I finally managed to stop by this place and am in love with all the delicious offerings in a cute…read moreand homely place. The owner is so friendly and helpful and her passion for what she does and what she crafts is obvious from the first few minutes you enter. There's a variety of sourdough, breads, shortcake cookies, chocolate chip, ulu and oatmeal cookies, and of course, cupcakes galore! What I didn't realize is, she also has a whole bunch of homemade jams and jellies, and you can taste whichever variety you want. The jellies and jams were my absolute favorite. I bought a spicy mango chutney. She has drinks as well as homemade goodies in the refrigerated section. Mountain apple pie, homemade pesto, and even eggs that her chickens laid! Parking is down a lane off the street and you park right in front of her house/ store. A nice place to buy gifts, treat yo'self and support local.

Great customer service. The best sourdough ever!…read more The shop is so well decorated that you'd expect to see it in a Disney movie. We enjoyed the freshly baked sourdough bread and tasted some jam. We will make it a weekly stop to try everything they bake. The owners operate a well appointed bakery and jam shop and are super nice to talk with.

The service was quick. The store is inordinately clean and menu easily decipherable. I do think…read morethat the cookies occupy a distinct niche in that most are not for everyone but this keeps no one from maintaining a romantic optimism abut the next flavor. (Myself included.) Unspecific to this location, but I do wish that they gave the option of purchasing one singular mini. If you want a mini, you have to buy 3 for roughly $12. The calories add up to about 1 regular sized cookie, which would be half the price. Pick your poison I guess?

I always go to the kapolei one and thought I'd get the same experience but I did not at all. I…read moreordered a pink sugar cookie and it was a shortbread cookie with pink frosting. It's advertised as a sugar cookie not a shortbread. I've been baking for a long time and it's a very obvious difference between a shortbread and sugar cookie. The icing is also advertised as almond frosting but I was told by employees it was "vanilla icing with pink dye" The other cookies had very muted flavors and didn't taste very fresh. It seems crumble was having a bad day. You're better off getting cookies from Foodland in the same shopping center.

4.5* Glad I…read moreremembered this spot. A great place for a break from the heat. The Hawaii Frost soft serve is refreshing. Similar to a smooth, creamy sherbet. For those not familiar, don't expect fresh fruit flavors. The strawberry tasted like strawberry soda mixed with vanilla ice cream. The honeydew tasted like a Melona bar. The large included a rolled cookie which was a nice surprise. The buttered popcorn was a bit chewy, not light, fluffy & crunchy. (-0.5*} The service was friendly & helpful. No 3% credit card fee. There are 2 parking spaces. Both were available when I arrived.

In our office, food is often discussed where we share information with each other. Samurai was…read morebrought up by my colleague who sits in front of me and was going to head over. Another colleague and I jumped at the opportunity to tag along on a Friday early afternoon. Located down Umi Street not too far from neighboring New City Nissan on N King Street, Samurai moved to their current location in 1995 serving Maui style sherbet, popcorn and other local snacks. They also expanded to Samurai Snacks Aiea for an impressive 20+ years before closing its doors in May 2023. We arrived shortly after lunch time where we pondered at the menu wondering what to get. It's not fancy here at Samurai - - the storefront is basic and nothing fancy with a few seats patrons can sit on if they decide to eat their treats on premise. Morale has been low at the office so I decided to get some convenient prepackaged 4oz assorted Samurai cups to cheer up the staff. My colleagues also picked up some bags of buttered popcorn with mochi crunch and furikake for an informal office party to welcome the much needed weekend. Because we were already there, we also got some soft serve cups to cool down before heading back to the office. My colleagues had the classic strawberry and blue vanilla swirl and I selected the mango. My colleagues enjoyed their selection but the mango didn't live up to my expectations. The color was vibrant and enticing but sadly the mango flavor did not come through. Each cup came with a sugar roll cookie that was delicious. After our cold treat we headed back to the office with our surprise for our colleagues where it was a big hit. There were many happy faces standing in line grabbing some popcorn and a 4-oz cup of Samurai. Overall, a much better experience with Samurai that's deserving of an update with higher marks. It has been noted in my books to stick to flavors I'm already aware of and avoid trying new ones for that possible disappointment that often happens to me.

Lovely desserts. We shared a few of their ice cream cupcakes, the chocolate ice cream pie which…read morereminded me of my childhood eating casata as well as some of their malasadas. Everything was so unique and special. Definitely a repeat!

Wow... expensive but really worth the price. They make everything in house and it shows. Made…read moretheir own ice cream and the best thing is all of desserts not too sweet. The spumoni ice cream cake wow... The pistachio and cherry portions very good. Can really taste the real flavors and not extract. Ice cream cupcakes $6.50 is worth every penny. Amazing thing is the cake is still moist. Shop is hidden behind the Territorial Savings Bank on Kapahulu. Highly recommended.

