Being that this place is fairly new, my friend and I wanted to try it out! Try something new and different. It was kind of difficult for us to find but when you think about it, it's literally across aloha tower, maybe a little before it If you're going town bound. But you can see the main road and the ocean from the inside of the place. It's very casual in there and your food is given to you in a take out container. Very delicious and healthy!!! Prices ranged between 9-12 dollars, so it's pretty typical. Very good food though. A bit messy inside but eh, it works out ok. read more

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Delish! Tucked away on the Marin side street with views of Honolulu Harbor. Ordered penne pasta with chicken. Just right, not overly rich and not too garlicky. Green salad simply dressed with oriental dressing. Hubby ordered curry sandwich which was also devoured. Don't forget the desserts! We had the angel food cake with strawberries and a very healthly dollop of whip cream (not cool whip). Service was fast and friendly. Will definitely be back! read more

Not Just Desserts - Penne Pasta with Chicken - Desserts Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Mahalo, Chef Kate! For sharing your excellent desserts at HMSA's Country Market! Got to try your lemon bar (more like a lemon pie, key lime pie-style) & brownie! OMG! Hard to believe it's just a little more than 100 calories in that large piece! & no lacking of deliciousness! Can't wait to try your key lime bars & lilikoi bars!!!! Aloha, Carole read more

This is another hidden gem down in Chinatown. One would never suspect an eatery in the rear of Hawaii National Bank on Marin Lane, with a harbor view to boot. Had lunch w/ my friend the other Friday and had a great meal. I ordered the catfish w/ rice and salad and my friend ordered the pasta w/ spinach and ?? sauce. Kate, the owner, was very gracious with us and explained her journey the past few years and how she was very fortunate to find this location. Aside, from the regular lunch menu, she also has "killa" desserts of which I ordered a chocolate mousse cake that day. While I was there, people from the surrounding businesses came in to inquire of the catering menu. Judging by our conversation with Kate, she's very passionate and dedicated to her work. May the Lord bless her, her assistant from this day forward. Much Mahalos Kate! read more

One star for customer service although would give 3.5 stars for the food itself which was good. Good food by itself is not enough to overcome the poor attitude of the owner who was very abrupt and short with me and the customer that came behind me. I had purchased two half off deals because of the Yelp reviews. Both expired at the end of July. With over a week before expiration, I go to use one certificate and try out the restaurant for the first time and am greeted by the owner, Chef Kate. The menu board outside said to show the certificate before ordering so I did and she waved me to a separate, much smaller menu of just 4 items to order from, said this was the last day to use deal certificates, and walked off. Now, I would not have minded as much if the fine print on the certificate said that only limited menu items were eligible for use with the certificate. This deal had no such disclaimer, yet, on arrival, I was told I could only choose from 4 entree items and the desserts. The gentleman that took my order was actually very nice and the only reason this received 1 star. While I was waiting, another deal customer walked up and on showing her certificate, Chef Kate again just walked off, mumbling that she was the last deal certificate they were taking. A couple minutes later, Chef Kate walked out and ripped the deal menu off the door, again mumbling that the last customer was lucky since she was the last one they were accepting. A couple minutes after that, Chef Kate walked out with a new handwritten sign that all deal customers had to contact whoever they got their certificate through since she was not going to honor any more. When I was getting my food, Chef Kate said she hoped I didn't come just because of the certificate and when I mentioned that I worked far away, she mumbled that I probably wouldn't be back and walked off. I originally purchased the certificate because they have dinner hours on their website but a sign at the store says they are closed for dinner. Would not return given the abrupt treatment by the owner and being treated like second class citizens when I showed my certificate. I understand if they are losing money on these deals and this was their first time trying it out, but this was the second time they did a deal and she got paid already, yet she was now saying she was not going to honor the certificates anymore. Very shady to me. Too bad because the food was actually good. Would not recommend or return given the poor attitude of the owner. read more

You can get her pastries at the Thomas Jefferson Elementary school Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings! You have to try her brownies! It melts in your mouth. You can't just have one. I can't stop thinking about them! read more

