Cafe Pesto - Kawaihae HarborOMG the food!!!We had heard about Cafe Pesto from mainland friends who regularly come to the Big Island. It is their favorite restaurant here. We went there with the intention of getting leftovers for the next night, so we tried many things. The shrimp nachos were incredible - a most unusual and tasty combination. The Volcano salad was good and fresh. We also tried the chicken and mushroom risotto which was huge. But our favorite thing was the Southwest Pizza. What a combination of flavors! And oh-so good the next night as well. Great service too. Thanks Cafe Pesto! We will be back on our next trip... or maybe on this one!5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Place for PizzaThis is our favorite place on the Big Island for great pizza. The service and food are always outstanding.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMA great findHaving had great lunch at Cafe Pesto last year, we decided to experience dinner this time. The atmosphere is casual--suitable for families-- although sometimes the noise level can be high because of it. The quality of the food and the friendly staff however, make up for it . The dinner entrees--especially the ribs, the seafood risotto, and the wok fried shrimp and scallops were all delicious. Portions are plentiful. We are looking forward to trying many of their other offerings when we return.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMQuite possibly the best calamariQuite possibly the best calamari ever! Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious. Don't come hear if you want the typical American feeding trough of food piled unappetizingly high on your plate, but do come here if you want an excellent meal at a very reasonable price - especially for the islands.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMHave been coming to cafe pestoHave been coming to cafe pesto for many years hen we are on the Big Island. It hasn't changed at all and is an excellent place to eat. Reasonable prices and excellent service. Recommend the risotto!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMFun neighborhood cafeGreat local place that lots of people seem to know about. Creative menu with lots of local ingredients. Pizzas are wonderful and the volcano mist salad is something to behold. It looks like a volcano with heirloom tomatoes forming the sides and crunchy dried onions perched on top. Wonderful combination of flavors, including a balsamic-reduction-with-hoisin-sauce dressing that's extraordinary. Only thing that our party of four considered an unforgivable slip-up was that the chef overcooked the local Ono.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMConsistently good - Have beenConsistently good - Have been for dinner twice & plan on having lunch at Pesto in Hilo - enough said!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed creative but notWe enjoyed creative but not fancy local foods and seafood and they had good comfort food for the kids. The desserts were worth having first:) We went back twice during our stay and would go again. If only we knew about it early on in our stay!3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious!Great place to eat away from the big resorts. Food was outstanding....seafood risotto, pizza, chicken Alfredo. Focaccia bread appetizer delicious. Would highly recommend this place. Reservations a must.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat fresh food. The tumaGreat fresh food. The tuma and
Pasta outstanding. Desserts a must!3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed our salads madeWe enjoyed our salads made from fresh, locally sourced vegetables. The pasta was delicious with the pea pods prepared to perfection. Can't go wrong with the Hilo Sunrise either! Too full for dessert!3/25/2013 12:00:00 AMSuch a wonderful place weSuch a wonderful place we went back for another meal within 2 days.3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Lunch Choices! Not yourGreat Lunch Choices! Not your boring usual items! Fresh ideas and reasonable prices.Service was excellent as well. Never had to ask for a refill on iced tea or coffee. A p;lace not to be missed!3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMOnce again a very deliciousOnce again a very delicious meal. It was a nice outing to celebrate our daughter's accomplishments in school.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMCafe Pesto for a Birthday Lunch!Cafe Pesto is a "GO to" place as it is always dependable and it is open all day from 11 a.m. on. They offer good pizza and have a variety of other food to choose from. It is a little pricey, especially if you have wine, but we would easily go again. The wait staff was very good as was the hostess. We asked for a substitute in the salad and they said "sure, no problem".3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMCafe Pesto is outstanding!Whenever we travel to the Big Island of Hawaii, we stop at Cafe Pesto for dinner. Their salad greens are very fresh (better than the mainland!), pasta is excellent and the pizza crust is thick but very light. Save room for vanilla ice cream with the coconut tart for dessert. It's our favorite restaurant on the island!3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMSurprise! Surprise!What a surprise! This is a little restaurant tucked away on the corner of a small shopping building. The view isn't great as it sits across from the harbor and tanks on the waterfront. However the menu and service were impeccable! Opt for a half-order which is more than generous but not overwhelming. This leaves you the option of trying one of the excellent desserts on the menu. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here. This truly is a gem!3/12/2013 12:00:00 AM