Ordered 4 different mini cupcakes-red velvet, Lilikoi strawberry, carrot cake, & mojo magic. All…read morewere absolutely delicious! Also ordered a small rainbow cake. That was delicious as well and very beautiful. The colors were so vibrant! Totally recommend Hawai'i Cupcake Factory!

I was next door waiting for my lunch when my husband pointed this place out. We were curious about…read morethe cupcakes and noticed the good reviews on Yelp so we decided to try some of the cupcakes. Initially, the door was locked, but the owner Tara unlocked the door and asked if I was picking up an order. I said no, we were just looking around and wanted to see what cupcakes they had. Tara was super friendly and even though she was busy filling orders, she took the time to tell me what cupcakes she had available. I was initially going to get 4 cupcakes: 1 lemon, 2 strawberry, and 1 red velvet. However, after looking at her menu online and talking to her, I ended up getting a dozen cupcakes: 4 banana peanut butter cupcakes with honey drizzle, 3 Chocolate cupcake with Oreo frosting topped with an Oreo cookie, 1 chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter frosting, 2 Strawberry cupcake with buttercream frosting and strawberry drizzle, 1 red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting, and 1 white cupcake with lemon buttercream and lemon sauce drizzle. The cupcakes were super moist and they paired well with the frostings. The frostings were not overly sweet, which I really appreciated, and I could definitely taste the flavoring of the frosting. The peanut butter was my favorite and it paired well with the chocolate cupcake. I'll definitely be back to try some of the other flavors, or will request a specialty cupcake in the near future.

Best Catering Experience…read more This year, I had to plan my company's 21st anniversary party. I literally looked up and found and communicated with EVERY caterer on this island. I am so happy I chose EAT HONOLULU The Good * Jocelyn was so EASY and FUN to work with, she was cooperative and creative with what I wanted for the party and even helped me out according to my tight budget * Not to forget to mention she's a certified wine sommelier - so she helped me alot with selecting the wines for the party * Both Jocelyn and Chef David were very knowledgable about their tastes and foods that when they'd tell me about the great options I couldn't help but get excited and pee a little in my pants because I LOVE FOOD! * On the night of the party, they showed up and prepared everything on time. I really didn't have to do anything that night which was surprising because I was expecting to actually WORK instead of enjoying the party. I GOT TO ENJOY THE PARTY! *Their whole staff was attentive, friendly, professional, and enjoyable. * This was an all-pupu party. *Beef tataki was hands-down my favorite *Caprese Crostini was so good too! The Bad * The size of my stomach because I WANTED TO EAT MORE! The Weird * Literally everything I set into my mouth at the party was so delicious (as dirty as that sounds.. but it's true!!) I received countless compliments on how good the catering was for this party, and it just reassures me that I went with the right caterer :)!

