Staff was so kind and explaining the history of their establishment and the process of making the chocolate. Chocolate samples are absolutely to die for would come back time and time again. read more

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Thanks for the sweet bites at yelps Passport to SALT. It was such a great experience and the chocolate was delicious. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Tasty sweets! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Fantastic chocolate alert! If you're looking for the real deal then this place is it! Their chocolates are truly gourmet and excellent quality ingredients. My favorites are the dark ones, especially the one with Coconut Crunch; Lucky 7; and Kanahiku which extremely full bodied and flavorful. The service at the store was great, the attendant was very knowledgeable and walked us through the chocolate making process, their farm, and we got to try amazing chocolates before purchasing our favorites. If you're in the area and can appreciate real chocolate then I highly recommend you pay them a visit. You won't regret it! read more

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I just went into the store without thinking too much but I was just lucky!! I found my favorite chocolate shop!!! The flavors are crazy! Don't estimate these chocolates by the size of the store. Very rich, real chocolate! I going to order more online when I go back home!! The lady at the store was very kind and helped my whole family to taste all the great chocolates! Highly recommended!! read more

Love the chocolate tasting experience. Friendly environment and no underlying pressure to make a purchase. Made me want to do a farm tour in the future. read more

I learned so much on the tour. The factory is in an old art deco theater. They kept some of the theater history...extremely cool! I loved learning that Hawaiian cacao pods must work harder to survive, since they are on the edge of where they grow. This makes the fat content in the cacao pods higher, which is why I am able to enjoy a higher percentage dark chocolate bar and have it taste amazing...not bitter or chalky at all. With one small square of the Lucky 7 bar, my nerve endings felt like they were smoothed out. I will definitely be reordering! read more

My mama and I stumbled upon Lonohana chocolate because I received a gift card. The shop is small, but hosts a variety of local sweet products, including their famous, locally made and grown chocolate bars. We were greeted and treated to all the chocolate samples our heart desired, and a great explanation of each of the varietals, origin of cacao and other interesting flavor notes and historical factoids. Like most artisan chocolates, a bar costs anywhere from $9-$16. As our luck would have it, I lost my gift card. But we bought two bars anyway because the service was fantastic and quite frankly, the chocolate Delicious. We will be back when I find the gift card! read more

I really enjoy their various chocolates! Their SALT location and it has both edible and drinkable chocolate - the Orange & Vanilla was my favorite bar. I also loved the island pattern on the chocolate, would recommend for any choco lovers to stop by - Miguel Morales Photography read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Chocolate Bar (@miguelmoralesphotography on Instagram) - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

While grabbing coffee around the corner at SALT, we happened to walk in. The person at the counter was incredibly welcoming and even shared some great tips about the island since we were visiting. We ended up signing up for the tour -- an amazing experience led by the founder himself. The chocolate? Absolutely incredible. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Chocolate tour - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Cute should at SALT shopping center. They have a tasting where you can try up to 4 different samples before you buy. Definitely take advantage of trying them first as they have a lot of options and the chocolate is not cheap! I paid $16 a bar! The person helping us with very nice. read more

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Visited the local Lonohana Estate Chocolate factory for a tour of the facility. We got to see and taste a step by step process on how the chocolates are made. Cynthia was our tour guide and did an amazing job at answering all our questions. This business is 100% local from the farmlands where cacao is grown to the facility that they produce the chocolate bars.. At the end of the tour we got coffee from the little coffee shop in the front that is ran by Romero. His coffees are 5 star!! The espresso beans that he uses are top quality that you can actually taste. If you're ever in the area, stop in for some coffee or to grab a bar of chocolate! read more

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Holy cow. You gotta check this place out. One of the best chocolates I've tasted. Also if you're looking to buy souvenirs, why not support a local small business where from bean to chocolate are all from O'ahu!? That's a no brainer for me. I already bought a few to bring to friends and family. They offered free sampling as well. No need to book. Just walk in. The lady was very nice and knew what she's talking about. If you're a true chocolate connoisseur who likes pure chocolate (without all the fancy flavors and gimmicks so you can really taste the chocolate), you'll love their kanahiku 70% (all from oahu) and big island 60 and 70%. They also have some creative flavors more for the milk chocolates if that's what you like too. Also they have a few drinks on their menu! True gem! read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

If you're looking to buy a special gift for someone (or maybe a treat for yourself), support this local business and enjoy some delicious free chocolate too! The owner built this business from scratch some 10 years ago; they grow all their own cocoa beans on a farm up on the North Shore, process it, package it, and sell it to customers directly. What a labor of love- and you can taste it in their product! They offer sampler selections (4 different kinds of chocolate pieces in a sampler) for you to check out before purchasing a full bar. In addition to their standard flavors, they offer seasonal flavors like milk/ginger, salted coconut, and more. It's a really fun store to check out with chocolate-loving friends and the perfect place to pick up gifts. It is expensive for one bar (I paid $17 for a milk/ginger bar) BUT it is some of the best chocolate I've ever had (outside of Switzerland!) and you are supporting a local business! read more

