Honolulu Coffee

We pass by nearly every morning on our way to work. The parking lot has always been empty so we wondered if they were actually open. We finally decided to stop in and check it out. All I can say is, we tried it and will never again.
We were stunned to see what changes were made from the hard rock interior. First off, I thought the location of the «café» was pretty stupid. You have to walk all the way to the back to order coffee.
This was our first time and it was pretty obvious as we walked in with confused faces. We couldn’t figure out where/​how to order coffee or if you could even order coffee. It looks like we walked into a coffee factory/​museum vs. a coffee shop. Two workers were below at the coffee roaster. Upon entering, they just looked at us — without saying anything — as if we were aliens. I thought that, alone, was simply rude. When we finally made our way to the absolute back of the place, no one even greeted us there either. Ordered our coffee — just COFFEE — one large and one small — not in coffee mugs, but in paper cups to go — total bill $ 9.95!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
As someone else said, there aren’t many tables to sit at. Majority of the seating area is outside, in the hot sun, with all the buses/​traffic of Kalakaua. We lucked out — one last table. We sat for a little while and then left.
I realized just why the parking lot is always empty.

Awesome atmosphere really cool history on the walls you can tell they love the science behind coffee. Delicious cinnamon rolls delicious coffee. This coming from a guy from Seattle!

I’ve been a fan of Honolulu Coffee since I moved to Hawaii in the early nineties, when I was just discovering coffee and before the Starbucks boom. I’ve had the experience center bookmarked for awhile and stopped in on a weekend. The location isn’t the easiest to get to, but there is ample parking.
The entrance leads you to the gift shop. There was a staff meeting going on right in front so I totally got ignored. I wanted to buy coffee beans and could have used some help. Without any, I went with the 100% Kona. You really can’t go wrong with 100% Kona.
I headed towards the back where the café is and oh my goodness, what a 180! The staff there was so nice and friendly and greeted me with a smile. They took my order and answered all my questions. There’s plenty of space inside and outside to enjoy your coffee. They also offer pastries, acai bowls, and smoothies.
I’d love to return, but I will definitely head straight to the back.

Remember as a child when you found your secret hiding place but someone (most likely your sibling) found out and it became theirs too?! That’s exactly how I feel about this specific location!!! As much as I hate for people to start coming to this place and take my usual parking spot and table, it’ll be unfair to HC and of course, to you.
Honolulu Coffee in Kalakau is huge! It presents a little bit of history with its furnishings and rustic touch! I really love this place for the space– lots of parking available and tons of room to move around. Moreover, the bathrooms are clean and well maintained. Unfortunately, seating is usually limited but if you are like me who is just looking for a quiet place to read and maybe do some homework, then the community seating (bar stools) will do.
Although, I am not a fan of their coffee because it’s more on a sweet/​dessert side, I do enjoy their tea and serving presentation. Honolulu coffee’s food presentation is up to par. They also have dessert options from Japanese cheesecake, simple baked goods to macarons. Honolulu coffee also serves food menu for breakfast, lunch and something in between. Love love love being served in real dinnerware, glassware and stemware (unlike getting plastic utensils i.e. «Spork», as if we’re purchasing food from a prison cafeteria #rant). Also, prices are from moderate-​pricey but not too different from Starbucks prices.
I personally come here for tea and cheesecake. The cheesecake is very light but very filling – not too sweet which will not make you feel as guilty (wink). In addition, I commend the employees’ attention to detail and customer service.
All in all, Honolulu Coffee is worth checking out. But please don’t come by too often that you’ll take over frequent customers’ spaces aka me!

