Mickey Cafe

Yummy yum Yumm!
This tiny stall inside maunakea market bust out little puffy egg like things like nobody’s business. You want bubble tea? Sure! You want tapioca, boba, lychee, mochis and jelly galore? No problem! How about a waffle like dessert thing except this ones shaped like little eggs? Yes please!
Yumm Yumm! For $ 4, you can get about a dozen or two puffs. It’s all a cluster in one giant thing but it’s pretty good. Now I’ve had egg puffs elsewhere too so I kind of a taste preference. This one, you get a whole lot more for your money. Taste is a ok. Not magical or spectacular.
Bubble tea was good. It’s a good spot in this busy market to stop by for a quick cold drink. They have few stools nearby. It’s like a mini courtyard. There’s also a praying area and what not. And egg puffs make this little square smell way better than it normally would!

This place can get busy especially on the weekend. I recommend getting the iced honey lemon. It’s refreshing and satisfying.

This place used to be called Café Diem. I came to try their egg puff because when it was the other place I had to wait forever.
I ordered the egg puff for $ 4. My order was up within 10 minutes. As for the taste, Café de Tim did a better job. Egg puffs were too doughy like small waffles. I remember it tasted light and crunchy. But I really don’t know how it supposed to taste like.
I also got sugarcane with jasmine tea. The drink was made quickly too. But I didn’t see them juicing out the sugarcane. Sorry again but Café Diem made it fresh when you ordered. The drink tasted ok.
On the positive note, service was fast and I didn’t have trouble ordering.

My fave tea/​bubble tea place on island. Has all the flavors you can ask for and they make it deliciously. Their boba is nice and chewy, the mixes/​flavors are just how I like it-​flavorful and not super fake tasting. They’ll often put real fruit chunks/​slices in their fruit teas. My fave drink is their iced mango green tea. It’s perfect for a hot day, and the mango chunks make it way better than other tea places in town. It’s in Chinatown and the line is usually a bit long so you know it’s legit. Worth the wait! I like to stop by here on Sunday afternoons and get my tea fix.

It’s all about the egg puffs. This was the second stop in our «Food Tour de Force» adventure. There was a line but it was moving fast then all of a sudden I was there placing my order with timid girl. She softly told me to hang on to this receipt as proof of my payment for the egg puffs. I watched the gentle pour the sweet egg mixture into the griddle noticing the smooth, slow flowing consistency filling the little holes with it’s bright yellow color. I could hardly wait. All the while the gentleman smiled as I snapped away. When it was done, you could smell something good.
Egg Puffs $ 4.00
The egg puffs were wrapped in a paper sheet then placed into a paper bag with a few holes. Very interesting. Never saw a bag like that before. I tore one of the puffs off and placed it into my mouth. It was too hot but I chomped it down anyway. Couldn’t enjoy it. After letting it cool a little bit, I tore the next puff and ate that. Still very warm, it was delicious. Golden crispy on the outside and doughy rich on the inside.
What a wonderful treat. When ever I am in the area, these will be on mind. I will also have to try their boba drinks next time.

Went to Mickey on a Sunday. Ordered milk tea, green tea smoothie, and avocado smoothie. Overall well priced and decent, pearls in my milk tea were a little hard however. Paid 11.00 for these three drinks

Free markets and competition are great, as now there is a worthy alternative to Thanh’s right next door. This is my go to place when there is a long wait at Thanh’s.
For the thai tea and green tea boba smoothies, it’s about the same quality and you can’t tell the difference and it also helps that it’s 50 cents less. Also another plus, you will get your drink very quickly, in a few minutes or so.
They need some work on their fruit boba smoothies. I ordered the pineapple one and the fruit ratio is not as high as Thanh and also it didn’t fill all the way to top.
Note you get 10% off with Unilocal check in.

