Overview
Yen’s Cafe, located at 235 Waianuenue Ave #101, Hilo, HI 96720, is a Vietnamese dining spot with a menu centered on comforting noodle dishes, fresh accompaniments, and flavorful combinations of meat and vegetables. The cafe has been serving diners for many years, with some regulars returning since its early days in 2005. One of the dishes that stands out is the cold vermicelli salad, which can be paired with spring rolls and chicken for a mix of soft noodles, crisp textures, and savory flavors. Another appealing variation combines cold noodles with grilled beef and spring rolls, making it a substantial option for anyone who prefers a refreshing noodle dish rather than a hot bowl of soup. Pho is another important part of the selection. The Pho Tai features thinly sliced beef and can be customized with extra meat or additional spice, while bean sprouts are available for those who enjoy the traditional fresh crunch alongside the broth and noodles. The seasoning can provide noticeable heat without necessarily overwhelming the other flavors. Beef lovers can also look toward the beef combination pho, which comes with a generous amount of meat, including meatballs that add another savory element to the bowl. Beyond the food, Thai tea is a worthwhile accompaniment, particularly for diners who appreciate a beverage with a pronounced tea flavor rather than an overly mild profile. The combination of hot pho, cool vermicelli preparations, spring rolls, grilled meats, and refreshing drinks gives Yen’s Cafe several different directions for a meal. Diners can keep things relatively simple with Pho Tai, increase the spice or beef according to preference, or choose a cold noodle plate loaded with grilled meat and spring rolls for contrasting temperatures and textures.
Amenities
- Delivery
- Drive-through
- Takeout
- Dine-in
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Solo dining
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
- Coffee
- Comfort food
- Healthy options
- Quick bite
- Small plates
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Dessert
- Table service
- Casual
- Good for kids
- Free parking lot
- Free street parking
- Parking
Highlights
- Shrimp Pho
- Sugarcane Juice
- Bun Ga Cha Gio
Pricing
Appetizers
Price
- Summer Roll $8.61
- Deep Fried Egg Rolls $8.61
Salad
Price
- Lettuce With Chicken $
- Vietnamese Salad $12.45
Pho
Price
- Seafood $16.74
- Pho Tai Nam $13.87
- Pho Tai Nam Sach $13.87
January 2023
Price
- Kung Pao Shrimp $16.99
- Shrimp Black Bean Sauce $16.99
- Shrimp Mix Vegetables $16.99
- Shrimp Broccoli $16.99
- Shrimp String Bean $16.99
- Steamed Fish Fillet In Ginger Onion Black Bean Sauce $16.99
- Egg Roll & Shrimp $
- Egg Roll & Tofu $13.87
Pork
Price
- House Special Grilled Pork $15.74
- Pork Eggplant $14.35
- Pork Mix Vegetable $14.35
- Pork String Bean $14.35
Chicken
Price
- House Special Grilled Chicken $15.74
- Mongolian Chicken $14.35
- Lemon Chicken $15.74
- Kung Pao Chicken $14.35
- Chicken Black Bean Sauce $14.35
- Chicken Broccoli $15.74
- Chicken Mix Vegetable $14.35
- Ginger Chicken $15.74
- Chicken String Bean $14.35
- Spicy Lemongrass Chicken $15.74
- Peking Chicken $15.74
Beef
Price
- Beef Broccoli $15.74
- Mongolian Beef $15.74
- Kung Pao Beef $15.74
- Beef W/String Beans $15.74
- Beef Mix Vegetables $15.74
Fried Rice
Price
- Pork Fried Rice $13.87
- Chicken Fried Rice $13.87
- Beef Fried Rice $13.87
- Special Fried Rice $13.87
- Chicken & Shrimp Fried Rice $13.87
Vietnamese Cold Rice Noodle Plate (Bun
Price
- Pho Bo Vien Gan $14.74
- Pho Nam $14.74
- Pho Tai $13.87
- Pho Dac Biet $
- Pho Ga $15.74
- Pho Tom $13.87
- Pho Tieu Chau $14.74
- Pho Dau Hu $15.74
- Pho Dau Hu Cai Thap Cam $13.87
- Pho Nam Van $15.74
- Ginger Soup With Chicken $13.87
- Tofu $13.87
- Shrimp & Tofu $14.74
- Lemongrass Tofu $14.74
Vegetables
Price
- Eggplant W/Tofu Garlic Sauce $13.87
- Tofu W/Vegetables $14.01
- Broccoli Oyster Sauce $14.01
- Mix Vegetables $14.01
- String Bean Garlic Black Bean Sauce $14.01
Vietnamese Rice Plates
Price
- Grilled Pork $
- Grilled Pork & Shrimp $
- Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken $
- Grilled Chicken & Shrimp $
- Grilled Pork & Chicken $
- Spicy Lemon Grass Chicken $
- Curry Chicken $
- Tofu & Shrimp $