Great coffee. The extra fancy Kona is on par with a stumpworks or blue bottle strong dark, with a fruity acidity. The other two varieties were nice as well, but I found the extra fancy to be the best. The peaberry had more of a tomato acidity to it, which was close to the Maui Mokka we tried at other places. Their blend was my last favorite, having none of the strengths of either variety. Their cold new was great too. Reminded me of Alfred’s cold new if you know the shop.
Desserts were also nice, and good macarons that they make themselves, albeit served a bit cold due to refrigeration, so they weren’t very soft and lost some flavor. Served fresh I’m sure they’d be much better.
Also great to sit and watch the coffee roaster at work, and talk to the guy at the helm, who is a true coffee lover and enthusiast.

This is now my FAVORITE coffee place by FAR. I work two blocks from it and didn’t realize that it existed until a colleague suggested meeting there for a coffee meeting. The place is HUGE with tons of parking– which is awesome for the location (the former location of the old Hard Rock Café– across from the Convention Center).
This Honolulu Coffee location is much different from the rest– it is more of an «experience center» that feels like a museum. You learn about Hawaii coffee, get taken through the history, there is a «cupping room» for coffee tasting (I think this is a hardcore hipster trend right now, amirite?!)…there are museum style placards and display cases showing the soil that coffee is grown in on the different islands. I noticed a few small groups on tours and they looked fun!
Tourist stuff aside– this place is a great place for locals. The service is IMPECCABLE. They remembered my name and order the second time I visited. Very impressive. The pastries are baked in house– and you can watch them work through a big glass window that connects the main room to the kitchen /​bakery. They also have a nice assortment of pastries to choose from. Sweet! Literally…
I went for an egg, bacon and cheese muffin and it was delicious, came with a fresh salad. My hot latte came to me in a pretty mug with a cute, leafy design on top. That made me happy! When I went, the aroma of the coffee beans roasting was amazing, and there was a guy manning the roasting machine. So authentic. Sourced locally. And just good product. I can feel the love in this place! If you are not worried about your diet — you MUST try the almond croissant– it is ridiculously good! YUM!

The property is not the easiest to access and will require you to navigate a series of one-​way streets. You have to be on Kalakaua heading Ewa. Parking is usually easy and available.
I decided to have lunch here, and the staff-​recommended BBQ turkey sandwich on toasted ciabatta is really delicious, the BBQ sauce is made with Kona coffee, light mayonnaise and a slaw. The side salad is fresh farm greens with a delightfully tasty passion fruit/​papaya seed dressing. Coffees are world class and the space inside is wide open with lofty ceilings. Outdoor seating is also available and most tables have umbrellas.
Pluses are secured bathrooms and free WiFi. I like coming here to get some work done, coffee by my side.

First off I’d like to say that I LOVE Honolulu Coffee Company coffee.
Located in the old Hard Rock Café building on the corner of Kalakaua and Kapiolani across from the Convention Center.
This place is huge with a lot of empty space. It was a little difficult to find the actual coffee bar (located on the opposite side of the entrance). A gift shop, lots of displays of coffee (kinda overwhelming) fill up the space. There is a huge bakery there and it surprises me that there are not more bakery items offered.
Not a lot of customers there when I stopped by. Five to be exact.
Its a great place to take a group of people for a meeting. LOTS of space including outdoor seating. Some outdoor parking available.
But, like I said. The Coffee is awesome.

This is one of my favorite regular coffee spot. Located where the old Hard Rock Café once stood, Honolulu Coffee Co has ample free parking space and huge museum like café. Plus they have outside seatings which is a plus for dog owners. I bring my Frenchie all the time and sit outside and enjoy my coffee and lunch.
Their coffee and food are good too. I usually order a large hot coffee of the day in a french press so the beverage stays hot. I also ask for a side of milk for the coffee which they bring to us with no problem. Then I either order Caprese sandwich or a bbq turkey sandwich. They both come in ciabatta breads along with a generous amount of green salad.

The atmosphere is way better than the coffee. It’s party coffee factory, part gift shop, part laboratory, part coffee shop under one roof. Parking is plenty but how to get there going into Waikiki, oh boy. If you leaving via Kalakaua, it’s on the right. Going other way good luck!

