So I have raved about this place even before arriving in Oahu… We come on one of our mornings and line up in the long line anticipating the Kona mocha coconut drink and mocha banana. My BF orders an egg & bacon bagel sandwich and I get the lox bagel with greens and capers. After watching people camp out for tables I luckily stroll outside and got one, actually not so lucky and you will find out why in a bit. I grab a two person table and it’s right next to this giant line, so another opens up next to it that seats for and I was like oh perfect more room for us. After my BF arrives to sit we get out drinks a few minutes later. We notice some little birds near us, they aren’t scared of people and they stalk us. As they hop on the table next to where we sit I notice all these ticks or fleas falling off of them. It was SO disgusting. I know it isn’t totally Island Vintages fault it’s nature but they need to be aware that their customers are dining with infested tables. I literally lost my appetite and we had to get up and move. By then I was already done, I couldn’t eat my food anymore. I had a beautiful plate of everything bagel with lox, alfalfa sprouts, capers and cream cheese and I just couldn’t erase what I saw on that table from my mind lol. Food was 3⁄5 Drinks 4⁄5 Location 2⁄5 Otherwise their blended drinks were very yummy. Next time I will order to go, forget eating next to those patio birds. Guys please be careful of the birds, they literally stalk your food lol. I gave three stars because of the tight spaces, and uncomfortable location. I know the amount of customers, birds including fleas are out of their control but I had to knock two stars. I can’t get to four for these reasons.
Tricia N.
Place rating: 4 Davis, CA
This place has the best acai bowls that I have tried thus far. Their bowls are huge and contains lots of fruits, granola, and honey. I personally like my acai bowls sweet instead of tart, and I think they did a great job making just perfect to how I like mines to taste. The acai bowls also aren’t watery/melted and has the perfect texture to withstand the heat. Along with the acai bowl, I also ordered a medium iced vanilla latte. The coffee was strong and not as sweet — perfect, if you’re the type of person who likes not overly bitter coffee and likes the strong taste with a hint of vanilla; however, a medium cup of coffee was around $ 4.50! A little pricey, but worth a try. The workers here seemed a little bit overwhelmed and some seemed to be having a stressful day, but they were helpful whenever we asked questions. Tip: you can also order coffee and food on the other side(to the left) of the coffee shop if you want to avoid long lines.
Tuan L.
Place rating: 3 Irvine, CA
Island vintage is a popular fast casual coffee shop offering coffee, tea and food. If you’re looking for a quick sit down breakfast place with a small selection of breakfast items such as their acai bowl, yogurt, oatmeal, breakfast sandwich, or pasties, consider making a stop here. The food is assembled and presented beautifully like the island. The yogurt bowl, taste as wonderful as it looks. Creamy yogurt sits on top of a half sliced guava that acts as the bowl. Topped with an array of fruit, granola, drizzling of honey, and tropical flower. Go ahead, take a picture to persevere another lasting memory.
Rachel C.
Place rating: 1 Wahiawā, HI
This is my first time here and I did not have a good experience. After dinner with family visiting from the mainland, my Aunty wanted coffee so we stopped by here. We were outside conversing, and I was getting thirsty. I was craving for something sweet, so I ordered the Tropical Sensation(iced tea with guava and fresh berries). I was waiting for my order… and suddenly I noticed that several customers who ordered after me got their orders before me, including someone who seems to be a friend of one of the employees. Now I can totally understand if my order is difficult to make, but really?! After 15 minutes, I realized they have forgotten my order so I went to the barista and asked her about it. She apologized and asked the other employee to make my order, which took less than a minute. The other employee acted as if I inconvenienced her and as if called her out on forgetting my order. She slid my order on the counter without looking at me while saying my order number without an apology or a thank you. I had told my family what happened and they joked that I wasn’t a tourist, which I hope isn’t the reason why I received bad customer service… if it is, then that is downright rude. Customers should be treated equally, regardless if they are a resident or tourist. Either way they are bringing business to your establishment. All my jobs in different sectors in the industry(including food and beverage service) deal with customer service, so I know what it’s like dealing with customers. I tried to be as nice and simple as possible. After the cashier handed me my receipt, I told her nicely«Thank you so much» and she didn’t say anything… not a «thank you» or «have a nice night.» She just looked at me. On a positive note, the Tropical Sensation was delicious. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and you can taste the guava. I love that the add the berries, since it adds color. It’s a tad pricy for an iced tea($ 4.56 for a small), but worth it. I noticed they serve the tea with the dome lid. It looks as if the cup isn’t full, they might as well serve it with the flat lid instead… that’s just my opinion. It’s rare that I give one star. Although I liked my drink, I will not be coming here again after my experience with the customer service… unless it improves, maybe. Horrible customer service = unhappy customer.
Michael H.