Outstanding custom made candy and drinks, all local. Chocolate drinks, truffles, spices, all using cacao. Very expensive but absolutely delicious. It's a tiny store with only three little seats but it's very fun to come in and look at everything and then of course buy chocolate. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Chocolate - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Just a note, working with two ingredient chocolate isn't easy. For those of y'all complaining about how hard it is to mix the drinks.... just imagine how hard it is to make the drink. If you do get a drink (you should) be sure to shake the glass vigorously and ensure everything at the bottom is fully incorporated before enjoying. The lady who helped me was super nice and helpful. The one from New York, sorry not sure if I ever caught her name. She walked me through a flight and let me taste a few others. The KANAHIKU was definitely my favorite. it was super flavorful... hard for me to place the tasting notes but I wouldn't wanna spoil it anyways. Wish I could buy more but I'm not rolling in money... plus I have so much chocolate at home already. Cardamom milk was a pretty nice bar as well. I ended up getting the chocolate thai tea and man that was delish. There's a parking lot that's $1 per hour for the first 3 hours i think. definitely come visit when you can. also they do tours though they're a bit on the pricier side. should definitely do one of those. read more

A small little shop inside Salt Kakaako offer local chocolate, the girl who works there is very friendly and explained to us about their chocolate. They offer free samples and you can try a lot of them. The chocolate is not cheap (like $18 a pack) but they are good quality and if we can support local business, why not? If you are chocolate lover, you should come and check this out. read more

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First class chocolate. Delicious, local and could be pricey but worth it. Was great to be offered a sample and everything I tried was decadent. I ended up with just a bar with the Kona coffee and I treat myself with a bite each day. Awesome location at one of my favorite places when we visit Kakaako within SALT. read more

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i wanted to like what I wanted more than I did. I didn't get the chocolate bars because once you have chocolate with nuts, rice crisps, etc. you've experienced that. But they had the drinks and they seemed good. But upon opening them, one was way too sweet and the other one had cream or something at the top. It was hard to mix into cold chocolate. So I mixed the chocolates with my hotel room coffee and that was fine. I just wish that there was less sweetness and more flavors in their drinking chocolates. I'm not saying that they were horrible, it's just that I like the flavor of chocolate and that includes the bitter notes for me. And the sweetness overpowered it. Now, the person working there was nice-ish. She didn't offer me a sample and was pretty chatty with someone at the tasting window. I wish they would have sampled the drinks. There's a place out here that does that, and I've bought many chocolate drink mixes from them as a result. But, I'm glad that I went by and tried what they had. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Chocolate heaven for me. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I'm so happy I found this place! It's located at SALT Kaka'ako. They were giving free samples of their chocolate bar. We tried the the hibiscus one and I forgot the name of the other one but they were so delicious. I LOVE chocolates, maybe LOVE is even an understatement. The chocolates we tried weren't extremely sweet unlike the ones you'd find at a regular store. And they are also local made. They are a bit pricy, though. It was a hot day so we decided to try their drinks. We got the Chocolate Thai Iced Tea, not overly sweet and the hints of jasmine tea subtly hits you at the end. I didn't think I'd like it because I'm not in to flowery drinks but this one isn't overpowering. Definitely a must try! When I go back, I'll give the deep chocolate chai! I initially wanted that but the black tea will keep me awake, caffeine after 10am keeps me up! lol read more

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Had the opportunity to take the Lonohana chocolate factory tour which is Queen Street (advance reservations necessary). It was quite interesting. A little history lesson and the opportunity to taste chocolate at every stage of the process and finally with a chocolate tasting. You can tell they are passionate about what they do. Everything is locally sourced. You have the opportunity to purchase the chocolates that you tasted at the gift shop at the factory... but there is a larger store. read more

Good chocolate in SALT! All their bars are pretty pricey and I don't usually buy them on a whim, but the drinks are a delicious sweet treat. They come in very nice reusable glass bottles and my personal favorite is the chocolate chai one. The surrounding area has lots of tables to sit and enjoy your drink at, and SALT has a large parking garage where lonohana can validate tickets for. read more

