By Sarah Burchard
Photo courtesy of Drip Studio.
On most days just after sunrise you will find me knocking out my morning writing in a dimly lit coffeehouse sitting across from chess-playing patrons with Duke Ellington emanating in the background. I was not a coffee drinker until I moved to Honolulu but after discovering a staggering number of good cafes, along with a major life overhaul, I began trading dive bars for coffee shops.
Good coffee shops are like good ideas, they make you high and offer different perspectives. Choosing my daily stop depends on my agenda. Feeling social? I stop by TRY Coffee. Donʻt want to be found? I drive out to Wahiawā and settle into a big leather chair at Surfer’s Coffee. Need a pastry fix? The Curb. Fuel up before yoga? Bean About Town.
The neighborhood of Kakaʻako alone has more than 20 coffee shops. Arvo Cafe was one of the first, opening in 2016. Its outdoor gathering place for artists and carefree millennials, is a main focal point at SALT at Our Kakaʻako. Its Instagram-ready aesthetic with scattered succulents, retro beach brollies and ceramic cups is arguably one of the prettiest in town. A few doors down, 9Bar HNL, named for the amount of pressure it takes to extract an espresso shot topped with perfect crema from a condensed puck of coffee grounds, loves up its regulars with giant scuffins — a muffin-scone hybrid — to go alongside espresso served with shots of sparkling water.
As locals rode the third-wave coffee scene onto Oʻahu’s shores, cafes began to up their game. Cupping and coffee yeast are now part of our vocabulary and we are tasting coffee as if it were wine, describing it as fruity or floral or comparing its acidity to malic versus tartaric. Now instead of drip coffee you can also select from a variety of pour-over options listed by producers, origins, roasters and tasting notes.
The arrival of Pono Potions in 2019 prompted baristas to clear their shelves of Torani to make room for artisan syrups made with local ingredients. Pono Potions was so successful the owners opened their own cafe two years later, Pōʻai by Pono Potions. This is where you can find lattes swirled with cinnamon, coconut and candied macadamia nuts and cocktail-like lemonades garnished with fresh herbs.
For me, coffee shops are sanctuaries for my sanity, a place for an emotional and physical pick-me-up. A place to think, create and escape the madness of a busy world or a lonely home. Witnessing Oʻahu’s varied coffee scene evolve over the past nine years has been as satisfying as watching freshly doused coffee grounds bubble and bloom.
Whether you are looking for a shakarato, li hing soda, honey-ginger latte or a gesha from Ethiopia there is a cafe for that. Monsteras and ferns crawling out of exposed brick walls or a concrete jungle lanai? Dark corners or bright airy spaces? Students on laptops or dogs in chairs? Shirts and shoes or bikinis and surfboards? Oʻahu has that and more. Here are my favorites.
VNTG Coffee & furniture
Brazilian cafe located in a vintage furniture warehouse specializing in mid-century modern designs. "Revenge is a coffee best served hot." - Owner.
Scuffins at 9Bar HNL. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
Tracey and Stephen Seta's neighborhood coffee shop inside SALT at Our Kakaʻako rocks some 30 beverages, including the Seta's Bulletproof coffee recipe — the Jump Start Latte — with MCT oil and grass-fed butter; a Nitro Float — nitro cold-brew coffee with condensed-milk gelato; mamaki and matcha teas; sparkling water concoctions such as Li Hing Soda and hot Chocolate Milk with toasted marshmallows. The star of the show is the chrome Modbar — espresso/steamer/pour-over-coffee system — on the counter. One of the shop's regulars painted an urban steampunk mural of it on the wall.
Located in Kakaʻako.
Arvo Cafe. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
You gotta hand it to the Aussies. They know how to do coffee and brekkie. Grab yourself a flat white and an avocado toast and enjoy your morning outside, basking in the unhurried pace of SALT at Our Kakaʻako. There's also cute merch and a vintage clothing rack for added lingering.
Located in SALT at Our Kakaʻako and at Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club in Waikīkī.
Bean About Town. Photo by Little Bird Photography.
Owner Olivier Vetter, born in France, found his connection to espresso and Hawaiʻi in London while managing St. John Restaurant, owned by the father of nose-to-tail cuisine, Fergus Henderson. Patrons, including one who would become his wife, inspired Vetter to start Bean About Town when they consistently asked him, and only him, to make their post-dinner espresso. Vetter launched his coffee venture on the back of a tuk-tuk in 2008 opening and selling seven brick-and-mortar locations in London before moving his family and brand to Oʻahu, where his wife is from, in 2018. Vetter sources locally grown coffee and roasts beans in-house.
Located in Kaimukī and Waikīkī.
Bizia Surf and Coffee Bar. Photo by Sarah Burchard
I'm a fan of any business with an environmental mindset. Founders master woodworker Eric Bello and architect Joey Valenti transform invasive albizia trees into surfboards, helping to restore Hawaiʻi's fragile ecosystem. The sustainable surf shop doubles as a coffee shop with outdoor seating and an upstairs work space. In addition to espresso drinks you can find pastries and breakfast burritos.
