and garlic mashed were stone cold and not tasty-i tried them and have to agree. So, half a star for the food. Price-way too high for a decent but far from spectacular or memorable dinner in Hilo. One round of drinks, pupu, and dinner for four-Over $150, before the tip!
(2)S C.
We had just flown into Hilo and drove around for a place to eat. This place looked cool on the water, so we stopped. They were busy, but we were able to get a table in less than ten minutes! The ambiance is super cool. Being on the water made for a relaxing feel, and the live music in the background was a perfect compliment. We ordered the flaming lava drink, and it came to us lit on fire! Prefect tourist drink to start off our vacation. It was delicious! My husband ordered the Korean ribs. They portion was large and it tasted great! I got the scallop Chardonnay which was absolutely delicious, though very pricy. We both got seafood chowder with our entrée, and it tasted great too! Overall, this place was wonderful. The service was genuine and prompt, the ambiance was relaxing and didn't feel touristy, the drinks were good, and the food was delicious. I took off one star because of the price of my dish was a little high.
(4)Ashley B.
I luckily travel to Hilo on business for a week every month. It's been a pleasure sitting at the bar with Hilo's finest bartenders, Dale, Crystal and Zana. Ponds is the best place to have an ice cold martini after a long day... I am always dining alone so it is so nice to chat with them, and they always make me feel welcome. The pesto Mac nut pasta is delicious. I love to add shrimp for an extra treat. The clams, fish and chips and Crab crusted fish is great too... This is a great classic style restaurant that offers a true aloha feel. Wonderful live singers on most nights as well... Ponds will always be my favorite restaurant on the island!! Amazing view during the day as well!
(5)Shanna V.
Ordered the scallop Chardonnay dish with pesto pasta and garlic sautéed vegetables. GREAT dish but a bit pricy. The atmosphere is great. Waiters/waitresses are very friendly and attentive. Always had your water glass full. Waiting time is not an issue at this place. Workers did not rush us out of the restaurant and allowed us to take our time. The brownie with haupia ice cream is a must-try dessert. Talk about yummy, yummy, in your tummy.
(4)Nick N.
Very good food and friendly, attentive service. Got there half an hour before close but the server was very nice and happy to see us. Ordered a steak which was great, and a crab artichoke appetizer that was really amazing. I'll definitely be eating here again next time I'm in Hilo.
(5)LisaMarie M.
Really poor service. I can't eat soy. I asked the waiter what they used for oil and fried in. He said "I really wouldn't know". So I asked him to find out and he came back and said "it's vegetable". I said "but is it soy? Because that's a vegetable". His reply " you better just stay away from any fried food ". He didn't give us any daily specials, the second round of drinks took 20 minutes for one drink to come out. We had to ask for our bread when all the tables behind us got theirs. It was not busy, we were the first table seated. The food was only ok. The meat was fatty. Two of us had the sirloin, one of us had teriyaki which was much fattier than the sirloin. Will never go back. That was the worst tip we have ever left.
(2)Tierney I.
My boyfriend and I went here for a romantic dinner. It started off great. Good service and great seating (right next to the window where we could see the fish in the koi pond). It was beautiful. However, the drink we orders was way too strong. And, the food was terrible. My scallops was not bad but my boyfriends steak was the WORST food we have ever eaten. Payed about $50 and it was not worth it. NO TASTE at all. Once we voiced out concern to the waiter, the service turned from good to bad, & she began to ignite and skip outer table. After waiting for about 25 minutes, we finally got out bill. Never going back.
(2)Ashley K.
