Cinnamon’s at the ‘Ilikai

I wanted to try cinnamons and found out they had one closer to our hotel from a friend so my family and I decided to try it out on our last day. My family ordered the award winning kalua pork benedict but their opinion said they’ve had better somewhere else on our trip. The tater tots that came with the meal were also stale and cold. Luckily our waitress was friendly and gladly got us all a new batch. I ordered the kalua omelette and for one, the presentation sucked. It looked more like a scramble that was rolled up and thrown on a plate. It didn’t taste that good either and I got hella pieces of fat which I didn’t enjoy. The 3 stars is for the parking available, the view, and THE RED VELVET PANCAKES! If you do decide to eat here and don’t know what to get that’s the best thing I’ve tried! It’s soooo good! (If you don’t like things toooo sweet, ask for the cream cheese on the side!)

Love it! Love everything about this place! Good
Food, cheap drinks, great view and outdoor seating w live music. I want to live at the Ilikai and come down to Cinnamons everyday! The Mai Tais are good and strong and only $ 7! Guava pancakes are beyond amazing too! Also, validated VALET parking for $ 1/​hour at the Ilikai… Such an awesome spot!

Came by during the weekend and the wait was pretty short. Convenient location if you’re in town. They are located towards the back of the hotel and just follow the signs or ask a worker. They have interior and exterior dining options. The outside has a nice view of the surrounding Ala Moana area. The staff are pretty friendly and helpful. The waiters/​waitresses seem to have a high ratio of tables to handle but they did pretty well.
I have tried the Guava Chiffon Pancakes and the Crab Cake Benedict. The pancakes were thick and fluffy which the short stake was a good size. The sauce was really sweet. The Benedict was pretty tasty with the crab. The hollandaise sauce was just right because it was not too thick/​creamy or runny.
I enjoyed my meal but prefer K-Town’s location for various reasons such as the prices and limited menu. Overall, definitely a nice breakfast spot and worth a try.

Not as good as K-Town’s location, but still a great spot for local breakfast or brunch and a heaping pile of goodness.
Pros:
1) Nice view of the harbor/​marina at Ala Moana
2) Good menu
3) Tasty food, great loco moco and skillets and omelets
4) Decent service
Cons:
1) Gets packed with tourists, expect a wait
2) Kind of pricey since it is in the Ilikai
3) No POG, they have to make it (which takes convincing)
I really like their fried rice there, good with portegeuse sausage and teri beef inside. Get that underneath the loco moco and you will be in for a treat! A heavy and filling and fattening treat, but come on, just do it, you won’t regret it.

My family and I stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which was literally a 5 minute walk from Cinnamon’s, located in a hotel. After being recommended the guava pancakes, we decided to come one day for brunch to try. We only had to wait about 10 – 15 minutes before being seated in their outdoor patio. My sister and I shared a short stack of the Guava Pancakes as well as the Basil Pesto Frittata and Tots.
The Guava pancakes alone are worth coming here to dine. However, the Basil Pesto Frittata is just okay to me. I would definitely try something else other than that the next time I decide to dine here. The tator tots were also good though.

The guava chiffon sauce is amazing. You must try it. whether on sweetbread french toast or their pancakes, it is a must. Only place in Oahu that i saw. The red velvet pancakes were super chocolatey. We gave them a shot, but will not be ordering them next time we are in Oahu. The restaurant is located in the Ilikai Hotel and the service was friendly Coming from California, the staff moved a tad bit slow for my liking, but i will not penalize them for that. The view of the marina was not too shabby either. Good place for breakfast.

Great service and great food. We were seated immediately, good thing too because they got really busy shortly after. Our server Alicia was great, conversational when we wanted her to be and worked with a sense of urgency, attentive to all her tables. We saw the owner walking around on the dining floor, checking on his guests and chatting with a few. Our food came out from the kitchen pretty fast and it was excellent. My bestie ordered Kalua Benedict with country potatoes and I ordered light with a side of tots and toast. Coffee was hot and tasted fresh, we were very happy with the meal, and grateful for the suggestion by our tour guide.