Place rating: 3 Kailua-Kona, HI
I think this place is just ok, I got a hot drip coffee and my girl friend got a acai bowl. The coffee is good nothing amazing, I’m a little upset that my coffee, for here, came in a paper cup and the acai bowl came in a ceramic coffee cup. Why can’t the coffee come in a ceramic cup? The acai bowl was good also but not amazing. There was a good amount of acai on the bottom with a good ratio of granola and banana to it, however they only had 1 strawberry and a few blueberries which threw the ratio of everything off. They also put a lot of honey on top so if you like it really sweet then come here if not then you should ask them to put less on. I also did not like that the cashier and the person making the acai bowl did not smile once and they didn’t act the least bit interested in their job. I liked that they had a water dispenser not behind the counter, too bad that there were dirty acai bowl cups sitting right under the spout where you get water. The atmosphere here is very nice it’s conveniently located in the Royal Hawaiian Center on the second floor and the balcony overlooks a garden/sitting area between the buildings. I could sit here for a while just people watching and right now they are setting up speakers on the stage under us so looks like we’re going to have live music which is nice. To sum things up, for the price there are better coffee and acai bowl places on Waikiki, Goofy’s café & dine. However the location of Hawaiian vintage coffee is more conveniently located for those shopping.
Faiza K.
Place rating: 4 North York, Canada
This is quite a popular place to grab a coffee or pick up a few products to bring back as gifts. It’s tiny compared to the amount of traffic it gets so be prepared to wait in a line(it goes quickly so don’t let it deter you). There is coffee, tea, jams/spreads that you can pick up to bring back as gifts — some items even come in those prepackaged gift packs which are perfect for variety and size wise if you only came with a carry on(like me!) since you don’t have to worry about if it’s under 100ml.
Suany W.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
The acai bowls are perfection! I also love the Tropical Sensation iced tea so much that I drank a large cup every single day during my Waikiki stay. All that sunbathing makes a big girl thirsty!
Andrea M.
Place rating: 4 San Diego, CA
Finally I agree with the stars! This is the best breakfast I have had here in Waikiki. My boyfriend and I both ordered the bacon and egg bagels. He got his on a plain bagel and I got mine in an everything bagel. The sandwiches are very fresh and loaded with good stuff(I would pass on the pesto aioli though– it doesn’t really work). They even come with a side salad. We got the kona coffee– just black. Everything was really good. It seems like there is always a line, but it went pretty fast. The only bad thing– the cookies look good, but don’t be fooled. We had the chocolate Mac nut cookie. It was dry and a little bland.
Virginia K.
Place rating: 5 San Diego, CA
I dream about this place when I’m not in Waikiki. My fav drink is the island latte and I’m such a creature of habit that I’ve never tried anything else. Maybe one day I’ll try the honey latte. Mmm coffee that tastes like Hawaii. What more could you ask for!
Sitarani P.
Place rating: 5 Honolulu, HI
Anytime of day, any kind of craving, Island Vintage hits the spot. I’m partial to their Acai Bowls — which are huge, loaded with granola, fresh fruit, and honey, and sometimes they put them in layers so you don’t polish off all the best fixin’s from the start. Enough for two people easily, and the perfect thing to take with you for breakfast on Waikiki. If you want something savory, try the Tofu Poke Bowl with sesame ginger tofu, watercress, greens, avocado, onions, and brown rice. Fresh and filling. And I have it on good authority that Chicken Avocado Sandwich is one of the best sandwiches on the island. This place is so much more than coffee. Not to be missed!
Sophia H.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
Iced coffee is just okay but best acai bowl ever! It comes with tons of sweet fruit, honey, granola, and acai smoothie. It’s not cheap but portions are huge. You can definitely share with more than 2 people. I’m looking forward to stopping by again for a snack before I leave Hawaii.
Jane T.
Place rating: 5 Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY
One of the best coffee I’ve ever had is the iced island latte from this cute café. I miss it so much. I can never get it back in NYC. I purposely came here twice with my husband during my stay at Waikiki. Just to get that island latte. It tastes like nutty goodness. It has a nice robust coffee flavor with macadamia nut flavor and a hint of coconut. My husband got the coconut cream beverage which was too sweet for me but tasted great. I bought the Island Vintage Coffee brand of honey glazed macadamia nuts because well, one can never have enough macadamia nut souvenirs from Hawaii. It was in a cute container and had the café logo on it. I tasted it back in New York and it was OMG delicious. Should’ve gotten more! The shave ice stand outside is really nice too. We got the pink island shave ice. To sum it up. Coffee — excellent. Macadamia nut souvenirs — fantastic. Shave ice stand — great too. They also seem to have nice breakfast options too but I didn’t get to try them. I miss this place.
Deb W.
Place rating: 4 Brighton, MA
Highly recommended breakfast place in Hawaii. I went twice: once in Waikiki and once in Maui. They have pretty long lines but once you order the food comes out almost immediately. I’ve tried the vintage Kona mocha, lychee Danish, tropical sensation, taro bagel, and the acai bowl. The acai bowl was definitely the highlight. It is so delicious and filling. Best part is that you actually feel good after eating something healthy on vacation. The taro bagel tasted like a regular bagel to me but the lychee Danish was crispy and fresh. My only complaint is that the prices were on the high side but that wouldn’t stop me from coming back if I were to visit Hawaii again.
