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    Kona Wave Cafe

    4.5 (431 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Kona Wave Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    KONA WAVE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Kona Wave Cafe

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    Jacki R.

    Talk about delicious! If I could give the Kona Wave Café 10 stars, I would! The açai bowl was delicious and we chose the large and split it between my husband and I. It was plenty for us. We sat outside and just listened to the birds and watch the traffic and people walking by and it was the perfect way to start the day. We will be back and we highly recommend coming here.

    Annie W.

    Quick easy coffee and acai bowls in Kona! I come here for coffee or acai bowls when I don't feel like venturing too far from my hotel. I've gotten the Kona Wave Latte and Lava Mocha a few times. I like my coffee hot, but they have some good looking frappe drinks. I've also gotten the Kona Wave acai bowl several times and it's pretty good! I do wish they had bee pollen here, as that's an addition I like at other places I go to. Service is always pretty quick. It's a small place where you order and there are a few places to sit outside. I always get my coffee and go sit at the beach or walk around town.

    Store front
    Lesley M.

    I was dying to get an açaí bowl on my recent trip to Hawaii. Lucky for me, we happened upon Kona Wave Cafe - a cute little shop that offered both açaí bowls and shaved ice! The wait wasn't long and the service was very friendly. The selection was more limited than other shaved ice stores we had seen in downtown Kona, but what we did order was delicious! I got my açaí bowl. I ordered the Kona Wave Bowl with açaí blend, strawberries, bananas, and blueberries topped with honey and granola. It was super fresh and super tasty! Exactly what I wanted. Several of my friends ordered shaved ice cream- the lychee dream and coconut island. Both were yummy, but my favorite was the lychee dream which came with mochi and popping boba! There isn't a lot of seating, but we made it work. Just know, if you have a big party, you'd be better off grabbing and going (which we saw a lot of people do). Kona Wave Cafe was great! I would definitely go back. Note: Bathrooms are available near by, but you must ask an employee for the key!

    Shave ice
    Lizzie S.

    Large acai bowls and shaved ice! Cute seating facing a parking lot but also with ocean views. I built my own shave ice (kids' size, half and half fresh fruit which was pineapple and strawberry, and picked 3 flavors though they were out of Ube.) I liked the mochi and popping boba. It was delicious and tasted fresh and not overly sweet! My friend enjoyed her acai bowl which she took some to-go because it was so large. Service was friendly and warm.

    Terri C.

    I had a really good açaí bowl from here when I was in Kona last month. It's a kiosk across the street from the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel where I was staying, so it was quite convenient. The staff was friendly and I had the Monkey Bowl that I ordered in no time. The regular size Monkey Bowl (16 oz., $13.25) was açaí topped with granola, bananas, almonds, honey, and peanut butter. I thought it tasted great, although it was a bit pricey for the size, but I'll chalk it up to inflation or tourist pricing. If you want a large, 24 oz., that went for $15.25. Happy eating!

    Estele K.

    Food 5/5; Best Açaí bowl you will find in Kona Big Island!!! Search no further, these were super fresh and granola was really crunchy. I wish I ate this everyday tbh. Not too sweet, tastes organic and super fresh. Well balanced. Service 5/5: very fast and friendly staff. Ambiance 5/5: lil cute outdoor seating area. I highly recommend!

    Ritu V.

    Kona Wave Cafe - Kailua-Kona Kona Wave Cafe is in a great spot right across from the beach in Kailua-Kona. It's a small, casual setup with only a few outdoor tables, so it works more as a grab-and-go place, perfect if you want to take your food and enjoy it by the ocean. I ordered a custom Acai bowl with banana, strawberry, peanut butter, granola, and chia seeds. The Acai itself was bomb -- fresh, cold, and full of flavor. The strawberries were sweet, the peanut butter was creamy and rich, and the granola gave it a nice crunch. Overall, the bowl looked beautiful and tasted refreshing. A couple of things could make it even better: the banana portion was tiny (barely five tiny slices), and the chia seeds were just raw on top instead of soaked, which made them a bit odd to eat. A soaked chia layer would have added so much more texture and balance. Service was the one downside. When I went to pay, I hit "no tip" on the card reader because I planned to leave cash in the tip jar, but the lady at the counter made disapproving sounds. It felt awkward and unnecessary, and it left me with a less-than-welcoming impression. Overall, Kona Wave Cafe has great potential. The Acai base was fantastic, and the location is unbeatable. With a little more generosity on toppings and a friendlier customer service experience, this could easily be a five-star spot in Kailua-Kona.

    Rachel C.

    I was craving acai bowls and found this cafe on Yelp. I got the acai bowls with papaya and strawberries with coconut flakes on top. It was so delicious and hit the spot. It was a bit pricy since the bowls were $14 for a regular size but it was a lot and very filling. The only thing is that parking in the lot is pretty expensive. You'd have to find park on the street a few blocks away to avoid paying $$ for parking

    Island bowl
    Misa K.