After wandering about Chinatown marketing for vegetables, we slipped into one of our favorite restaurants for lunch. We were thoroughly satiated but our tastebuds called out for a sweet. We were drawn to this food stand with intentions of splitting a fresh fruit smoothie or milk tea but were instead distracted by the pictures of the Hong Kong-​style egg waffles aka Gai Daan Jai (雞蛋仔). In the past, we have eaten these while traveling through Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. So we were excited about snacking on them again.
THIS REVIEW IS BASED SOLELY ON ITS EGG WAFFLE (雞蛋仔):
What are egg waffles? To begin with, the literal translation is of Gai Daan Jai is «Little Chicken Egg». They are very popular in Hong Kong as a «street snack» and Mickey Café, formerly Café de Tim, has been serving them. These egg waffles are made from a sweet, egg-​rich batter poured into egg shaped griddle plates that resemble Danish Ebelskivers. They are best eaten hot-​off the griddle as its exterior is crisp on top and somewhat cake-​like on its bottom.
When we arrived, there was only one other customer ahead of us who was picking up his order. We placed an order for a «sheet» of plain egg waffles costing $ 4. There was only one worker at the time and she said she’d make them fresh so there would be a 4 minute wait. I watched her pour the batter into the griddle and flip it over to coat the opposite griddle. Then all of a sudden a line of 8 people formed as we sat at one of the tables near the food stand. The woman started to make smoothies and milk teas while our egg waffle was being cooked. As the blender was whirring, I heard the timer bell ring but she did not even turn around to check on our waffle. Finally, another woman came to help but still didn’t even check on the waffle-​iron. I could smell the batter being burnt so I called their attention to it. The second woman went to un-​mold the batch. Sure, enough, some were overdone and were beyond the typical golden brown. I asked if she would re-​do them since they appeared burnt but she refused then just poured batter in for another customer as she handed me the bag with the burned waffle.
Well, I took what she gave to me, sat a few moments with my husband and ate some of the hot waffles. The lighter colored puffs were indeed light, eggy, crisp and a little dry. The interior of these puffs were thoroughly cooked through. There was nothing remotely cake-​like about them as we remembered from our previous Asian tours. :(
We ended up going elsewhere to get a coffee to pair with the puffs. Alas, nothing can remove a burnt taste so we just ate a few more golden puffs and threw the rest away.
Perhaps we’ll return to give it another go-​around for the egg puffs or better yet, for their milk teas or smoothies that everyone has been raving about.
#543

During a recent trip through Chinatown, my family and I went to Mickey Café, in search of good boba/​slushies. It was a hot, Sunday afternoon, and I just wanted a cool smoothie.
I had spotted Mickey Café on Unilocal since it opened recently, and while my dad looked for parking, my mom and I searched for the café. You definitely can’t find it from the street level – it’s basically within the Maunakea Marketplace area. Both of us aren’t super comfortable/​familiar with the Chinatown area, so it took us a little bit to find it.
But, I’m so glad we finally did. The workers here are really helpful and friendly, and they were more than willing to answer any questions I had. Mickey Café must be pretty popular, because there was a crowd surrounding the small kiosk. There’s a menu board that’s easy to read, and they even listed some of their customer favorites when it comes to drinks.
I would definitely return to Mickey Café if I’m ever in Chinatown again, since I really enjoyed my drink, it was a reasonable price and the staff was friendly. I think, as always in Chinatown, parking is the biggest issue. By the time my dad circled around the block a few times, we already had our drinks ready, so we didn’t actually need to find parking after all.
Here’s what we got:
«Banana and Strawberry Smoothie»: Both of my parents got this drink, and they found it to be really refreshing. The smoothies here are thick in consistency but not overly sweet. And, the cups are large, so you know you’re getting your money’s worth. My mom and dad liked the balanced blend of both strawberry and banana in every sip.
«Mocha Smoothie»: This is pretty much my go-​to at any smoothie place because I love mocha flavors. What a great blend of coffee and chocolate. I especially liked this one from Mickey Café because it was thicker, featured a distinct mocha flavor and it reminded me of one of my favorite mocha smoothies from Thang’s Iced Coffee and Smoothies in Kalihi. It certainly hit the spot on the sunny, warm afternoon. It will be hard to deviate from this option, since I loved it so much!
«Coffee Milk Tea»: If I ever return to Mickey Café, this is the milk tea flavor I would want to try first. I like coffee-​flavored drinks, so I’m sure this would be a refreshing treat.
«Sugarcane with Jasmine Tea»: This is the first place where I ever saw sugarcane drink options on the menu. A few customers in front of us ordered drinks with the sugarcane flavor; my mom and I were both intrigued by this option and want to try it one day. She said she wouldn’t mind trying this «Sugarcane with Jasmine Tea» because it sounds mild and refreshing.