Locally grown. Locally made. Locally enjoyed. If you buy a bar, you definitely won't be able to wait to bite into this delicious chocolate. One of the few places where they still give samples. Try a few and decide for yourself how many bars you'll want. The chocolate coconut is really fantastic. Starts off rich and chocolatey. Then once it melts on your tongue you get the lovely warmth of coconut, but not overwhelmingly so. Kanahiku, which means 70 in Hawaiian, is a beautiful balanced dark chocolate. Note, they are not inexpensive. Two bars were $24, but supportin local businesses and getting to treat yourself = winning. If you're at Salt in Kako ako, don't pass by without at least getting a taste. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - More please. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I've been coming here for years for their tasty chocolate chai teas whenever I am at SALT. I appreciated the friendly staff here and so I pretty much ignored that the bottles got smaller while the price per bottle grew bigger. My latest visit will probably be my last though. Unfortunately, this year, the friendly staff here has been replaced with some miserable hack who makes sure she acts as annoyed as possible when customers enter the store. It doesn't matter how friendly you come at her, it's annoyance and attitude back. Well, keep your overpriced goodies then. read more

Lonohana was named after Lono, the Hawaiian god of peace, agriculture, fertility, and music. Ohana of course, means family. Lonohana is a mixture of these two words, the name of the shop which is the result of two families' dream to create a company that planted and grew their own cacao trees and then pruned, picked, fermented and dried their beans on their farm and then roasted, ground, and made their own chocolate in their solar powered factory in Honolulu. No, I didn't do extensive research - I just read the inside of the chocolate wrapper! I was recently gifted with a dark chocolate bar from Lonohana and wow this is good stuff! I love dark chocolate and theirs is the best. It's great to have superior chocolate that is grown, picked, made and sold right here on Oahu. Be sure to support local and enjoy some of this delicious chocolate. read more

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I'm in Love with the koko I was gonna get coffee next door but my friend insisted we try their chocolate milk... okay what am I seven years old? We approached the storefront where two friendly employees made us feel most welcome. My friend asked about the 3 different Chocolate milks that were there to choose from. One was sold out. One was Coconut based, and one was chai based. Of course he got the coconut one because I he isn't much of a caffeine consumer like I am. He asked me if I wanted one and I was like nawww. Only to be polite though. I had to get one one for myself because my inner child said DO IT! But I was like its kinda pricey... Then Shia LaBeouf entered my mind and was like "You're at Salt, everythings pricey, don't be a beach, JUST DO IT!" The Koko Colada was delicious. It was milky, creamy, coconutty, and dark chocolatey. Not too sweet like some basic nesquick action. This was some artisan Chocolate milk action right here. I love dark chocolate and I am pretty sure that is what I tasted. Anywho, yeah five stars because this would have definitely made you look cool in elementary school at lunch. #IYKYK I wish they have a stamp card one day or something for the Chocolate milk, I'd definitely come back for more. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Mmm koko colada - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This was on my list of foodie stops. So glad I was able to visit this small store. The lady that helped me was very friendly & gave me several different samples to taste. I had to exercise some restraint or I would've bought everything because it all tasted so good. I left there with 4 chocolates: orange & vanilla, coffee, matcha & lime in coconut. My favorite is the lime in coconut. The chocolate texture is smooth, creamy & there is a subtle lime & coconut after taste. Very delicious. I will definitely visit again the next time Im in Honolulu. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So glad that I finally decided to stop in! One, because it was a wonderful AC relief from the hot mugginess of the Sunday afternoon. Two, because I got to sample a nice variety of chocolate! There were about 8 different chocolates to sample as well as 3 different types of chocolate salt! My favorite chocolate sample was the cardamom flavor and the salts all tasted yummy to me. Lonohana had three different types of cold chocolate drinks and 6 different types of truffles to choose from. I opted to try the chocolate thai iced tea and thoroughly enjoyed the mix of Jasmine tea and Lonohana milk chocolate. I also decided to get a box of truffles and was happy to find out that I didn't have to purchase a pre-packed box. I was able to customize my selection and choose any 6 flavors I wanted for $20. Another little piece of info, they offer different memberships you can buy if you have a chocolate lover that you think deserves an extra special gift, or just want to treat yourself. I loved the whole experience and will be back again. read more

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A great place for chocolate lovers seeking authentic, Hawaii-made bars. We did the tour and it was very thorough and worthwhile, especially if you are interested in how chocolate is made, and how this particular shop makes their own chocolate in-house. Note: this chocolate is very high-end so it's truly for chocolate aficionados. (The tour is best appreciated by adults and maybe older children). read more

Picked up some lovely gifts here. Gorgeous chocolate- also love the mold that produces a map of the islands on the bar. Such an elegant touch. not cheap- but well worth the price. They are also generous with samples. My friends loved their gifts. It's walking distance from the port- medium walk. read more

Support local business! This little chocolate shop offers fun sampling flights which make you fall in love with the chocolate and buy a bar. Support a local business that has sustainable practices and uses all local ingredients. They have classic flavors as well as rotating seasonal ones. You can't go wrong here and the owner is so friendly. This is a special treat for a loved one or visitor! read more

