Moon and Turtle

We ate at the Moon and Turtle on recommendation of our travel guide. We were lucky to get a table, as they are small and have limited seating, but there was a cancellation just before we arrived. We are so grateful! The food is absolutely delicious! Their model is a little different, in that they have a limited menu and make the items in bunches, so they recommend you eat family style, sharing as the items come out, since they don’t wait until each person’s order is completely ready to serve the entire table. To me, that is part of the charm of this restaurant, so please give it a try even if that model doesn’t appeal to you. The waiter was very aware of Celiac needs and told me which menu items were gluten-free. This slightly disrupted the family sharing model, of course, but they and we accommodated and we all enjoyed the emal. I highly recommend Moon and Turle if you visit Hilo.

I was really looking forward to some local restaurants on our visit to Hawaii. We drove from Kona to Hilo on the day we went for our helicopter ride in Hilo. I purposefully booked the last flight of the day so we could have dinner somewhere in Hilo. Hilo is much less touristy and more focused on regular people living their daily lives. I struggled to find many restaurant options, but really loved what I read about Moon and Turtle so I was excited. It did not disappoint! Portions were good. It's a small menu so be prepared. Also the food is served family style so you can get a few different things for the table and share. They were as accommodating as they could be with the gluten free diets two of our party required. They even offered a dairy free option for one of my party too. I really loved the vibe here. The staff were SOOO happy and lovely to us. Everyone is very kind and sweet. I was very happy with our experience! They offered several different dessert options which were just as delicious!