A family-run local food institution in Hilo Town is still drawing lines out the door, good news for anyone hunting for a taste of old Hawaii.

• Kawamoto's opened in 1947 as a vegetable store on Hawaii Island.
• When big supermarkets moved in, it switched to making bentos for sugar plantation workers, then became an okazuya.
• The shop is Native Hawaiian owned by the Roli ohana, who took it over in 2001 after the mother started there at 16.
• Top sellers are shrimp tempura and Korean chicken, with cookies and pastries baked in house.
• Doors open at 6 a.m. and close by midday, and phone orders beat the line.

Outlook: The shop keeps its early-morning hours and short window, so the crowds are likely to stay heavy right through opening.