Do you ever tell yourself not to do something bc you know better but then you find a way to do it…read moreanyway? Yep, that's the story of my TWO visits here! Lol So the story goes: I was checking out my Yeep-friends' reviews, check-ins, photos, and tips when I happened upon my fellow Yeep Cin T.'s reviews about this place called, "EAT"! Her amazing review is what pushed me over to go find this place! Thanks so much for your awesome meat-burger-filled review, Cin T.!!! OMGoodness for the aiyaiyai-YUM!!! :D I'm more of a lamb, turkey, fish, and veggie type of eater and it looked like I could make it work here :D The food selections and review descriptions most obviously intrigued me so I took a screen shot of the business page and general Yelp photos for a reminder of what's offered and decided to go in search of EAT next time I'm in town during the week day. First Visit - As good luck happened, they were still open at 1:30 p.m. (for some reason their Yelp page said they close at 2 but there I found out it's actually 3! Yay!) so I ventured a visit. I easily found parking conveniently in the GENTRY BUSINESS CENTER nka NA LIMA KUKUI lot where there are a lot of stalls, and walked right into the complex. EAT was easy to find right at the front as you enter the main open entrance area. I actually wanted to try the SURF N TURF with turkey patty substitute (for their yummy Kulana Beef) but they already had run out of turkey so I allowed myself to be swayed into trying their turkey club and then add a side of their soft shell crab. I placed my order with a side of SHOESTRING FRIES and a REFILLABLE BOTTOMLESS LEMONADE. The wait was pretty long but I guess they make it hot and fresh just like Jack (in-the-Box does) so it was absolutely worth the wait. TURKEY CLUB with SOFT SHELL CRAB SAND ($8.99 + $6.99 = $15.98!? crazy ugh) My concoction (bc I made it up the chef said!) was deeeeelicious! Needed to eat it with two hands to hold it all together! The great thing about it? Once I was done, the other half was ready to go! More Y-U-M! :D The turkey was soft, tasty deli meat. It's got nicely-seasoned good taste but just not my thing unless it's freshly-baked turkey meat. FRIES ($2.90) were ahhh just OK. I'm a major fries person (I'll eat them with chopsticks or fork if no chopsticks!) and there really needed to be more plus they really need to be cooked until crispy. Perhaps next time I'll remember to ask for extra crispy fries! .) LEMONADE ($2.75) Pleasant, fresh, delicious lemony taste! Worth it if it's endless refillable! Lemons are good for ya! :) Second Visit - I called 15 minutes ahead and ordered just the SOFT SHELL CRAB SANDWICH ($9.99) (with POLENTA FRIES, $3.75) bc again ...guess what? They ran out of fresh turkey burger patties! Wimper :( but oh well - There's always another lunch day, right!? :D Besides, this was a very good opportunity to try just the soft shell crab by itself (as Cin T. suggested). When I arrived after 20 minutes, it was just about ready to go and off I went headed to my work meeting! Awesome! Except for one thing! They forgot my polenta fries and I didn't have any time to wait! :/ You would think I'd learn my lesson by now, right?! Nope! Both visits the soft shell crab was so delicious - not oily but soft inside, a bit crunchy on the outside with the taste and feeling of comfort food when you're chewing it going down into the depths of your happy stomach lining...ahhhhh...! If only they were open right now as I'm reminiscing..I mean typing this! Anyway, the happy news is that I'm definitely going back (for guess whaaaat? Lol!) but next time I'm gonna call ahead in the morning or when they first open to order that dastardly jk! turkey patty as substitute for their Kulana beef patty to make my personal lol TURKEY PATTY SURF N TURF ($13.99 for me one of these days! Haha!) and hopefully, just hopefully, I'll finally get to try their awesome crunchy gotta-have POLENTA FRIES! Letcha know what happens at my impending third visit! I guess sometimes you just gotta do what your tummy wants you to do! Hahaha!! :D

Owner Cristina has amazing pastries. I always stop by when I am in downtown Honolulu. It's even…read moreworth paying for reasonably priced municipal parking at Ali'i Place to buy her delicious savory scones and blueberry oatmeal loaf which is my mom's favorite. The display case is well-kept meaning no flies buzzing around in there like I see in other bakeries. The service is consistently friendly and professional. I'm always greeted with a smile and I leave with a smile. I love this bakery!

I heard that this spot had a pride bun in honor of pride month and I just had to check it out. I…read moremay have came for the rainbow sprinkles, but I stayed for all of the amazing Filipino inspired pastries. I could not believe how flakey these pastries were! The layers of buttery flakey goodness were unreal, with Filipino fusion-- are you kidding me? We're talking pork belly sisig danishes, padasal chicken adobo, calamansi lemon bars, and longanisa feta potato pastries. Plus more crowd favorites like their esamada with buttercream and cheese or their cinnamon roll with lemon curd and toasted muragine. Located in Downtown Honolulu, the closest place to park is Ali'i parking garage which is pretty cheap but only takes cash! So be prepared for that. If I worked downtown and needed to get some bonus points in the office, I'd definitely pick up a box of goodies from here.

Snack time in Kalihi, Honolulu, Hawaii…read more.. I was driving down Dillingham Boulevard when this cafe caught my attention. There was no First To Tip for the business, so I thought that I should investigate... Xpresso Cafe & Mini Mart is located at a small strip mall on the corner of Kalihi Street and Dillingham Boulevard. The shared parking might be tight at times because of the hair salon and medical clinic next to it, but I was able to get free parking easily. Service was different because I was taking photos while being observed. There was no menu posted, so I had to ask what was available. The worker pointed at the menu boards that displayed "no signal". That's too bad. I wanted to order something, but I didn't know what they had. I asked for a smoothie - what kind of flavors are there? She mentioned honeydew, strawberry with banana, and lychee. I chose the Dragonfruit and expected a different color. She said that they didn't have boba... okay... it tasted alright and saved me from dehydration... LOL! Well, it was an awkward experience. I wandered around the convenience store side, but I wasn't intrigued. Maybe next time, the menu board will be working. I saw a photo of a chicken club sandwich that looked good... and supposedly, Boar Head products are used here.

I was so excited to try this new cafe and I finally did! I'm so glad to have a cafe near my work…read moreplace because I'm always looking for coffee and it's a short walking distance. I ordered the iced mocha latte which comes with 2 espresso shots and in one sized cup. Very chocolatey. I was surprised with what's on their menu. There were also a lot of pastries displayed on the counter and I will definitely get one next time. Parking may be a little difficult as they are sharing it with other businesses in the same lot.