Dan and Mandy’s guidebook "It's All About Pahoa!"

Some of our favorites: The Tin Shack Bakery; I recommend grabbing a breakfast sandwich (biscuit, egg, bacon, sausage, cheese...) or their other breakfasts look wonderful too. Fresh bread and pastries are made here daily. They have soup and sandwiches, and many other tasty item as well as coffee and cappuccinos. Oh the cinnamon rolls are huge! Open 7 am to 2 pm daily. This is an open-air little restaurant. Nothing fancy, great food, good prices. I would go here, grab food for the day and take to the beach or other adventures. Breakfast, lunch, brunch. Friendly people, very local and authentic, is a good way to describe. Try the bagel cream cheese with a side of bacon, put bacon on the bagel. Yummy. Also try the carrot cake. I Want Ice Cream; this is a mom and pop ice cream shop…located in strip mall with Pahoa Fresh Fish. This is really good ice cream. Large portions. Dan likes the chocolate cherry the best. I like the coffee ice cream. They have many other flavors. They even make an ice cream out of poi, the purple potato. Ask for a sample. It’s really good too and very different. Ning’s Thai Cuisine, everything we have had there is wonderful and very flavorful. Boogie Woogie Pizza, Great Pizza’s! Kaleo’s Bar and Grill, patio seating and indoor seating, large menu selection Pele’s Kitchen, good breakfast and lunch Luquins Mexican, good food, good value. By Longs Drug and the roundabout. Black Rock Diner, good food, good value. Farmer's Markets have great food too! • Pahoa has a large market. Called the Maku’u Market on Sunday’s Located 15-2131 Keaau-Pahoa Rd. in Pahoa Features: vendors, artist, music, food, locally grown fruit and vegetables. Our favorites are the Garlic Shrimp vendor. You get a nice meal for $13. Garlic shrimp with rice. We like the crepes and get the sausage crepe. Another is the burrito vendor, they make huge burritos. • Hilo has a market every day of the week. On Wednesday and Saturdays are the “Big Market” days. More vendors. Local farmers, artisans, crafters, retailers, food vendors. Over 200 vendors on the Big Market days. Otherwise 20 to 30. Hours are usually 7 am to 4 pm. Uncle Roberts Awa Bar (Kalapana-Kaimu’s Farmers Market) 12-5038 Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, now open Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. Wednesday nights are a local favorite. It seems everyone gathers. It is food, music, dancing, live entertainment at times (flame dancers or acrobats), food trucks, food vendors, artisans, etc…Very, very casual atmosphere. This can be a fun place to dance and people watch. Locals and visitors come here and its well-known and gets very busy so get there early. Pull up to the front, there is parking for $5, its worth it. Otherwise, you will see people parking for a mile down the sides of the street. Get there early enough, 4:30 or 5 ish, park and head to ocean, beautiful and peaceful sunset. Many just sit quiet and watch the sunset. Then head back to the market area. Get some really good food. If you see someone selling LauLau. A native Hawaiian cuisine dish. that is pork, salted pork fat on top of fish wrapped in a taro leaf. You eat the taro leaf and the stuff inside. It is very tender. I liked it more that I thought. (some are wrapped in a ti leaf, then taro leaf… do not eat the ti leaf, but you can eat the taro leaf.) The pizza truck has great pizzas. Also, a place in the back to the left, has chicken and beef skewers. Lilikoi lemon drink is good too. There was a chef their who made a garlic noodle shrimp scampi that was amazing. I didn’t see him their last time. Everyone is free to be who they are here, you will see what I mean. It’s wonderful. Have a great time. Dance like no one is watching because that’s what everyone else is doing. That’s what people do here. *Oh, you will most likely meet a vendor (a man with a big personality) who offers you a sample of a health drink made from ginger and turmeric, I don’t know what else is in it, other healthy ingredients. It is hot! I try to buy a bottle each time I am there. He is funny and says it makes your eyes shiny. And it does. A true story, I used it for 2 weeks, met with some new friends, and one commented how shiny my eyes were. I just had to smile to myself because I thought he was kidding. He also sells his organic fruits and vegetables. There is a sand beach near Uncle Roberts, called the New Black Sand Beach and is a short hike from the lava covered parking lot on top of the hill near market area. The path is lined with newly started palm trees. Beautiful spot for sunset viewing and photos. Ok, my all time favorite restaurant is in Hilo. Naung Mai Thai Kitchen, located in Hilo, 86 Kilauea Ave, (behind Pineapples Restaurant.) This small, hidden gem of a restaurant is one of our favorites. It only has about 8 to 10 tables in the whole place. It’s one of those places you hope to find. The chicken pineapple coconut curry is amazing!!! I (Mandy) order this every time. We make a point to go here each time we are on the island. Everything has been wonderful. Dan had a chocolate peanut butter non-dairy ice cream. Dan said the best ice cream he has ever eaten. Everyone we have brought there, has loved it.