Central Bakery

Amazing breads, tasty salads, and delicious pastas! We loved this meal. Wine selection is a bit thin, but everything else was just so great. We’ll be back.

Ambiance: I loved everything about the interior! Contemporary and definitely felt like a restaurant that makes you feel like you traveled elsewhere.
Food: We were drawn here due to the French cuisine and various house made breads. We were truly disappointment because everything should taste as flavorful and decadent as the menu describes and how it looks. Definitely way too overpriced for the low quality, bland, and one note tasting food at this restaurant. We thought maybe the breads, their general theme of the restaurant, will save the day but it was like everything else… boring. In fact, the breads tasted the same, dough was too dense, and the bread wasn’t even warmed up when served with butter! How do you expect me to enjoy the texture and aroma of the bread when it’s stone cold?!
Service: Slow and inattentive servers.
Overall: From the food all the way to the service, I desperately wanted this place to have one good thing about it. Perhaps if they put as much thought and creativity into food as they did the interior design of the restaurant, will they be able uphold being a restaurant that can really make you feel like you traveled to France itself.

I love this place! Great food! Wonderful service. Our new fave! Can’t wait to have breakfast here soon!

breads are so good! Yummy the BEST bread in Hawaii and food is great! service
is ok VERY slow. The most disappointed is now They charge to refill for breads really??? when they opened they served lots of different kinda breads and refill was free of course!!! And also now they don’t have slicer for toast and I wish they open from the morning :(but I still like central bakery :)
ハワイでこんなに美味しいパンが食べれるとは感動です。ほんとにパンが美味しい 他の食べ物も美味しいですが。サービスはあまり良くないしスローです。 1番がっかりなのは食事中パンをおかわりしたら、有料になってました。オープン当時は山のようにいろんな種類のパン無料で頂けたのに。。。残念過ぎる！！！ あと食パンをオーダーしてもスライサーがないのが残念。最近はパン職人さんが切ってくれるのでいいですが、バイトの若いウエートレスの子が切ったら最悪どころかありえなかったです。(家に帰って写真撮ってポストしたので見てください！)自分で切る方がマシです。信じられません。あとはパン屋さんなので朝からオープンして欲しいですね。。

I enjoyed this spot. Really have to resist the temptation to eat all the delicious bread that they hand out early. Will power is vital here. You’ll want to save room for the food which is also well prepared. Parking seemed to be a concern for some reviewers but it is what it is. Parking in Honolulu isn’t great anywhere, to say the least. It wasn’t a problem for me.
Service was friendly without being a distraction.
Overall, this was a friendly, comfortable and relaxing place to have a pretty good plate of pasta and glass of wine.

Went here for Christmas Eve dinner. Whole family loved it — even my very diet restricted sister. Park at McDonald’s or the mall, it is all the same, so parking is not a problem. Bread is amazing — lots of variety, styles, sizes, legit bread bakery. I liked the olive twist and this bread roll that had perfect salt, moistness and chew. Dinner had options for the whole family — pastas, lamb, pizza, salads, seafood — great prices too. Dessert like the bread was excellent — variety, sizes, styles — we were impressed. Good for families, dates, etc.

Good food, excellent location but need more waiters. :-) Love the prosciutto with melon salad and desserts!

The food is great and the bread basket is amazing. Unfortunately the service is extremely slow and the server we had did not know her menu at all. It was embarrassing. Hopefully this place will get it together. I had the uni & oyster pasta and my friend ordered croque monsieur. Both great. There were only 2 tables with 2 people at them and we still didn’t get our food for over 30 minutes. Then his dish came out and mine was 15 minutes later. The server never said a word and never came back to check on us. After another hour of eating and waiting for the bill, we finally had to chase her down to pay.

