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    Vavin Dessert Bar

    4.8 (158 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Vavin Dessert Bar Photos

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    VAVIN DESSERT BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    AmberAyame T.

    Really good, big pastries. Cute inside. Tons of coffee and tea options. Friendly and fast service. Will be back. Parade outside, pretty fun!

    Coffee Time!
    Alyssa Y.

    It's like stepping into your very own French cafe but in Hawaii. Located in the beginning part of Waikiki tucked into a side road, you can park in one of the many lots around the area. The cafe itself is small with 5 tables inside and 5 tables outside, but has high ceilings and well lit. I was instantly drawn to the croissants at the front counter. They have a variety of flavors such as chocolate, pistachio, almond and oatmeal, and you can tell they're all well made. The croissants are big (worth the price) and you can see all of the different layers and perfect lamination. They have a variety of coffee options, and even more tea options to choose from. We ordered the Double Pistachio Twice Baked Croissant, Iced Hawaiian Latte and Iced Vavin Caramel Latte with Oat milk. The croissant was perfectly crispy and golden brown on the outside and light and buttery on the inside. The pistachio topping was slightly crunchy and not overly sweet. The portion was bigger than I thought and we were able to split it between two people. The coffee is on the sweeter side, I prefer more coffee. Next time I'll order it with another shot of espresso.

    Matthew J.

    While in Waikiki on O'ahu, I had the most divine pastries I could have expected at Vavin Dessert Bar. This was a bougie pastry shop, sure, but heck if I didn't go back every morning while on the island to try a different one. While there, I had their Lava Lava Almond Croissant which was a twice baked almond croissant that was perfectly flaky with a creamy frangipane in the middle. The second item I had was the Pistachio Twice Baked Croissant. Imagine if a pistachio croissant and an Almond Croissant had a baby. That is what this was. The traditional Almond Croissant but on top was a Pistachio creme. The last thing, and I question whether to even call this a pastry or that I should have had it for breakfast, but a Crookie. You know it, you love it. It is a Croissant stuffed with cookie dough and baked with cookie dough on top. This one used a S'mores cookie to make it all that much decadent. ____

    Hawaiian latte
    Cindy M.

    Vavin Dessert Bar was worth the hype! Probably one of the better coffee shops we've been to in the area. The shop is so charming. Theres a limited amount of seating indoors and outdoors. We tried two types of drinks, the Hawaiian latte and the tiramisu latte. Both lattes were solid, but I liked the tiramisu latte a bit better. The tiramisu latte was not too sweet, to my liking, and it had a bit of a cream dollop. The Hawaiian latte was a bit more sweet in comparison. I ended up swapping my Hawaiian latte for my husband's tiramisu latte. There are many types of pastries, and it was challenging picking just 1. The beef sukiyaki croissant we picked had a fine flakiness to it when it was heated up. The beef had a nice flavor to it, balanced with slightly sweet but primarily savory. Good ratio of croissant to filling. It was a steep price for a croissant at ~$12 but nice to try. If I didn't have a buffet to look forward to later that day, I would have ordered another pastry. Service was friendly! Can't really comment on the parking situation, as we walked here. Overall, if I visited Waikīkī again, I would definitely make a stop back to Vavin!

    Natalia O.

    Popped in at 7am on a rainy, Friday morning and was one of few there. Service was quick. I ordered a warm ham and cheese croissant (which was loaded!!). I'd say it was good... would be curious to see if they could sub the Dijon mustard it comes with for butter instead since the croissant was kinda dry. $10 a bit steep, too. Didn't get to try the drinks but they did look very tasty. Edit: came back for an iced latte and it was 10/10!

    Exterior
    Ted P.

    Stopped by this place while vacationing in Hawaii and was surprised at how good everything is! It's a small shop on a side street next to the Eggs n things. The service was a bit slow as the guy taking orders was also making the drinks, but the line did move reasonably quickly. The pastries here are all huge and delicious. I tried the double baked pistachio and was impressed by how flaky and well balanced the filling was. It had crunchy pistachios on top and a sweet creamy filling inside. They even warmed it up!

