The traditional loco moco consists of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty and brown gravy, and finally a sunny-side up fried egg.

The dish was reportedly created at the Lincoln Grill restaurant in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1949 by its proprietors, Richard Inouye and his wife, Nancy, at the request of teenagers from the Lincoln Wreckers Sports club seeking something that differed from a sandwich, was inexpensive, and yet could be quickly prepared and served.

The host, Adam Richman, tried the dish at the Hukilau Café, located in nearby Laie.

Richman also tried an off-the-menu loco moco at a San Francisco eatery called Namu Gaji on his 2014 show, Man Finds Food.

In 2018, on a different episode of the revived Man v. Food, host Casey Webb tried a loaded version of the loco moco at Da Kitchen in Maui.