My scathing review: No. Just no. My dad brought me here for dinner straight from the airport and I was immediately in love with the place; the atmosphere was so ideal to me in that laid back old Hawaii way. It's right on the water and you could hear frogs in the "pond" below and crickets and birds. It was just really charming and almost felt like the south. Unfortunately the food did not follow suit to my initial attraction, thus the two-star review. I will say, the service was great; we were there for an early dinner and there were still several other tables of people, but we received perfectly friendly and quick service, so they lose no marks on my end for that, which means the food had to have really sucked for such a shitty review, and sucked it did. We started with the Furikake Seared Ahi which was actually done pretty well and the Ahi was VERY fresh (although it's sort of expected to be in Hawaii...just saying)...this dish ended up being the best part of our meal. My dad ordered one of the specials which was scallops in some kind of lemon cream sauce served with pasta and veggies and I ordered the lamb. My dad's dish just sucked all around, the scallops were way overcooked and everything else on just fell off the flavor/texture grid completely. My lamb was cooked as I prefer it, but overall just not up to par for the price. The kicker was that my dad found a hair on his dinner roll (the rolls were our second favorite part of the meal up until then). We both pretty much lost our appetites after that. It's such a bummer because this place felt like a real hidden gem to me, unfortunately it is one that should stay hidden.
(2)Gabriel E.
I would give this place 2 stars if my girlfriend didn't enjoy her meal way more than i did. As such, i will give it 3. Service took awhile, i guess its hawaii and no one is in a hurry to do much of anything fast, but still. I would have liked a drink in the first ten minutes sitting there. The caeser salad was alright, but it was missing croutons, which is a cardinal caeser sin, my pulled pork "sliders" came out as a full size sandwhich not mini burgers, it was ok but was just a lot of the same flavor. My gf got the panko crusted sturgeon special and she enjoyed it, and i liked the pesto pasta that came with it, but overall the meal was a bit lacking, considering the $80 price tag attached to it (2 people, one drink each). Dessert was good though, we split the brownie and ice cream.
(3)C. T.
We ate here for lunch and it was amazing. I had the crab sandwich which was packed with real crab. The view is also very beautiful. We will definitely be back.
(4)Kraziechic A.
Ordered a Sunset Hawaiian mojito and a lava flow for starters but they forgot the lava part of the drink lol so I guess the Piña Colada was good the mojito was just right though. Our meal came with a small tossed salad and warm dinner rolls with a garlic whipped butter. Ordered the Prime Rib cooked just right w/pesto pasta and grilled veggies and my partner had the rib eye steak not rare enough. The overall experience was good and will return to have more drinks and desert!
(4)Wanda G.
After reading the mixed reviews decided to chance it. The food was excellent. I had the sirloin steak with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. It was excellent. My bf had the tiger shrimp and he is VERY PICKY and he said it was good. Whew....... thank goodness or I would have had to listen to him complain on the long drive back to our cabin. My salad was also very good. Drinks were good. They have a happy hr between 3 and 5 pm with drink and food specials. They are on a pond and we were seated along an open window with a view of the koi pond. They gave us some food for the fish so that was cool. Staff very friendly. Inside a little outdated but very clean. Would go back again if in the area.
(5)Jeff W.
in town 1 day for business, had the Pear salad and it was terrific. Service was good too.
(4)Jimie R.
The roll was like a rock and something I could have got at Longs, the mashed potatoes and veggies were cold. The only thing that was right was the steak. This is the first bad review I've done. Not usually a complainer, but they need to step it up.
(3)Nancy Z.
I knew the owners' of this place when it was Harrington's. My husband, a friend, and I stopped in for lunch awhile back in its new incarnation as Ponds. We all ordered the fish and chips. It was a TON of food. Way too much for us to eat. It didn't really bowl me over. Earlier this month I was in Hilo on business staying at the hotel across the street and decided to give them a try for dinner. First off...they had one of my favorite wines - Infamous Goose - by the glass. The price was reasonable given the fact that I'd had a not-so-good-glass of house wine at another restaurant the previous night for the same exact price. I had the salmon salad for dinner. It was substantial and quite good. Wine, dinner, and tip ran me about $28. Reasonable prices. Good food.
(3)Beverly P.
The food was good and the service was just ok. The place has nice music and atmosphere. The night we went the breeze was a bit too cool and I am glad I had a sweater.
(4)Hawaii P.
Love the atmiosphere right on the water. Great fish and chips.
(4)Erynn T.
