I like that the Manoa location is not crowded. And ample room to relax and enjoy. The coffee is great, but food is pricey. It is a hidden spot that we like to go. read more

My mom said not to drink coffee lest I become addicted to caffeine. I hope I do not go down that root, but being a student tempts one into consuming caffeine like a madman. This is a great place to do work and meet friends, and also maybe get out of the rain while you wait for your bus. The drink options are unique, which is what I like to see for these fancy cafes that call themselves "coffeehouses". The team working here are young, probably UH students, which is to be expected. If you know me, I love sweets. Coffee is no exception. The Haupia latte is perfectly sweet, as it balances the bitterness of the coffee. The same could be said for the Hawaiian honey latte. I have a suspicion that I will be drinking all the sweet drinks from here. Let it only be for when I need energy and increased focus on an assignment. (Pray for me.) read more

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Breakfast in Honolulu, Hawaii... The newest location of Island Brew Coffeehouse is on the ground level of the Charles Atherton House... look to the left when you enter the lobby. (It's on the corner of University Avenue and Metcalf Street.) Since metered street parking is free on a Sunday, I parked across the street (on Metcalf) where there's a row of stalls... easy! The friendly staff were pleasant and helpful! They answered all of my questions and made great suggestions! I ordered an Avocado Toast without spicy sauce... and a Kukui Latte with soy milk. I liked both! The toast had some garlic and butter flavoring on the multi-grain toast. It was simple, healthy, and filling! The Kukui Latte was sweetened just right! The macadamia and coconut flavors were tasty! This is a wonderful study/meeting/work spot that Irene discovered! It's spacious, clean, and bright! The restroom is modern, safe and comfortable! We'll be back! read more

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Perking things up @ UH Rise... There are perk to coming to this location on a Sunday morning as not only street parking is free but a great way to relax yet catch up on life where it does get to a point that I need my me time and at Island Brew Coffeehouse @ UH Rise is a nice and simple place to so. I'm not very familiar with this spot but know that the stunning architecture is so beautiful that along with several sign placement I had my doubts that I had the right location but when you walk in it's located to the left and as the space itself is simple and quite sterile it has everything that I need a place to sip and enjoy. Today it was "Strawberry Dream Matcha" with Almond Milk is a nice and delicate not overly sweet though could use more matcha (a personal thing) is topped with Strawberry Cold Foam loved it. I paired it with "Turkey Pesto Melt" which includes provolone, mozzarella, tomato and onion is a nice hot sandwich but think they forgot the pesto as it was quite dry and at $16.95 felt severely overpriced even if it came with some chips, the bread was hard and not toasted at all so food isn't something that I'd suggest here. The staff is nice and welcoming but the building echos quite a bit as even the slightest conversation is heard very clearly especially since the music came on only at 8am which gave it a bit more a brighter vibe. Thank you! read more

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Ambiance: aesthetically pleasing, perfect place to study, relax for a bit. Lots of places to sit Parking: need to park at a meter, or you risk getting a ticket! A lot of cars had tickets!! $0.25 per 10 minutes, meter has a QR code but it didn't work for me Drinks were pretty good, very different from other coffee shops. Creative drinks, I haven't heard of it in other shops. read more

Island Brew Coffeehouse - Mellow matcha, Haupia latte & strawberry lemonade - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

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Going here for the first time today was such an amazing experience. I've been to the Hawaii Kai location before and knew that the food/drinks would be decent. I'm not sure if I remembered right but I swear the food/drinks at this location are a few bucks cheaper (don't quote me on that haha!). This is such a good place to people to study or telework from, since there's lots of tables and multiple outlets along the walls. There's also free guest wi-fi! ...I felt a little too shy to ask for the password so if you're also shy and happen to be affiliated with UH like me, you can connect to the UH wi-fi from the cafe itself. It had a much stronger connection than I thought it would! Bathrooms are located on the side opposite to the cafe, and to the left if you're looking at the hall from the entrance of the cafe. The women's bathroom was really clean and actually smelled very pleasant! Basilito - $13.45 as of 7/2025: The nann was warm and soft. The whole thing overall was easy to bite into and had a good amount of flavor with the tomatoes, onions, egg, mozzarella, and basil aioli. Decently filling for the price. 12oz Dark Chocolate Mocha (iced) - $6.75 as of 7/2025: You can keep it with whole milk or ask for oat milk for an extra 50 cents. I chose whole milk. The coffee taste is there but it's not too strong, and the drink itself is on the sweeter end which is what I prefer. Definitely will give you the energy you need for a study session! This place almost makes me wish I was a student again haha read more

