I went to Surf Break Cafe one day. I had a nice breakfast with a fellow mama and we talked about our kids, traveling, and blogging. Even though it was a leisurely breakfast, we still ran out of time to talk about all the things we wanted to talk about. That’s ok, it just gives us a reason to set another date to get together.Surf Break Cafe is located on Haili Street in Downtown Hilo and has been open for a while, but I have never had the chance to go. On the weekday morning that I went, it wasn’t too busy and there were lots of tables open in the cafe. It is a casual and comfortable place to go and you can choose to sit on picnic tables, regular tables, or couches. They also offer outside seating on the sidewalk so you can be a part of the hustle and bustle of downtown. I ordered the Italian Panini Melt which has scrambled eggs, sun dried tomato-pesto cream cheese, basil pesto and sliced tomato on sourdough bread. You can also order bagels, oatmeal, and burritos to go with your coffee.

Ashley and Elyse greeted customers with smiles as they took orders, prepared food, and made people feel welcome. In typical Hilo style, while my friend and I sat and chatted, one of our friends walked in with her family. They were celebrating her son’s 15th birthday and were starting the day off with a great birthday family breakfast at Surf Break Cafe. What better way to start a birthday than with a hearty meal at a local restaurant.  As my friend and I said our ‘see you latas’ to each other as we stood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, she brought to my attention the curious hoops that were on the curb. My BFF from New Jersey who now lives in Hilo and loves it knows so much about this place where I have lived all my life. (Read about her perspectives on Hilo on this blog on the Monday Musings from Melinda series.) These hoops were used in the 1800s to the early 1900s to tie a horse on the side of the road. It is so amazing to still see these horse ties still around in our special town.  Did you ever notice the ties?  Visit downtown and check it out.  Living Hilo Style.