Ka’ili Cafe

Ka’ili Café is very quaint and chill. Went inside with a big group and got our food in a very reasonable time. Had the Chicken Curry and it was delicious, one of the best Japanese curries I’ve had. Staff was nice and prompt. Would like to see a bit more items on their menu but still has something for everyone.

Fresh poke and friendly service. Only open third-​sat for lunch which makes it difficult to go often. They have other items but I have yet to try them.

It’s in this industrial area called Kaka’ako. In the middle of a Saturday for lunch. I had the chicken curry with carrots & gold potatoes over brown rice. Delicious! My husband had combo spicy & shoyu ahi poke with avocado over brown rice. We both had the coffee, which was some mighty fine coffee! & they give you a little brownie bite for dessert! Very clean & comfy! Oh! & they have a surf shop next door. Great little place in a nice area!

Recently had lunch here with two other friends one Saturday after 1.5 hours of aerials. We were ravenous. Staff was polite and friendly. The café interior was clean and cheery. The outside seating was well decorated as well, with an interesting plant wall that I thought was clever.
My friends are the «healthy» type of people who try to avoid carbs and eat clean, lean protein and the like. But me, I’m only «good» sometimes. Ahaha! I had my poke bowl with white rice and it hit the spot coz that’s the only way to do it in my book. One of my healthy friends had salads with grilled chicken, while the other one went good-​girl/​bad-​girl and got a combination poke bowl with white rice and the chicken salad. It’s nice that they offer combos for all the goodl/​bad girls/​boys out there. We all had happy tummies and felt replenished. The poke was one of the freshest I’ve had in a long time. Buttery smooth with no gristle. The portions were good, just the right amount and I felt we got good value for the price. They also had chili that day which I would have loved to try, but unfortunately we had to fly again in 2 hours and basically, I wanted my friends to stay my friends…
We also had some of their home made local fruit sorbet. They had some in the usual fruit sorbet flavors and some interesting choices like «mountain apple» and «white pineapple» (both of which were delicious btw). They do combination scoops so between the three of us we were able to try 6 flavors. All were refreshing, but my favorite was the mango. It tasted like summer vacation in a cup! This place is definitely a hidden gem and we will definitely be back.

Great spicy ahi poki bowl. One of the best fruit sorbet using local grown fruits. Will make this one of my lunch options.

This place is a little hidden gem! It’s literally located right across from my gym (UFC)! It was a perfect lunch spot/​mid afternoon snack for my friend and I after we had finished working out.
They have poke bowls, salads and other food items like turkey chili. I had a bite off friends spicy ahi & tofu poke salad topped with avocado. So yummy! I will definitely have to come back for more.
I ordered the sorbet bowl which was a perfect afternoon treat since it was so hot! You can pick up to 4 flavors and it comes with 3 toppings of your choice. I really liked the coconut and mango flavor. So refreshing and the texture was unlike other sorbets I’ve had. The lady makes it herself! The lilikoi was good but maybe a bit too tart for me. The granola, bananas and honey was a great combination. It was similar to acai bowl almost.
I also loved the fact that they serve bulletproof coffee which I’ve actually always wanted to try. If you’re not familiar with bulletproof coffee, it’s basically coffee with grass-​fed butter. I know it sounds strange but it tasted pretty good.
They have seats and tables inside but it’s a pretty limited since the place is so small. There is some eating areas on the outside as well.
Owners are very friendly! Great poke spot!

Fresh, fresh, great flavor and friendly people. Has a tasty salad option also. Homemade sorbet bowls. Located in Tropical Blends surf shop across street from BJ Penn gym.

Nicole K’s pictures of this place looked amazing, so when she invited me on Saturday, I was stoked to try this amazing poke heaven.
First, parking is a hassle. There are two or three spots for the entire building, which includes a yoga studio, a surfboard place and kaili café. You’re basically stuck trying to find street parking, but in kakaako, it can get difficult.
Kaili café is located right across from the UFC gym. They have both outdoor and indoor seating options and offer a menu of ahi poke, salad, chicken curry, fresh pressed juice and sorbet.
Nicole K is addicted to the poke tacos, but since I’m kind of a spicy ahi fanatic, I thought I’d start with the spicy ahi poke bowl on my first visit. At almost $ 9, it’s one of the more pricey poke bowls I’ve had, but if I’m in the Kakaako area and craving spicy ahi, I’d come back because there aren’t any other places in the area. The spicy ahi was flavorful and the house made chili pepper water added an extra kick of spice. I will definitely need to try those poke tacos sometime in the near future!
I also tried the mango sorbet. It tasted exactly like a mango, not overly sweet. I might have to get the next one with honey and granola. :)
The people working here are really nice. We happened to come on «brownie day», so we got a little brownie with our poke lunch.
It’s a really cute place, with plentiful seating and good poke bowls. The hours are limited though, just like the parking situation.