    Great acai bowl! I got the Island Bowl which had their signature acai topped with granola, strawberries, papaya, coconut flakes, and honey. It was refreshing & delicious. The staff were friendly and service was quick.

    Lychee Dream shaved Ice
    Lena T.

    Went here for the first with my partner and we got the lychee dream without the fresh pineapple since I'm allergic to pineapples. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND. Service was fast and very friendly! The vibe of just enjoying either shaved ice or an Acai bowl by the waters is a great start to day or evening :)

    Açaí bowls
    Steve S.

    The only purpose of this review is to tell you to go with the açaí bowl, and not the shave ice. I went twice and tried each, and while the shave ice was good, it wasn't spectacular or worth the price. The açaí bowl on the other hand was worth every penny. Nice toppings and generous portions!

    Britney W.

    Staff was kind, and the shaved ice was good. I appreciate that the dining area right outside was clean, no sticky tabletops at all.

    Koma Island Vibes
    DeLisa T.

    Kona Wave cafe is the place to go for Acai Bowl afficados. Every spoonful confirmed why visiting the "Big Island" -Kona,Hawaii is everything. The food, the hospitality, the chill island vibes, and the most welcoming environment you could ever imagine. Kona Wave Cafe, you did that! A+. 10 out of 10.

    Shaved ice

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    The shaved ice was soooo refreshing. I loved the mochi pieces! Acai bowl was underwhelming.

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    Best shave ice on big island. This award winning shave ice place uses amazing island flavored ice…read morecream and fresh fruit juice to flavor shave ice. You can get the artificial flavors like cotton candy but try the real fruit syrups here. Yum! There is usually a long line but the ling goes fairly fast. It's worth the wait. The staff is friendly. The restaurant has tables outside to enjoy your treats. We loved this shave ice place with real fruit juices.

    So the real fruit flavors here are AMAZING. Very flavorful without being overly sweet. On flavor…read morealone 5/5 stars. On service, maybe a 3/5. They're very short and clipped, which I get because there were quite a few people in line, but when we went back up to ask a question, they were not willing to help until we (overtly and somewhat rudely) had to flag them down. Now, it seems like whoever is pouring the syrup is REALLY inconsistent. My shave ice was perfect. Well doused through and through without pooling in the bottom. However my mom's coconut was literally made with maybe a tablespoon of syrup. 80% of the entire ice had no flavor at all, and when we asked about it, they were quite rude saying "you can see some right here". So for that, you're kinda rolling the dice, I suppose. If it's close by, might be worth a shot, but I'd caution driving here form further away since it seems like you don't really know what you'll get. They also charge $0.52 for an extra empty cup, which seems a little chinsy to me.

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    We love this place…read more We were so happy to discover they have Ululani's here in Kona. We have gone to the one in Maui (Ululani's in Sugar Beach) for years. Our go-to is the mac-nut ice cream, with passion fruit and mango syrup topped with a snow cap (condensed milk). The ice is powdery, and the syrup is absolutely perfect! We also like the Ube ice cream, so we sometimes get a scoop of it. Parking can be a little difficult, but if you want (in my opinion) the best shaved ice, walking a bit is fine. The workers are friendly and they will explain to you what and how you can put together the perfect shaved ice. The best way to get here is through the ABC Store. Go in through the front door and exit the back door. You will enter a hallway that leads to the hotel's pool. It will be on the left side. 100% recommend!!!

    This hurts me to write because we've been big fans of Ululani for many years. Maui or O'ahu, if…read morewe're there we make certain to go. So you can imagine the excitement and then disappointment when first we learned there is a new Ululani in Kailua-Kona only to try it and be hugely disappointed. The Kailua-Kona location needs help. They need someone who understands quality control and standards to spend time there. The Ube flavor was sour. The Azuki beans were old and clumped up. The Ice wasn't perforated for juice absorption. And the Melona flavor had a strange smell to it. Just overall a very un-Ululani experience. If you read my other Ululani reviews you'll know why what I've said here was hard to write.

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    A tale of two experiences…read more.. The service? Let's just say the malasadas were warmer than the welcome. We asked for the custard-filled malasadas and the aunties in front ranted "why everyone calls it custard, it's not custard, it's vanilla" in a very annoyed voice. We also felt a little rushed while ordering, which caught us off guard. I was expecting a little more aloha and a little less hurry. Now the malasadas? Oh my goodness... absolutely worth the trip. Call it vanilla, call it custard--I honestly don't care because it was delicious. Soft, fluffy, filled with creamy goodness. I'd happily come back for the malasadas. Hopefully next time the aloha is as warm as the pastries. Mahalo!

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    Kona Wave Cafe - coffee - Updated September 2026

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