Overview
5-Spice is a long-running Hilo takeout/casual lunch spot at 2064 Kilauea Ave in Hilo, on the Big Island. The Google Places record says it is operational, open daily except Sunday, and sits in the moderate-price range with a strong rating. The place appears to be the kind of local stop travelers find through word of mouth rather than destination branding: low-friction, lunch-oriented, and rooted in everyday Hilo eating patterns. (tripadvisor.com)
There is a small but important identity wrinkle: third-party listings mostly agree on the 2064 Kilauea address, but some older web results and directory pages point to other Hilo locations or outdated business details, which suggests the record has drifted over time. The current Google Places data still looks like the best baseline identity anchor, but the restaurant should be treated as a Hilo local rather than a heavily standardized chain concept. (tripadvisor.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
5-Spice’s menu reads like Hawaiian-local lunch counter food with Chinese, Korean, and American plate-lunch influence rather than a narrow “spice” theme. The strongest evidence points to burgers, sandwiches, bentos, and breakfast/lunch plates, with items such as chicken katsu bentos, a mixed “5-Spice Bento,” meat jun with shoyu chicken, and burgers including a signature 5-Spice Burger. Review snippets and delivery-menu data also point to crack seed/preserves as part of the draw, which makes it feel more like a hybrid lunch-and-snack shop than a standard sit-down restaurant. (ubereats.com)
- Overall menu style: casual plate-lunch and bento counter with burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast items; broadly local-Hawaii comfort food with Asian influences. (ubereats.com)
- Notable specialties supported by sources:
- 5-Spice Burger. (ubereats.com)
- Chicken Katsu Bento. (ubereats.com)
- 5-Spice Bento, described with chicken, meat jun, kimchi patty, spam, hot dog, hash, zucchini, egg, and koko. (ubereats.com)
- Meat Jun and Shoyu Chicken Bento. (ubereats.com)
- BBQ Chicken Bento. (ubereats.com)
- Kim chee fried rice with sweet potato salad and fried eggs, mentioned in a traveler review. (tripadvisor.com)
- Price range / spend: Google Places lists it at price level 2, so travelers should expect roughly affordable-to-moderate lunch pricing rather than fine dining. (tripadvisor.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: there is at least one veggie omelette listing on Uber Eats, but the menu is otherwise meat-forward and bento-heavy, so vegetarian and lighter-eating options appear limited rather than central. (ubereats.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This looks more like a practical counter-service lunch stop than a linger-all-afternoon restaurant. The review pattern emphasizes easy parking, friendly workers, and a straightforward neighborhood feel, while the delivery-menu footprint suggests a place built for fast lunch pickup, bento boxes, and local repeat business. (tripadvisor.com)
- Service model and seating style: evidence points to counter-service/takeout-first ordering, with delivery also supported on Uber Eats. Seating details are not well documented in the sources reviewed. (ubereats.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: reviewers describe it as friendly and local rather than scenic or polished; there is not much evidence of a carefully designed dining room. (tripadvisor.com)
- Amenities or practical features: easy parking is specifically mentioned in a traveler review, and the location on Kilauea makes it a convenient stop within Hilo. (tripadvisor.com)
- Best fit: a quick breakfast or lunch stop, especially for travelers who want local plate-lunch food, burgers, or bentos without a long wait. (tripadvisor.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers looking for a full-service dinner, a destination ambiance, or a highly curated chef-driven experience may find it too utilitarian. That is an inference from the hours, menu shape, and review pattern rather than a directly stated complaint. (tripadvisor.com)
History & Background
Meaningful public history is limited, but there are signs of a long local presence in Hilo rather than a new import. Manta’s directory data says the business was established in 1983 and incorporated in Hawaii, though this should be treated cautiously because the listing is not the same quality as an official source. Older references also suggest the business may have occupied or been associated with other Hilo locations over time, which supports the idea of a moving or evolving local operation rather than a fixed national brand. (manta.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
The strongest recurring theme is that people like the food’s comfort-food appeal and the friendly service. Tripadvisor review text praises the kim chee fried rice, sweet potato salad, fried eggs, easy parking, and “nicest workers,” while Uber Eats reviews highlight “best tasting burgers in Hilo,” friendly staff, and enjoyable preserves/crack seed. The overall pattern is favorable and consistent, though the public review sample is not large on every platform. (tripadvisor.com)
Common Gripes
There is not a strong, well-supported negative pattern in the sources reviewed. The main caution is operational rather than culinary: Uber Eats shows the business as “Closed on Uber Eats as of Jan 15, 2024,” which may reflect platform status rather than in-person closure, but it does show that delivery access or channel availability can change. More broadly, the limited review volume on Tripadvisor and the mixed third-party directory data suggest travelers should verify current hours before making a special trip. (ubereats.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours posture: Google Places lists daily hours of 6:00 AM–4:00 PM Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday; Uber Eats shows a slightly different schedule, so hours should be verified before going. (tripadvisor.com)
- Best time to go: breakfast and lunch seem to be the core use case, especially earlier in the day. (tripadvisor.com)
- Reservations: no evidence of a reservation model; plan for walk-in, counter-style service. (ubereats.com)
- Ordering strategy: bentos and plate-style combos are the clearest supported strengths; if you want the broadest local sample, a combo plate or bento is the safest bet. (ubereats.com)
- Parking/location: the Kilauea Avenue location is convenient in Hilo, and at least one reviewer specifically called out easy parking. (tripadvisor.com)
- Travel caveat: because some third-party listings conflict on address and business details, verify the current location before relying on an old map pin or directory entry. (mapquest.com)
Verification Notes
- Official/primary identity anchor from Google Places: 5-Spice, 2064 Kilauea Ave, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 657-4009, operational at the time of fetch. (tripadvisor.com)
- Website is not clearly established from the Google record; one apparent menu URL returned 404, so no reliable official website was confirmed in this pass. ()
- Some third-party sources show stale or conflicting address/phone data, including a Puainako Center listing and other directory records, so the 2064 Kilauea Ave Google record should be treated as the current anchor but still worth rechecking if used for navigation or publication. (puainakocenter.com)
Sources
- Google Places place details for 5-Spice — useful for the baseline identity anchor, current address, phone, hours, rating, price level, and operational status. Retrieved 2026-04-01. Source URL:
https://maps.google.com/?cid=13476860251020751809 - Uber Eats listing for 5-Spice — useful for menu shape, named items, delivery status, and a small set of recent review snippets. Retrieved 2026-04-01. Source URL:
https://www.ubereats.com/store/5-spice/aYyyS284U5S0HTr-FzkhFA - Tripadvisor listing for 5 Spice in Hilo — useful for traveler-facing review wording, a corroborating address, and the “Asian, Korean, $” classification. Retrieved 2026-04-01. Source URL:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60583-d17581532-Reviews-5_Spice-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html - Puainako Center page for 5-Spice — useful as a conflicting/stale directory signal showing a different Hilo address and phone, which helps flag drift risk. Retrieved 2026-04-01. Source URL:
https://puainakocenter.com/5-spice/ - Manta business listing for 5-Spice — useful only as a weak historical clue suggesting an older establishment date; not treated as authoritative. Retrieved 2026-04-01. Source URL:
https://www.manta.com/c/mmlzks5/5-spice - Hawaii County E9-1-1 status report mentioning “Lani's Beauty Salon/5-Spice” at 2064 Kilauea Ave — useful as a corroborating historical/address signal for location drift discussion. Retrieved 2026-04-01. Source URL:
https://ags.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Hawaii-County-March-2024-Status-Report-v2x-E9-1-1.pdf
