Ken's House of Pancakes is Hilo's 24-hour diner, a genuine institution that has been feeding the city around the clock for decades. The menu is American diner with strong local influence: pancakes and eggs for breakfast, plate lunches of teriyaki chicken and macaroni salad at midday, and everything available at 3am for the after-bar crowd or the early-morning fishermen heading out. The malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) are the thing to order — pillowy, sugar-dusted, and made fresh.
The atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious. The staff know most of the regulars by name. For a visitor, it offers a good view of Hilo's social mix: local families, sugar and macadamia farm workers, astronomers driving down from Mauna Kea, travellers catching an early flight. A quintessential Hawaii diner experience in a city that hasn't been overtaken by tourism.