Anna I.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
The spicy ahi tuna poke bowl with rice was the most delicious thing I’ve ever tried. The fish was so fresh! And the avocado was freshly cut. It was heaven. The shrimp salad was sooooooooo amazing. It comes with tiger shrimps and fresh salad leaves. It comes with an amazing salad dressing. Their kale Caesar salad changed my life. It was amazing and I hate kale! Try the taro blended drink and the coconut macadamia nut drink. All of their drinks at phenomenal and breath taking. I don’t have one complaint about this holy place. The presentation was beyond amazing. Everything was amazing! This place is heaven!!! It’s life changing. Yes. I went back to LA and I spent my mornings drinking coffee and staring at pictures of this food. I even remade some of the items on the menu but it wasn’t the same. I suggest going here for breakfast every single day. It’s expensive but it’s completely worth it.
Jennifer T.
Place rating: 4 Las Vegas, NV
They’ve expanded their menu to add food items like sandwiches, salads, poke and rice plates. Prices were about $ 12 – 16. I’m not sure how the poke tastes but I heard a lot of people ordering it. The vintage kona mocha is still delicious. It has macadamia, hint of coconut and I think a Peaberry chip blended together. I’m not sure if there is any caffeine in any of the blended drinks. Island vintage coffee has coffee beans, instant coffee, mugs, chocolate covered beans, and honey for sale. There is some seating inside, some on the patio and some right outside the shop. It can get crowded so expect a wait and ran a table as soon as someone gets up, or just take your drink to go.
Amy C.
Place rating: 5 Irvine, CA
Awesome location, with nice open seating. It was so hot so I craved a iced coffee and refused to go to Starbucks. This is a gem! We got a medium Island latte(iced) and the taste of macadamia Nut and smoothness of the coffee was great. There are also poké bowls, salads and available bowls. But we were still full from Marukame udon.
Chris C.
Place rating: 5 Irvine, CA
Iced island latte = latte with macadamia and hint of coconut = hit the spot = just the right amount of sweetness Didn’t want an iced/frozen frappé type drink so this was heaven. Located on the second floor in a circular plaza. Limited seating inside and fair amount of seating outside on the patios. Good for an escape from all the Starbucks you see on every block!
Quoc-Nam N.
Place rating: 5 Honolulu, HI
So, this is my first time here on a small break from work. This is a very busy coffeeshop in the heart of Waikiki! Let me tell you, there is a good reason why! This shop sells everything from food, candy, coffee, coffee beans, mugs, etc. Although it was busy, I was able to receive my drink in less than 5 minutes! What did I order you might ask? Vintage Kona Mocha(macadamia & coconut w/peaberry chip frozen drink… with whipped cream of course). After about 500 calories later, I would say that this beverage beats any frozen Starbucks beverage hands down! It had pieces of coffee beans in it! The taste is heavenly! It has a rich combination of coconut, macadamia & coffee flavor. It is complex, but not overpowering. I highly recommend this beverage for anyone who enjoys frozen coffees! The staff were very friendly and helpful. Seating is a bit of a challenge because of how busy this place is. That being said, you should at least try this place out!
Maria G.
Place rating: 5 Virginia Beach, VA
This has been my favorite and go to coffee shop every morning while vacationing on the Island! The ice latte, bagel sandwich and the Acai bowl will surely be missed once I leave. Acai bowl– plenty of Acai smoothie on the bottom with fresh generous amount of fruits(banana, strawberries, blueberries). The Granola has a nice texture giving it that nice crunch. Then it’s all drizzled with honey! I’m picky when it comes to honey and the Island has the best! Island Iced Latte — has the right amount of flavor but not too sweet yet strong enough to taste the hint of coconut and macadamia. Bacon and egg bagel– yuumm! The bagel is soft and not that hard thick kind. The bacon is hearty and the egg is fresh. There’s also this aioli sauce that makes this sandwich a winner! They also sell the granola and honey they use in their Acai bowl so, you can recreate your own. And the 100% Kona coffee. Only bad thing is the line! There is always a line and wait, and the seatings… forget it! Tables are being snatched up before you can move away from it and get cleaned. But I still keep coming back!
Chaldea S.
Place rating: 5 San Diego, CA
Okay so I’ve Unilocaled this place before our trip to Hawaii and put it on our«must do» list after seeing all the great reviews. Here’s my experience… I woke up early(still on California time) on a Tuesday morning to check this place out. Went up the escalator to find the line out the door. First thought, «damn, it must be good.» I was hesitant on what to get since it was so early. Should I get a drip coffee? A latte? The Vintage Kona Mocha was calling my name. A friendly, sweet woman took my order and gave me a card with a Hawaiian name for them to yell out when my order was ready. Got my drink in less than 5 minutes. First sip was like my tastebuds met heaven for the first time. My. Goodness! What is this sorcery?!? It’s only been 30 minutes since I left and I’m already thinking about getting more. So yes, I highly recommend this place for all your coffee needs! The line looks bad but goes by fairly quickly. Service is good. And the drinks are AMAZING! I can’t wait to try their other drinks.