Pretty disappointed and I haven't even tried their chocolate yet. I rushed from Kaneohe to this place to make it there before their advertised closing time on their website which is 6:30pm on Fridays, only to get there at 6:14pm and their doors were locked and closed sign in the window. read more

Lonohana Tasting Bar - P - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We stopped in to Lonohana Estate Chocolate's new retail shop located at SALT at Our Kaka'ako during SALT's Bar Crawl. As luck would have it, they were having a Grand Opening special and participated in the festivities of the Bar Crawl by having chocolate tastings and a Bingo-like prize drawing. I will admit, as a chocoholic, I was drawn in to this smallish space to taste and learn about Lonohana Estate. Lonohana Estate Chocolate is locally grown on the island of O'ahu where they grow cacao, harvest, ferment and dry the beans before turning them into luxurious chocolate bars and other chocolate products. This company is a joint-venture between childhood friends that was started in 2008 and has continually grown to include its own chocolate factory and now its first retail store. During Lonohana Estate Chocolate's Grand Opening, we were able to experience a few of its proprietary chocolate drinks, in-house made cookies and a wide selection of handcrafted milk and dark chocolate bars. The drink menu includes Chocolate Thai Iced Tea, The Koko-Colada and a very special hot chocolate. There were about 8 dark and milk chocolate bars with varying flavor ingredients. One thing for sure, when you sample their chocolate, the aroma, snap or break and melt of each chocolate will convince your taste buds of its fine quality. We purchased some cookies and a bar of Providencia Dark Milk Chocolate which we'll be eating soon. On the way out, I played their prize drawing and won a container of their Cacao Salt (I chose their Ginger Cacao Salt). I look forward to using that Cacao Salt in a baking project. Oh, in addition to purchasing these fine chocolate bars at this retail store, you can purchase them online or join the Lonohana Chocolate Club. The Chocolate Club also includes Limited Edition bars (incorporates Hawaii-grown inclusions such as cocoa nibs, fruits, salts, spices and nuts) to the pure chocolate bars. Come on in and support this LOCAL chocolate business with Worldwide acclaim. read more

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So delicious! I love that you can sample everything and they are generous with samples. Love that there are several delicious vegan options. The Koko Colada was refreshing and rich. Our favorites were the Kanahiku and Onomea lime in the coconut. Highly recommend this place and will be coming back soon. read more

This small little shop caught my attention when it had a sign out front that stated "free chocolate tasting." If you know me, you know I cannot pass an opportunity like that up. I wandered in the store and the shop owner very generously stated that I should go ahead and try all the flavors, which I proceeded to do! I loved the cardamom chocolate and the orange chocolate flavors. The chocolates tasted high quality and the packaging was simple and clean. While the chocolate was on the pricier side, I can imagine that it could make an excellent gift for the chocolate-lover in your life. I ended up purchasing the cocoa nibs because I love adding them on top of my smoothies and I bought a small tin for $4, although there was also a larger bag for $16. Definitely worth a visit if you're in this area. read more

This is located in the Salt! I would park in the garage and get a validation. Or it's free for the first hour. I stopped by here after lunch. You are able to try the different chocolates and see which one you like the most! Their chocolates are very delicious. I would smash a whole bag if I could. Although this place is quite pricey for some chocolates. They are made from Hawaii. Also these would make great gifts for the holidays for family and friends! There are also vegan options here! read more

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Jasper was very kind and helpful, he was very easy to talk to. He recommended several flavors of chocolates that I will consider getting when i stop by again read more

This one caught our eye while we were getting coffee in this little pleasant plaza. I'd say they were pretty good. We enjoyed it- maybe not on anyone's "best of" list but it got the job done. read more

The chocolates taste fine and good, though honestly they did not blow me away. But I felt I needed to spend at least $50 after the nice employee indulged me and gave me samples of everything I wanted to try, and was very kind and patient and answered all of my many questions. I like that I am buying chocolate grown and made in Hawaii and supporting a local business. read more

This is the best chocolate on the island, hands down, but the reason for 3 stars instead of 5 is because I used to come here often to get the various chocolate drinks. They were pure heaven in a bottle, but they started making them vegan and now they just taste like pure sugar. The chocolate is already sweet, not sure if they then also add sugar, but vegan milk tends to be already sweetened. Somehow, they really messed up the drink and I'll still come for a chocolate bar occasionally, but I won't come every week like I used to to drink the most delicious drink on the earth because it's now a diabetic nightmare. read more

The chocolate Thai Iced Tea is to die for!!! Wow! Rich and refreshing at the same time, SO fragrant and high quality! Lots of amazing flavors on chocolate bar selection, chocolate cardamom, green tea etc. Will bring them home as gifts when we go back to the mainland. read more