People go to Hilo for the flowers and the farmers' market, the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, the easy access to Volcano Village and the Hamakua Coast, the homey hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Now here's another attraction: Food — from fine dining that rivals big-city sophistication to down-home 'onolicious grinds that make you nostalgic for the days when no one was counting carbs, fats or anything but how many scoops of rice you got.

Hilo Bay Café, 315 Maka'ala; 935-4939.

I've only been to Hilo Bay Café twice but I miss it. If this restaurant was in Honolulu, I'd be a regular because the restaurant is doing something well that no one here is even attempting — creating a nexus where healthy natural foods and well-chosen specialty foods meet and make magic.

Nori's Saimin & Snacks, 688 Kino'ole, Suite 124; 935-9133.

Nori's is best visited when you're famished beyond belief, or partying with a group of friends. The servings are generous and there's so much on the menu that you need multiple orderers to prevent indecision paralysis. It's also a good place to do some omiyage shopping with a range of house-made products from chili oil to fresh kakimochi. If there's fresh chocolate mochi cake, buy it!

Kuhio Grille, Prince Kuhio Plaza; 959-2236

This little local-style restaurant spills out onto tables on the sidewalk outside and is pretty much packed all the time but especially early and late. It is another spot that's a bit hard to find (from Kanoelehua, Highway 11, go up the hill on E. Maka'ala, and it's a block or so up in a strip mall on the right). It's also packed at Merrie Monarch time and you can spot hula halau hefting bags of takeout back to their practice sessions.

Café Pesto, 308 Kamehameha Ave.; www.cafepesto.com; 969-6640.

Though several new fine-dining restaurants have opened in Hilo, I'll always make time for Café Pesto because it's absolutely reliable, the prices are reasonable, and the beautiful high-ceilinged, many-windowed vintage space is a delight.

Itsu's Fishing Supplies aka Da Shave Ice Place, 810 Pi'ilani; 935-8082.

At lunchtime, the line snakes through the store from the screen door past the catering counter to the cash register, with patrons eyeing the specials handwritten on a board. The roast pork I ordered was so flat-out delicious that I went back the next day and was crushed that it wasn't on the menu.