Hi Cravings- Powered By Jess Da Best

I love Acai bowls, I love trying out everyone’s own but I was yet to try these! I see it on social media a lot & think «wow that looks great» & I finally got to come in earlier today to try them! I ordered the regular Acai bowl w all fruits, cookie dough w choc chips, & half chocolate chips. Basically I paid $ 15 for the bowl, add-​ons, & drink. It was a little pricey, but I was mainly just thinking of devouring the bowl already. We sat, & was served by a nice young man. A scoop in, & I was honestly disappointed with my Acai. It just didn’t taste right, or like the Acai I would get from else where. The fruits didn’t really have any taste, except for the strawberry & bananas. I didn’t finish it, I shared w my other half and we basically didn’t eat half the bowl, just tossed it. But anyways, friendly atmosphere! Pictures can be misleading):

Went around the island today and decided to eat acaí bowl stop by the famous Hi cravings! They have the best acaí bowl everrrr! Worth the drive as well. Cookie dough is $ 1.00 for 3 cookie balls! Absolutely love this place!!!

Came in to get a snack, with friends. Love this place and different blends that they offer. The fruits as well as the granola was delicious, goes well with the blend.

This place serves a beautiful fresh fruit dessert that consists of two major sections, a top & a bottom. Fruits sit at the top ²⁄₃; a fine, frozen fruit purée takes up the bottom ¹⁄₃. Add ons like cookie dough balls, stuffed strawberries, sorbet, are placed on top.
Been aching to try this place out for monnnths but what I discovered is that eating here is such a tedious experience that made me all tired out just organizing my thoughts for this review! :/​The below portion is about what felt cumbersome.
WHY TWO STARS
When I was little, I remember loving the shakes from a popular diner called, Bob’s Big Boys. Only tried it once but never forgot my love for it. Later when I took my kids there, I discovered that the taste no longer suited me.
Here essentially, you are paying for sliced fresh fruits and creativity of the frozen fruit portion.
My first impression of this product: Tastes pretty good but perhaps I did not select the right combination; second impression: Hmm maybe sweet stuff is just not my thing :/​
Maybe if I were still little, I’d give it 4 – 5 stars. Mind you, my youngster self would not have been able to afford these prices.
A. HOW TO FIGURE OUT YOUR ORDER:
(1) Locate the menu behind the counter & from the upper left-​hand section, choose the fruits you want. The list changes daily depending what’s available. Fruits are either sliced (strawberries, bananas), diced (pineapples, watermelon, honeydew melon), or halved (grapes).
(2) Choose honey & or granola.
(3) Select a cup size, small, Hapa/​regular ($ 10.50), large. Hapa = regular size & is enough for two to share but things could get complicated bc fruits are placed neatly in their own sections.
(4) Select the frozen slushy bottom section: acai (most popular), pitaya, green blend, or combo for Hapa (2) & large (3).
(5) For additional cost, choose scoops of sorbet to add on top of the fruits.
(6) For additional cost, choose add ons listed on entire right side of menu board.
(7) Important:
— *cookie dough* is 3 balls/​$ 1
— *cookie dough balls* are flat rectangular items covered with candy sprinkles lol (don’t call the first one balls or you’ll confuse the cashier lol)
— cookie dough items do not contain eggs
B. THE GOOD & THE NOT SO GOOD
The positives are that service is quick, efficient, & employees are pleasant enough; Fruits are fruit! :D
The not so good:
1– Ordering is confusing. The cashier tried to help but he rattled off what to choose. Good thing for nice Yeeps who posted pics w/​helpful captions.
2– Confusing cookie dough names: *Cookie dough ball* is flat, rectangular, and covered with candy sprinkles; *cookie dough* is a round ball lol Please add cookie dough pricing (3/​$ 1) to the menu.
3– Price of stuffed strawberries as of ¹⁄₂₀₁₆ are $ 2 each (not $ 1)! «There are four stuffed strawberry flavors,» the cashier happy declared, «so all four would cost $ 8! :D» YIKES! My half-​Chinese self thot: «I could buy 2 papaya boba drinks for $ 8!!! :) » :/​
4– Cost of bowls:
— Hapa bowl, acai $ 10.50+4 (=2 stuffed strawberries) = $ 14.50+tax = $ 15.18 Yowza!
— Hapa bowl, acai/​pitaya + 1 cookie dough (3 balls/​$ 1) = $ 11.50 w/​tax = $ 12.04
— $ 27.22 for two bowls is expensive. I could have bought bags of fruit for $ 30!
5– After using my credit card, nearly each time I asked a question, the cashier called me by my first name & even when saying goodbye. Is that weird?
6– Messy. (1) My bowl was covered w/​spots of honey. I didn’t want them to transfer to my work clothes so they wiped off the honey no problem. (2) Couple employees were dressed in flourescent yellow tee-​shirts splashed w/​purple fruit spray.
7– Bowls need more honey & granola. Fruits ranged from sweet to not sweet. Perhaps they need more ripening.
8– The fine slushy acai at bottom is mildly sweet; I liked the mild chocolate flavor. The pitaya in the acai/​pitaya combination was too sweet for me.
9 — The stuffed strawberries were pretty good; I chewed on sugar crystals in the cookie dough.
10– The plain cookie dough was not flavorful.
11 — A/​C was broken my first visit. It was hot & stuffy. When the a/​c was on during my next visit, it was cooler but still stuffy & not comfortable. Walls are a bright-​ish medium green. Perhaps white would be nicer idk! The cast iron-​looking aluminum metal patio tables/​chairs are not so comfy.
12 — When I headed back to my car at 6:30/7 p.m., the water sprinklers were watering the entire right side of my car, wheels, & rims. Dang.
LOCATION: Easy to find. Sits between the park & Burger King across Safeway (of the Kapolei shopping center that sits along the freeway). With Burger King on the left, turn right into the parking lot.
The shop resides in the bldg connected to the parking lot left of the Chinese restaurant; inside the glass doors, Hi Cravings is on the left.

