Koko Head Cafe

So full disclosure — Mom’s been hankering for southern biscuits (you know, the soft fluffy kind?) so I’ve been searching high and low but to no avail. I’ve asked my foodie friends and the best suggestion so far was «…KFC or Popeye’s?»
When I visited Koko Head Café previously (and enjoyed an excellent meal), I noticed they had a vanilla biscuit on the menu. So I picked one up to go.
Pros: freshly baked upon order & comes with whipped butter and apple (or maybe pear?) compote; pronounced aroma from real vanilla beans
Cons: over $ 5, about the size of a regular KFC biscuit, consistency is more akin to a scone than a southern biscuit
It wasn’t terrible, but at $ 5 a pop and not quite what I was looking for, I think I’ll be sticking to the other menu items (which if I haven’t made clear are reaaaaallly good).

Went here for a post hike lunch today. It was only about a 20 min wait for our party of 8. Service was friendly, informative and prompt. We each ordered something different and every dish looked great! I ordered the Bibimbap skillet and my daughter had the bacon pancakes. The skillet had a wonderful mix of flavor a the only downside is that since served in a piping hot skillet the rice got crunchy:(. The pancakes are made with ricotta and are delicious and rich. The syrup in the pancakes had just the right amount of sweetness to offset the richness of the cakes. i didn’t give 5 stars because I feel the prices are pretty steep. For my daughter and I it was $ 33.

Came here with my bf’s family after hiking Koko head. We had a party of 7, so it took a bit to get seated. They have daily specials that aren’t on the regular menu. I recommend you take a look at it! Our waitress was very knowledgeable of what’s on the menu. She was able to give us recommendations quickly. I decided to get the loco moco (I think it was called koko moco?). I never had a loco moco before in California, but I did enjoy their version! We got some appetizers as well. I should’ve written this review earlier, but I don’t remember everything. Anyway, we got the dumplings because the waitress told us it was really good. Do not share an order of dumplings for 7 people lol. It did come with 6 pieces though. I thought this place was very cute. It is definitely a hipster place.

Five Start for Many time stop by I’m till love delicious food will detail mix Asian style with all United National Chef.
Quick Counter seat open Kitchen can see Pro-​Chef ad friendliest Hostess.

I really wanted to give a great review about this place, i really did. So much where i came here twice.
Location:Although its a bit hidden, its next to koa pancakes with many meter parking lots
Restaurant: I like the vibe of this place, as it is a lot nicer inside than expected.
Service: Luckily, both times i was prepared to wait, but i got seated right away. What luck! Everyone is nice here and the server usually checks up on me once or twice throughout the whole experience.
Food: The second time i went i tried the dumpling of the day which seemed to be gyoza with yakisoba sauce and cabbage? I got the fritatta of the day as well which seemed to just be egg, few potatoes, and bits of kalua pork meat. I was honestly disappointed with the lack of flavor i had to drown it with pepper and ketchup. My boyfriend had the lamb loco moco which was recommended to be cooked rare, however, it looked like it was cooked med. Rare. I personally didn’t enjoy that much either as the meat somewhat seemed dry.
Overall: With so many great brunch places, this isnt going to be on the top of my list and i was disappointed, but I might be back if im craving something different.

Came here after hiking Diamond Head. There is metered parking available. The parking meters provide coins and the restaurant was able to exchange our dollar bills for quarters! There was a short wait for a table. The servers are busy and ours forgot to tell us about the specials. I had to request for water refills. The food was amazing. I ordered a bimbimbap skillet and the rice was crispy. Food is Asian fusion for the most part. A lot of food but I had no troubles devouring it. Also appeared to be a family friendly location.