Located below Sweat+Soul and across from UFC gym is Ka’ili Café. A small shop run by two of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met! They work hard to provide amazingly healthy and fresh dishes every Thursday thru Saturday.
Their menu includes poke bowls (using freshly caught ahi), salads, wraps, sorbets, Impress Juice and curry. I ordered the curry and it is fantastic! Great flavor with no annoying bones or fat left in the bowl. They also threw in a free peach cobbler as a snack. Yum. rich and buttery!
Did I mention that the ladies are lovely? They took the time to talk to me, ask me about my day and told me to fill up my hydroflask with their refreshing lemon water. Definitely will be back to try everything else on their menu after my workouts!

Awesome food!!! The fresh ahi avocado tacos were off the hook! We will be back for sure. Tish and her staff were very friendly and courteous. Also make sure you try the cookies… and buy some to take home for later cause you’ll want more!

With just an hour between our barre and yin yoga classes at Sweat + Soul, Elise C. and I needed to find a nearby spot to grab lunch. You can’t get any nearer than Ka’ili Café! Located on Pohukaina Street (and right downstairs from Sweat + Soul) Ka’ili Café came to the rescue with a quick and DELICIOUS lunch!
Their menu includes Poke Bowls, Salads of the Week, and Organic Sorbets. It was tough to choose between their offered Spicy Ahi, Shoyu Ahi, and Shoyu Tofu, but we both decided on Spicy Ahi Bowls with Brown Rice and Tossed Salad. I was very impressed with both the quality and taste of the fish! To top off an already terrific Poke Bowl, Ka’ili Café offers an AMAZING chilli pepper water. We were forewarned several times that it was very hot so we made sure to practice caution. They certainly weren’t lying — the stuff was HOT — but it added the perfect kick to our lunch.
With ample seating both inside and outside the café, this hidden gem is the perfect place to grab a quiet lunch. The food is delicious, the employees are warm and friendly, and the location is perfect for a pre/​post/​in-​between workout at nearby Sweat + Soul or UFC Gym!

Nothing is more enticing to a foodventurer than a little sign on the sidewalk that ponts to a random hole-​in-​the-​wall promoting one of your favorite foods. I was out taking a photo tour of the new Pow Wow pieces when I came upon my foodie beacon, beckoning me to have a little adventure. I was not disappointed!
I walked in and the owner, Tish, was there. A hard working woman that just wanted to try her business at serving townies her specialty poke and salads on her days off. She was the kind of person that if she was your Aunty, you knew to always go to her house when there was a house party cuz guarantee would be some serious grindz! Her spicy ahi poke was ono. The quality of the ahi was unmistable. Each morsel was so tender, you didn’t really have to chew to hard to realize the morsels would melt in your mouth. Tish gave all the praise to the fishermen she gets her stash from. An added bonus, she is currently training with an Uncle that makes some MEAN chili pepper water. This is not the watered down stuff that you find in restaurants. When you see it, the buggah is thick. It was probably the best tasting chili pepper water I’ve ever had. I doused my spicy ahi poke in it, making my lips tingle with fire with each bite. Don’t get me wrong, it was some hot chili pepper water, but the flavor was jam packed in every drop.
To help alleviate the chili pepper’s fire dance in my mouth, they also serve organic sorbet. According to Tish, the sorbet is all locally sourced products. The result was a fabulously smooth and substantial sorbet that oozed with tropical fruit flavors such as pineapple and mango. It was like I was eating right out of a sliced mango, just chilled with the consistency of ice cream.
The food was great. Finding this place and getting to meet the people there was even better. Sometimes, stumbling into places is the best way to find some good eats. This place is only open from Thursday — Saturday from 11AM — 4PM. So come prepared. For poke lovers, you will definitely want to try this spot out.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! I saw photos from this hidden gem of a restaurant on a friend’s Instagram and had to try it. The poke is amazing! Very simple menu but, unlike Foodland/​Times/​Safeway, the 100% fresh and was never previously frozen. It is conveniently located right across the street from the street from the BJ Penn Gym and provides a nice fresh and healthy alternative to the arm bar menu. Give it a shot — you will not be disappointed.

Read about this place in Unilocal.Like the menu kind of excited about a new place