Amaaaaazin! Half and half reg, clean and safe prepping, fast service. Location quick and easy to find. Fruit isn’t cold which I prefer!

Ok so I just wanna say, I’m not out to bash anyone, especially a small business because I know how hard it is for a small business to climb it’s way up. It’s just little things that could have made it better were not… Done.
I am a HUGE fan of acai bowls, or acai in general! My sisters and I knew of this place because of how popular the acai bowl photos are on Instagram, and they were pretty! We had planned a trip to Oahu to spend time together and just eat good food. We made it a priority to stop by Jessdabest. We drove about an hour and a half from where we were staying (not to mention we got a little lost lol), it’s not an easy place to find. The cashier was hilarious, he was actually the highlight of the trip. Although I didn’t enjoy my bowl, I left a tip for the nice lad. Anyways to make this short:
1 — this is the place to come to if ur looking for a quick acai bowl where they scoop the acai from ice cream looking buckets.
2– the cookie dough wasn’t the best, I could def taste the dough and butter. Idk where the cookie part of it went
3– same goes for the cookie dough strawberry
4– the goji berries nearly broke my tooth
5 — load up on the fruits, it’s what makes the bowl O K.
No bathroom but the restaurant is clean

Today’s visit got 3 stars from me because they failed to listen to the customer… I understand you want to work fast but buy you also want to make sure your giving your customers what they ordered. I ordered a mini Acai with strawberries, bananas and grapes ONLY and chocolate chip cookie dough then later asked to add the honey and I also ordered and PAID for almond slices add-​on. When I got to my destination I opened my bowl and there was NO almond slices and they had put granola. The granola wasn’t a big issue but not having the almond slices add-​on that I had PAID for not be on there really upset me. Because I was already at my destination I just ate it. So for future reference PLEASE pay attention to what your customers are ordering and read back the order so that these mistakes don’t keep happening.

Yum! They make a good acai bowl. I got the hapa bowl with acai and pitaya. I got the fruits, granola, and honey plus cookie dough and bee pollen. I was disappointed they did not have paiai. It was $ 13 which is comparable to Diamond Head Cove Bar. It’s huge, you can split it with someone. The toppings I had were yummy. I liked that they had so many options.

Best Acai bowl Ever!
And I am not talking just in the Kapolei area.
Well worth the drive.

I came here with two friends for the acai sorbet. It was a bummer that they were out and only had the pitaya and regular acai base bowls left. But we came around 5pm so it’s understandable.
One friend got the mini pitaya & I got the mini acai. They got our base mixed up. So I got my friend’s pitaya but with the fruits & topping I ordered. She got my acai but with the fruits she ordered. It would’ve been too much of a hassle trying to fix it. Especially since everything in the bowl is completely packed. It would’ve been messy. So we just stuck with what we were given. Although I didn’t care much for the pitaya.
The service was just ok. Could have been a lot better if they at least tried to smile :-)

I feel like I have become a sort of ‘Acai bowl aficionado’ since moving to da island… I’ve had more smoothie bowls over the last month than I have in my entire life. And I don’t regret it! We decided to check out HI Cravings a few weeks ago on our way to the beach.
Didn’t get to check out the famous «cookie dough» topping like I wanted to, because it is not vegan! That’s okay though, because their Acai bowls are really ‘Da Best anyways. I loved all their different options, and their location is perfect for a day in Ko’Olina or elsewhere on the West side. They also sell local art right in their store for fair price. It’s a far drive for us, so I probably won’t be a frequent visitor… but when in town, I will definitely be back!

