Restaurants in Puna

There are a variety of different types of restaurants in Puna. You can find Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Local and typical American as well as some great little unexpected spots that offer sandwiches and the like.

However, even though Puna is about the size of Oahu, there are only around 20 or 25 restaurants total. We have tried a number of them and our favorite is Ning’s Thai Cuisine in Pahoa (but maybe that is because we really love Thai food!).

If you are looking for foods that originate in the Puna area, fresh fruits like papaya would be an obvious choice, (check out the local farmers market for the freshest picks). The other lesser-known specialty is Puna Goat cheese. This cheese is fresh and fantastic and comes in two varieties - Chevre, (which is like cream cheese) and Feta cheese.

Puna goat cheese is probably the most famous haute cuisine ingredient from Puna, and chefs from hotel resorts in the Kona area and neighboring islands swear by this incredible delicacy.

Maybe it’s the small number of restaurants that drive the prices up, but in general restaurants in Puna are not cheap. We’ve noticed that many budget-conscience visitors to Puna are actually going to the supermarket to put together a quick lunch instead of going to a restaurant. And I do think this is connected to the prices.

We ended up eating in Hilo a few times, because there are a wider variety of restaurants there including Indian and a great Artisan bread bakery (that also happens to have awesome scones!).

As a side note – if you are looking for decaf coffee you need to check out Hilo Coffee Mill in Mountain View. They have fresh roasted decaf. Decaf comes only from Kauai and Kona. No other farmers from Hawaii decaffeinate their coffee. But you can get a good cup of decaf coffee at Hilo Coffee Mill.

Here is a list of restaurants in Puna:

NAME STYLE ADDRESS PHONE
PAHOA
Black Rock Cafe American, Hawaiian 15-2872 Pahoa Village Rd 965-1177
Boogie Woogie Pizza Pizza, Sandwiches 15-2937 Pahoa Village Rd 965-5575

The Godmother Restaurant Italian 15-2969 Pahoa Village Rd 965-0055

Jo Mama's Beverages, Specialty Coffee 15-2950 Pahoa Village Rd 965-0072

Lava Zone Cocktails, Contemporary 15-2929 Pahoa Village Rd 965-2222

Luquin's Mexican Restaurant Mexican Pahoa Village Rd 965-9990

Mermaids Grotto Cocktails 15-2931 Pahoa Village Rd 936-9925
Ning's Thai Cuisine Thai 15-2955 Old Pahoa Rd 965-7611

Paolo's Bistro Italian 333 Pahoa Village Rd 965-7033
KEAAU
Charley's Bar & Grill American 16-586 Old Volcano Rd 966-7589

Lemongrass Vietnamese Vietnamese 16-586 Old Volcano Rd 982-8558
MOUNTAIN VIEW
Hilo Coffee Mill American, Hawaiian 17-995 Volcano Road 968-1333
Koa Shop Kaffee American, Hawaiian 17-4003 Ahuahu Pl 968-6607
VOLCANO
Kiawe Kitchen Contemporary, Pizza 19-4005 Haunani Rd

Kilauea General Store American, Pizza Milemarker 27-1/2 Old Volcano Hwy 967-7555

Kilauea Lodge & Restaurant Continental Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 967-7366

Lava Rock Cafe American, Hawaiian Milemarker 27 1/2 Old Volcano Rd 967-8526

Thai Thai Restaurant Thai 19-4084 Old Volcano Rd 967-7969

Volcano Golf & Country Club Restaurant American, Hawaiian 99-1621 Piimauna Dr 967-8228

Please let us know if there are any other restaurants in the Puna area that we did not mention here and please also send us your opinion on these restaurants in Puna. We will publish the reviews. Thanks.

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