Plate Lunch Counter · Rice and Gravy
Loco Moco
Photo: RightCowLeftCoast / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
It was invented in 1949 at the Lincoln Grill in Hilo, when the owners threw together rice, a hamburger patty, and gravy because local teens wanted something quick and cheap that wasn't a sandwich.
A mound of white rice is topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy, all eaten together with a fork straight from a plate-lunch container. It's a fixture of Hawaii's plate-lunch truck culture.
Why it's made this way: The dish was created specifically in Hilo on the Big Island and remains tied to that town's origin story more than anywhere else in the state.
More from United States
New York Egg Cream
New York Street Cart Hot Dog
Los Angeles Street Tacos
Philly Cheesesteak
New Orleans Beignets
Chicago-Style Hot Dog
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.