This restaurant has been around for a long time (since 1971). It is sort of a landmark since it has been on the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Kanoelehua Avenue forever. You never know who you'll bump into at Ken's after an important convention, concert, or the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival (held every March). The only 24-hour coffee shop in Hilo, Ken's fulfills basic dining needs simply and efficiently (but watch out for the calories: there are 13 different pies!) Many visitors frequent this restaurant because it is in close proximity to Banyan Drive where mostly all the hotels in Hilo are located like the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Uncle Billy's Hotel, the Naniloa, and the Hilo Seaside Hotel. It is also located near the Hilo Airport. Some of the favorites on their menu is omelets (around $10), pancakes, French toast with Portuguese sweet bread, saimin, sanwiches, soup-what they call a "poi dog menu"- stream out of the busy kitchen. Other affordable selections include fried chicken, steak, grilled fish, and hamburgers with salad and all the accompaniments. Most popular is the Mauna Kea hamburger which is as big as a mountain, topped with pineapple and the works between sweetbread buns-very local, very Hilo. I would recommend eating at this busy restaurant because it is sort of a landmark here in Hilo on the Big Island. It is nothing fancy but it is surely "local." The restaurant is open daily for 24 hours. Most items on the menu are between $9.00 - $12.00 which is affordable. The atmosphere in this restaurant is very local and busy. Service is very friendly and local. At times, service can be slow because this restaurant can get very busy, especially when there is a lot of visitors on the island or when there is a big event such as the Merry Monarch. I wouldn't count on parking since this parking lot is always full. You will probably have to drive around the parking lot several times before someone leaves. To get to this landmark coffee shop, drive south on Highway 19 until you pass Bayfront, then go down Kamehameha Avenue and turn right at Ken's Pancake House before you see the intersecting sign that reads Kanoelehua Avenue.

We found Ken's on Sunday morning when we were looking for a place to eat breakfast. We dug into the "Hawaii, the Big Island Revealed" book and there it was.
We arrived about 1000 and the parking lot was full. I drove around until someone left while the rest of our party (there was 4 of us) went in and got on the waiting list. Ken's is open 24/7 and is quite a popular place judging by the crowd.

We had a table in 10 minutes or so. The menu was quite extensive. They have most any breakfast food you can imagine...including the notorious "loco moco". Their pancakes were light and fluffy and they offered several different exotic syrups....mango, coconut,passion fruit, guava, bluberry....They also had dinner items on their menu....we'll try that next time. Even though they were slammed , the service was very good. I'm giving Ken's a 9.5 on a scale of 10.

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.

Ken's House of Pancakes is great! It's your basic American fare with a Hawaiian twist. They have all kinds of different Hawaiian-themed syrups (coconut, pineapple, mango, etc.) to put on your pancakes.

A pancake house that also serves full meals. We had this recommended by a local girl and were extremely happy (we went both days for breakfast). The service was friendly and the omelets were extremely good. They had many choices, but my favourite was called the Rough Night and had chili and cheese (it sounds bad but tasted great). The prices were right and the service very friendly. If in Hilo, try this place.