Too bad I can't rate this place with 0 stars. I, too had a similar experience to H.L. I was turned off at the attitude that I received when I tried to read the menu board from my car. Really?? Really?? Just because I stopped for less than a minute to read the menu, I get a face with hands in the air as if saying, "what?". I was excited to sample some of the desserts after reading the reviews but she's already left a bad taste in my mouth. Not just desserts, for sure... you get the attitude compliments of the chef! read more

Must of came here on a off day. I see all these good reviews and was hoping for the best. I got the worst tuna salad sandwich. It was salty and the taco salad was so bad I didn't even finish it. The shell was so stale that it was like chewing gum and the chili used was bland and grainy. read more

I was driving on H-1 headed towards Vineyard offramp yesterday when I noticed a white van tailing me VERY CLOSELY. I couldnt really go any faster since it was in the morning and there were stlll alot of cars on the road. I like to leave about 2 car spaces in front of me (for safety reasons) since I have my kids in the car. The van continued to tail me as I got off the freeway to go to downtown. When another lane opened up next to me, the white van quickly cut into that lane and passed me giving me the hand gesture like "WTH"! It looked like the owner of this restaurant and the side of the van said NOT JUST DESERTS! Apparantly I was not driving fast enough for her but I have keiki in the car so I try to drive carefully. If I had to brake suddenly, she would have slammed her van into my car and put my children in danger as they are in the backseat. Im sure she could easily see the car seats in my car. Why would I or anyone want to patron this business when the owner has no respect for the community or OUR KEIKI! Message to the owner - please drive safely, the safety of our keiki should be #1 priority! read more

I've been here 4 times now within the span of about 10 day -- yes, I'm hooked, but it took the last 3 dishes to get me to that point. It was the first dish that had me wondering if I'd come back, but mostly out of the ordinariness of the dish than anything else. It was the spaghetti and meat sauce that didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong -- it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. It was just run of the mill average. Think canned tomatoes with chunks of ground beef, but lacking real depth. Something was missing, like it needed to be simmering on the stove a lot longer, maybe a little bit less chunky and probably could have used some additional flavoring (perhaps clove or cinnamon -- just a touch). But it wasn't bad at all, and didn't seem fair to write off the place based on one meal anyway (and by the way, the salad was good -- I think they nailed it with the vinaigrette). So I re-read some of the Yelp reviews and settled on the Spinach and Artichoke Pasta on my next visit. Whoa. Okay, now they got my attention. The noodle was a Garofalo pasta (you can buy this at Costco -- it's excellent for heavier sauces) with a creamy sauce flavored of parmesan cheese with small cut spinach and chunks of artichoke. They really pile it on with this dish! The pasta is cooked perfectly al dente, and the sauce just compliments it. My only gripe is that the chunks of artichoke were rather small and I had to hunt for them, but otherwise, an excellent and filling meal. Third time up to bad, I had the Pesto Pasta. Another good execution, though not as pesto-y as you might imagine and a bit on the creamy side as well. This one is also fairly generous in portions. In fact, it's close to the Spinach and Artichoke Pasta (using the same Garofalo pasta), but the flavor definitely leans more towards a pesto. I rate this one just a notch below the Spinach and Artichoke, which is to say that's still very good. I did order it with the chicken for an additional $2, but it didn't seem like a whole lot of chicken (which was breast meat cut up into small chunks), so I'll probably save the two bucks and just keep it plain next time. And now I have just finished the Pork Loin and am now writing this review. In a word -- excellent. The pork loin is cut into medallions and laid on top of rice (your choice of white or brown), and drizzled with a fantastic white sauce that tastes of vanilla. The pork loin wasn't overcooked and the sauce helped to keep things in the "moist" category. I especially enjoyed eating the rice that had soaked up some of that wonderful vanilla(?) sauce. Same story about the salad -- great vinaigrette, well dressed. I'm going back for the 5th time next week and I'm gunning to be the check-in king here fairly soon. Next up: Meatloaf. Or I'm hoping that Risotto is on the menu (it hasn't been on my visits). I highly recommend Not Just Desserts. Maybe don't order the Spaghetti and Meat Sauce (or maybe your standards are different than mine, in which case, have at it!), but definitely check out the Spinach and Artichoke Pasta, the Pesto Pasta and the Pork Loin. read more