Went in on a Sunday morning for brunch around 9:30am, and they were booked solid. Wait time was about 1hr., but came to try this place and we waited. Walked around the neighborhood to see what else was around. Checked back about 10am and they were nearly ready to seat us. Less than a minute later we were in counter seats facing the bar and kitchen.
From our view, we could see the specials of the day above the kitchen entrance and the bar selection on their wall. I’d prefer to sit here and watch the hard work come out on plates and change lives as it goes from kitchen to table. The Chef here, Lee Ann Wong, has got something special going on here. You can see her working steadily and calmly as she finishes most plates and inspects all that passes her. She is not a micro manager and trust her crew, and it shows in her workers expressions as they work. They learn by leadership and that’s what their chef is providing for them.
What does all that have to do with the food??? EVERYTHING! A great recipe can’t automatically translate into a great dish without great work! This place is Unbelievable! The creativity of the dishes and how they are prepared are WONDERFUL! I can tell that the sauces are the secrets here, and I’m okay with not really knowing what those secrets are, but I’m hoping that this place continues to AMAZE and grow like a Alan or Roy.
What we had…
All Day Dumplings Wong… filled with beef and garlic, topped off with light veggies and this creamy white sauce… Hooo Brah… Da Sauce… MEAN!!!
Koko Moco… Chef’s version of a loco moco… served on a hot iron skillet, filled with rice well cooked, hand made hamburger patties, easy over egg, kim chee tempura, and again a special gravy sauce that was wee-​nahs to eat everything with.
House special Steak and Eggs… Maui cattle cooked to my liking (med) and cut into slices, about 6 to 8, forget already, but topped with again a sauce that was kinda like a hollandaise sauce, scrambled eggs and fried taters or small potatoes… everything was ONO!
Overall, the experience here is one to witness over and over again. Hopefully, they continue to grow and impress as they did on this day, and get you over the parking situation they have here. Weekdays I can imagine is a small mess, but weekends the parking comes pretty easy. Hope you have a great experience at Chef Wong’s Koko Head Café. Grind On! Pau!

ERRR MAHH GERRDDD to their corn flake frech toast w/​bacon!
In addition to that, I got their Bibimbap skillet, which was delish.
Came here on a Wednesday after a hike around 11 ish and got seated right away.
Overall, food is bomb and want to come back to try other dishes.

5 stars for food, although the parking situation sucks. Beware: there’s meter parking only so bring your coins or cash. They do exchange money for coins at the entrance which is good.
The food was AMAZING! I got the corn flake French toast which were the best French toast I’ve ever had! Crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside, served with ice cream on top and a black pepper syrup. The bacon was also very flavorful. My husband got the Egg Bibimbap skillet which he really enjoyed. He described it as a Korean style skillet with a mixture of eggs, garlic fried rice, kimchi, veggies, and his favorite, the siracha sauce. We also ordered a side of hash browns which I am very glad we did. These were the BEST hashbrown we’ve ever had. They’re shaped like a piece of toast and since they’re deep fried they’re so crispy! A must go if you’re visiting.

Came here around 11am on Sunday and only waited for 15 minutes, despite seeing the line wrap around the corner. The menu is based off traditional brunch with an added Hawaiian local flavor. I had the cornflake French toast and thought it was really tasty. It’s quite sweet though, it’s like I ordered dessert. It even comes with a scoop of ice cream! I’m interested in trying the other items on the menu!

If you want to venture from the «normal» brunch fair, Koko Head Café is the place to go. There’s usually people waiting outside on the benches during peak weekend brunch hours but the longest I’ve ever waited was about 15 minutes (for larger groups it will be longer). Parking is available in the private lot, pay by meter.
I am a huge fan of all the dishes I’ve tried my favorite being the fish n’ eggs, which is on the specials board hanging above the kitchen. The type of fish it comes w/​varies from day to day but its marinated w/​miso and then served in a skillet over «ocean rice», scrambled eggs, ong choy (kind of like spinach), and pickled veggies. The combination of everything mixed together is perfection and filling. I’d also recommend the jook (rice porridge), which once again mixes the most unexpected of ingredients to turn a classic comfort food into a reinvented bowl of yumminess. Familiar w/​my grandpa’s chinese turkey jook, I was wary to try this version but the portugese sausage bits and cinnamon croutons all worked surprisingly well. Honestly, all the dishes I’ve tried are very good, you can’t go wrong. If you want something decadent for breakfast, the cornflake french toast is superior to its counterparts. Reminded me of a malasada.
I love the vibe of the small restaurant, staff is always friendly. You might even see Leann Wong stop by while you’re eating.

Solid brunch spot not far from Waikiki. Went for a hike up diamond head and got here at 7:30 am and there was no wait for our party of 4. The place filled up pretty fast so I’m pretty sure there’s a wait usually. Kimchi and spam scone was tasty. Highlights as well were the dumplings of the day, breakfast bibimbap, and the cornflake French toast. Def check out but I wouldn’t stand in a line an hour plus or more for it. Top chef was working hard and service was fab.