Today was my first time there and not only was the customer service was awesome but the smoothy was ONO! I got the Watermelon without pearl and you can tell they use only fresh fruit! On top of that, for $ 4, it was huge like an extra large drink! Highly recommend this place for those of you who cruises Chinatown. And just park in the municipal on Maunakea!

I like the old owner better. The service is not good. I ordered the mango smoothie, but they make too watery. I ordered the egg puff, it is cold.

Yummy milk tea! also love the fresh smoothies… so far I’ve tried the lychee/​mango combo and the pineapple/​coconut combo, both delicious and refreshing on a hot day. Customer service was great too! I want to try the egg puff dessert eventually.

Four and a half star for this place. Wish Unilocal has a halfy rating. I was excited to try this place after it changed owners. I mean I liked this place before it even changed management. The name of it was cute… Mickey! Anyways, made it here when I was hanging around town. It seems pretty popular because there was a line.
We ordered the lychee slush with lychee jelly and the thai milk tea with jasmine pudding. Check in on Unilocal and you get 10% off. It was a good deal! So I tried the lychee slush and surprisingly its not as icy as I thought it would be. It’s like a smoothie and it’s creamy. Wooow! The thai milk tea was sweet but not the kind of sweet where you put tons of sugar. It has a unique sweetness to it. I wonder if they put condensed milk to sweeten it. Of course I love the jasmine pudding. You can’t find it anywhere!!!
The owner was the cashier. With the crowd and the crazy orders, he’s pretty calm and patient. I give him props. Growing up in Chinatown, it’s not a place to be nice. People there are rude… no offense (based on my experience).
So like any other milk tea places, this place also has a stamp card system, but it’s on an app. You download the mickey app and there’s a tab with a loyalty program. The app is really cute and colorful. When you order drinks you give your phone to the cashier and they input a code so you get a stamp. I took away half of a star because techy things aren’t my thing. So recently I changed my phone. Guess what? When I downloaded the app again my loyalty stamp card had to restart. OMG! I rather stick with the paper stamp card. It’s so much easier that way.

Change is not always bad.
This Bubble Tea/​Smoothie shop used to be known as Café de Tim, but now it’s called Mickey Café. I liked the Loyalty Card of Café de Tim, but this NEW Loyalty Card at Mickey Café is even BETTER! You don’t need to carry it in your wallet or forget it at home! It’s now in a downloadable app form!!! After ten purchases, get a free drink! Winner!
The helpful young man at Mickey Café was so patient with me and my friends, Angel, Paul, Daniel, Lien, and Jules! He explained everything about the phone app, the 10 percent off Unilocal check in discount, the coupons which will be emailed to us, etc! This quality customer service will help me to visit this business again!
The product is also great! I got a watermelon smoothie ($ 3.50) which was just right — not too sweet! Instead of boba, I chose the lychee jelly which was fun and tasty! Other free options include Red Bean, Brown Sugar Jelly, and Jasmine Pudding. The boba comes in 2 sizes: «Large Bubble» and «Mini Bubble».
Another example of excellent customer service: I wasn’t ready for my drink yet. (I was busy taking pictures.) They had placed my drink in the refrigerator until I was ready! How’s that for thoughtfulness?
Besides ordering an Oolong Milk Tea with Lychee Jelly, Paul also got the Egg Puffies and shared this dessert with us! It’s like a waffle with oval puffs instead of square indentations. Each oval can be broken off and popped in your mouth for a slightly crisp and hot off the griddle treat! YUM! Thanks, Paul!
I think I might be returning on Sundays since street parking is free in Chinatown. Otherwise, I would park in the municipal parking lots, or on the street in a metered stall. Look for Mickey Café inside the Maunakea Marketplace. It’s in the courtyard with the Kwan Yin statue. There are round concrete stools nearby with large umbrellas for shade if you have time to sit and chat. If not, grab a drink or two to go… I’ll probably get the Sugarcane with Calamansi drink or the Pineapple Lemon Green Tea next! Cheers!