3 stars, because service is hot and cold.
I’ve been here 3 or 4 times after a 2 month stay in one of the Ilikai condos.
THE FOOD: stick with all the favorites you read other Unilocalers recommending. The guava pancakes are a staple here, so make sure you come while they are being served. They have a pupu menu that is served between 2 and 4pm that is super limited. Skip it.
The benedicts are great because you can get half or full orders, and you can mix and match them. I got one crab, one pulled pork. Very good.
They make a good bloody mary here, as well.
Now for
THE SERVICE: really on and off. Come on you guys, you work in a restaurant at the Ilikai, you better be giving that aloha hospitality! I was so turned off by a pushy waitress who was literally huffing and puffing and throwing daggers with her eyes because we were perched at the end of the bar while waiting for our table. You’re joking right? I mentioned it to the bartender, as this definitely hurt his pocket. We felt really unwanted, and therefore opted to wait out front instead of having another bloody mary or mimosa with him. I made sure to take care of him anyway.
That being said, the host stand and take out service have always been outstanding with customer service. It’s worth dining in, just cross your fingers for friendly service!

Glad that there’s a Cinnamon’s in town area now! It was such a waste of time and gas to drive to Kailua since I’m rarely on that side of the island. Just like the original location, the food and service are decent. I do like the atmosphere at this location more though. Their guava chiffon and red velvet pancakes are unique and delicious. My wife usually orders one of the two every time we come here. Today, we decided to skip the pancakes and order regular entrées. This includes their chicken cutlet, Kona style mahimahi, pulled pork sandwich, and the Farmers mega-​omelette. Everything turned out acceptable. Nothing to really rave about, yet nothing to complain about either. Service was great today. Our server was attentive and very friendly. We’ll be back again since my daughter seems to like it here.

Okay, so you’re telling me I don’t have to wait in a 2 hour line, feel rushed to order and eat, or drive half the island to Kailua and I can still have the Guava Chiffon pancakes??? I’m sold!
Cinnamon’s at the Ilikai is super convenient, super easy to get to, and a townie’s dream come true. There’s open aired seating which the view of the marina and ocean which gives it a great feel while dining.
I dined here for the first time the other day at 8am and got seated right away with no wait! Ordered my usual Guava Chiffon Pancakes while my hubs got the Loco Moco (extra gravy, add mushrooms and onions!) and we got served within minutes. We literally had a meal within 30 minutes, from being seated to paying the bill.
I highly recommend coming here if you want to have the same experience as going to the Kailua Cinnamons WITHOUT the wait! ;)

Great views, friendly bartenders, good food and a solid beer selection for a place that doesn’t really call for one. The guava chiffon pancakes and kalua pork benedict are both remarkable dishes.
There is a weird contingent of staff members here, though. Not that people with past struggles shouldn’t be embraced in the job market, but it was rather off-​putting to have a beer and enjoy the scenery when suddenly someone with beady eyes and neck tattoos asks if you’d like your water refilled. Again, it’s good that the owners here don’t discriminate on appearance when it comes to prospective employees, it’s just a bit odd given the setting.

Came here one weekday lunch in the beginning of December and it wasn’t busy at all. Was put at a table right at the front with a view of the marina which was pretty cool.
I ordered the baked spaghetti — a good sized portion of spaghetti bolognese (short spaghetti) with cheese on top. Looked nothing like the photo in the menu but tasted good anyway. Came with 2 slices of cheesy garlic bread and a pile of mac salad which were pretty standard.
Service was fine. Attentive.
Also ordered a mai tai which wasn’t that strong, but tasted good.
In all, a pretty solid choice but nothing distinguishing it from anything else on the each side other than the pretty cool view.

