Agnes Portuguese Bake Shop

The Punahou Carnival makes THE BEST malasadas in Hawaii. But the carnival is only for 2 days out of the year, so what is one to do for the remaining 363 days? Head to Agnes! Their malasadas look and taste almost identical to the Punahou Carnival’s. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Malasadas are made to order so expect to wait for your order, or call in your order ahead of time.
Unlike «that other place» in town, Agnes is very accessible with lots of parking and rarely is there ever a line.
I have no idea what else this establishment offers because I only come here for the malasadas. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. :)

The malassadas were really good! I’ve only had Leonard’s before and these are way different… and I actually think they’re better. Sugar coated, freshly made, and the texture is almost custard like inside. Very yummy. $ 1 each.
We also tried a couple donuts — maple with macadamia nut and chocolate and macadamia nuts. They were okay, but nothing compared to the malassadas.
There’s a small parking lot, but it can be filled up in the mornings.

Bet you can’t just eat ONE…
If you visit O’ahu and go into Kailua town, your visit will not be complete until you stop into Agnes Portuguese Bake Shop. This bake shop is family-​owned and run by the sweetest (sorry for the pun) folks. They offer «old school» commercial baked goods such as bear claws to authentic Portuguese specialties such as malasadas (from Portuguese mal-​assada or under cooked), pao duce (sweet bread), Macao Manapua (Portuguese-​style Chinese bao) and (carne de) vinha d’alhos (meat with wine and garlic or a kind of pickled pork).
Agnes Bake Shop is located at the corner of Hoolai and Kihapai Streets. There is a private parking lot that fronts the bakery also shared by a needle craft store and Christmas gift shop. Even the entry to the bake shop is shared with these other businesses. But, don’t worry, you can’t mistake which entry door to go into.
The bake shop is clean, bright, colorful and aromatic. When we entered, we were immediately greeted by two counter girls. We had in mind to order their made-​to-​order malassadas, which we did, paid and took a seat. If you were to compare ambiance among all 3 local bakeries that produce malasadas, Agnes Bake Shop will come out on top! The interior is spacious, welcoming and has a number of seating options for people to sit, sip and enjoy their pastries. Service always comes with a greeting and friendly smile!
We ordered just a half dozen malassadas as we had just finished lunch and planned to take these Portuguese donuts home. Because they make these to order, there was about a 10-​minute wait. When these little treasures came out, the fresh fried sweet aroma wafted out from the paper bag. Upon taking a peek into the bag, I could see each sugar coated malassada and noticed their different appearance. These malassadas were more disc-​like and had a hole in its center rather than the traditional fried balls of dough with no holes. Upon biting into the malassada, its nice brown crisp crust yielded to a tender and airy interior. It would have been a waste to not eat them while still warm.
So, we sat at a local coffee shop sipping on hot cups of coffee and munched away. I was sure that other customers were wondering where we got them from as they passed by our table.
#518

I don’t see what the big deal is and the wait for the malasadas is crazy it took 25 minutes. I could have drove to Leonard’s by that time.

Vegetarians: plenty of great options. The owner came out and went over the selections. He was really nice and made sure we weren’t vegan. Basically, everything fried is done so in a lard/​vegetable shortening blend. The rest of the menu is cool if you can eat eggs, whey, and butter.
We got the cinnamon roll, brownie, and gingerbread men plus coffee and espresso.

This review is only for the malasadas.
These malasadas are the way «real» malasadas taste. Traditionally malasadas are made with older dough and or flour and are dense not the fluffy pastries sold as malasadas elsewhere. I like the traditional style and that they’re cooked to order and nice and hot when you them. So you’re not surprised they have a hole in the center so that they can cook through without burning the malasada.
I like malasadas from most places but, if you want to eat traditional style malasadas this is the only place I’ve been to that does them right. As long as you know you’re going to get a dense doughnut vs a fluffy one I think you’ll enjoy them too.

Staff is rude as hell. Especially the Latina looking girl. Malesadas aren’t that great. Just a lot of hype.

