This excellent eatery is located in Volcano Village, the small town which services Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
I stumbled into this log-cabin-like restaurant shortly before closing on a slow Friday evening, and was happily greeted by a large Hawaiian boy who really made me feel at home. He brought me cold ice water and explained the menu to me, which included some unique Hawaiian dishes.
The menu focuses on Hawaiian plate lunches, with some western foods available. I was eager to try some Hawaiian-Asian cuisine, so I ordered a plate of Chicken Katsu (breaded Japanese chicken cutlet), served with "volcano greens" (tossed salad), macaroni salad, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and spicy BBQ sauce.
I began my meal with the tossed salad with house passion fruit vinaigrette dressing, which was very tasty. So tasty I wish now that I had asked for the recipe. A tangy sweetness unlike anything I've ever tasted - it's simply excellent.
After the salad, I was served my steaming, fried chicken cutlet. It was crispy and hot, and very fresh. The BBQ sauce was very sweet, with a hint of tropical fruit flavor, and complemented the chicken excellently. The side dishes were nothing to write home about, except the coleslaw, which included fresh-cut cabbage with a light, sweet coleslaw dressing. After dinner, I was served a complementary cup of coffee.
The food was generously portioned, and reasonably priced at only $10.75 for that meal. Other menu items were similarly priced. The house specialty, which I did not try, was the saimin ($5.75) - a traditional Asian noodle soup, served with sliced pork or spam. The restaurant also offers other delicious meals, from standard burgers and wraps, to rack of ribs and vegetarian chow funn. Everyone will find something here, as the menu is very extensive.
The waiter was one of the friendliest I've ever had - I can't wait to go back here. It's truly how a restaurant should be, and the Lava Rock Cafe should be quite proud.
Take-out is readily available, and the staff can pack bag lunches to take out hiking during the day (which seemed popular with the tourists). The restaurant also is a great place to come for a coffee and pie - there are tons to choose from. It's a diner done right. Ample televisions tuned to CNN ensure you are not out of the loop when it comes to what is happening back on the mainland.
The Lava Rock Cafe is also an Internet cafe, and offer Picture CD services for those with full memory cards ($10). The restaurant accepts all credit cards. They are open from 7:30am to 9pm daily, offering both breakfast (7:30 - 10:30), lunch, and dinner. To get here, just look for the huge sign above the restaurant on the main road through Volcano Village.
Visit the Lava Rock Cafe's excellent website (with full menu!) at:
www.volcanovillage.com/VolcanoesLavaRock.htm