We came around 8 am on a Monday morning and there was no wait for a table. We were seated in the outdoor patio with a view of the marina. Having a meal here with that view makes you stop and think, damn this is the good life.
Service was friendly, but they may have been understaffed since it was a slow morning. After getting our menus, we were left waiting to order for a good 10 – 15 minutes. Our waitress was apologetic when we told her we were on a bit of a time crunch since someone in our party needed to get to work.
The famous guava chiffon pancakes were my favorite dish on our table. The guava flavor was distinct, not overly sweet or tart for my taste. The texture of the pancake was somewhat cake-​y; definitely more dense than your ordinary pancakes. But I enjoyed every bite and the extra bites I couldn’t resist after I had hit my limit.
We almost always order one sweet, one salty dish for balance. With the help of our waitress’ recommendation we ordered a ½ kalua pork, ½ crab cake egg Benedict. The menu boasted of a unique Cinnamon’s hollaindaise sauce so I was sold. I like that they let you mix and match their different benedicts so you can try more of the menu. There is also an option to upgrade the Benedict with spinach and tomato (worth it to me). We definitely needed that benedict as a source of salt to balance the sugar rush from the pancakes. The kalua pork was delicious and I would easily do it again. The crab cake was oversalted and boring. Skip it.
Our third dish was the red velvet pancakes. Now I usually preface any red-​velvet-​anything review by saying I’m not the biggest red velvet fan. I find it overrated and overhyped. Unfortunately, these pancakes didn’t convince me to join the red velvet bandwagon. Warning: this is a super dense and rich dish. Since I’m not a red velvet fan, there’s no way I could make it through more than a quarter of this plate, if that. There is a very fine line between red velvet cake and this red velvet ‘pancake’ – that line may have been crossed.
The guava pancakes and great view are holding a solid 4 stars for Cinnamon’s at the ‘Ilikai for me.

I personally like the original location better. This location feels just to «touristy» which is perfect for those who are visiting.
same menu and concept but the ambience just isn’t the same and service is a bit slow.

I love going to Cinnamons in Kailua, but I swear you always have to go either super early or wait for a super long time to be seated. What a relief to learn that they opened up another location right in Waikiki.
Cinnamons is now located in the Ilikai hotel. You just walk through the lobby and the restaurant is on your left. We found parking downstairs by the harbor. I’m sure you can valet your car at the hotel, but we decided to try find parking elsewhere lol.
The Grub.
[[ TRADITIONAL BENEDICT $ 13.95 ]]
Eggs Benedict is a must when coming to cinnamons! I love how perfectly they cook the egg and smother it in all that delish hollandaise sauce! Plus I love how they come with tots! :3 Happy belly~!
[[ RED VELVET PANCAKES $ 8.75 ]]
We decided to go with the short stack (2 pancakes). The Red Velvet pancakes basically taste like eating a piece of cake for breakfast. If you are a sweets person, this is a must order.
Overall: I actually like this location better than Kailua. Mostly because of the convenience and the food is just as great here!

I initially went because Maila Gibson and Ben Vegas were performing. That was still by far the best part of the night. It was a pleasure to hear them perform.
It took no time to get seated but 15 minutes to take our order even though it was before 6pm and not crowded. Our drink order didn’t come until after our dinner was served. I was told the keg was being changed out and given a ¾ full glass but they later came back with a full fresh glass of beer. I was also given my check before we ordered dessert. The restaurant was not full so I know it was not them trying to turn tables. The initial bill was wrong and I had to go to the counter to have it corrected. Mistakes happen and this in itself was not that bad. They overall experience with all of wasn’t that good.
To be fair, the food was solid. I tried my daughters steak and it was tender and seasoned nicely. I order the Hawaiian Supper with Kalua pork, chicken lau lau, and broiled mahimahi. The Kalua pork was slightly dry. I’ve never had that happen before. Chicken lau lau was fine but the broiled mahimahi was out of this world. It had a nice crust and just the right amount of char to add depth.
I know the have just reopened but the service wasn’t great, the food had low and high points, and the music was awesome. Music should not be the highpoint of the dining experience. We’ll have to try this in a few months when they get the kinks worked out.

