No. 1 Chinese BBQ

I’m leaning towards 3.5 stars. When I’m on a budget I drive here to get the BBQ chicken for my wife and I get the Chicken Katsu for myself. They’re pretty similar to L&L Drive Inn but way cheaper.
It’s 6.88 for a Regular sized plate. If you ask me, prices like that are hard to come by. The Mac salad that comes with the plate lunch needs to get worked on. Way too much mayo. I mean personally, it ain’t fine dining but it suits my budget and the food I order is good.

This is a must stop by place if you are hungry and am in search of an affordable place to get your plate lunch or dine in fix. Offering a great menu at one of the most reasonable prices in town. Workers are nice as well, and are a great addition to the local businesses here in Hilo. Another great place to eat in HILO!

Can I leave no stars? There is nothing BBQ about this place. Everything is made on the skillet or in a boiler or deep-​frier. So the Food was really bland and all the deep fried food tasted like seafood because they fry everything in the same deep frier. Disgusting. I obviously will never go there again. Ocean Sushi I’m coming home and I’m sorry for cheating on you. It wasn’t worth it. Why would I ever go anywhere else?! Or much less even try?!

No 1 Chinese BBQ is my favorite place to cater food from in Hilo when I’m on a budget. I’ve only ordered from the counter a few times, and the food was good for the price. However, what keeps me coming back to No 1 Chinese BBQ is their affordable catering of large trays of food that can be whipped together pretty quickly. Last time I ordered, I asked for a suggestion, and the woman on the phone said to try the coconut shrimp. My group and I were not disappointed.

Roaches everywhere. Walls, counter, in the ice… Food is almost non edible. Hot Mac salad? Yikes. Must be rotten. I would suggest staying far far away. Lady at front counter very friendly and apologized for the roaches in my ice.

Ok, so my 5 stars are based on 1 thing on the menu, the cheeseburger meal, the price for it and the staff is very friendly. I have tried the crab rangoon and didn’t care for it. Other then that, I haven’t tried anything else

Service was good but I ordered a NY steak rare and received it well done. Flavor was OK but steak rubbery not sure if I’ll be back

My disappointing experience at this eatery the last time was, perhaps, just an anomaly. So when I visited my hometown last month, I decided to give it another shot. I’m glad to report that overall food quality has improved markedly — no strange flavors this time around. The only downside is that prices have risen, possibly due to new management (or what appears to be a change in management). Were it not for the price increase, I would’ve assigned a 4-​star rating.

Delicious Chinese food! Try the coconut shrimp. It’s to die for! Not greasy like most other Chinese places and my insides don’t hurt after eating here.

I’d give this place no stars if one wasn’t the minimum. This place is a tourist trap. I came here today with a Chinese tour group — my 4 aunts and I ordered the two item combos. With that, we received either two small ice cream scoops of rice or half one small scoop of fried rice or a small portion of fried noodles. For the entrees, I received small portions of each side. After we were done eating we decided to sit by the front where there were chairs. As natives came in to order, their plates were packed on with fried noodles and/​or fried rice. They were also given generous amounts of sides. When I brought this to the waitress” attention, she said it was because «you guys don’t eat a lot» I responded with «regardless of whether or not we eat a lot– if we are paying the same price– you should not be biased» then she responded with «that’s what the boss told us to do». Just thought I’d put this review out there to warn my fellow tourists… Especially the ones who come here with tour groups. The food here wasn’t great either. Total waste of taste buds, time and money.

I don’t know about the previous four and five star reviews. My visit was maybe 2.5 stars which I’m cautiously rounding up to 3.
First, the food… that’s why we came, right?
It was inexpensive, maybe a dollar or so less than other plate lunch places. Fountain sodas are reasonable and you get one free refill. The $ 5 special is an incredible value… i had the spicy chicken special which was two boneless thighs flattened and grilled with very spicy seasoning, one scoop rice, one scoop mac salad, and small soda for $ 5.
An auntie at a nearby table had a delicious looking shrimp cake noodle plate with lots of veggies that was about $ 8. I saw ramen on the menu for $ 3 (!) but didn’t try it yet. They also serve breakfast omelettes starting at 9 am.
My friend had orange chicken which was … OK… plenty of sauce but the chicken pieces were very heavily breaded and tough.
The place looks like nothing on the outside; inside is a plain cafeteria which could use a makeover. It’s a mish-​mosh of décor from previous businesses. On the plus side, there’s a lot of tables, and from the inside, the heavily tinted windows are bright and airy. The menu was nicely posted with bright pictures. On the minus side, it was only averagely clean, there was food on the floor under the tables, and when I put my arm on an adjoining seat back, it was sticky and dirty. Trays were dirty and didn’t look like they are run through any hot dishwasher between customers. Garbage was full to overflowing so you couldn’t empty your tray into it.
Servers were friendly, and they were getting a small stream of business from regulars. An economical place to bring the family and kids for an inexpensive dinner (there were kids running around and lying on the floor in various places, as kids will do, when we were there).
I wondered if the owners have ever visited Panda? A few tweaks to the dining room and curb appeal, and some more attention to cleaning throughout the day, would bring them a lot more business, I think. We spent about what we usually spend at Panda and got maybe a little more food and one more soda for our money.
Bottom line… I wouldn’t take a date there, but I’ll try them again, since I’d rather support a Mom and Pop business over a national chain.

Standard Chinese take out where you choose your starch and the entrees you want. The difference here as I see it is that the food is still fresh, tastes great, and the prices are low. The dining area is clean also. What more could you ask for?

what we have here looks like your run of the mill 2 star low cost chinese takeout. I must say i was pleasantly surprised. i went in for lunch and got the bbq mix plate. I had to wait about ten minutes to get it. It comes with rice, bbq beef, short ribs, and.chicken. my expectations were low at best. I must say it was the most tender delicious chinese bbq. ive ever had at a great price. This is one hole in the wall worth visiting.

Not sure why this place wasn’t on Unilocal.I’ve been going here for over a year now and wanted to check it out on Unilocal but it wasn’t listed so I decided to post this. This is by far the best, cleanest and cheapest chinese and hawaiian food in Hilo. They also have daily specials that are around $ 5 that comes with a drink. Just check it out and you’ll see what i mean.