Took our visiting friends from Oahu here for brunch on Super Bowl Sunday. I always rave about how good the furikake seared ahi is, because it is BOMB. However that day, they served us GRAY fish. Not pink at all, GRAY. I was so embarrassed because I had raved to my friends about how good it is. When we pointed it out to the server, they took it back and said they would bring us another. When they brought another, it was still GRAY, very SLIGHTLY pink in the center, but not RED like how it normally is. We ate it, didn't get sick, but still. My friend also got the seared ahi ceasar salad and her ahi was gray-pink too. They also almost charged me twice for it, had I not pointed it out on the bill. Super disappointed about this visit. I would much rather have them told me "Sorry, we don't have fresh ahi today" rather than give us TWO platters of very obviously not fresh fish.
(1)L. B.
We came around 4pm (late lunch/early dinner) so we can enjoy the pond :) We order the pupus (appetizers) : we had escargot, sashimi and some beers. We recommend to come for early dinner or late lunch to have a great view table, non-hectic loud ambiance with beer and great food :) They don't allow you to feed the fish and ducks with human food however they give some fish food for customer with keiki(s) (children).
(3)Sheila D.
Food is great and they give a personalized greeting card (and cake, of course) when u eat there during special occasions! :)
(5)Ashley G.
One of the best dining experiences I had in Hawaii!! Dined here for my birthday & had such a great experience I took my friend when she came out for a birthday trip! Delicious, fresh, gourmet food! Wonderful ono! Fantastic desserts! On your birthday they bring you a dessert, sing, & take a picture of your group, print it out & give it to you in a card! You can feed Koi here in the pond below & next to the restaurant! All employees been with Aloha here!!!
(5)Greta S.
Excellent food, service, price & ambiance. We went for dinner (salmon was fabulous) & lunch the next day (chicken sandwich was also great). Friendly staff & the Koi pond is beautiful.
(5)Rob J.
It might be three stars, but if you're in Hilo, I would certainly put this place on the list for trying. In my opinion, you can't be looking for fine dining cuisine if you're coming to Ponds. (In fact if you're looking for five stars, you're probably on the wrong side of the island.) For anyone growing up in blue collar middle class America (like me), you should think back to when you were 13 and your parents wanted to take the family out for dinner. For most of us, our parents had their favorite restaurant that they'd go to. It was the place that wanted to be five stars, but just couldn't really make it. All the same, it's the place that you have good memories of, where the service was always great, and where the atmosphere made you feel like home. I won't even bother with reviewing the food. It's just okay. But that's not what you're here. You come to Ponds because you want try the type of place that the local middle class goes for a family night out. I'd be surprised if anyone got poor service here. Everyone who worked here seemed to go out of their way to make us feel like a local family. Two big highlights for us. One was the elderly woman playing tunes on the electronic keyboard. I'm betting she's also one of Hilo's longest running piano teachers. She greatly appreciated our applause at the end of every song, and we in turn appreciated her appreciation. (Yeah, I know. We had a little local lovefest going on. But you're on vacation, so what the heck.) We also enjoyed watching the local kids jumping off the bridge near the pond, simply having a great time. There were no ipods or video games, just some local kids hanging out, having fun, doing the same thing that local kids have been doing for generations. We'll be back. If for no other reason than to recapture a little bit of the ambiance from a simpler time.
(3)Amber C.
Great place to eat if you are in Hilo! The locals that work there are super friendly! The drinks are amazing! They make them RIGHT! My husband had a burger and garlic fries it was huge! He loved it!
(5)Kevin N.
