• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Me
  • Chef Veggie’s Cottage Bakery
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Cookbook Diary

VeggieBytes

Chef Veggie's blog

September 16, 2021 Blog News

Vegan Big Island Eats -2021

Sandwiched in our Kauai trip was a brief hop to the Big Island. My husband’s dad and wife wanted to spend some extra time with us and see some parts of the Big Island they have never been to. My husband and I lived on the Big Island over 20 years ago and were last there in 2018. It’s always great to visit Pele and the town of Volcano. It’s definitely on the map for a great place to retire!
Here are some of our vegan Big Island eats during this 3-day trip!

Hilo Farmer’s Market

Hilo Farmer's Market
Vegan Big Island eats 2021

This is one of the best farmer’s markets in Hawaii. It’s right in downtown Hilo and just a short drive from Rainbow Falls. I always find great items to cook with but not enough time on my trips to do it. Juicy lychee, firm Japanese eggplant, Okinawan sweet potatoes, fiddlehead ferns, strawberry papayas, fresh antherium and torch ginger bouquets, kalamansi and so much more. We bought lots of fruit for breakfast and a small amount of veggies to make a curry one night while in cool Volcano town.

Vibe

Vibe in Hilo is a cute cafe and bar with good vibes only – cue pastel pink and monstera vibes. We arrived on the Big Island at 9 am in the morning from Kauai and wanted to visit somewhere with vegan breakfast. I tried the vegan Loco Moco and while it was not exactly the flavor I was hoping for it did hit the spot. I’d been up since 4:30 am. I would love to go back and try some of their colorful lunch fare. They had lots of locally made kombucha and canned beverages and local art for sale as well.

Vegan Loco Moco at Vibe in Hilo, HI
Vegan Big Island eats

The Rim

View of Kilauea
Vegan Big Island eats 2021

We made our home in Volcano Village at a great AirBnB owned by retired school teachers. Nearby is Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park. We planned on doing some hikes in the park and on our first night we made a reservation to eat at The Rim. While there wasn’t much on the menu to choose from I did enjoy this Crispy Glazed Tofu dish that came with rice and stir fried veggies. The view is what makes eating here spectacular!

Crispy Glazed Tofu at The Rim in Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park 
Vegan Big Island eats 2021

Thai Thai Bistro

This restaurant has been around for over 20 years in Volcano Village. We lived in Volcano in 2001. I have fond memories of watching our neighbor’s cows eat pears off a tree and hearing their dinosaur like moos. We didn’t eat out much then but enjoyed a couple meals at Thai Thai Bistro.
One thing about Thai food is that you cannot make assumptions that it is vegan just because it’s made with no meat and has tofu in it. You always have to ask if there is fish or shrimp paste in the curries or oyster sauce in noodle dishes.
Thai Thai Bistro had very knowledgeable servers and pointed out which dishes were vegan.
Their papaya salad was fantastic because papayas are easily found in Hawaii!
We ate there after a long walk across the main dormant crater. Thank you Pele for allowing us to visit!

Walking across the dormant crater

Original Hawaiian Chocolate

Did you know you can visit a chocolate farm in the US? Cacao grows in Hawaii! Thanks to the great climate and soil, chocolate does well. We visited the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Farm located on the Kona side of the island on the Hualalai Mountain. We saw cacao pods, delicate flowers, and learned more about their special process. No child slave labor here! They have chocolate made with the rare criollo variety. We made sure to get a couple of bars. Their dark chocolate is vegan. I also visited the Island Naturals health food store in Hilo to pick up snacks and giant cone sushi. They had other small locally made chocolates and cacao nibs.

Cacao pod at Original Hawaiian Chocolate Farm
Vegan Big Island eats 2021
Hawaiian chocolate
Vegan Big Island easts 2021

Black Rock Pizza

After a long drive from Volcano to the Kona side and snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay, we all had a pretty big appetite. I usually get quite nauseous on boats and even “fed the fish” this trip. Luckily we didn’t have to travel far and found Black Rock Pizza off the main highway. I wasn’t sure what vegan options would be available but I was pleasantly surprised. They had vegan cauliflower pizza and they make their own vegan cheese. A covered 2nd floor lanai and outdoor seating area that looked out on the bay was perfect during COVID. Mahalo Black Rock Pizza for sharing Aloha with your vegan patrons. (Sorry no photo was taken…we were so hungry!)

Chef Veggie Snorkels

Thanks for joining me on reminiscing about this trip during the COVID pandemic. If you ever have questions about Hawaii travel on Kauai or the Big Island, let me know!

Categories: Blog News Tags: big island, cacao, chocolate, farmer's market, hawaii, loco moco, pizza, snorkeling, thai, vegan, volcano

Previous Post: « Vegan Kauai Eats – 2021
Next Post: New Leaf Agriculture CSA »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

AFBA-Member-Badge-2022

Looking for something?

Archives

  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • July 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • September 2021
  • December 2020
  • September 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • August 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • January 2012
  • August 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • December 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • June 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • December 2009
  • October 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007

Copyright© 2023 · Cookd Pro Theme by Shay Bocks