Paniolo Country Inn Deluxe Ranch Burger

Paniolo Country Inn in the town of Waimea on the Big Island is a quaint little cowboy diner with good down home cooking and a nice burger menu.   Of course there’s a MahiMahi burger (it is Hawaii) but what really caught my attention was the Deluxe Royal Burger, a 6 oz. patty of Big Island beef, cheese and your choice of two toppings.  Ready for a good burger on the Big Island it was time for the Deluxe Royal Burger.

The burger itself wasn’t bad.  The meat, from one of the island’s beef companies, was relatively fresh and juicy.  My topping choices included deliciously prepared bacon and fresh pineapple to go with the chopped lettuce and onions.  Note: We found out later that tomato is available but you have to ask for it because it’s not offered on the menu. The fries were standard crinkle-cut french fries but although the service was pleasant (with just the right amount of attitude) and the atmosphere was warm the burger itself wasn’t anything special.

The dessert on the other hand was delicious and can help to make the experience at Paniolo Country Inn that much better.  Our dessert included an ice cream with chocolate chip cookie and a macadamia nut ice cream cake and both were wonderful endings to the meal.  Overall the burger gets a final vote of “not bad”, the service was the right combination of efficient and attitude and the dessert was delicious.  Drink all the water you want because water is the only thing on the drink menu with free refills.  If you go with a soft drink you’ll be paying $1.95 for a single glass of soda and another $1.95 for any refills….ouch.