Honolulu Coffee

We discovered this place with my mom during our last visit in September. (I should, probably, mention here, I drink my tea/​coffee only in ceramic cup). Before I always went to Island Vintage Coffee. Mom liked coffee here, so we went here pretty much ever since. Yesterday (Sat, Jan 23^rd) was my last night of January vacation with my husband and he likes Island Vintage Coffee more than here (we came here twice during this visit and cappuccino was just ok both times, passion fruit mousse was a little too sweet), but last night I dragged him back here to give this place one more shot. At 9:35pm cashier refused to serve me coffee in a cup for here, saying they were closing soon. I said we were gonna leave in 10 minutes, but she still insisted that they had to clean the cups and so on!!! Really?! 55 minutes before your closing time you will give me this BS? Seriously! I was a barista at Ritual Coffee in SF and if I did this to my customer, I would’ve been fired right on spot. Not sure how much time they need to wash the cups here, but I know for sure I’m not coming back here anymore. We returned to Island Vintage Coffee and I drank my yammi island latte in a cup for here for 30 cents cheaper. Yeah, drinks are a couple cents cheaper here, as well as the honey jars (Big Island Bees), which is whole $ 3 dollars more expensive in Honolulu Coffee. Oh yeah and I also tried calling them before coming 3 times and nobody picked up the phone??? P. S. now that I go over my experience, I remember that while we were deciding on a drink, there was a regular customer (cashier knew he was gonna order tea) before us, who was served his tea in a green ceramic cup. I noticed that, coz it seemed strange they served it without small plate, it was just a cup… and he seemed to be staying there for at least 20 – 30 minutes with the newspaper… so how is that called?

Nutty Hawaiian latte! The perfect balance of nut and coffee. It made my early morning hikes a lot better! If you’re looking for it, it’s located right outside of the moana surfrider hotel. I didn’t try anything else, but hair get coffee and you won’t be disappointed.

I stay down the street so this place is a neat little place. It would be nice if there were a few more table inside .
Tip, do not go early (before 11am), there will only be 2 cake available, go a little later. They should fix that since it’s a coffee place .
The coffee was average, I can only speak for decaf because I get rash from caffeine. I would come here for pastries .
The roll was yummy but the passion fruit mousse was wayyyy too sweet. We were only able to try those 2 because those were the only 2 they had available at that time.
Will have to rereview when I come back, hope they’ll be more chocolate option

Started my morning off right with the macadamia nut coffee and an almond croissant, they were both good choices, and though the wait was a little long due to low staffing, they were very communicative with us and very kind.

Located in a great spot by the beach and Waikiki, I didn’t honestly care for the coffee after sampling a few. The flavor seemed very weak, although we did jump on the nutty Hawaiian latte which was excellent. I also recommend the fresh chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

I am honest but it appears my coffee was too watery, coming from San Francisco this doesn’t make the cut with the price

I vowed not to go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean on this trip and to only drink Hawaiian coffee and Honolulu Coffee was by far my favorite coffee spot on the island.
It was so good it didn’t even need sweetener. I drink my coffee with almond milk and I don’t know if it was the particular almond milk they use, or the coffee or the combination but it was like crack. The good kind of crack. The crack that doesn’t leave you toothless, jobless, and potentially caught on fire. Delicious.
The shop is located walking distance from anything on Waikiki and there is plenty of seating inside. I was spoiled over the weekend with short lines but on Monday when I went to get my last coffee of the trip, the 9 to 5-​ers were there and the line was long and not so fast-​moving. I didn’t mind though. It was worth the wait.
Servers are friendly and accommodating, no attitude here, just some laid-​back, easy going baristas. And why shouldn’t they be? They get to drink this coffee whenever they want.
They’re not cheap, but they’re worth every red cent. They also offer French Press coffee but who has that kind of time?
And yes, they have cookies and cakes, açai bowls (though you’ll have to pronounce it) and vegan-​friendly oatmeal (yay) if you’re looking for some nibbles to go along with that crack.
I even bought a souvenir t-​shirt to wear back home and reminisce in.
Go!
Thank me, later.

This little shop attached to the Moana Surfrider Hotel is really good. However the wait time is kind of slow but I guess for the quality it was worth it. Priced at almost $ 5 for a cup was kind of high but hey I’m on vacation so gotta enjoy it. I liked the convenience it it being in the hotel I was staying in so every morning it was a cup of joe and on the road.
4 star for the wait time

We were ecstatic to see they served French press pea berry, so we were shocked that they served it to us in paper cups as opposed to the traditional French press pot.
Food is okay – nothing mind blowing.
They should add a bit more seats and chairs (currently they have 4 seater tables) on the inside since it appears they have a lot of space for it.

Not much to say in great detail other than I was happy with my smoothie and the line was out the door. I’m not kidding, it was a madhouse, rivaling the Starbucks in Pike Place Market in Seattle. Wall to wall people, perhaps everyone on the island decided they wanted coffee at that exact instant I decided I wanted a smoothie?

A new coffee house and patisserie is always a welcome addition to any neighbourhood, especially when the product is as excellent as we have come to expect from each Honolulu Coffee Company location. Today, feeling hungry but not ravenous, I found this new HCC location in the original Hard Rock Cafē building on Kalākaua Ave by the Convention Center. Lunch was a Thai Curry Salad with chicken and it was a satisfying size without causing me to have a «Costanza nap» in my office later! The Thai dressing had an authentic edge to it and combined with an excellent cuppa of their fine cappucino, was a near perfect light lunch.
An interesting feature is the large glass wall giving customers an excellent peek inside the kitchens where all the baking activity is going on. I could not resist returning to the cashier and buying a selection of macaroons for later! Each was exquisite and flavourful; I tried the chocolate as well as haupia macaroons and was not disappointed!
All in all, Im sure this patisserie will do well in this location and provide, «conventioners» as well as locals with a fine alternative for breakfast and lunch.

