Sweet Thunder Products Sushi

Local fusion sushi is the key term here. Once you embrace the fact that Sweet Thunder offers anything but traditional sushi, you can then begin to appreciate its quirkiness.
You first walk in to a dizzying array of menu choices on the walls. Where does a first timer begin? The staff is friendly & willing to answer any of your questions. I did take some time to peruse the extensive menus before ordering.
The fish is fresh & is reflected in their prices. I ordered the Zeke from the Create Your Own Sushi Locals Wall, which is a reverse roll with lettuce, avocado, spicy ahi poke, chorizo (say what, how unusual but strangely delicious), & topped with wasabi mayo. All this for $ 12.95 for a maki-​mono.
Most of the choices on the Locals Wall are mishmashed concoctions of local favorite foods. Think Kalua pork, bacon, buffalo chicken (in sushi? Who knew!), shoyu pork, etc. Okay, then!
Oh & get 1 free California temaki roll (min. $ 10 purchase) when you check in on Unilocal.Awesome.
Sushi with local flair. It works. I ain’t mad at it.

Quick service, yummy food, huge portions! Great!
First place we ate at when getting into Hilo, great choice.

Fresh poke bowls, super friendly staff, and very quick service! Definitely one of our top favorite places to eat in Hilo!

Do not miss this place if you are looking for fresh fish, lots of options, unique combinations and friendly service. Whether you are like traditional sushi, are looking for a poke bowl or prefer your fish cooked, they have something for everyone. Their chirashi is a must and make sure to pick up a lemonade… so Ono!

I love this place. I learned about all the different types of sushi and they’re all very delicious. Fish is always fresh and they’re friendly. Best sushi in town.

This was some of the best sushi I’ve had. The fish was fresh, the fusion things were interesting and delicious, and the people were really nice. So happy we found this during our visit to the Big Island!

This place is intense. The menu is a bit confusing, but the poke/​sashimi dishes are incredibly creative. This place is enough reason to come to Hilo.

This place feels like a family friend having you over for lunch. It’s such a wonderful place to drop in for a quick bite.
They serve high grade fish that is purchased fresh daily. They also do lots of charity things and events. There is a monthly donation to a designated charity, listed on the wall. There are also lots of options, which kind of leaves me going back to my usual every time.
I love to split the extra-​large chirashi poke bowl with my girlfriend. They have a lava sauce that really made me eat my words about local food not being spicy. You dab just a little bit onto your poke and that should do the trick. Make sure to have a beverage ready.
The price is a little high, but at least you aren’t paying for sinew and fish that is overly drenched in mayo. Plus, you also get a clean seating area with air-​condition. I can’t think of a single place that can offer that other than Safeway if you count that as a dining area.

This sushi was FRESH! I was a little skeptical at first, because it seems like a small hole in the wall, but it was absolutely fantastic! The two ladies working there were so informative and very sweet. The food was absolutely sensational! I had a tuna roll and a California roll that couldn’t beat in taste. Did I mention fresh… yeah it was that fresh.

Awesome sushi w awesome prices! The Lemonades are Delish and u get to keep the mason jar what a terrific idea! I love this place!!!

Found this by accident while on vacation and glad we ate here. Super friendly people and excellent sushi and sashimi. Definitely worth it. Great crack sauce and love bed the brown rice option. Kalyan pig was yummy too.

The best customer service! Highly recommend to all sushi lovers! The sushi rice is delicious, the fish is fresh and cut very well. They strawberry lemonade is my new favorite drink. I’m so happy I found this place!

The sushi here is absolutely amazing! Everything was so fresh and taste so yummy. They have such a wide variety of sushi to choose from and also give you the option to create your own. The workers were very pleasant and gave great customer service. I would highly recommend this place to all. Try the fushion lemonade!

Love the Food with Great Customer Service. They have always been nice to me since the first time I stepped into their restaurant. They create a positive and fun environment that people can enjoy spending their lunch or dinner alone or with family. They even deliver… I don’t feel safe eating sushi just anywhere because I’ve had food poisoning but when I eat there I know it’s safe!