Located in Wahiawā.
Daily Whisk Matcha. Photo by Crystal Clear Communications.
This cozy, outdoor neighborhood spot cranks out ceremonial-grade matcha, coffee drinks and Japanese pastries from a tiny window on the front porch of Ten Tomorrow, Summer Shiigi's boutique carrying both local brands and her own casual resort apparel. The strawberry-matcha latte is a must.
Located in Kaimukī.
Cold Fashioned at Drip Studio. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
Drip Studio won me over the first time I visited the husband-and-wife shop, located along the storied alley of Fort Street Mall. Co-owner Vincent Pōhaku was pouring coffees from Dak, Mok and Philocoffea that day. I tried Dak Coffee Roaster’s “Milky Cake,” a Castillo variety from Colombia tasting of cardamom, pistachio and vanilla cake, served in a dainty, white teacup. Pōhaku explained the process used for the coffee as “thermoshock,” which subjects the coffee beans to drastic temperature changes during fermentation to change its flavor. Enjoying the experience, I ordered the Cold Fashioned next, a non-alcoholic coffee cocktail served in a rocks glass with a dash of bitters, topped with a foam that tastes like whipped cream-meets-nitro coffee-meets-Orange Julius. Pōhaku finishes the drink with an expressed orange rind. It's fantastic. Drip Studio also serves its own brand of high-grade matcha, house-made pastries and a small lunch menu.
Located Downtown.
Everyday. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
The owners of Everyday, and the state-of-the-art Lava Wellness studio upstairs, are very intentional with the ingredients they use (organic without additives). Their goal is not only that the customer has the best experience possible, but that what they are serving is good for them too. Enjoy espresso drinks, pour-over coffee, matcha and hojicha with house-made non-dairy milks. There is a comfortable lounge for relaxing, or working, with couches and tables, plus more seating outside.
Located near Ala Moana neighborhood.
Photo courtesy of Pono Potions.
Co-founder Peter Hessler uses his bartending skills to create inventive coffee mocktails using house-made syrups made with local ingredients, such as ʻolena (turmeric), lavender and vanilla. The shop doubles as a boutique where you can find locally-made gifts and jewelry. ʻUlu & Kalo Bakery also works out of this space, providing treats like ʻulu-banana bread, kalo (taro) brownies and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies to go with your coffee.
Photo courtesy of Plantoem Cafe.
A cafe hidden inside a plant nursery with comfy leather chairs for working, catching up with friends or cozying up with one of the books of poetry scattered around. I love the hibiscus tea and hojicha latte. Additionally, there are pastries and other small bites. Plantoem, or plant and poem, also offers a monthly jazz and poetry night every third Thursday.
Bird's Nest Coffee. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
Run by a bunch of friendly coffee fanatics, this community gathering spot on the North Shore serves ethically-sourced craft coffee, tea and pastries. It is one of my favorite stops in Haleʻiwa before a day at the beach, but sometimes I drive up from town just to hang out here and go home.
Located in Haleʻiwa.
The Curb. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
Owners Devin and Ross Uehara-Tilton spend a lot of time learning about and sourcing exceptional, environmentally conscience specialty coffee and natural wine. Mornings and afternoons are dedicated to coffee. In the evenings, the cafe dims its lights and breaks out the wine glasses. The other draw to The Curb is the pastries from James Beard Award-nominated pastry chef Hana Quon, a vast selection of bean-to-bar chocolate and gourmet tin fish.
Located in Kaimukī.
TRY Coffee. Photo by Mark Kushimi.
Co-owner TK Yamada searches endlessly for unique coffees from around the world. With coffee selections changing every 1-2 weeks, your coffee journey can go on endlessly too. To make sure you never miss a beat, sign up for the TRY-Cycle coffee subscription ensuring youʻll try ten new coffees each month. Another perk is the cafeʻs location inside Box Jelly co-working space. Here, you will find some of Honolulu's most talented and creative minds converging on an expansive, plant-filled lanaʻi overlooking Ward Village.
Located in Kakaʻako.
Surfers Coffee Wahiawā. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
Wahiawā isnʻt just a town on the way to the North Shore its a destination, and Surfer's Coffee is always my first stop. Is it the retro furniture and photography? Perhaps. Or is it what lies beneath the welcoming interior?Founded by surfers and humanitarians Tom and Cindy Bauer, Surfer's Coffee opened in 2011 as a non-profit to help uplift an area abandoned by the food manufacturing industry. The husband-and-wife team are the visionaries behind Surfing The Nations, an organization committed to inspiring surfers and sports enthusiasts to become leaders in service of local and international communities in need.
Located in Wahiawa and Kakaʻako.
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