I’m always in search for boba places to satisfy my craving. There’s so many of them popping up all over the place, especially in Chinatown. I was having lunch with some Yeeps and we decided to try out the new kid on the block, Mickey Café.
Nadine C., Paul C., Jules Y., Daniel C., Lien V., and I made a quick stop there. The cashier that was working the register was very helpful. He helped us to setup the Mickey Café app on our phones. The app is a really neat program. It links the frequent shopper card to the weekly coupons and Unilocal reviews. They give a stamp for every $ 4 spent. After 10 stamps, you’ll receive a free drink. This weeks coupon was for 10% off. If you check in on Unilocal you can also get 10% off. You can use either or, but not both combined.
I got the Lychee Mango Smoothie. It was so good, blended very well. Instead of the typical boba balls, I opted for the lychee jelly instead. It went perfectly with this drink. It quenched my thirst on this sunny day.
Paul C. was nice enough to let me sample his Oolong Milk Tea with Lychee Jelly. I loved it. It was very fragrant, just the authentic milk tea that I’m used to. I would have preferred it blended, though, lol. I like everything blended. I’m a weirdo like that.
I also tried Paul’s Egg Puffs. It was a winner, crispy on the outside, chewy and airy in the middle. It’s hard to explain, but if you’ve ever had egg puffs it’s hollow in some parts. The sweetness was just right.
Two thumbs up for this place; for the food, drinks, and exceptional customer service.

Have you ever avoided an establishment due to poor customer service? I really dreaded going to Café de Tim as the elderly Chinese lady was unbearable. Regardless of the yummy egg puffs I often sought alternatives. Why am I going to spend hard earned money at a place with bad service?
Recently there has been a change in owner and also has a new business name of Mickey Café. I kept this place high on my list and was so thrilled that I got together with fellow Yeeps Daniel C., Lien V., Nadine C., Angel H. and Jules Y. for lunch and dessert in Chinatown.
After a great lunch at nearby Jing Du Noodle, we came here for dessert. I usually patronize next door neighbor Thanh’s but I came with a mission: egg puffs.
No more grouchy Chinese lady but a young man who focuses on customer service. I was pleased to see a happy face for a change and I was caught off guard on how advanced they are. The young clerk encouraged us to download their Mickey Café app on our mobile phone to utilize their 10% off via Unilocal check in as well as participate in their virtual loyalty card which rewards you a free drink after 10 stamps. A stamp is achieved with a purchase of $ 4. After ordering and paying you are given a computerized printout with your order number. Sure didn’t expect this in Chinatown!
In addition to their stellar service, the products were so good. Here’s what I sampled:
1) Egg Puffs (⁵⁄₅)
I was advised it will take some time for this as they are made fresh. Came out warm and golden brown. Crispy edges with the eggy and chewy parts. As our awesome Honolulu CM says «Sharing is caring.» so I offered them to my Yeeps and they disappeared. The consensus: Yummeh!
2) Oolong Milk Tea with Lychee Jelly (⁵⁄₅)
Just loved the bold oolong tea flavor that wasn’t bitter. Sweetness was just perfect as I don’t care for too sweet. The lychee jelly brought a texture contrast and additional sweetness as you chewed on them. Very good drink.
3) Mango Lychee Smoothie (⁵⁄₅)
This was Angel’s drink and she allowed me to sample it. The mango flavor hit the spot and so refreshing on a warm Sunday afternoon. She also had lychee jelly in her drink. I’d for sure order this the next time.
It was so welcoming to have the young male acknowledge their mission to also provide good service. He’s fully aware of the bad reviews of the previous owner. You may have a great product but if sub-​par service is paired it’s no surprise that some consumers will choose to go elsewhere instead.
Good products and good service. I really want this new establishment in Chinatown to succeed and flourish. Want a cold drink and a yummy snack? Look no further and come to Mickey Café.