Cooked to order, fresh HOT malasadas. Takes approximately 10 minutes to cook, but well worth the wait! Get them here, now! Amazing!
Very popular place, as there was a long line, but it moves fast. Also the parking lot was full with people going in and out. There was a bunch of Japanese tourists all trying out the malasadas (delicious donuts), and you should try them too,!

I went to Oahu to visit and found Agnes bakery… I loved everything from this place. Beside the malasadas being delicious, the staff was nice and remember what we had ordered the day before.
The place was nice and clean, coffee was excellent (we had the latte with 2 espresso shots and regular coffee) .
I have been back home in Miami and have not stop talking about them… tempted to ask if they do fedex delivery… really. ! They are that good.

For those of who you think that Leonard’s is the only place on the island to get a good malasada, THINK AGAIN!
Agnes is where I go to get my malasada, sweet bread, and inexpensive pastries. Their products are very fairly priced and were made the day you buy them. They do have a good selection of baked goods, but it almost impossible to leave without getting a malasada. Every family receppie is a little different, but they have the best one I tried so far. MAKE SURE YOU ORDER THEM FRESH and they will blow your mind. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. There isn’t too much sugar on them and you can actually taste the dough. I will continue to come back here until I find another bakery that can beat this.
PROS
cheap food
malasadas fried to order if requested
many seats
wide selection of coffee
CONS
bland atmosphere
products aren’t good if they ahve been sitting out too long

I’m sorry, I grew up in Kailua and I’m used to malasadas with holes in them. You get a nice and crispy outside with a nice chewy inside. I love that Agnes makes them with the holes. I didn’t realize that other malasada places don’t make them with holes until I lived on the other side of the mountain. But fried goodness! YUM! And call in your order so you don’t have to wait long for the best malasadas.
There’s always a lot of parking and the customer service is attentive. Get an Italian soda while you wait for the malasadas if you forget to call ahead. Or get one of their other bakery items. I like their cookies. Can you tell I’m a cookie monster?
They are closed on Mondays and are open 6 am to 6 pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays. Sundays they are open 6 am to 2 pm. Now go get some malasadas!

Generally I tried to avoid eating 3,000 calories for breakfast… but when I do succumb to guilty pleasures, this is where I like going. This isn’t a restaurant, trendy place, or tourist spot, this is a bakery. And it is the best bakery around.
I found it when my wife insisted I come for a deal they were having on Malasadas, unquestionably their flagship item. No need to explain the goodness in these fried delicious goodies, you can read other reviews for that. But it did bring me to taste their different coffees, donuts, pastries, and other breakfast assortments that are prepared and presented well. My family enjoys the occasional lazy Sunday with donuts and this place offers some hearty options. Unlike Krispy Kreme, these things have substance! Hearty, tasty, and packed with a variety of flavors, I’d come here over any «chain» donut place any day (but usually only once a week, understandably, for health reasons).

I don’t care much for their malasadas, they’re too greasy in my opinion. I also tried a pastry one time when I visited the bakery, but it was nothing special; I don’t even remember what type of pastry it was. A coworker brought their cinnamon bread to work once and it was ok, nothing special.

Came in with my sister and niece who are part of the Agnes bakery fan club :) they have a box of blueberry muffins brought to them once a week and promised this «non malasada girl» that I would be converted … they were right !
Best Malasadas EVER … crunchy outside, soft & warm inside, and perfectly coated with sugar :)
The staff were all so nice and accommodating and we were glad to have a comfortable air conditioned place to stop at after shopping all the cute boutiques nearby :)
MAHALO Agnes Bake shop