We needed to go to somewhere to eat after the National Volcanoes Historic Park. Coconut Grill or Ponds Restaurant? We're tourists and do not know any better. So, we came here last Monday during "Mexican Mondays". Pros: -Excellent service -decent portions & valued food -location of water view Cons: -restrooms need major cleaning and ventilation (for men's) -needs a lot of remodeling i.e.- tacky decors, replacement of chairs & carpets, etc. -food tastes alright Service: Very attentive and making you feel like a valued guest Atmosphere: For Mexican Monday, I don't consider the music "Mexican" when there was a combination of Caribbean, reggae, Brazilian, salsas, and bamba. At least the live local artist helped out the rest of the evening. As for the water view, I was more entertained with the little boy with his small black wiener-looking dog jumping into the pond during the rainy weather that day. Food/menu: "taquitos"- they're more like chimichangas technically (deep fried burritos), but small like egg rolls. Good pricing, enjoyable five pieces of rolls, and comes with sour cream & small sized papaya salsa. complimentary dinner rolls: two dinner rolls come with grated parmesan cheese, chopped green onions, and lightly garlic hint... and a side of butter. Crab enchiladas (Monday special)- quite disappointed with the guacamole since the purple onions dominated the avocado. It is obvious that it was premade to order. Sour cream was served at room temperature. Papaya salsa was okay, a little spicy for me. The refried beans were great along with the twist of Mexican rice (mix of wild, long grain, and short white rice with a traditional tomato sauce). My crab enchiladas were shredded and didn't taste like gourmet like the menu appeared to me. Asian BBQ ribs- big portions, but I don't really see the "Asian part", it's mostly barbeque sauce drenched with a pile of tender ribs. It also comes with a baked potato with all the fixings and mixed veggies. tea: Stash brand. coffee: Kona. Did not have room for desserts, however.
(3)Paul S.
My wife and daughter stopped in here our first night in Hilo. The food is ok. We had a selection of Pupu's, that were nothing special The Mai Tail was decent, but not great. The setting was nice. I wouldn't go back if I was choosing, but I wouldn't object if others wanted to go there and I was with them
(2)Darcy G.
Super Christmas Dinner, Steak was done to perfection, try the RibEye..the Prime Rib was a different, but also delicious, hard to read these reviews about bad service and food....never missed here....did I mention the Fish and Chips...super fresh and moist with fries so crispy...
(4)Ronald S.
The food was slightly above average, but the service was poor. The waiter seemed reluctant to disclose the daily specials. The information had to be pried out of him. He asked if we wanted bread; we said yes; he never brought it. When the order came it was wrong. Naturally the waiter was nowhere to be seen. A message sent via busboy never got through. I had to track the waiter down in the kitchen. Every other restaurant on the Big Island during our one-week stay was fabulous. This was the exception.
(2)Sloopy H.
Hmmm what to say about a chef that makes a blueberry Ahi dish. I say he should stay in bed and pull the covers over his head. What was he thinking? The drinks are OK, a little pricey. The bar is very small but thats its charm. I wouldn't take a date there because the service was slow and the food was mediocre at best.
(2)Nik O.
Friendly service, pretty koi, good rib eye - unfortunately those are the only positives about my bday dinner at ponds. This is one of the few places in Hilo that could be considered fine dining, but that seems to just be an excuse for charging ridiculous prices for mediocre food. Cocktails were weak, escargot was cold, my moms shrimp scampi was an overall fail for nearly $30 - 6 shrimp drowned in a weird bland watery milk sauce. Completely under seasoned while the side of pasta w pesto was way salty. Scampi is supposed to be a really simple dish - butter, garlic, shallots, white wine... This was nothing like that, almost more like soup. Scallops w mushrooms were in a similar watery milk sauce, but with a little more taste. Boneless rib eye was a huge steak - cooked perfectly medium, well seasoned and nice char. Also reasonably priced at $33 We've come here since I was a kid (when it was Harringtons) and my family still goes for occasions, but probably not anymore after this failed birthday dinner. Mom said this is the first time it's been this bad but despite limited options, the way small towns work is that after a bad experience you tell however many people and never go back. It was $150 before tip for 3 ppl, which is crazy in this town. I feel bad because everyone was really nice, but that doesn't make up for the worst bday dinner I've ever had. I would especially avoid this place in the summer. FYI to tourists who don't know - flying termites swarm everywhere in Hawaii during summer, and their windows don't even have screens. You can expect to have them all over you and your food.
(2)Rosalina R.
My Prime Rib came to me cold and thin sliced with a lot of fat in it my friend's salmon was cold it took them long to give us our entree I believe it was just sitting there our waitress did not give us our entree another waiter did service was poor accept for filling our water no waitress till the middle of our meal she addressed my friends how our meal was not to me with my Prime Rib which she did never checked how it was wanted reimbursement all they could do was give us certificates don't ever want to go back my friend from Denver very disappointed
(2)K W.
