Hiro's Place in Hilo

Question

Anyone know if this restaurant permanently closed down? Yelp said it was temporarily shut down due to breaking health code violations but others said it's closed for good.

15 years ago it had the best chicken katsu that I have ever had in my life and I'd like to go back!

Thank you

Answer

Good question — yes, *is currently closed* and not (yet) open to the public. Recent reports confirm that status for serious health-code violations.

What happened:

On March 28, 2025, the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) issued a red “closed” placard to Hiro’s Place after inspections on March 24 and March 27 revealed multiple repeated food-safety violations. The violations included: missing soap and paper towels at the hand-wash sink; staff handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands; improper food storage and temperature control; inadequate sanitizer concentration; misuse of cleaning cloths; and food-preparation areas being used for eating and drinking — all serious sanitation failures.

The DOH declared the situation an “imminent health hazard to the public.” Until the owners correct all deficiencies, complete cleaning and sanitization, retrain staff with required food-safety classes, and pass a follow-up inspection, the restaurant remains closed.

Is it “permanently closed”?

At this time, there is no public announcement stating that Hiro’s Place is permanently shut down. The closure is officially “until further notice,” pending corrective action and a successful re-inspection.

Some review pages and local listings may still show it as open (likely because they haven’t been updated yet), so that can be misleading.

Bottom line: As of mid-2025, expect that Hiro’s Place is closed — you probably won’t be able to go there during your visit. If you're longing for their chicken katsu or familiar comfort food, I’d recommend lining up alternate spots (there are other local lunch-plate and Hawaiian/Asian-style kitchens in Hilo) and, if you have your heart set on Hiro’s, check DOH inspection postings or their social media/website for any reopening announcements before you go.