Reviews of The Volcano

Know kidding the best place on the Big Island. Everything on the menu was amazing! They have great fish and steak and pasta and you might miss the wood fired pizza but their crust is AMAZING!!! We ordered two pizzas to go just to get more of it. The bar drinks are awesome and they just added some delicious dessert pizzas! Super fun and friendly staff!

We showed up with no reservations, but were able to be seated almost immediately. My wife and I were talked into the pork roast special. (See photo). We were glad we were! The entire meal was very flavorful and the pork was very tender. Our server was fantastic! Unfortunately, we can’t remember her name. The receipt says Amanda, but we don’t think that sounds right. Anyway, it hit the spot! I also recommend the Rosemary Old Fashioned w/Makers. Perfect end to a long day of Volcano National Park exploration! Thanks, Ōhelo Café and staff!

Wow - this unexpected gem was amazing! What wasn’t amazing was how my family watched the staff being treated by customers. People were rude and entitled and occasionally ridiculous. Two of the people who wrote reviews tonight about the “rude” hostess were together and we were waiting and observed their entire interaction. The people got there about 12 minutes before their reservation time. The hostess explained that they were still waiting on a table to open up and it looked like it would be about 20 minutes. The man got upset and argued that they had a reservation and shouldn’t have to wait and she explained that they were early so really it would probably only be about 5-10 mins past their reservation time. When she said she was sorry, he responded, “are you really sorry? Because it seems to me you are just being obnoxious.” She was literally just doing her job. He was so rude to her (I would have cried and quit), that another staff member came out and told them they wouldn’t be serving them tonight because of his verbal abuse. Then they came on here and wrote two bad reviews. 🙄 I was impressed by the way they stood by their principles and stood up for their server! She didn’t do anything wrong and was still nice despite the way he treated her! Please remember to be kind. The staff was above and beyond nice to us just because we treated them like human beings. There was only one server and she was swamped - a little patience goes a long way! We found the staff to be kind and appreciative and welcoming. Bonus - the food was incredible! Seriously delicious! The cauliflower appetizer was amazing, the pizza crust tasted like some sort of puff pastry, and the desserts were to die for! We dug in too fast to get pics of the desserts (even the fancy baked Alaska), but it was the best meal we have had on the island. People seem mad about the masking and vaccination requirements. I found it refreshing to find an establishment that cares more about public health than making an extra buck. It was really nice to see a place taking it seriously when everyone seems to want to pretend it’s over. We usually ONLT eat outdoors so when we were needing somewhere to eat and our options were extremely limited, knowing everyone indoors was vaccinated and the servers (and some customers) wearing masks, helped our anxiety level a bit. If the requirements annoy you, please remember that the individuals you encounter likely aren’t the ones who made the rules (intended to protect you and those around you), and please don’t take it out on them! These are kind people who are overworked and in the service industry - please be kind!

This was a great way to end our last night in Volcano. Delicious fresh ingredients and this was definitely the best pork chop I've ever eaten. The service was fast and friendly in a comfy dinning area with a view to the kitchen and wood fired oven. I really appreciated the dedication to safety during the pandemic as well. I felt completely safe and well fed!

A phenomenal small restaurant with high-quality culinary expertise located off the main road nearby the national volcano park. We finished our tour of the park rather late and were on our way to Hilo when we realized that we might not make it in time for dinner (most restaurants close around 9pm), so we looked online and found Ohelo Cafe. We arrived without a reservation to what we thought will be a Café experience. What we found was a full small restaurant. We were offered a seat outside, and when we saw the menu we were happy to learn that this is more than a café. The food was simply put phenomenal. Beautifully presented, fresh and cooked to perfection. By the way desserts are fresh made on a daily basis at the café. Service was super friendly. A must go to restaurant if you are around.

Delicious, elevated food menu sourced locally! Great wine sleep and excellent service. Highly recommend for a lovely dinner or lunch experience. I typically make a reservation but they have also extended seating outside if you go spontaneously before or after visiting Volcano National Park. Loved the fresh Ka’u caught Ono with seasonal veggies I got recently!

It was our first night in Hawaii and we'd been travelling from New Zealand for 19 hours. We needed food. We needed beer. This place was a GREAT choice and the best and most relaxed place we went to in Volcano. Very seriously: if you want a meal in the evening in Volcano that is down to earth, friendly, yummy, and worth the money, this is the place. Other places exist, but they are NOT as good. Trust me on this. Watch out for their opening hours, they're closed some nights and then your options in Volcano very much, much smaller.

We are here on our stay in Volcano. The cafe is attached to a convenience store, but don't be deceived by its looks. The service was good but the food was spectacular. We had the seafood pasta which was full of flavour and huge shrimp and we had the special long tail red snapper which was spectacular. Highly recommended, only wish that had been open Tuesday and Wednesday night so we could have eaten there every night!