A scoop of rice, a hamburger patty, brown gravy and an egg can look like a simple arrangement. At Cafe 100 in Hilo, that arrangement is a local landmark: the loco moco, served in the place widely known as the dish’s original home.
Cafe 100 is built for a direct, satisfying meal rather than a long sit-down production. You order, collect your food at the pickup window when your name is called, and settle at an outdoor table or carry the meal along. For a quick lunch, a takeout stop, or the hungry stretch after a hike, its format makes sense.
But the cafe is far more than a single famous plate. Its broad menu moves through the familiar territory of Hawaii local food—stews, barbecue, katsu, fish, noodles, laulau, fried shrimp and Portuguese sausage—with enough choices to keep a group from having to agree on one thing.
The Plate That Put Cafe 100 on the Map
The standard loco moco is compactly packaged for something so filling. Rice forms the base, the hamburger patty supplies the heft, and gravy brings the pieces together before the egg adds its runny richness.
A well-made over-easy egg matters here. Once the yolk breaks into the gravy, it softens the rice and turns the bottom of the plate into the best part. Cafe 100’s egg has been noted for arriving properly cooked, while the patty is tender with a little charred flavor around the edges.
The gravy is a major reason the classic holds together. It is smooth and beef-forward, with a buttery quality and a comparatively restrained salt level—substantial enough for the rice without burying everything in heaviness.
The basic version is only the starting point. Loco moco variations bring in different meats and toppings, allowing regulars and first-timers to take the familiar formula in another direction. That range is useful when one person wants the canonical plate and another wants to branch out.
A Local-Food Menu With Some Range
Laulau combinations belong near the top of the list for anyone looking beyond the burger-and-gravy route. They bring a more traditional local-food note to a menu that does not limit itself to one definition of comfort food.
Beef stew is another sturdy choice, and it can be ordered on a half-and-half plate with fried shrimp. That pairing is a practical little pleasure: soft, savory stew on one side, crisp shrimp on the other, no need to choose between two completely different cravings.
Kalua cabbage has a gentler, more home-style appeal. The cabbage is tender and juicy, with the comforting depth that makes it easy to see why it works beside a larger plate rather than merely as an afterthought.
Braised beef and noodles is one of the menu items worth noticing amid the larger list. It offers a different sort of bowl-of-comfort satisfaction from loco moco, with slow-cooked beef meeting noodles rather than rice and gravy.
There are plenty of other paths through the menu: katsu, barbecue plates, bentos, fried shrimp, Portuguese sausage and miso mahi. The miso mahi portion is notably generous, a useful detail for someone in the mood for fish but not for a light snack.
The Counter-Service Rhythm
Cafe 100 operates more like a fast local lunch counter than a conventional full-service dining room. Walk-in ordering is available, and the kiosk and online ordering system keep the process moving: place the order, wait for your name, then pick it up at the window.
The kiosk accepts a broad set of cashless payment methods, including cards, Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay. It is a small modern convenience in a place whose food is closely tied to longtime Hilo eating habits.
Service is generally quick, though the kiosk line can build at busy times. The line moves, but this is not a place to assume every plate appears instantly. The reward is a menu designed for food that travels well and arrives ready to eat.
Eating Outside in Hilo
The dining setup is outdoors, with covered picnic tables and patio-style seating rather than an indoor restaurant room. The cover is useful in Hilo’s changeable conditions, and the tables give people a place to open up a plate without having to eat in the car.
The casual arrangement suits the food. A loco moco does not need ceremony, and neither does a barbecue plate or a bento. There is room to sit down, unwrap a fork, and give the gravy the attention it deserves.
Taking food away is equally natural here. A nearby park can make a pleasant alternate lunch spot, especially for anyone already spending time around downtown. Parking is commonly available free on site, with free street parking also in the mix.
A Longstanding Hilo Name
Cafe 100 carries the air of a longstanding downtown Hilo institution, the sort of local stop whose name is already familiar before someone has studied the menu. Its identity is closely tied to the city and to a style of everyday island eating that favors full plates, rice, gravy and food made to satisfy.
Its history includes rebuilding after two tsunamis, a notable reminder that a modest cafe can be woven into a town’s larger story. The name itself has also been connected to the World War II 100th Battalion.
That history does not make the cafe formal or museum-like. The order system is efficient, the seating is simple, and the food arrives in the practical language of a lunch plate.
Save Room for Something Cold
Dessert can be as straightforward as a Chantilly puff, a small sweet finish after a plate built around gravy and rice. It is the sort of choice that works when the main meal has already done most of the heavy lifting.
Lilikoi sorbet offers a brighter exit. The tart tropical fruit flavor is refreshing after beef stew, kalua cabbage or a full loco moco, and it provides a welcome change of pace from the heavier dishes.
Daily and rotating specials give the menu another layer, so a particular item may not appear on every visit. The permanent standards provide plenty to work with, but the changing board is a good reason to look around before placing the order.