had lunch with a homie here yesterday. we walked into Not Just Desserts and the place had trays of baked goods. it smelled delicious. got there and we were greeted by chef kate. she was really friendly and very informative on the menu. almost everything, except the salmon, is grown in hawaii and she's very passionate about that. so we order: i got the cheese lasagna and my homie ordered the roasted (?) chicken, which chef kate mentioned was a type of chicken raised out in waimanalo and is 2x the size of your normal chicken. woah. we take our seats. the interior is OK. being that they're brand new, i figure they'll gradually change/upgrade things inside. chef kate brought out our lunches in styrofoam containers with silverware. my cheese lasagna was OK. i really liked the salad, though. the dressing was refreshing. the waimanalo-raised chicken was no joke. my homie got a monstrous piece! i wish we took a picture of it. we also got some suuuper rich brownies, topped with oreos to go. overall, i think the place is all right. maaayyybe i'll have lunch there again, but not anytime soon. hey, at least this is another place in downtown that'll give me a sweet-fix. read more

Chef Kate and the Not Just Desserts team provided excellent catering for my wedding. They went above and beyond with service and selection. My guests were thrilled with the selection for those with allergies! I appreciate the time and effort Chef Kate spent with me leading up to the event - it was an amazing day! read more

I just tried the offerings at the farmers' market, and from that I'd be pretty interested in stopping by the store (especially with the vegan offerings for my dairy intolerant eating partner). I really liked that there were multiple bread puddings available. The bread pudding itself was just the right mix for me - not too dry and not sopping wet, but nice and custardy. I have to admit that I was a little confused about what bread pudding I actually got. I saw one with nice dark chunks in it and thought maybe it was some kind of fruit - but, nope, I do believe it was red velvet cake! Isn't that amazing? Why have I been wasting time diluting bread pudding with fruit?? (Because it's also delicious, I know.) Anyway, clearly warrants further investigation. read more

Great little hole in the wall! I enjoyed my lasagna and haupia bread pudding. I also LOVE the salad dressing! Chef Kate should bottle that and sell it. read more

OMG I had to register just to PRAISE Not Just Desserts! Kate is e most amazing chef & even after only trying 5 items so far I would trust them to create 100% off the chart fantastic on everything they do! I would never have know it was sugar or gluten free! Looking fwd to getting around to sampling the full menu ASAP. Not to be missed! I found her Wednesday at Mililani Tech park farmers market with DOZENS of mouth watering choices. Love love love & much mahalo & aloha! read more

A bad attitude can make or break a place, regardless of how good the food is. I see the place every morning, and was always interested in going in to try it because it seemed like a nice and quiet cafe to relax at. However, I don't think I'll be going there any time now, because the owner is a mean and nasty old lady, who barks at people who stop by in front to read the menu board out front. It's horrible to say but she doesn't realise how her bad attitude makes people stray away instead of coming in to give good bussiness. Perhaps she should ask nicely, and politely if she doesn't want people to stop in front of the cafe, although you would think she would want people to stop out front and check it out. Won't be going there anytime soon, and will see to it that people know what kind of attitude the owner has. read more

I love this place. If I could eat here everyday i would!! Why? Stay Local Das Y! This place Doesn't just have desserts (BTW the desserts are top notch) but the menu changes daily and its just plain ole good food. What's more is that the Chef is super friendly and is willing to talk to you about the food and its ingredients. Did i mention almost all the food is local? Just a note the place has a stamp card, and after 10meals or so you can get a dessert or % off the meal. Support LOCAL cuz :) Come here its one of my top downtown eats! read more

atmosphere is very basic- white and red theme... I had the truffle brownie and it was incredible mmmm... Could have eaten three! My boyfriend had the bread pudding and it was OK I am more of a warm bread pudding fan but it wasn't bad, definitely a perfect little dessert spot after lunch read more

Same as a past reviewer, rude ass woman on the phone. Just called to inquire about vegan desserts and was told "well, I have four customers waiting in line..." First, that's probably as long as it would have taken to just tell me. Second, learn the phrase "can you hold please?" If you don't want customers calling your business, don't install a phone. And don't worry, I won't add another customer to your line. read more