I’ve tried to come here for breakfast a few times, but since Koko Head Café had such a strong following, I found myself having a very difficult time trying to get a table.
I guess sometimes you have to be lucky, and lucky I was today! My friend had texted me to say «hi», and somehow we decided to meet up for breakfast this morning, so we met at Koko Head Café.
As I walked into the café, I could clearly see that Koko Head Café is still popular as ever, as the restaurant was packed this morning!
Lucky for me, I was able to secure the last open table in the restaurant and upon getting seated, a waitress dropped off some water & menus.
After looking over the menu… we both ordered some Illy coffee, then I decided to order the Koko Moco, and my friend ordered the Cornflake French Toast.
What can I say about the GRINDZ?
The «Koko Moco» ($ 14.00) featured — Maui cattle co. beef patty, garlic rice, mushroom gravy, egg (sunny side up), & tempura kimchee. I just loved how they put this dish in a hot skillet, and the mixture of the garlic rice sure complimented the beef patty with the mushroom gravy! I also loved how they did the kimchee tempura style… so cool!
«Cornflake French Toast» ($ 14.00) featured — Billionaire’s bacon, creamy black pepper maple, & frosted flake gelato. I was able to take a taste of my friend’s Cornflake French Toast, and I must say… although I thought it was a wee bit too sweet, I did like the texture of the French Toast, as it tasted very fluffy & light. Nicely done dish!
Illy Coffee ($ 4.00) — What can I say… a very good quality coffee, and I’m glad Koko Head Café features this coffee. I had two cups of this delicious coffee!
Tip —
Just an FYI… they allow only one free refill of the Illy coffee. If you want more… you will have to pay for another cup.
Service —
Although we got seated quickly, and the menus and water were dropped off instantaneously, it took a little while before the waitress came back to take our orders… I guess they were just busy.
Once we placed our order of food, everything started to roll out quickly & smoothly.
When we were done with our meal… the check came quickly, and I felt a wee bit rushed out the door… but I can understand, because the restaurant is small, and there are other patrons waiting to get a table to eat, so to be courteous & fair to others… I guess they don’t want you to camp out too long.
SOLID GRINDZ here! Check ‘em out gang!

If I could eat here every morning I would.
My friends and I were wanting to try this place for what seemed like forever, but were constantly deterred by the long wait.
For once we had no where to go and decided to stay.
… The wait was 1 hour.
Finally we were seated at the counter. It was a fun experience as we saw the magic happen– everyone bobbing and weaving making mixed drinks and plating the food. I enjoyed it. At the same time watching all that food being made made me more hungry.
They took our order quickly. We got the mapo tofu with lamb instead of pork, the loco moco with tempura kimchee, and the cornflake french toast. I loved the mapo tofu with ground lamb. It was a familiar flavor of mapo tofu with the gamey taste of lamb. It was spicy, so if you aren’t a spice lover you might not want to try this dish. The loco moco with tempura kimchee was perfection. I believe loco mocos are all about the gravy and then the patty. The gravy was savory and hearty. The party was moist and cooked perfectly. The kimchee tempura was crunchy with the right amount of salty. Last, but not least was the cornflake French toast. Very sweet and a great dish to share. Crunchy on the outside, but moist and tasty on the inside. It also comes topped with bacon– who doesn’t love bacon!!!
I will definitely be back again. I was told that week days aren’t as bad so I’m going to have to try it again then.

This place is overly raved about so I had to try it for myself.
I came here a few times. The first time I had the kimchi cheddar scone and this special ny strip steak. My friend got the bibimbap thing. (My pictures will speak for themselves).
I thought the scone was good, couldn’t taste much kimchi but you could see pieces in there. Had more of of a cheddar taste. The bibimbap thing was in a hot pan making the rice crispy! It looked nice so Win for presentation. The flavor was a bit bland, I just have a high spicy and taste expectation. The steak came with tossed greens, scrambled eggs and potatoes. Oh my god HEAVEN in my mouth! The eggs looked so creamy and tasted amazing, the steak I was a little disappointed cause it was tough and hard to cut but lucky when my best friend (who happens to be a guy) was with me, I made him cut it HAHA! The flavor was good though.
The second time, I came with my friend after a sunrise hike. I got the hash brown and scrambled eggs, and tried the homemade kimchi sausage patty which I didn’t like… it was like a hamburger patty. My friend got an omelet.
The special hot sauce (made in Hawaii) they had WAS BOMB! Put that on my eggs and Mmmmmm! I put a lot and at first I couldn’t taste anything then it hit me but so good! Satisfy my spicy craving. The HAMAJANG (brown bottle) is the ghost pepper one… My new love when I go there. The orange bottle is just regular hot sauce, no taste to me. My friend added a lot to his omelet and it hit him hard later haha. We both couldn’t stop laughing at each other when it kicked in later
Price: Average
Service: Always good. Sometimes could be a long wait so go early!
Parking: Plenty in the back with meters.