Central Bakery is located next to Olive Tree Café and a few steps down from McDonalds. The space itself is pretty big, lots of tables to choose from. It definitely felt like a «ladies who lunch» kind of spot considering the freshly baked bread aroma in the air and the all female diners who were there when we walked in. I decided to try the Tartine for lunch, an open faced sandwich with your choice of 3 toppings. I had the prosciutto with asparagus, ricotta with baked ham and roasted vegetables. Everything was pretty simple but I really enjoyed the fried prosciutto which gave it a more crispy bacon like texture in contrast to the softer toppings on the other toasts. My Mom had this ginormous Japanese club like sandwich (forgot what it was called but check out the pic) with layers of ham/​avocado, smoked salmon and egg salad. The white bread it was served on was sponge like, very light. My Mom enjoyed her dish so much that she managed to eat the whole thing, go Mom! Oh before I forget, they serve up this fantastic bread basket with samples of their different breads that they bake. It was quite impressive, wheat, baguette, an olive bread, I think there was some rye in there too. We couldn’t eat it all so we took the remaining bread home. Side note: the service here is slow, they only had one server waiting on everyone at the time. So be kind to your server, we felt bad for him as he tried to take care of all the tables as efficiently as he could.

Very friendly customer service & the food tasted AMAZING from appetizers to entries to desserts! I’ll be back again :)

If you haven’t checked out this Italian restaurant located in Kahala, please do. The restaurant is next to the Olive Tree. The food at Central Bakery is delicious and the service is the best. The general manager was very accommodating in so many ways. She made sure we were happy with the food and wine that we picked. The food is well prepared to perfection. The place is clean and that’s important. They make good bread and pastries and they bring it to your table in a basket. Quite impressive.

CLOSED SUNDAYS. GLUTEN FREE pasta available!
The name of this place is a misnomer. First off, it is not very central. It’s on the outskirts of Kahala Mall, which is in east Oahu, and it’s not even central to the mall. «Bakery» is misleading because I thought they just sold fresh breads, but they are a full service sit down fancy restaurant serving Italian/​European style food and they are open Mon-​Sat 11 – 3, 5−10p. I made reservations through the Unilocal app, but this place was not very busy on a Saturday night.
LOCATION: shares same parking lot as Olive Tree café and Subway, between McDonalds and the Kahala Post office.
PARKING: limited; if you’ve ever been to Olive Tree, you know the situation. Park in the post office lot or street parking. or shop at the mall and then walk over.
AMBIENCE: two dining rooms, cute and cozy but watch out for the hanging light bulbs. They’ll bang your head when you stand up.
FOOD: Everything was tasty, but in small portions, and everything took a long time to come out even though it wasn’t that busy.
Clam chowder was good but took 20min to come out. Isn’t that already in a pot ready to go by 7pm? They do have two GLUTEN FREE pasta options but I chose the sautéed Mahi catch of the day instead, which was pretty good.
The kids penne pasta portion was really tiny so they were looking forward to some gelato since this is an Italian (?) place but they didn’t have any. There were lots of other dessert choices, including a delicious almond soufflé (GLUTEN FREE) but we ended up at Il Gelato inside the mall.
PRICE: expensive. Plan on spending $ 80/​2ppl without alcohol.
SERVICE: slow.
VERDICT: good food but not the best place to take my entire family. My parents are old and didn’t like waiting so long to get their food. My kids were still hungry after we were done. Maybe best for date night or a leisure lunch.

Delicious, bright and friendly staff, this spot has all the makings of becoming a great local favorite.

Parking: terrible. Small lot shared with olive tree and other businesses. Super crowded. Park at the mall and walk over.
Food: fine. Limited selection and I guess supposed to be fancier. Pasta selection only had red sauces or cream sauces nothing lighter like white wine or olive oil garlic etc. had the bolognese which was ok. A bit meat heavy. Pâté plate good and also salmon carpaccio type appetizer.
Space: really actually nice. Can’t believe it was the wahoos. Open and spacious. Modern and rustic. Had a six adults and three small children and they had a great big table for us.
Service: the servers are perfectly nice. Just not attentive. Hard to get their attention. Not everyone had silverware. I think maybe either not enough severs or not assigned well.
Overall would prolly rather go Angelo pietro or Bernini bc food here just isn’t special.