Let’s face it, malasadas are more than the Wiki definition listed below. They are pillows of fried sugary goodness, comfort food, send a dozen to your co-​workers for appreciation, and more!
«A malasada (or malassada, from Portuguese „mal-​assada“ = „under-​cooked“) (similar to filhós) is a Portuguese confection, made of egg-​sized balls of yeast dough that are deep-​fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. They were first made by inhabitants of the Madeira islands.» Yada yaya yada…
Agnes Portuguese Bake Shop is a nice little bakery tucked in a corner on the older side of Kailua. (A stones throw away from Chad Lous)
Here’s the low down!
The Good:
Malasadas are made fresh to order and they come out piping hot! They are distinctly different from their competition in regards to their malasadas because of texture and density. I love that they are crispy on the outside. The inside of their malasadas are soft yet more dense than Leonard’s (Which I like and will review at a later date)
The staff are friendly and do a good job in getting orders in and out.
They have a variety of baked goods that look tantalizing and are killer for me since I tend to watch my carbs… lol
The Bad:
Hard for me to find any standouts. Sure, the décor is a tad dated (I’m not here for the ambiance).
The Ugly:
Wondering where my abs went? This shop produces some pretty awesome stuff! If you’re on any kind of diet. Beware this place will make it a «cheat day» when you walk in, unless you have incredible self control. (Which I sometime don’t…lol)
The Recap:
Agnes’s is a friendly bakery that does a fine job in making tasty bites. Service is solid with smiles.
I highly recommend if you’re on this side of the island!
Aloha and mahalo for the read,
Nicco

Taste: ⁵⁄₅
Plating & Portion: ⁵⁄₅
Customer Service: ³⁄₅
Cleanliness: ⁵⁄₅
Pricing: ⁵⁄₅
= ²³⁄₂₅
Traditional, old school. The way it should be. No stuffing, no filler. Plain and simple.
By far, they make my absolute favorite Malasadas on the island. I’m so glad my client’s father told me about this place. Shout out to Mr. Taitague! I’ve been making the drive to Kailua in the Windward side ever since! …and I live in the West coast, Waipahu! Their dough is sweet and reminds me of the ones from the Punahou Carnival. They both don’t taste bitter like the other well-​known competition (Leonard’s). Peep this: I bought an extra dozen on Fat Tuesday 2015 and put them in the freezer. On the 5^th day (Sunday), I popped them in the micro to nuke. They were tasty and soft as ever!
My Mom used to assume that Malasadas in general are bitter because of only knowing the taste from Leonard’s. She no longer had that notion after I introduced her to Agnes’. Now she won’t have them from anywhere else but here. Might I add that she’s a diabetic who strictly watches her intake. That doesn’t stop her from indulging in one.
Another item of theirs that I enjoy are the burger buns. Besides their Bake Shop, they also sell them at Down To Earth Organic & Natural stores. I love making garden & veggie burgers with them.
Parking: Free Lot, Free Street, Street Meters

Came here after 3pm and great, everything is almost gone. I had the voodoo gingerman cookie and it was good. The raspberry lemon loaf cake was lacking raspberry, which was disappointing. I should of gotten the double dutch chocolate loaf instead.
Not sure if I’d come back, not my type of bake shop.

We stopped in to check this place out after eating across the street at Timmy Toms. I ended up still leaving with a sweet dog and chocolate covered oreos AND a dublin ditty latte. Dublin Ditty has Irish cream and vanilla with foamed milk and whipping cream. It was hit the spot. I however couldn’t drink it all after eating all that food. It was definitely worth stopping by.

Fresh and hot malasada straight outta da fryer. Slow your roll or you will burn the inside of your mouth.
Get there early if you wanna get their other baked goods. They do sell out of their inventory.
Friendly workers.

I did not know this place existed until yesterday, but now I have a new favorite malasada place on the island. Agnes Portugese Bake Shop is a decent sized bakery on a backstreet in Kailua, just after you enter the town. It has a huge selection of breads, pastries and coffees which all seem to be fairly good but the real reason you’re going to come here is for the malasadas.
It takes 15 minutes for the malasadas to be ready after you order them. I’m not sure what the difference is, but at Leonard’s and Champion’s, it only takes about 5 minutes. Perhaps this is why Agnes’ malasadas come out so much crispier and delicious. I think that these malasadas are significantly better than their competition in town and might even come close to the punahoe carnival ones.
Overall, I think these are the best malasadas available year round, and if it weren’t way the hell out on the windward side I’d give it a perfect rating. So instead I’ll just say that «I’m a fan.»
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Edit — I just tried the bread pudding and I am absolutely stunned by how good it is. While you are getting the malasadas, make sure to pick up a slice of the bread pudding as well. You won’t regret it.