I don’t go out for breakfast much because I like to eat my prepped foods, especially in the mornings but wow. Kokohead café is pretty super good! It’s in Kaimuki, right by Koa Pancake House & although this place is a little hard to find, it’s always poppin’ & so busy lol! It’s really small inside, but the flavor their food has is incredible. Their menu ranges from normal breakfast type foods to original /​creative foods that I have yet to try. It’s kind of like an Asian fusion breakfast mixed w American breakfast menus!
Location– lots of parking (if you get there before 9) in the parking lot behind the restaurant
Environment /​Ambiance– small and crowded but not too bad
Food– super amazing! Their prices are about normal. $ 12 – 15 I’d say for most things!

Overall impression:
The food here is incredible. A definite recommend to both visitors and locals.
Average price: ~$ 15/​meal
Positives:
–the food is top notch taste. Outstanding.
Negatives:
–almost always crowded
–loud
–we had bad service for some reason
–parking isn’t the best. Hard to find free parking.
–a bit pricey for the portion sizes and for lunch or breakfast. But for the quality of the food, it’s actually reasonable.
Food:
A ¹⁰⁄₁₀. I had the cornflake French toast and my wife had the fish and eggs. Both were outstanding. Good enough to be served at a fancy restaurant. In fact the cornflake French toast really is one of those «must try it» foods.
Service:
For some reason it took a really long time for us to get our food. We also felt a bit ignored for most of the time. It seemed strange because they seemed to be providing pretty good service to everyone else so I’m not sure if we just fell through the cracks or what. Most of the servers seemed pretty nice, though. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope this was a one time occurrence.
Value:
The dishes are pricey and you don’t get a lot of food on each dish, but for the quality, I would say it’s worth it.

My boyfriend has been raving about the bi bim bap skillet so he decided to take me on our Valentine’s day brunch here (not on the day of)! When we got here there was a lot of people waiting outside the restaurant but luckily it flowed pretty quickly. The wait was about 35 minutes so not too bad.
We ordered the dumplings of the day (beef filling with okinawan sweet potato), don buri chen, and bi bim bap skillet. The dumplings of the day were delicious! I loved the okinawan sweet potato purée with the dumplings sooo yummie! For the don buri chen the fatty meat was what made it good, but I preferred the bi bim bap skillet. The skillet had an american twist, rice instead of noodles and lots of carrots and mushrooms. It was super good! I want to come back here and try all the different breakfast items!

Whether you are local or visiting… I highly suggest this restaurant. I am a sucker for breakfast whether it be in the morning or in the evening, I am all for that bacon and eggs. Yes, bacon and eggs (bae!)
My boyfriend and I were searching for a place to eat breakfast after our little staycation in Waikiki. Luckily we found this little gem hidden in KoKo Head. Keep in mind that this restaurant has been featured in multiple food network shows. The wait to be seated may take over an hour or so but it is worth it.
After waiting for quite a while, with a limited seating outside… (We had to actually sit on the ground)… We were finally seated! This restaurant is fairly small, and I can see why it does take a while to be seated. But no matter how badly you want to leave, DO NOT! Be patient!
I highly suggest you try to corn flake BILLION dollar bacon French toast. I can see why this particular dish has been featured on various food network shows. It has a unique salty and sweet taste. The billion dollar bacon is really worth it. It taste like a billion dollars! Nah just kidding, but it really is something. Also, there is a scoop of ice cream… Fat on fat. yes! Lol
I had the ohayou eggs… And was it good? You bet it was! That creamy sauce mixed with mushroom and ham… Paired with a delicious bread… Yessssss…
So would I come back? I definitely would, and I’ll make sure to try the pancakes next time for sure!

The best brunch I’ve ever had! The chef creates a unique menu with orgasmic flavors! I loved every single dish I ordered!
We came with a group so we tried a bunch of items. We ordered a few things off the specials of the day which I highly recommend. We had the steak and eggs which were cooked medium rare to perfection. I loved the smashed potatoes that went along side it. The koko moco came on a skillet, and I loved the garlic rice as it cooked. The don buri chen is a must order! With sushi rice, pork belly, chicharron, and pickled veggies. All the flavors complimented each other. The fried poke was another favorite! If it’s on the specials menu, order it and thank me later! The coffee and doughnut were amazing! Fried doughnut holes served with a kona coffee dipping sauce!
You have to go here for brunch!