As I was stumbling out of bed, I was already thinking of breakfast. I started my day with big batch breakfast, like that Carsie’s crab cakes with two overheard eggs and guava chiffon pancakes, and a cup pf joe. Well, don’t get your hopes up, and here’s why:
— Before I blinked an eye, there was my cup of coffee, with a lipstick stamp on it. I had to cancel it.
— Crab-​cakes were okish, not fabulous.
— Eggs were eggs, nothing special.
— Guava chiffon pancakes were the winner! Awesome, warm, fluffy and rich pancakes with Sweet tropical guava chiffon. Seriously, don’t miss the guava chiffon pancakes. You’re welcome!
P.S: Tucked inside the ‘Ilikai hotel.
Three and half Unilocal

On my first visit, I decided on not getting the Guava Chiffon Pancakes. A few reviews mentioned they were just too sweet. I love guava and like the idea of guava pancakes, but I’d probably waste the entire plate after taking one bite. I’ll just wait until someone in my fam or one of my friends orders it, which may be a while. But, that’s okay! I thought I was going to regret not trying it, but my SAND (Start of A Nice Day) plate was Onolicious! What really made the plate was the French toast (I requested the Portuguese Sweet Bread)!!! The soft scrambled eggs and 2 slices of bacon were cooked perfectly. At first glance, the plate looks like something I could’ve made myself or ordered from Denny’s. But, after the first bite you could tell it was made with TLC! Add a regular cup of coffee and the «start of of nice day» begins NOW. Even with the liquid sunshine (rain)!!
On my second visit, our party ordered the Guava Chiffon and Red Velvet pancakes. Divine! Dessert for breakfast… PERFECT! I loved them both so much. But if I were to pick a favorite, I’d go with the Guava Chiffon. It actually wasn’t as sweet as expected. Finished the entire plate, with friends of course!
BTW — service from the start was outstanding! Especially at 0700 in the mornin’

Different flavored mimosas for $ 6.50? I’ll try. ALL THE FLAVORS. Strawberry guava= the best, Lilikoi= second best, Mango= eh at least it’s got alcohol in it. I’m forgetting one. Oh well, you should just order the strawberry guava constantly. Keep ‘em coming.
I came here for brunch after an AM surf sesh so my friend and I were starrrrving. This place was perfect because it’s walking distance from the beach, they give you HUGE portions, they have relaxed outdoor seating, and service was prompt. I ordered the benedict (half & half of crabcake and mahi mahi) and my friend ordered the shrimp benedict. Yep, you can mix & match for the same price! The crabcake was superb– although the hollandaise sauce was underwhelming but the tater tots side definitely make up for it. Mahi mahi was a bit flavorless so I would’ve probably been happier with crabcake x 2. But at least I tried the mahi so I’m able to warn you away from it. ;) See, aren’t you glad I tried it for you?!
My friend was pleased with his shrimp benedict, so overall it was a successful brunch.
The server was very friendly and the service itself was fast. But maybe a bit too fast— he ended up tripping on something & spilled his tray (full of dishes/​cups/​water/​drinks) onto the ground. Fortunately, he didn’t fall & hurt himself. But, unfortunately I happen to be sitting right next to the accident… so the water spilled on my lap. (ha ha ha) But he quickly apologized, management came out & apologized profusely, gave me plenty of napkins and a new (dry) chair, cleaned up the area, and then they comped my tab. Accidents happen and I’m completely fine by it (hey, I did just go surfing, so I really didn’t mind having water spill on me), but the fact that they comped my meal was unexpected, and I feel they went above & beyond on customer service. Thanks, Cinnamon’s!
*Parking tip: Free parking along the back end of the harbor. Read the sign carefully as there are paid parking (closer to Ilikai), and free Recreational parking (closer to the ocean).

We had 2 meals at Cinnamons & I definitely agree with the 3 star average. We stopped in for breakfast on our first full day in Oahu & our last dinner. Both times our food was good, with food served at the right temperature & nice views of the marina, especially if you happen to be there for dinner right around sunset. If you get the the mahi mahi for dinner, the likai-​style is excellent, especially with the wedge of lemon squeezed on top. For breakfast, I’m not a big pancake fan but I will say that the start of a nice day breakfast plate is good.
On Fridays, you’ll have a great view of the fireworks from the next-​door Hilton, and there was lots of lovely live music almost every day in the evening when we walked by. Yes, you can get fancier food if you want, but if you’re staying at the Ilikai & just wanna run downstairs, this is a good choice.