Omg it was so good! I had an acai bowl with granola, watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, bananas, honeydew melon, cookie dough and honey. SO GOOD 4 stars only because I thought it was a little pricey. $ 9.50 + $ 1.00 for the cookie dough

Hi Cravings is so good. It’s I get mad at myself if I leave Kapolei without having one good. It’s darn both tables are taken and I want to eat my bowl right now good. It’s as I write this review I wish I had one good.
Hi Cravings make their own Acai, Pitaya, and Mana (fruit and greens) sorbet. You can get a Mini or Regular one choice or a Regular Hapa bowl which is two flavors. I order all three, but if I could only have two, I’d go with the Acai and the Mana. Your bowl comes with crunchy granola, fresh melons, banana, berries, and honey if you want it, though I ask to leave the honey off. You can also add on more fresh toppings like bee pollen, chia seeds, ice cream, and chocolate. The most special add-​ons are the house made cookie dough balls and stuffed strawberries – sweet, rich, and totally indulgent, they come in different flavors and are definitely not calorie conscious.
Stop by for a meal, snack, dessert, or any other time you’re looking for a refreshing treat.

Love this place!
Always «double the cookie dough»!
Went back the next day for my fill, lol.

First time I had an acai bowl was this past Saturday at a event. It was fresh and delicious.
So I went in search for a acai store and found this right in Kapolei!
Boy am I happy! It was difficult to find them but I succeeded. They are right next to Kapolei Chinese and share a place with a spa. Can you imagine getting a massage while eating fresh acai bowl mmmmm.
The acai was nice and ice cold, fruits were fresh. And granola was crunchy! Well definitely be back!

I’m a huge Acai fan, so when I came to HI CRAVINGS, I was really disappointed.
I spent $ 12 on a regular Acai bowl w/​3 white chocolate cookie dough balls & bee pollen. Honestly it’s too expensive and the taste was terrible. The presentation of the Acai bowl was beautiful, but as soon as I started digging it, everything just tasted off. Besides the Banana and strawberries, the other fruits had NO TASTE. Lots of Granola, I had to dig for a while to reach my Acai. My first bite of the Acai was a huge disappointment. The Acai was sour, and none of the toppings matched its taste. I asked for more honey, and the lady was kind enough to drizzle on ½ a tablespoon, thanks but that didn’t change the taste at all. If you’re going to have sour Acai with tasteless fruits at least have a huge serving of honey.
Really disappointed. I heard so many great things about this place, but it was honestly not worth my time or money. I eat a lot of Diamond head health bar Acai bowls, so maybe I’m spoiled by good Acai.

We came here for the cookie dough balls! This visit has been many years in the making ever since my friend Tamra W first told me about Jess Da Bess. All she could talk about were the cookie dough balls and the droves of people who would visit this small store nestled in a Kapolei residential complex. I’m not one for lines and decided that no cookie dough ball in the world could be worth waiting for in the hot sun.
Well thankfully the madness has subsided and Jess Da Bess now has a storefront in Kapolei. It shares a space with Beautiville and there were no lines when we paid them a visit. My hubby and I ordered a large acai bowl to share for $ 9.50, with cookie dough balls of course, and we anxiously waited for our bowl to be made. First off, unless you have the appetite of two men, I suggest sharing a bowl with a friend. There’s no way I could have gotten through one by myself because it’s filled with massive amounts of fresh fruit. Second, you have to get the cookie dough balls because this is what makes the bowl more of a dessert and a healthy alternative to a Big Mac. It made me wonder if there was an option to have a bowl filled with cookie dough balls and topped with some fruit, but for the sake of my ever growing behind, it’s probably better that I don’t go down that road. Overall a great snack to have after a long day or as a reward after your gym workout!
The girls at the counter were very sweet and happily answered any questions we had about toppings or sizes. In addition to bowls you can also order trays for parties for $ 40. Side note: I worried that one girl was going to cut off her fingers into a tray she was making. She was cutting the fruits so quickly and talking to people at the same time. I’m a Mom so we’re always looking for accidents in the making.

RIDICULOUS… LY GOOD! :)
Walk in and the staff was so fun and friendly! They gave excellent recommendations and showed us best value for our family size too!
We got the large family acai tray to go. We added the condensed milk strawberries, chocolate chip cookie dough bites, and condensed milk over the tray. The guy was so nice he gave us a sampler cup for treats to try for our next visit.
Took the tray home, and EVERYTHING was sooooo good and fresh! The entire family ate it over a two day period.
Well even with those two days, back today to enjoy so more! This was oh so good once again!
This will be a regular spot for us!

Not a big fan of their acai bowl but more of their pitaya bowl (dragon fruit). In my previous visits I didn’t like how it was frozen but my boyfriend and I went to their new location and it was fresh!
I had the pitaya bowl with watermelon, honeydew, and cookie dough. It’s the perfect combination!

Cookie dough on acai bowls??? Say whaaat? After all those instagram pictures of acai bowls here. I need to try it. Unexpectedly, Hi Cravings was at Eat the Street. My chance to taste cookie dough. Hooray!
There was a sample this lady was passing out. took a bite of it. It was interesting. Haven’t tasted cookie dough for a long time. I bought the acai bowl with fruit toppings and 3 mini scoop of cookie dough ($ 9). Fruit toppings included watermelon, honey dew, pineapple, strawberry, banana, and granola. I scooped some acai and fruits… fruity sweet. Not too sweet, not too sour. The taste wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. I don’t think watermelon and honey dew goes well with acai bowls… in my opinion.
At least I tried! I mean acai bowls are known in Hawaii.