Menu is confusing but start with a temaki roll. They will help you and can make suggestions. Can’t beat a Cali temaki roll for $ 2 or ahi poke temaki roll for $ 3.50
Try the fusion lemonade!!!

LOVE their ahi poke chirashi! *highly recommend!*
Can’t get enough of it. This is the first ‘poke bowl’ that I get more good stuff than rice.
LOVE:
~Ahi is ALWAYS fresh & of good quality
~Cut into smaller pieces so there’s a good balace of melt in your mouth fish, and hot, furikake rice and toppings
~Perfect amount of Hawn salt
~“Fully loaded” with slices of fresh avocado, diced cucumber & maui onions
~Fish is so fresh & ono, it isn’t smothered in all kinds of sauces to hide it’s appearance or mask it’s flavor
BF loves the spicy ahi chirashi.
Sweet Thunder has ruined us for all other poke places. (Even those others on the west side!) Sweet Thunder’s fish is ALWAYS fresh and good cuts! *drool*
Although this is not your typical sushi place where they yell «irrashaimase» (sp?) at you when you enter, they serve you local style with lots of aloha.
While the menu does have your sushi staples, I love that they add such different pairings and let you suggest different ways to make sushi. When we first went, we dined in and the staff was super friendly and helpful explaining all the different kinds of sushi on the menu and their «secret menu». They were more than patient with us sushi ignorant diners.
We were first introduced to Sweet Thunder when a friend brought one of their ono sushi platters to a party. Everyone loved the fresh flavors of the sushi and was inquiring as to where it was from since it was so much better than your typical sushi found around Hilo town.
Absolutely recommend!

I concur with other reviewers who expressed that the menu is confusing. I walked in wanting a chirashi so I was thinking I could just ask for one. But the menu had a whole page for their chirashi and all of its options.
Basically, you pick the toppings you want from several different groupings. The group from which your choices come from determine the price. The cashier was very nice and patient in explaining it to me. There were many, MANY, choices. I went with natto, creamy garlic scallop, and something called the «becka,» which to me looked like a fancy ahi poke.
Brown rice is an option for an additional dollar, which I opted for BUT, I later discovered they gave me white rice! And yes, I was charged the extra dollar.
All three of the choices were good, my favorite being the becka. Except for them giving me white rice, I was quite pleased. Not spectacular but satisfying and convenient. Yea, I think I’ll be returning to try some of the other interesting things they have on their expansive menu.

The menu is very difficult to understand. It seriously needs to be redone. I work right down the street and would probably come here a lot more often, but the times I have gone there to eat I am too confused and really don’t even know what or how to order. A simplified menu with one pager per style of sushi with some pictures, and a list of ingredients might make it easier on the average joe just walking in. I eat sushi a a lot, and have never encountered a ridiculous menu like this. I really like the ideas behind fusion sushi and support it, and I think they would get more business of they were a little more user-​friendly.
The couple of times I ate there, the sushi was ok. Again, i didn’t really understand what I was going to be getting, so I pick randomly off the menu. Idid ask for some clarification hoping it would help me order, but it only left me more confused. Nothing really blew me away, flavor wise. I’m sure I’ll occasionally be back purely out of convenience, but I would not go out of my way to come here, or bring out of town guests.

Second visit was an improvement! Got the baked chix, bacon, ranch and sushi box 2.
I talked to the owner, and she explained her ideas about fusion sushi. Now I can understand why the menu is big. Tasty, locally grown ingredients and tons of options here!

If only customer service carried more weight than the food then this would be a 5 star place. Unfortunately, though, as some have stayed, the menu is way to confusing and busy, and the sushi was just… ehhh, okay.
I probably will not be back just because if I am going to spend that much for sushi then I’ll go Hilo Bay (Roy of Nihon’s is still there) or Ocean Sushi.
Sorry Sweetie, Sweet Thunder just ain’t doing it for me.