I regretably did not try the macadamia nut coffee but I did have their expresso with almond milk every morning we were in hawaii. Their coffee is so smooth and did not have that burnt taste at all.
Make sure to get in early because it does get busy after 8.

Great coffee, very good açai smoothies (though I’m partial to Island Vintage Coffee’s açai myself), and amazing oat cakes. No, really, get an oat cake. They don’t look like much, but they’re dense, moist, and damn tasty.
Expect higher prices because, you know, it’s Waikiki. But the upside is, it’s located in the coolest hotel in town, the Moana Surfrider, so you can go hang out back in a rocking chair under the banyan tree, sipping a coffee, while staring at the beach. Not a bad deal. So, if you want to skip the same old Starbucks you get the rest of the year, you can do so much worse than Honolulu Coffee.

Nice coffee shop much in the vein of Starbucks. This must be the Starbucks of Hawaii… good coffee and a specialty in Kona beans. They have many coffees to choose from and many light pastries that pair up well… cookies, Danish, etc. This location is right by the Waikiki beach and situated in the Moana Surfrider.
While you can buy coffee in many forms — just like SB’s — you can also buy fresh beans they will grind for you in the many blends of Kona. You can get 10% Kona blend all the way up to 100% Kona beans. This is a very nice coffee shop with very nice coffee choices. Its location just outside the hotel just enhances everything. Give this place a try … it gives Starbucks a run for your money.

My hubby and I recently took an anniversary trip to Oahu. Honolulu Coffee Company at the Moana Surfrider was our spot for coffee and breakfast one morning. We were actually staying at The Modern, so I thought it would be fun to walk Waikiki beach down to the Moana location.
The views were great on our walk, then when we arrived the historical building that Honolulu Coffee is in is simply gorgeous. It’s a fun spot to people watch as well!
We both ordered the Nutty Hawaiian with whip cream, and it was a special treat! I highly recommend it.
I did return on a business trip recently and needed to write. Unfortunately, I could not find any outlets to plug-​in my laptop once the battery died, so I had to scoot over to the Moana Surfrider lobby to finish my writing. Other than that, this place is amazing!
Also, the staff were very professional and helpful… this is a great spot to stop and #treatyoself :)
For more of my thoughts and photos from this amazing location:

Amazing, beautiful coffee that’s just perfect. I tried the chai latte and the Hawaiian latte— both perfection. Come in cute cups. Right by the beautiful surf rider. Come here for a beautiful cup with friendly baristas! I really liked that the barista and cashier were all smiley and friendly to make conversations with customers.
I went during the afternoons which wasn’t crowded. I’ve tried the coffee at Kai’s too. Both are good– but the cups and art here is gorgeous! The mint green cups– beaut

Great coffee and food located a few steps from Waikiki Beach. The store itself is very clean and the staff take your order and serve your food with a smile. Be prepared to pay a little more than you’re used to compared to the mainland but worth every cent. I enjoyed their Extra Fancy, as well as their smoothies! Their breakfast sandwiches are delicious too and very filling yet light enough to jump into the water.
Remember to tip!
I’ll be back again when back in Waikiki.
I missed their coffee this morning as I was needing a pick me up! Check out my pics!

This review is mostly for the (extremely disappointing) acai bowl with a side note about coffee and macarons.
I work in Waikiki and wanted something different for lunch so I thought I’d swing by here since it was close by. I ordered one acai bowl… Adding honey is $ 0.75. It’s not a big deal but most places come with it for free. So ordering was ok, there wasn’t a line and the girl at the counter was nice.
My acai bowl was ready instantly. I was happy til I sat down and looked at it. First of all I was disappointed that I didn’t get mine in a fancy bowl even though I said I was dining in. Then I saw that all they add is bananas and granola!!! I think I tasted the honey on the first bite but the rest of it was lacking. It started to melt so fast I didn’t even want to eat it. I hate to compare but I should have just walked the extra block to Island Vintage Coffee… They have one of the best acai bowls in town. This was such a waste of money.
Coffee on the other hand is pretty good and I like their macaron selection. Try Haupia if it’s available! But just do not even bother with the acai bowl…

We woke up, walked along the beach under the light of the rising sun and went to Honolulu Coffee Co. The coffee was very good. If you feel like treating yourself the French press is smooth with a little acidity.
The quiche was rich and fatty. Go for the Acai bowl for a healthier option that’s rich in vitamins and antioxidants. The caprese sandwich was also worthwhile.
Grab some coffee to go and enjoy it on the beach!

This is my favorite cup of coffee when I’m visiting. Every year my mom and I walk (window shop…) Waikiki and stop here a few times. Year after year, the lattes are always perfect. Strong and coffeeish, not watered down and over milky. Let me explain that I hate it when coffee shops give you a «latte» that’s really a cup of steamed milk with a splash of coffee. And the baristas are so well-​trained, I love my microfoam and how they always add a special touch. My personal favorite is when they design a hibiscus in my coffee — I mean, I am in Hawaii after all! :D
And, it’s hard to pass up their ham and cheese croissants — so flakey and tasty.
We have a bit of family history with the Moana Surfrider so it’s always fun to sit and people watch. If you visit often, make sure to grab your stamp card! You can earn a free coffee in no time! The coffee, view, and pastries do come at a higher price, but I’d say it’s definitely worth it!