The Unassuming Restaurant In Hawaii That Serves The Best Loco Moco You'll Ever Taste
By Megan Shute|Published September 14, 2017
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
A beef patty nestled into a bed of rice with a fried over-easy egg balanced on top, with a smothering of brown gravy bringing everything together. This is the loco moco, and it is absolutely to die for. Said to have originated in the 1940s, the dish is the epitome of Hawaiian plate-lunch cuisine. It can satisfy the raging appetite of a surfer or hiker, or even cure the occasional hangover. Because the loco moco may not be something you want to eat on a regular basis, you’ve really got to make the best choice possible. Cafe 100, located in Hilo on Hawaii Island, is not only said to have invented the loco moco, but the unassuming eatery has rave reviews.
Many people have claimed to have invented the loco moco, local legend says that it is either Lincoln Grill or Café 100 that created the perfect dish. Lincoln grill is no longer around, so, almost by default, Café 100 is now the obvious choice for the best loco moco in Hawaii.
In 1946, after Richard Miyashiro was discharged from the United States Army, he opened a diner in his hometown of Hilo. The name? Cafe 100, in tribute of his battalion during World War II, the 100th Infantry Battalion, a unit comprised of Hawaii-born Japanese-American young men who volunteered to fight for America despite the bigotry they faced after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. According to Cafe 100’s website, the 100th was the most highly-decorated American unit of its size during the war.
In the next several years, two separate tsunamis hit Hilo and destroyed his restaurant. He rebuilt each time, and now Cafe 100 stands on Kilauea Avenue. The eatery was Hilo’s first drive-in restaurant, and it was an instant hit: after all who doesn’t want fast food service but with the full menu of a traditional restaurant?
While the traditional loco moco is made with a hamburger patty, Cafe 100 puts a unique spin on the classic dish, offering more than 30 unique varieties, including chicken, fish, vegetables, and sausage options. The traditional loco moco — and others — have been made using the same recipe for decades. Did we also mention that the cost hasn’t changed much either? The original Loco Moco is only $3.55, burgers start at just $3.79, and plate lunches cost approximately $8.00.
Locals come for the tasty, home-cooked food just like their grandma used to make, and tourists come for an authentic, old Hilo taste — and always with fast and friendly service.
Cafe 100 is open Monday through Friday 6:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 6:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The classic eatery is closed Sundays, and is located at 969 Kilauea Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.
The loco moco is easily one of Hawaii’s most iconic foods, but we urge you to try these 14 foods and beverages as well. Oh, and here are the best places to get said Hawaiian classics.
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