The food was mediocre (3 stars) and the service not so good (1 star). We used to go there often but our last two times weren't that great-so we decided to give it one more try. We did not have reservations. The older hostess then told the younger girl to save the corner seat for the ones that had reservations and that we could sit at a different table-she should have saved the comment for later. The wait staff used to introduce themselves-not anymore. We had to ask for more coffee even though they refilled the tables closest to us. When we left, they used to say thank you-not anymore. We used to make this our go-to place for a nice meal, but they just don't seem to give a damn anymore. Not a place I would recommend to family and friends. I will spend my money "across the pond" and beyond!!!!
(2)John C.
Had their steak... nothing really special. It just didn't hit the spot for me. Waiters and ambiance were decent.
(3)Sara H.
My husband and i had a late lunch here. He was really hoping to get some seared ahi tuna and me some fresh fish and veggies. I had the shrimp cocktail and the cocktail sauce had so much horseradish that my eyes were watering but the shrimp were fresh. My husband ate his tuna. He said it was so so but really liked the Cole slaw. It had pineapple!
(2)Karen T.
Service-no tip I would never recommend this place to anyone. I should have gotten our waitresses name but wasn't thinking. She was a very soft spoken, thin blond girl that made snide remarks and tried to argue my husbands valid points. Food I had the Caesars Salad with Furikake Seared Ahi. The salad and dressing was very good. The fish on top had a nice presentation just not much taste but I did like that it came with some grated daikon. This was a 3 star dish My problems that I had with the restaurant My husband and Aunt ordered Prime Rib. A few minutes later the waitress comes out and politely apologizes and states that she's sorry but there isn't any prime rib left tonight, would you like to see the menu again? This was where it turned sour. My husband smiles and tells her aw, I really wanted Prime Rib, I'll even take an end piece or whatever. She picked up a small attitude and tells him well sir, next time you want prime rib, I suggest you come in a lot earlier than you did tonight. I did not appreciate her condescending tone. But if you like, the Rib Steak is the same cut of meat just cut into a steak so he agrees on that. His aunt orders a New York Steak they both ordered it Med Rare. Their steaks come out and his aunt says this is over cooked and cold. My husband cuts his and states that his is med well. The waitress brought all our food at the same time and she asks if everything is ok. Aunt nicely tells her could you let the chef know that this steak is not Medium Rare and its cold. The waitress rudely offered to take it back and Aunt tells her no, I just asked you to let the chef know this isn't cooked properly and it's cold like it's been sitting out for quite some time. The waitress agrees well yes, I left it sitting there until everyones food was ready. So Aunt nicely explains that it will continue cooking as it sits. The waitress tells her well ma'am, I offered to take it back. My husband tells her this is way over done she starts arguing again until his aunt tells her please don't argue with him. She grabbed his plate huffing back to the kitchen. I told him to share my salad with me because she's gonna mess with you now. The waitress was back shortly with his new plate. I looked at it and told him wow. That is barely cooked. Barely even rare. The worst part was he starts trying to cut the meat and he's struggling. Tries a second and third knife all with horrible results.. I told his aunt I can't look at his plate, I like my meat well done. Needless to say he lost his appetite and gave up. Didn't even try to chew this steak that he couldn't cut. Awful I don't think I've ever given a 1 star review before.
(1)Donna R.
The last time I was here, it was Harringtons and in the late '80s and early '90s it was one of the few 'fancy' restaurants in Hilo (oh, how Hilo has grown up!). I've always loved the atmosphere and, of course, the view! I've kind of avoided it once it became 'Ponds' because of the somewhat mediocre reviews. But, I decided to see for myself and I was not disappointed! I had the Pineapple/Teriyakyi Burger and my friend had the Reuben. Both were delicious and the garlic fries fantastic! The side of potato/noodle salad was a bit strange, though. All in all, it was a pleasant experience and we will be back!
(4)