    Inside Counter
    Brittany L.

    Wow! This place is such a vibe. While staying in Waikīkī, I was in the mood for some French pastries and a latte. This cafe was a short walk from Hale Koa and satisfied my cravings! They have both indoor and outdoor seating available. We ordered a few different items to share; the rainbow croissant, passionfruit eclairs, and raspberry eclairs were phenomenal! The raspberry one was my favorite by far. It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet. The croissant had a cream filling that was equally as delightful. The service was also spectacular. My son had accidentally spilled one of our lattes, and the employee made us another free of charge. It was really a great gesture and made a stressful situation less stressful. We will definitely visit again when we are in the area.

    Vanilla eclair
    Michelle L.

    I had the triple berry tea. It was quite tasty and refreshing. Just enough sweetness. The vanilla pecan eclair was so yummy I just wish it was a little bigger. I think I finished in 2 bites. There is pretty much 1 person in front taking order and making the drinks so be prepared for a wait especially if there are a few people already in line. I recommend going closer to when they first open in the morning.

    Rachel K.

    This was a great Yelp find! My husband was actually looking for a new spot to try coffee and Vavin had great ratings for their drinks and pastries. We made the walk over from our hotel and found this cute cafe, it has a view of the park and has indoor and outdoor seating. There was a steady stream of customers, but the line was short and we were able to easily grab a spot outside to eat. We ended up ordering their Provence Citronelle Eclair ($6.25), Rainbow Croissant ($8.75), Tiramisu Latte ($6) and Ginger and Lemongrass tea ($7). We sipped our drinks and enjoyed the food outside while people watching. The drinks were delicious, and the desserts were beautiful. The eclair was our favorite and we would definitely order it again, the passionfruit cream and yuzu glaze were so flavorful and bright. The rainbow croissant was gorgeous, but the current white peach filling was just ok for us. The person who helped us was friendly and made some great suggestions on drinks. Overall this experience was one of my favorites for coffee during the trip.

    I got the second to last one before the sold out flag was put up!
    Mary M.

    After a work appointment, I dropped by and glad they were still opened - it was around 1pm/1:30pm when I went. Some bakeries like Halekulani close around 11:30am and I wasn't about to go to Starbucks. By the time I went, only 3 types of croissants were left. I got the chocolate croissant which did not disappoint and the croissant toast. The last thing left when I was cleaning up my table was the Tiramisu croissant. The owner was super pleasant. Offered free water to go with my croissant that I ate while sitting inside which was nice because I was already caffeinated out previously. I have been here several times in the past and just love how soft and layered these croissants are. Personally I don't like going into Waikiki much since it's like Times Square for me, but I would go for them or their neighbor Castro's.

    Almond croissant, disappointing after the stellar croissant bread
    Nancy C.

    Croissant bread: 5/5!! Delicately crunchy on the outside, fluffy moist and cloud-like on the inside. Beats any croissant at Kona Coffee or Halekulani Bakery. Almond croissant: 3.5/5. Rather disappointing, after the high bar set by the croissant bread. Any crunch came from the almond slices on top, not the croissant itself. Generous filling of almond paste. Latte was decent, but Castro's next door was much better. In the future, we'll get coffee from Castro's and pastry from Vavin. Loved the outdoor seating and the cute dessert plates!

    Amanda S.

    Husband came by to pickup some pastries for our morning and we loved it here. The pastries aren't just pretty but super tasty! They're not overly sweet and had a good balance. The bread were perfect flakiness and buttery goodness! We will be back to getting more before we head home :)

    espresso, cappuccino and Croissant Toast :)
    Harvey G.

    Stayed at Hilton and they have nothing amazing there as far as coffee and desert. This spot was amazing and we had the picture items :) The rest was sold out so next time we will come before noon as suggested

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    3 months ago

    I tried five items for breakfast. Their pistachio pastry was super special. Really great matcha latte, too. I will be going back.

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