When I was a kid, I LOVED going to Ken’s House of Pancakes with my family whenever we visited Hilo. Learning that Mrs. Island Miler has never been, I made it a point to get here during our last trip to the area. Alas, things weren’t quite what I remember them to be.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug. It is especially potent when thinking back to one’s halcyon days as a kid – not a care in the world except for what video game you’ll play after finishing your homework, whether your VCR will tape the show you scheduled it to, etc. Back in those days, I had the extreme privilege of being able to go to Maui or the Big Island at least once a year with my family.
Trips to Hilo often included one or more visits to Ken’s House of Pancakes for brunch, with their tasty omelets, fluffy pancakes, and decadent coconut syrup. It was the perfect start to a day, which would usually include a visit to a black sand beach or adventures in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
During our conversations leading up to our trip, I learned that, despite being there several times as a kid, Mrs. Island Miler had never been to Ken’s House of Pancakes. I freaked out. Everyone’s been, right? After all, they’re a Hilo institution! It was also the only restaurant in Hilo (at least, in the before times) that was open 24/7 and known throughout the islands for its pancakes and omelets. We had to fix this.
Ken’s House of Pancakes Location
If you’re staying in Hilo, it’s pretty hard to miss Ken’s House of Pancakes. They’re at the intersection of Mamaloha Highway/Hawai’i Belt Road, Kamehameha Ave, and Banyan Drive. This places them across Queen Liliuokulani Gardens and the Naniloa Golf Course from Hilo’s hotel district, several blocks down from the Edith Kanakaole Stadium, and near the threshold of Hilo International Airport’s Runway 8.
Plus, unlike so many other places in Hilo, they have a private parking lot and are open past 8 pm!
Ambiance + Service
Ken’s House of Pancakes is a dying breed of restaurant – a true old-school diner that hasn’t changed much over the years. It can be pretty jarring if you’ve never been in a place like this. However, what caught me off-guard (I guess I never noticed as a kid) is that the restaurant is open-air – there’s no a/c here. I suppose this wasn’t as big an issue 30 years ago when our weather was cooler, but it gets pretty hot nowadays, as was the case during our visit.
As far as service goes, we went during the after-lunch lull. There weren’t that many employees around, so it took a while for us to get seated and whatnot despite the restaurant being empty. Our server was nice, so no complaints there. Overall, though, service was slow. Don’t come here if you’re in a rush.
Menu
Ken’s House of Pancakes has one menu that’s served all day. Yup, that means you can order breakfast items along with lunch/dinner items at any time. If you’re particularly hungry, check out the Sumo section of the menu. But be forewarned – these items aren’t for the faint of heart! The “Sumo Special” is a loco moco constructed of four scoops rice, a half-pound burger, three eggs, onions, gravy, and a side of three pancakes. Mind you, this is one of the smaller items on the Sumo menu. Crazy!
What We Ordered
When I was a kid, my standard order at Ken’s House of Pancakes was the Really Real Snow Crab Omelette (snow crab, green onions, hollandaise) or the Da Braddah Omelette (bacon, ham, Portuguese sausage, green onions, and cheese). Both are $20 today, and all omelets come with your choice of rice or hashbrowns PLUS pancakes or toast. You can also get cottage cheese, tomatoes, or pineapple in place of the pancakes/toast.
During Mrs. Island Miler’s inaugural visit to Ken’s House of Pancakes, she went with the Really Real Snow Crab Omelette with rice and pancakes. I wanted to branch out and try something different, opting for the fried noodles. Big mistake.
First, the good. Mrs. Island Miler’s omelet was pretty good. It wasn’t quite as good as I remember, but that could be due to my now different taste and the rose-tinted glasses effect. There are still chunks of snow crab leg meat in there, along with smaller strands of meat, and I like that the omelet, while fully cooked, wasn’t overdone. The green onions provide a nice, light touch of freshness to what is otherwise a decadent omelet.
That said, I noticed crispy, bitter bits in the omelet itself. Either they burned the mix as it cooked, or the flattop wasn’t cleaned, and we got the charred remains of some other dish folded into our omelet. The hollandaise was also kind of disappointing, as it was a bit lumpy.
That said, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they added a lilikoi syrup to their mix. Unfortunately, it was a bit artificial tasting for my liking – I wonder if guava would be better? Nevertheless, the coconut syrup was still good, and is the way to go here, in my opinion.
In contrast to the omelet, the fried noodles were a complete disappointment. While the noodles retained a nice al dente texture, they were quite wet/oily. Worse, though, is that the entire dish was incredibly salty. The HUGE slices of Spam scattered throughout didn’t help with this. In fact, the primary flavor profiles here were salt and black pepper. No thanks.
My other complaints with the fried noodles were more personal, with the largest complaint here being the use of green bell peppers. Who the hell puts green pepper in fried noodles?! I also wasn’t a fan of the celery or carrots in here. In my opinion, fried noodles can have onion, cabbage, and maybe bean sprouts. All other vegetables in local-style fried noodles are an abomination. But, again, that’s my opinion.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m glad we paid Ken’s House of Pancakes a visit. It was nice to check the place out again – it’s been at least 20 years since I’ve last been – and to introduce it to Mrs. Island Miler. Sadly, I feel like the quality has diminished a little here, though the cuisine is far better than the stuff we had at our hotel. However, there are more exciting options in Hilo nowadays, so I wouldn’t automatically return here. But I wouldn’t rule out a return visit, either. I’d probably stick with the omelets and pancakes if I do come back, though.
Big Island Bird-Watching
- Introduction
- Hawaiian Airlines 212 Honolulu to Hilo
- Avis Car Rental Hilo
- Big Island Chocolate Adventure
- Grand Naniloa Hotel – a DoubleTree by Hilton
- Na’au Hilo Round 2
- Revisit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Kusano Sushi
- Atebara’s Famous Chips
- Ken’s House of Pancakes