I have to agree with Nancy K… I went there 2 times and both times, although the food was good (could be bigger portion for the price) and the bread was Excellent, service was really 1-​star… It wasn’t even busy. The first time I went there with friends, my friend kept getting up to get whatever we needed… She should have received the tip we left, not the wait staff. I was surprised since the manager came to our table to tell us she was the manager, however, somehow she wasn’t able to manage her wait staff to be more attentive to the customers. The manager was nice, but to be a manager, one must really be on top of things, especially, making sure the wait staff takes care of each table…
The second time I went, it was also slow, just 3 other tables that already had their food… but it took so long for the waiter to take our order… plus, even after the manager said «I’ll get bread for you right away…», «right away» = 10 minutes later…? I had to ask for the bread… The manager is very nice, same as last time, however, sometimes «nice only» doesn’t cut it when it is at a restaurant that is rated «$$$» on Unilocal… maybe if it’s rated «$».
I am not trying to be mean… just stating the facts. My mother really liked the food… I like the food. My partner thought the vegetable pasta was «too small» of a portion for the price. (There could easily have been ½ a portion more on the dish for the same price!) He’s right… I mean, how much does a little more pasta and more veggies cost? We used to have a full-​service restaurant that was in «Where Chefs Dine Out», and we made sure people left the restaurant satisfied with the service and the food (taste & quantity; no skimping). We notice that a lot of restaurants just don’t want to give customers food.
If a restaurant is going to charge $ 14+ per person, give the customers food!
The manager is very nice, I will repeat… however, she has to step up and really make sure every table is taken care of with attention to details.
Also, the ceiling lights are too low hanging… your waiter kept hitting his head a couple of times at different tables… my partner hit his head, too, when we were leaving…
For the price you charge, someone from the kitchen or pastry chef needs to check the cake case… the second time I was there, the pumpkin pie looked like it was sitting in there from the time before I was there several days prior… the pumpkin filling was dry and separating from the crust… and some of the other sweets looked «tired». The price for the dessert was too much for what it looked like. At least, lower the price or give more food.
**** I hope the owner is reading these «constructive criticism» posts and improves on these things… ATTENTION TO DETAILS, QUALITY of food, SATISFACTORY PORTIONS of food and GREAT SERVICE will always bring back repeat customers… if a restaurant has these important things, people will drive to remote locations to get great service and great food. Otherwise, you will start to lose business and will have to close. I want Central Bakery to succeed because they do have good food… Honolulu needs more places with GOOD+ food ****

The interior in here reminds me of a very Euro feel. It also looks kinda like Bernini. I tried the Aglio Oglio which was spaghetti pasta with olive oil and olives and asparagus with anchovies paste. It was ok but it was not spectacular. The bread here is pretty good and they also have variety of soups and salads besides pasta. Service here is pretty good. Wish they have lunch specials here!

Hands-​down the worst Italian dining experience I’ve ever been a part of. Plastic wine glasses, not a hint of garlic in the food, and the house wine… wait for it… it’s Franzia — yes, boxed wine. With the prices they charge, the servers should wear ski-​masks when they come to collect the bill, which, if you pay with plastic will be done with a Square credit card machine — tacky. This isn’t a coffee shop.
*Disclaimer — This experience took place during their first few weeks of being open, but no excuses. Don’t ask me to pay 30 $ a plate for an experimental Japanese-​infused Italian meal. God, that just doesn’t even sound right.

I heard a lot of mixed reviews going in, so tried to keep an open mind going into dinner.
To start, they got our reservations incorrect. We made a reservation for 12, and they gave us a table for 8. Luckily another party cancelled, so at the end, we all ended up sitting together.
As for the food, I thought my uni oyster pasta was good. It did need a little more salt but I liked the creaminess and flavor. The beef tongue was also very tender but needed much more salt. I also had a salad to start. They are huge and can be split between 3 people. The chicken avocado one was very tasty with lots of other veggies besides for lettuce.
Although MY meal was pleasant, 2 people in the party didn’t get their food until atleast 45 mins to an hour after everyone else got theirs. This was a bit awkward as they watched us eat and finish, and then we watched them eat and finish. Good thing there was a lot of bread and apps going around to bye time and starvation.
All in all, I would go back again. I believe the service and kitchen will get better. Give it a try!