I love this place! Every town should have one. I'm allergic to foods with gluten, and I'm diabetic and trying to lose weight. They have many foods that are gluten free, sugar free, low carb, low calorie, and vegan! They taste so yummy, too. OMG. I'm in love. If one can be in love with a store, I'm in love. We went there the other day and I bought a whole container full of stuff-cheesecake, torte, cupcakes, etc. and it was all only $20 and so delicious. I can't believe I've lived here almost 2 years and just found them. I almost hate to tell you about it because I'm afraid it will get too busy and then they'll run out of pastries before I can get to them :) read more

The roasted chicken is amazing!!!!! And the owner/cook is super sweet. She told me they make chicken like she does ONLY one other place on the island. Every dish is made with fresh ingredients from the farmer's market (and you can tell). The price-to-quantity food is fair (large chicken breast, brown rice that literally melts in your mouth and salad all for $9). I have already gone back twice! read more

Pesto pasta-amazingly delicious and generous portion. I'm not a fan of salad but her salad dressing is delicious and the veggies were very fresh. Highly recommend. read more

I tried Chef Kate's creations at the Farmers Market in Kailua, and it was just delicious (and gluten free). I ended up getting some delicious brownies and bread pudding, and wishing that I got the red velvet cake as well...YUM! Hope I'll get a chance to taste the rest of her menu when I'm back in Kailua! read more

Gluten free huge cinnamon roll with a generous amount of frosting. Amazing. Just amazing. Honestly fluffier and more moist than gluten-containing cinnamon rolls I've had in the past. You won't be disappointed! read more

Having enjoyed the desserts(and main dishes!) from Chef Kate in the past, we decided to go to the Saturday KCC Farmer's Market just because she was there. The market was great and it took two trips around to realize where she was setup. And oh boy were we SO glad we went. She had regular and chocolate haupia, blueberry, and rasperry bread pudding. We got all but the chocolate haupia. They were all incredible, but I have to say my favorite was the blueberry. It's a personal thing. She also had chocolate brownies with chocolate from her family's farm in Big Island. And I believe there was lilikoi bars as well, but I was at my calorie limit and couldn't indulge. If you're going to the KCC Farmer's Market, go early if you want the best shot at buying. We went around 11 or so and there were 4 regular haupia desserts left. I'm sure she sells out, and with good reason! read more

As good as it gets indeed !!!! I traveled around the world and Kate i must say you won my heart with that PERFECT chocolate brownies !!!! I will come see you again for sure !!!!! read more

Amazing desserts and pastries! Not Just Desserts is the highlight of my trip to the farmer's market every Saturday. When I went vegan I thought good desserts were no longer in my vocabulary. Man was I wrong! Chef Kate's brownies, muffins and anything else I've ever had, are amazing. She's amazing! I'm going to miss this place so much when I leave the island! Can we clone you and pack you in my suitcase to DC Kate? Anyway, this place comes highly recommended from me! read more

We've loved Chef Kate's delicacies from both the KCC and Kailua Farmer's Markets for years. Any bread pudding from Kate is a treat and my kids love her spaghetti and meatballs. Cinnamon rolls are a Saturday morning treat. So glad to see Kate take her talents to the next level with her cafe! read more

What a great addition to the downtown lunch scene. Really great dishes, actually gourmet plates. Try the meatloaf! Unreal.

We just got off the cruise ship and our cousin said we had to try this place for dessert. It's was amazing!! We has the brownie and snickerdoodle cookie and they were delicious! Thanks so much Kate. We will call in an order soon to be shipped. read more

Chef Kate's offerings are amazingly delicious. We found her at KCC on Saturday. We had her Bread Pudding and it is the best on the Island. We found her at Kailua Farmer Market this evening. Wow! Her Wild Salmon was delicately moist and tasty. I loved her white sauce with capers. The pesto pasta was delicious, the veggies were fresh and prepared perfectly. Her desserts are well thought out and health conscious too, made with natural sweeteners of Agave nectar or honey. We are trying her Haupia and Berry Berry Bread pudding tonite. Yum! read more

Every Saturday I enjoy a variety of Mrs. Kate's delicious pastries at the farmer's market at Jefferson Elementary. My favorites are her brownies, macaroon pie, and key lime bars! Worth the trip- come see her! read more