If you like real coffee, try Honolulu Coffee. From Kona and roasted on site. The coffee smell is awesome.

Decided to stop by to get a quick cup of joe before heading out of town area, I definitely was not craving a cheaply cup from McDonald’s or anything. Not having a high tolerance for dairy products, I decided to opt to get an iced macchiato with soy, Which I found they couldn’t do so I opted for an iced coffee with soy. I wasn’t too impressed It tasted really watered down, I want to say maybe because I got it iced but there was no flavor, no boldness or roastiness to the actual coffee. I probably won’t be craving coffee from there but I may return to try a plain cup of joe to get a solid review of there coffee there.

If you like coffee, this is a good place to visit. I think they have the best tasting 100% Kona coffee. My go to is the French press which is a bit pricey because it is pure Kona.
This place is a good visit as you can see them grinding coffee, making desserts, and a history of coffee. Definitely a place to pick up coffee and go or just chill there inside or outside patio.

I had a meeting today at the café and it was my first time in since the place was remodeled. The outside landscaping has been done up really well and the building and parking lot were nice and clean which is a huge improvement.
There was plenty of parking which was great for being in a busy part of town. When we walked in there was a small sign that said left for the exhibit and right for the café. I went right and there was a corner full of coffee and merchandise for purchase but there was not anyone around working there or a place to order coffee. After a minute I noticed staff waving me to the back of the building and then I noticed there was a counter facing the outside patio. I walked back and then saw the menu for ordering and case of pastries and sweets available (which faced the outside patio). The staff did not seem shocked that I could not find the ordering counter easily.
There were 3 girls behind the counter, 1 appeared to be training. I ordered a large espresso drink, hot, and waited to the side for it to be made. The drink was made pretty quickly since they were not that busy. I opted to sit outside since the tables had umbrellas for shade.
The espresso drink was very tasty but just warm, not hot at all. Next time I will ask for extra hot to make sure they it is the right temperature. I didn’t mind too much since I like both hot and cold coffee.
The patio area was simply laid out and had nice landscaping around. The noise from the intersection of Kalakaua and Kapiolani was pretty loud but I didn’t mind, it was to be expected in this part of town.
The décor of the café and experience center were nicely done and the staff was very friendly. I noticed there were no garbage cans outside on the patio or inside the café which was a bit odd. I look forward to going back and checking out more of the history in the experience center. Hopefully they can get the café ordering counter process better recognized and some garbage cans.

I am always on the hunt for new coffee hangouts and am so excited I’ve found a new spot! Located across from the Hawaii Convention Center, the Honolulu Coffee Experience Center is housed in what used to be Hard Rock Café. They’ve done an amazing job with the remodel and it’s a gorgeous space with indoor and lanai seating. It’s set-​up for tourists with a gift center for buying coffee, a large working coffee roaster in the center of the room, cupping room, viewable pastry kitchen and exhibits that explain the history of coffee in the islands.
I grabbed a chai tea latte at the coffee bar and the baristas I talked to were so sweet! There’s a nice selection of beautiful pastries which I’ll definitely try during my visit when I have more time. Best part about this spot? Free parking! #Winning

Hipsters who die and go to heaven would come here for a cold brew or pour. This ‘experience’ is definitely geared towards the tour groups but it’s an astonishing homage to local brews. Since I’m used to Bay Area prices (although not really a coffee drinker), their cost is on par with the bar set first by Starbucks and boosted even more by pour-​over like Philz, Blue Bottle Coffee.
The décor though is astounding. Open since October 3015 in the former Hard Rock Café, the space soars and stretches. Yes, there should be more indoor seating, trampling tourist hordes be damned. There’s a cupping lab, a bakery where you can watch the cake-​age at work, farming and roasting implements on display, a tasting bar and the requisite gift shop with a ridiculously priced «messenger» bag which earns its triple-​digit tag because of the coffee burlap sewn on.
As for the libations themselves — the iced decaf mocha turned out fine (I asked for 2 pumps of syrup rather than three). The Husband, who likes his coffee on the Peets dark roast side, liked the Peaberry French press.
Lots of parking and, in an unrelated but heartwarming touch, borders a senior living home. Hope the neighbors get to enjoy this with a senior discounts.