Went back yesterday for dinner. First thing was that we were welcomed back by the waiters and the baker. It was nice to be recognized even it was just yesterday :)
We ordered the grilled vegetable salad, chicken and avocado pasta, and the beef tongue stew.
But first the house bread bowl. They have an in house baker that is making a huge variety of bread nightly and this is well represented in the bread bowl. From brioche to rose bread to baguette to sesame bread this place was heaven to the wife. Not to mention the way they separate the bread condiments (?) the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, cracked black pepper, and butter allowed you to find the best combination to fit each type of bread.
The salad was a decent size to share with a few people as a side salad but would also be a decent meal with the bread bowl they provide. The variety of the salad was amazing. Here are the components that I have identified: Red onion, Radish, Red bell pepper, Yellow bell pepper, Green beans, Harcourt vert, Asparagus, Kabocha, Hulled green (winged?) beans, Eggplant, Arugula, mesclun, Broccoli, Tomato, and bamboo shoot. The flavor of the salad was also varied which was a neat concept. The greens, bell peppers and onions were tossed in a vinigarette. While the grilled kobocha and asparagus were grilled and had some nice charred notes. The broccoli surprised me with butter garlic flavor. The bamboo shoots was kept pure with a mildly salty clean crunch. In all an impressive salad that made me feel good about eating my greens.
Ugh this getting way too long…
The chicken avocado pasta was creamy and chickeny flavored. With some of the Avo incorporated into the sauce I’m thinking its healthier then if was all cream and butter. The pasta was done well but more like something the wife likes then myself but I still ate it because it was good. The portion is good sized probably enough for a couple of petite people to share.
The beef stew brought back memories. Please don’t expect a bowl of stew and rice with carrots and potatoes because it’s not that. What it is though is delicious sliced braised beef tongue in a demi glacé type gravy with scalloped potatoes. Brought back forgotten memories of Bistro Sun. The portion size for this was adequate for me. 3 decent sized slices of tongue. Not to mention the gravy that begs to be mopped up with the bread.
Finally for dessert we had the Charlotte orange chocolate and chocolate au foundant. The Charlotte was impressive and followed the cue of the one we had yesterday. The orange and chocolate flavor combination was nice. The foundant was the opposite big bold strong flavors of chocolate similar to a flourless chocolate cake. The smaller portion matched the intensity of the flavors.
All told with a plantation iced tea about $ 100 for this dinner for 2. Will definitely be coming back. I’m excited about this new restaurants in the neighborhood. Currently their menu is still changing to find what the customers like and I also heard they are considering opening for brunch in the future.

Yes! Another new restaurant in Kahala. We definitely need more eateries in this area. Firstly, I am not a fan of the name, Central Bakery (???). This week-​old restaurant took the place of Wahoo’s on the corner of Kilauea and Pahoa, next to Waialae Post Office. This place was beautifully renovated. Looks as if they put in a lot of money into this new establishment. The place is much larger than I originally thought, with two dining areas and outdoor seating.
As you walk in, you are pleasantly greeted by the friendly staff. They ask you to browse the large selection of fresh baked breads displayed in front. Once seated, they bring out a nice selection of house breads which you saw out in front, with vinegar/​oil, butter and salt/​pepper. They explain you are able to choose more bread throughout your meal and pick and choose what you want.
For our app, we chose the Prosciutto fruit platter. Nice sized with a variety of fruit and arugula topped with olive oil. The app went well with all the different breads they serve.
Our entrees for our party were Uni Pasta, Creamy tomato shrimp pasta and Carbonara. I was able to taste the shrimp pasta and carbonara. I preferred the shrimp pasta a little better. It had huge shrimp with a light pink sauce. The carbonara was very rich and eggy, a little too much for me. My wife liked it a lot. My friend who had the uni pasta enjoyed his dish a lot. He said nice uni flavor and it didn’t look too rich.
The desserts were ok, nothing special. The fondant au chocolate was like super thick fudge. It was very sweet. My wife had some kind of orange crème chocolate pie. She only ate half, so it must have not been that good.
Service was very friendly and quick. Orders came out in a very timely manner and waters were refilled often. Our server brought refills of the house breads and condiments. Don’t get full off of the bread! Tab for the three of us was $ 100, which is about average for a casual Italian restaurant.
Competing for parking with Olive tree will be a challenge, but there is a lot of street parking and the Post Office and McDonalds maybe other options (don’t quote me on that!).