Not a fan... the pasta is decent (maybe not for the price) and the cake could be way better (maybe I got a bad piece...), but the service is HORRIBLE. I understand if you're busy and short-handed... but you should NEVER take it out on your customers. I'm not planning to go back or recommend this place unless I hear their service has improved... read more

Just came back from eating lunch at "Not Just Desserts" first do not park across this establishment the cost is $13.00 for the first 2 hrs. Park across the street at the municipal parking. The chicken at this place is the bomb as was the salad dressing. The chicken had a light cream type gravy - perfect. No ambiance and it was a little warm, but the chicken made it all worth it. Will be going back again. Of note: the chef is a little eccentric but it's about the food afterall :) read more

This place is flithy. The desserts they have in the display shelf is old and stale looking. They say they open early but when you get there the door is closed and locked. I placed an order for a cake, told the chef what day and time I needed it by, which was more than enough time for her...on the day of pick up, the doors was locked, her assistant didnt know about my order, had to call the chef who was at a farmers market and took my cake there. Wtf!! Such a big inconvenience! No consideration for someone elses schedule! The good reviews on this place must be falsified by the employees or owner. Never go to this place to eat or place an order. Very unreliable!! Not good for business. read more

I have never gone to Not Just Desserts restaurant but I do go to the Jefferson School's Farmers market on Saturdays from 8 am to 2 pm. Chef Kate is there with her yummy gluten free desserts. I love them We had two cinnamon rolls, so light and not too sweet and the lemon cake was really fluffy. It did not have a heavy lemon flavor. It has a spongey flaky texture and the lemon and the sweet did not over power one, while eating it. We tasted the brownies, so yummy. Chef Kate gets pretty busy at times. I waited til it slowed down a bit to talk with her about her ingredients. She has been in Hawaii a long time. I first met her at the KCC farmers' market. read more

I was so glad when I realized there was a restaurant in town that offered vegan foods! They don't have a huge vegan selection, but it's certainly better than most places. They seem to really take care to consider people with special dietary needs here, which is great. And the fact that they offer vegan desserts especially touched my heart. I just had the most amazing vegan brownie. I really had to stop myself from getting a second one on my way out the door. Since their specials change daily, I usually give them a call to see what vegan selections they are offering before heading over. read more

The owner is very rude and unpleasant. She needs to learn that customer service is a very important aspect of the type of business she runs. Her baked good are not all that amazing either. I used to stop by a few times a week to get a morning snack before work. I had been stopping in for several months at this point. Usually the different guys who were there were pretty nice. One time, the owner was there and I came in w/ a coupon for a free dessert w/ purchase of an entree. She told me in an annoyed tone that she wasn't accepting these coupons anymore but she would this time. Then she went on a rant about how much it cost her to put out these coupons and how little benefit she gets out of it. She went on for nearly the entire time I was standing there waiting for my order. My response was thank you for honoring it and that I usually come by every week. She ranted on some more, then told me I should bring my friends. Heck no!!! If she was going to honor the coupon then she shouldn't have ranted about her issues w/ the coupon company. The only thing that's fairly decent there are the brownies. But even those are not amazing enough to compensate for her rudeness and poor customer service skills. I have never stepped foot in there since, despite passing everyday, regardless of how much my craving for a sweet snack might be. I was even initially considering possibly ordering cupcakes for parties based on other reviews, but not anymore! read more

I try to only eat gluten free food and desserts, because of an autoimmune problem I am challenged with. I discovered Chef Kate in downtown a few years ago and ate some of her gluten free desserts that were very tasty. I didn't go back for awhile as the downtown location was just inconvenient for me. I did discover her again at the Farmer's Market at Jefferson School and bought her bread, cinnamon rolls and other goodies. I especially couldn't believe that her cinnamon rolls where gluten free. They were so good and had texture unlike most gluten free products. She told me she was at HMSA on Keeamoku St. on Fridays, so I stop by as often as I can. I have tried many gluten free desserts, but hers on this island, so far are the best in my opinion. I kept trying to find out what she uses to make it taste so good and not dry and crumbly like most gluten free desserts are, but no luck getting her secret. She just said a variety of things and she is a European baker and has been doing this for awhile. She just needs to get a gluten free bakery going!!! read more