Loco Moco is Hawaii’s original homemade fast food and can be found at just about any fast food joint, roadside diner, or lunch wagon.

The legend about loco moco is that it was dreamed up in Hilo on Big Island back in 1949 by the owners of the Lincoln Grill, Mr. and Mrs. Inouye.

They were looking for a quick dish to feed their hungry teenaged customers, so they took a saimin bowl, ladled in two scoops of rice, a hamburger, and a fried egg. Then they topped it off a river of brown gravy.

Today, the loco moco basics are two scoops of rice, a big burger or two regulars, an over-easy egg, and brown beef gravy, and usually there’s a scoop of macaroni salad on the side.

The traditional burger is mixed with some bread crumbs, celery and onions to make it very onolicious, but you’ll find lots of local varieties. You can get Spam, or things like Portuguese sausages and mahi mahi, instead of burger.

In the last few years concerns about eating uncooked egg yolks has endangered the traditional runny over-easy egg, but the well-cooked fried egg is sort of nouveau cuisine. Loco moco definitely isn’t health food, but you can do as you like in your own kitchen.

When you make your own at home, you should ue something like French’s Brown Gravy for your loco moco, or a similar brand. What you’re looking for is for canned beef gravy with the consistancy of cranberry sauce, something thick enough to stand on its own without a can.

Loco moco is eaten mostly for breakfast or lunch, but it will definitely cure any midnight muchies because it is the world’s very best comfort food.

As you eat, break the egg and blend the burger, egg, rice and gravy on your fork for each bite for a real bit of paradise.

The Inouye's patrons loved it. Oh brah, was it loco! (And "moco" just rounded off the ryhme.)

More about Loco Moco
Hawaii Food