- Tofu $
- Vietnamese Ginger Chicken $
- Spicy Lemongrass Tofu $
Egg Fu Young
Price
- Egg Fu Young $
- Shrimp Egg Fu Young $
- Chicken Or Pork Egg Fu Young $
Seafood
Price
- Squid Black Bean Sauce $
- Squid Broccoli $
- Kung Pao Squid $
Chinese Rice Plates
Price
- Pork String Bean $
- 2.Pork Mix Vegetable $
- Mongolian Chicken $
- 4.Lemon Chicken $
Fried Crispy Egg Noodle
Price
- Shrimp Vegetable Crispy Noodle $16.99
- Beef Broccoli Crispy Noodle $16.25
Stir Fried Rice Noodle
Price
- Beef Vegetable Chow Fun $
- Pork Vegetable Chow Fun $
- Chicken Vegetable Chow Fun $
- Shrimp Vegetable Chow Fun $
- Combination Chow Fun $
- Mongolian Beef, Pork Or Chicken Chow Fun Cake Noodle $
Cake Noodle
Price
- Shrimp Vegetable Cake Noodle $
- Beef Broccoli Cake Noodle $
- Special Cake Noodle $
- Tofu Vegetable Cake Noodle $
Stir Fried Noodle
Price
- Shrimp Vegetable Fried Noodle $
- Vegetable Fried Noodle $
- Beef Vegetable Fried Noodle $
- Pork Vegetable Fried Noodle $
- Chicken Vegetable Fried Noodle $
- Special Fried Noodle $
Iced Teas
Price
- Jasmine Green $
- Chrysanthemum Flower $
- Black Tea $
- Longan Fruit $
- Atiso $
Others
Price
- Special Fried Noodle $13.87
- Shrimp Vegetable Fried Noodie $13.87
- Vegetable Oyster Sauce $
- Squid Mix Vegetables $
- Salt And Pepper Squid $
- Mongolian Squid $
- Squid W/ String Beans $
- Salt And Pepper Shrimp $
- Garlic Fried Rice $
- Original Milk Tea $
- Spiced Chai $
- Strawberry Taro $
- Coconut Lychee $
- Sesame Mango $
- Watermelon $
- Vietnamese Coffee $
Location
Customer feedback
Add Review
0 / 5
66 Reviews
Murtaza Ghiya
Nov 29, 2025
This is a nice little cozy place that serves really tasty and hot meals. We had a few dietary requirements and the server listened to all of them patiently and provided us with options. The food was really tasty, glad we made it there for dinner. Will definitely return if we are in the area again. Highly recommended!
Chung King
Feb 11, 2026
I loved the Pho Tai I ordered. I added extra tai and made it spicy. I skipped bean sprouts but if you choose it comes with them also. Good spice to it, but not overpowering. The Thai tea was one of the best I've had. Strong flavor.
Lovia Publico (Big Island Homes by Lovia)
Mar 03, 2026
My husband and I have been enjoying Tongs cooking since they opened in 2005. Yen’s is our go to spot and I can recommend every dish on the menu. My favorite dish is the cold vermicelli salad with spring rolls and chicken.
Louise Loughlin
Jan 30, 2026
Just stopped by to order a quick lunch and was so pleasantly surprised with our food. Chicken ginger lemongrass plate and spicy chicken rice plate. Both came with a very tasty side salad. So much flavor for lunch. I also order a fresh sugar cane. Will definitely be back to try the Pho.
Martin Bondoc
Feb 01, 2026
The cold noodles (with grilled beef and spring rolls) are amazing! The Pho is good, but not the best. The meatballs in the Pho are delicious! There's a lot of meat in the beef combo also. I would come here again.
Ankush Gupta
Dec 29, 2025
Great food near 9 miles from Honomu. We knew we won't get food in Honomu so stopped here on our way from Hilo. The place had fantastic Chicken curry which is probably the best Asian curry I have had. My partner had fried rice which was good too. Thai iced tea was nice too but needed more sugar :p
Tom Schweich
Dec 16, 2025
We ordered our standard Vietnamese dishes, Bun ga and vegetarian fried rice, and found them very good, but not quite excellent. The chicken was nicely seasoned, but I missed the little fried onions many Vietnamese restaurants add. The fried rice needed a little more egg. The tables and chairs were clean.The restaurant is small with 4(?) tables, and they do quite a bit of carry-out business. I assume it's a family affair with mom and/or dad in the kitchen, big sister workin' her buns off waitressing, and little brother spacing out with his iPad at the register. We left big sister a good tip, but she probably had to share it with family. We would go back again if we lived in the area.
Toyota Barbie
Jan 07, 2026
Their food is Always so delicious and not greasy like other places. The Chicken Pho , Peking Chicken and shrimp fried rice are my whole familys Favorite! Very friendly and kind people.