While I was droppin’ off my pops so he could meet up with some of his homies for «jonging», I asked Jules Y. if she wanted to get her favorite Papaya Boba drink?
Of course when I mentioned «Papaya Boba», I see her eyes light up, & her ears perk up when I mentioned «Papaya Boba»!
So from there, I drove my car & headed straight to the municipal parking lot to park my car.
After parking, we jumped out and headed straight to the Maunakea Market Place to get her Papaya Boba drink.
As we got to the Maunakea Market Place, we headed to her favorite boba drink place called _​«Thang’s French Coffee & Bubble Tea», but unfortunately for some reason they were closed that afternoon when we got there.
From there, we had to go with a plan «B», and this is where we headed next door to a place called «Mickey Café».
I’m so glad Mickey’s was open, and that I had the experience of trying their boba drink! I’m normally not a big fan of these drinks, as they do not appeal to me, but since we did not eat lunch after leaving the KSSK Perry & Price Morning Show, we decided to both get a boba drink.
Jules got her favorite Papaya Boba, & I elected to get a Lychee Boba drink.
What can I say about my drink?
Hey — «Not Bad At All!» I loved the taste of my Lychee Boba drink, but only wished they had the larger boba (they ran out of the larger boba, and only had the small boba).
I also got a sip of Jules’ Papaya Boba drink… not bad at all too, as her drink was not as sweet as mine.
I think my Lychee drink probably had the canned Lychee in it, whereas Jules’ papaya boba drink had fresh papaya, therefore her drink was naturally sweetened perfectly.
Overall a very pleasant experience, and it was the perfect item to have on a very hot afternoon.
Another plus about Mickey Café was that they sell their boba drinks for $ 0.50 less than Thang’s, as the boba drinks at Mickey’s runs for only $ 3.50 per drink, vs Thang’s at $ 4.00 bucks.

Mickey Café is one of the reasons I am willing to brave the craziness of Chinatown crowds and parking. I had only been here once prior to this visit, but I loved my drink so much that I knew I had to return the next time I went to Chinatown. The business is located in maunakea marketplace, so «conveniently» located as far as Chinatown goes.
I’ve gotten into a more fruity boba drink phase. This can be frustrating because despite the plethora of boba shops that have popped up over the years, I can’t say I have found one where I love their fruit smoothie or slush drinks. The drinks are either just fruit flavored syrup or the little bit of fruit content seems to float out of the rest of the drink. Mickey Café shows those other boba shops how to make smoothies the right way.
Before even talking about the quality of the drink, I have to comment on how much I appreciate how well the business accommodates its customers. If you can’t decide on which fruit you’re in the mood for that day (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t have this problem every day they order boba), then they have the option of choosing a combination. They offer their own recommendations, but just ask about your two favorite fruits if they aren’t listed under their suggested combinations.
I couldn’t decide between passion fruit and lychee, so I got a mix of the two. It’s great that you can actually see the real fruit while they make the drink. The use of actual fruit comes through in the drink, from the flavor of the juice to the bits of blended passion fruit seeds. As for this particular combo, the passion fruit flavor overpowered the lychee, so I think a few more lychee would help balance out the drink flavors more. Maybe next time, I’ll also just choose another fruit that can hold its own against passion fruit.
If you check in on Unilocal,you can get 10% off your order. Don’t forget to check out their loyalty rewards program as well!

This is my all time favorite bubble tea spot. I used to come here very often back when it was owned by Tim, but will still continue to support the new owner. Even with the transfer of ownership, the smoothies and milk tea still taste the same. Which is why I love this place so much, I like to receive the same flavor time after time. Unlike some «popular» places around the island, they may be more popular but their qualities are inconsistent.
This place is popular for their milk teas and egg puffs. Regardless if you like your milk tea with ice or in smoothie form, it is available for you. I personally like it over ice because the flavor is more outstanding. Egg puffs taste identical to the ones in China!!! Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This is the place to try your egg puffs. After you try from here you’ll never want it anywhere else.
Today, I purchased a taro slush with lychee jelly. Yes, lychee jelly (they recently added this topping). Really bomb

I come here all the time, because the smoothies are always terrific! This placed used to be called Café de Tim and they just transferred ownership recently. The egg puffs are really good and popular! They used to be cash only, but now accept credit and debit cards. Also, a new loyalty program has been added, one free drink after 10 «mickeys»
My favorite drink is Mango and Lychee Smoothie, mixed together. This is my favorite place for smoothies, I like it more than Jamba Juice, and sometimes I come to Chinatown just to buy a smoothie from here.