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I usually have a great experience at this Island Brew. Great service and food. Don't know if the employee was just having a bad day (appeared to be working alone), but she was a bit short and rude to start. I left with my order and was about to eat when I saw that the portion size of the chips was about half of what I usually get. Then, I realized that she had purposely used burnt bread on my sandwich and flipped over them over to hide the burnt marks. Yikes. read more

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Never again, I've visited Island brew multiple times in the past, frequently attending the location at Ala Moana and Hawaii Kai and I can confidently say this location ranks last. From the moment I stepped in, the the atmosphere seemed off, from boxes being piled up in the corner, to dirty floors and inconsistent menu items, the experience was not pleasant at all. When I tried to order I was let known that multiple menu items were out of stock and or unavailable, specifically drip coffee which should be a priority especially in a coffee shop. The only upside to this place was the welcoming staff and good music, it's clear to say that the owner of this location doesn't put in as much time and effort as they do to the other locations. Im writing this review days later because since then i've been able to attend Hawaii Kai and i can confidently say I will not be returning the the Manoa location again. Would not recommend to anyone looking for a new coffee spot to try out. read more

I didn't realize that they had opened in the remodeled university building. I ordered the lox bagel and for the price; it was good. I'd order it again. Staff was super friendly and my order came out in a reasonable amount of time. Inside is a coffee house vibe for students so it was appropriate. High counter areas, tables and the lobby has couches (but I imagine it a high traffic area). The place is new so everything was clean. Bottom line: I'll go back. read more

The customer service was great and the food was good. But... there were no trash cans at all, so I was forced to bring my trash back home with me. That was genuinely really inconvenient and below the standard that I'm used to for these types of establishments. I also can't tell if the place is unfinished or not? There were just large shipping boxes on top of pallets inside the place, which is a bit unsightly. read more

If I could give this location 0 stars I would. I frequent the south shore marketplace location and the service is NEVER this bad. The cashier (whoever was working at 10:30 am on 9/29/25) was taking the order of a Japanese woman in front of me. There was a language barrier and because of it the cashier was outwardly rude to the lady. The lady was clearly struggling and instead of rolling her eyes and looking annoyed, she could have taken the initiative to help her. Just because the lady couldn't understand that you are treating her negatively doesn't mean you should. A smile and empathy goes a long way. Clearly she hasn't grasped that concept yet. Super distasteful to watch, considering we live in Hawaii. Seriously have some sympathy and understand where you are living. If you can't be nice to international customers then you shouldn't live in Hawaii. The fact that UH is so culturally diverse is what makes it so special. When I tried to speak up for the woman she walked to the back. She can treat others inhumanley but can't handle being called out for it? Really sad to see people not welcoming towards others, and it shows the immense privilege this girl has. I'm a college student myself and most likely around the same age as the girls working. NEVER would I treat those who are different than me this way. The woman is also doing schoolwork, therefore shes a fellow student or staff member at UH. If you're going to hire young girls make sure they don't behave rudely to those who are different. Not a good look, hopefully management handles it appropriately, or looks for more culturally sensitive staff. I'm here to meet with a study group, but highly doubt I'd ever return considering what I witnessed today. Better coffee shops with less culturally insensitive workers down da road!!!! read more

Super sad to make this review I've never had a bad experience with this location until today. Ordered an iced matcha late got it and it was super watered with no ice in it. Brought it back in to get remade and the barista admitted "I only put two ice cubes because I used a lot of milk and there was no room in the cup" this barista knowingly made the drink improperly. Th milk to matcha ratio was way off. By doing this it clearly makes the drink profile taste completely different instead of remaking the drink and making it right. She told me she wouldn't because she did nothing wrong. I then explained that this didn't make sense since one it was warm because there was no ice and two she put so much milk there was no matcha flavor left. No aloha, at all she came off as if it was our fault the drink was made improperly really disappointed the barista didn't make it right. I then asked if she could pour it over ice and just remake the cream cap if that's the case she said I'm going to have to charge you for the cream cap then. Still don't understand what your folks standards are for your employees treating customers like this. I've had a few times where the drinks aren't consistent and after the first sip I just simple hand back the drink and the barista has always been nice about it. First time having this barista with pink hair and I'm super sad to say it wasn't a good experience at all. read more