Ken's is a great place to go to absorb the local Hilo flavor - multicultural, laid back, island life. I've been there twice for breakfast. I have not had the signature pancakes, but they sure looked good.
We went for Sunday breakfast, and the place was packed. I had to circle the parking lot while my friend got us in line for a table. (The convenience store next door has nasty signs warning Ken's patrons away from parking there, though some evidently had. Others parked at the mall down the street and got some exercise walking.) There was about a 20-minute wait, and then we were seated in a comfy booth. There's also counter seating. The waitstaff wear aloha dresses or shirts. They were pleasant and as attentive as possible, given how busy the place was.
The menu would have been daunting, but we only looked at the breakfast choices. You can have eggs and breakfast meat with toast or pancakes and hash browns or rice, all for a very reasonable price. My friend substituted pineapple for the toast or pancakes, as offered on the menu. She was disappointed when it was canned - on the island, we expected fresh. We skipped the meats, but the menu also offers fake meats in place of the real for vegetarians. Our eggs were great. I was a bit queasy so just had toast and rice with them, which hit the spot. My friend's hash browns were nothing special. They left a carafe of coffee on the table, which was great, and brought a carafe of hot water for my tea, which was served with packets of honey.
The patrons were mostly local people. It was so relaxing to be immersed in the culture. I became almost euphoric - everyone looked so beautiful to me. The waitresses, the young family in the next booth over, the elderly couple in another booth. The big Hawaiian guys, oh yes! Most people seemed to be eating the local-style breakfasts, giant mounds of eggs, meat, and rice, with fluffy pancakes on the side.
Ken's also serves lunch and dinner, with specialty nights including an all-you-can-eat spaghetti night and Taco Tuesday.