Ken's House of PancakesHilo, Hawaii
SINCE 1971 Open daily, 6am to 9pm

Hilo's diner on Kamehameha Ave

Go Big.Go Sumo.

Fifty-plus years of pancakes, Sumo Size loco moco, and saimin the size of a small canoe. The kind of place Hilo grew up in, and keeps coming back to.

Call to order Get directions

1730 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo · Open every day of the week

Ken's House of Pancakes neon roadside sign glowing at night, reading OPEN, Ken's, and Jammin' Since 1971, with a cartoon chef mascot balancing plates of pancakes and a burger with fries The sign Hilo drives home to

The house special

Regular, or Sumo Size?

Ken's built its name on portions with a sense of humor. Order it Sumo, and the same plate shows up ready to feed the whole truck. Tap it and see.

An illustrated loco moco plate that grows when you choose Sumo Size SUMO SIZE
Loco Moco, regular

A Hilo classic: rice, a beef patty, egg over easy, and Ken's brown gravy. A proper plate on its own.

A smiling greeter at the Welcome to Ken's host stand, in front of a wall packed with framed photos of guests and visitors collected over the years
The host stand at Ken's, backed by decades of framed faces.

Jammin' since 1971

A Hilo institution, still family run

Ken Pruitt and Bonnie Twitchell opened the doors in 1971, and Ken's quickly became East Hawaii's first round-the-clock diner. In 1990 the Ching family took the reins, and they run it to this day.

  • 1971Ken's opens. Ken Pruitt and Bonnie Twitchell start the diner on Kamehameha Ave, the first 24-hour spot on the east side of the Big Island.
  • 1990The Ching family buys in. Lindberg and Frances Ching purchase Ken's and bring daughter Debra Ching-Maiava and Ric Maiava to Hilo to run it.
  • TodayStill theirs. Same family, same griddle, same aloha, plated up for locals and visitors every day of the week.

A Hilo landmark

The whole island has an order here

Ask anyone in Hilo where to eat and Ken's comes up. Locals on the way to work, visitors after a day at the volcano, families on a Sunday morning. It is the corner of Kamehameha Ave that everyone knows.

4.4Google star rating
5,300+Google reviews
2,400+Yelp reviews
A Ken's server in an aloha shirt taking an order from a guest in a diner booth, with counter stools, syrup caddies on the table, and the open kitchen line behind
Table service in the dining room, aloha shirts and all.

Come hungry

Find us on Kamehameha Ave

Hours
Open daily, 6am to 9pm
Order & questions
(808) 935-8711
Call to order Directions
Ken's House of PancakesOn Kamehameha Ave, Hilo Open in Google Maps