Overview
King’s Vietnamese Cuisine is a Vietnamese restaurant in Hilo on the Big Island, at 810 Piilani St. The Google record and the restaurant’s own site agree on the name, address, phone number, website, and weekday/Saturday hours, and both show it as operating. (kingsvietnamesecuisine.com)
For a traveler, this looks like a straightforward, no-frills Vietnamese stop rather than a destination dining room. The strongest signal from both the menu and review patterns is that people come here for familiar staples—especially pho and banh mi—at a price point that is still generally perceived as reasonable for Hilo. (expresswaiters-onlineorders.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
This place sits firmly in the Vietnamese comfort-food lane. The menu evidence points to pho, banh mi, spring rolls/summer rolls, dumplings, Vietnamese pancake, bun bo hue, cold noodle dishes, and Vietnamese coffee, with both dine-in and pickup/delivery ordering available. (expresswaiters-onlineorders.com)
- Overall menu style: Vietnamese casual dining centered on noodles, sandwiches, rolls, and a few richer soups and rice/noodle plates. (expresswaiters-onlineorders.com)
- Notable dishes / specialties: pork banh mi, chicken banh mi, rare beef pho, chicken pho, combo pho, bun bo hue, summer rolls, egg rolls, dumplings, Vietnamese pancake, and Vietnamese coffee. These are supported by the online ordering menu and repeated review mentions. (expresswaiters-onlineorders.com)
- Traveler-friendly spend expectation: most third-party evidence places it around $10–20 per person, though the current online ordering prices for core items are often in the mid-teens, and some soups/specials run higher. In practical terms, this reads as moderate casual dining rather than cheap street-food pricing. (restaurantguru.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limits: vegetarian options are explicitly noted on one menu listing, and tofu/veggie versions appear on the ordering menu. The strongest fit is likely for diners who want at least one vegetarian or lighter noodle/sandwich option, but the evidence does not support any broader claim about dedicated allergy handling or a fully plant-based kitchen. (expresswaiters-onlineorders.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
The place reads as small, casual, and practical rather than polished. Review language repeatedly describes it as an “unassuming hole in the wall,” with an outdoor seating option listed on one directory and a strong takeout/delivery orientation through ordering platforms. (restaurantguru.com)
- Service model and seating style: walk-in friendly with pickup and delivery ordering; outdoor seating is listed by one directory. No reservation system is indicated in the sources reviewed. (restaurantguru.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: plain, informal, and low-key. Reviewers describe it as more about the food than the setting. (restaurantguru.com)
- Amenities / practical features: credit-card acceptance and wheelchair accessibility are listed by RestaurantGuru; Roadtrippers flags parking as unavailable/difficult and treats some amenities as unknown, so parking should be assumed to be limited rather than easy. (restaurantguru.com)
- Best fit: lunch, a casual dinner, a takeout run, or an easy Vietnamese meal when you want reliable staples rather than a long sit-down experience. (restaurantguru.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers wanting a scenic, date-night, or upscale dining room; also possibly anyone who needs guaranteed easy parking or a more spacious service setup. The parking caution is supported, while the rest is an inference from the casual-format evidence. (restaurantguru.com)
History & Background
Very little meaningful origin-story material surfaced in the sources reviewed. The available evidence shows the restaurant operating under the King’s Vietnamese Cuisine name in Hilo, with no reliable founder, chef, or relocation history established in the sources used here. (kingsvietnamesecuisine.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
The strongest recurring praise is for the food itself, especially pho and banh mi. Reviewers repeatedly call the food fresh, delicious, and a regular go-to, and several mentions single out pork, rare beef pho, and banh mi as standout items. Friendly staff also comes up often, and the place seems to have a loyal local repeat-customer base. (restaurantguru.com)
Common Gripes
The main downside signal is the setting: limited or awkward parking appears more than once, and the ambiance is described as plain or modest rather than inviting. There is also some mild evidence of price sensitivity—most sources still frame it as fair or okay, but not especially cheap—and one secondary review source includes a lukewarm “mid” comment. Overall, the negative evidence is real but not dominant; it looks like a casual, somewhat cramped spot whose food outperforms its surroundings. (restaurantguru.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours: the restaurant’s site and ordering platforms agree on Monday–Saturday, 10:00 AM–8:00 PM, with Sunday closed on the Google record. Best to verify same-day if you’re arriving near closing. (kingsvietnamesecuisine.com)
- Ordering: pickup and delivery are clearly supported; no reservation posture appears in the reviewed sources. (expresswaiters-onlineorders.com)
- What to order first: pho and banh mi are the most consistently supported signature choices, especially rare beef pho and pork or chicken banh mi. (restaurantguru.com)
- Parking: plan for parking to be at least somewhat inconvenient. (restaurantguru.com)
- Timing: lunch appears especially well matched to the way people talk about the place, and the casual format makes it a good quick stop rather than a linger-all-evening meal. This is an inference from the review pattern and service model. (restaurantguru.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name, address, phone, and website match across Google and the restaurant’s own site. (kingsvietnamesecuisine.com)
- Business status appears operational, and the hours are consistent across the official site, Google, and ordering platforms. (kingsvietnamesecuisine.com)
- One secondary source has an older or conflicting address in the broader Hilo area; the more reliable current address is 810 Piilani St. Treat the older address references as stale. (restaurantguru.com)
Sources
- King’s Vietnamese Cuisine official website —
https://www.kingsvietnamesecuisine.com/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for official identity, address, phone, and posted hours. - King’s Vietnamese Cuisine ordering/location page (fromtherestaurant) —
https://fromtherestaurant.com/kings-vietnamese-cuisine/locations/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for online ordering posture, popular items, and hours confirmation. - Express Waiters online ordering page —
https://www.expresswaiters-onlineorders.com/r/1661/restaurants/delivery/King-Vietnamese-Cuisine-Hilo— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for menu structure, item examples, and price evidence. - RestaurantGuru listing for King’s Vietnamese Cuisine, Hilo —
https://restaurantguru.com/Kings-Vietnamese-Cuisine-Hilo— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for review-pattern summaries, likely price range, service/amenity notes, and recurring dish mentions. The “parking” caution is supported here. - Roadtrippers listing for King’s Vietnamese Cuisine —
https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/hilo-hi/food-drink/king-s-vietnamese-cuisine— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for supplemental traveler-oriented notes and a second-hand review pattern emphasizing food quality, friendliness, and parking limitations.