I can totally see myself going to Honolulu Coffee Experience Center just to hang out. Drinking their delicious coffee and treating myself to a delicious pastry while sitting in their huge outdoor area. This place will give you a greater appreciation of how coffee is grown, harvested and roasted.

Super friendly and accommodating staff. They and the atmosphere get a 5. There’s a lot of fun things to see, read, watch, smell, and taste in here. They do a «cupping» and sampling exercise daily at 11 and 3.
Coffee I’d have to go with a 3. It’s a little commercial in here. I would expect more local and organic offerings being the Honolulu coffee experience. But everything tasted good.
Skip breakfast. I got the egg sandwich which was kind of like a McMuffin. Not worth the price. My salad greens were wet, wilted, and discolored. My husband’s quiche was warm until he got to the center, which was cold. Overall the flavor in general of our breakfast was bland.
It would be harsh to give less than a 3, because of how genuinely nice everyone was. Maybe if they rethink the food, but glad we tried it.

All i have to say about this place is that they did a beautiful job of turning this place into a place where you can learn a lot about how coffee is produced and made a Coffee Museum out of it. They even have a Bake Shop where you can see them making their desserts and pastries right before your very eyes. The only problem is what local is gonna buy a smoothie for about eight bucks or seven dollars for a cup of 100 percent Kona Coffee?
I know i’m talking from a local’s stand point, but this place has tourist trap written all over it. I love the idea and concept but i can assure you that you won’t see a local become a regular here like you would see a local go to a Starbucks almost every single day getting their coffee fix.
And as for the seating area to eat your sweets and drink your coffee, brah you know locals don’t like to be out in the sun sweating like a pig and watching the breathtaking view of the four way traffic stop right outside on the lanai.
We like sit inside where it’s nice and cool but the only problem is there are only four tables to sit at in a huge place like this. I really would love to see this place succeed, but just remember, this is the location where so many businesses have tried to make it after The Hard Rock Café closed and these kind of places are where me and other places would put bets on how this place is gonna stay open.
I sure hope they prove me wrong because The Honolulu Coffee Company is a very reputable place and serves excellent coffee, but i think i will just go to the Ala Moana location and get my coffee fix there.
If i ever do visit this place again though, i’ll be like this one lady who was sitting next to us on a table who ordered just one Macaron, and helped herself to the Coffee tasting area with her sample cup and was drinking here free coffee here and there like a boss.
It’s one and done for this kama’aina…

Cool coffee exhibit. Worth a visit even if you don’t want any food/​drink.
FOOD & DRINK
I didn’t actually have any food or drink from the café. Mostly because of the pricing. But it did look tasty. They have a bakery in the center where they are making fresh macaroons, pastries and quiches. I’ve had Honolulu Coffee Company drinks before, and they’re usually pretty good.
I did have a couple coffee samples, and they were good, but I would have liked some sugar/​creamer to try the coffee with.
SPACE & SERVICE
Wow! The space is why you should make an effort to visit this place. It’s not just a coffee shop, but a mini-​museum too. If you’re interested in coffee in Hawaii, and how coffee is made, you’ll really dig the gallery and the cupping lab. They have just done a wonderful job of using the large circular space
My only wish here is that there were more indoor seating options.
PRICE
Womp womp! I’m poor, feel sorry for me. :(I really wanted a smoothie, but for $ 7.50… Nope. Also, I overheard another guy complaining about the fact that the quiches (or a slice of one) cost $ 10. I get it, this is Waikiki, this is an awesome space, tourists will love it and not think twice about the price. But there are plenty of locals who live close by and would love to make this their regular coffee spot — if it was more affordable, that is.