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Kaneohe, HI

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Café Kalawe

4.7 (664 reviews)
Open • 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Café Kalawe Photos

CAFÉ KALAWE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Café Kalawe

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Cafe Kalawe music stage.
Johanna T.

Amelia was a wonderful server. The loco mocos that my mainland visitors ordered did not disappoint. I like to stick with my usual fried rice and poached egg.

Kalbi short ribs with shrimp
Fay K.

The kalbi short ribs are all fat meat. Shrimps are made from frozen. Ordered the coke but never come.

Local entertainment is awesome!!
Virgie L.

Always awesome. Great entertainment, good food, great service and a relax chill feel

Mikey H.

I remember when this place was a Zippy's, and then Dean's. I think I went to the Zippy's once since my parents lived down the street. But when my niece was out here, she stopped by and said the food was really good. They also had live music. So when I found myself heading home from my parents, I stopped here to eat cause I was starving! I entered and it was a little busy so it took a while for the friendly server to come give me a seat, and she apologized. The menu is pretty extensive with a lot to choose from. I decided on the Hapa Loco Moco, a corned beef patty and a hamburger patty. I also asked to sub the kim chee fried rice, which is extra. I also ordered a side of mac salad, which was good, but different. But the Hapa is really good! Rich gravy over it all. I do wish there was more corned beef than potatoes in the patty, but it was good. I do recommend getting the kim chee fried rice because it's AMAAAAAAAAAAZINGLY delicious! So full of flavor! The service was great! Lots of locals coming in as I was getting to leave. Great place to come to! Mahalo Cafe Kalawe!!!

Front of restaurant
Craig T.

Update on Cafe Kalawe this is my first time here ever since they moved . This was Deans drive in before and before that Zippy's. Day after Christmas took my sister and brother in law here for breakfast because originally we wanted to check another place but they were crowded. I ordered their Kim Chee fried rice omelette it was good came with toast or English muffin. I also ordered a side order of original pancake it was nice a buttery not bad . Nice amount of parking right in front of restaurant and they also have brunch items to choose from along with their homemade desserts . Unfortunately I was full from my breakfast didn't have room for dessert. Support local when in the area

might as well call it chopped veggies with some meat
Devin A.

Food was ready on time .. friendly workers but I ordered a $20 chop steak plate and there was more veggies than meat ... i get it its a breakfast spot but still kind of bad when the you can barely see any meat when u open the plate

Ham, hash browns
Rainbow L.

The ham that my friend got was burned and tough like they used old pieces of meat that was reheated many times. My omelette is also cold. Actually both of our breakfast was cold when we got it. It's not too busy when we were in the restaurant that morning. Don't know why the food was cold when we get it. Not that impressed and probably won't go back if we will be in the area again.

Cat M.

We were looking in the area for somewhere for breakfast before heading to a botanical garden. This place had great reviews on Yelp so we stopped in and had an omelette and mini Loco moco. Both were delicious. The mini loco moco is the perfect size and very filling

Hapa Moco
Earl G.

Best loco moco in town and it's so well reasonably priced! Hapa Moco is the best of both worlds with the meatloaf-style party and corned beef hash patty. The proteins are super flavorful with a slight char taste to it which adds another dimension of flavor. On weekends, they also have live music by the owner which is a total vibe!

Dakota T.

A very nice hole in the wall restaurant where Zippys used to be. We walked in and got seated right away. Unfortunately a lot of their menu options were no longer available for the day, but we decided to get our second favorite choices. The kalbi short ribs were nice seasoned and the misoyakk butterfish was also cooked really well. The chicken katsu felt a bit too fried or really crunchy for my personal taste but overall a great food and good price for the amount of food you get.

Breakfast with mom and pops
Glenn N.

I can't believe I never wrote a review on Cafe Kalawe. For well over a decade, Raymond and his wife have been putting out simply good food. Known for their variety of Loco Moco bowls, and Chantilly pancakes. I have known Raymond for over 45 years. He puts his sweat and soul into everything they produce. They also have live music during brunch on Sundays as well as other days you can check there website for actual times. There is plenty of parking pro tip would be to go as soon as they open or in between breakfast and lunch they did expand their interior to accommodate a lot of people, but this place is so popular. It gets quite busy at times.

Menu
Deborah P.

Update on Dec 26,2025. Came here to eat because the original place we wanted to go was 50 people deep in line. I ordered their fried rice with egg, my brother ordered Kim chee fried rice with a single pancake. My husband ordered spinach mushroom ham omelet. My fried rice was good and so much I took the half home. My brother's Kim chee fried omelet was ok the pancake was good. My husband omelet was ok too but the ham was in chunks instead of slices. He's side order bacon was good my brother made a comment and said next time we go order lunch.

French toast
Kimberly B.

After searching on Yelp for a breakfast spot nearby the first thing that popped up at Café Kalawe so we went to dine in. Greeted by such friendly employees. We sat down for our menu and browsed. Lots of seating, i'm sure this place gets super busy at peak times but when we arrived at opening, there were only 3 other tables in use. I knew I wanted to eat something with rice and I haven't had loco moco in a few months so I ordered a mini loco moco and full order of french toast. Everything came out pretty quick. Loco moco looked and tasted good. My over easy egg was cooked perfectly. Only con was the patty was a little bit over cooked. The french was tasty and had a good amount of cinnamon flavor. Would come back again.

Kafekalawe

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Reviews are largely positive. People highlight the delicious local food, friendly staff, and welcoming atmosphere, with live Hawaiian music adding to the experience.

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3 months ago

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19 days ago

This place rocked! Live music , good food and friendly staff. More like a family atmosphere. Good job everyone.

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6 months ago

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5 days ago

Hands down thee best breakfast we have had! My wife got the loco moco (mini) and I got the Kalbi short rib and eggs! Highly recommend!

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Ask the Community - Café Kalawe

What's with all the bible stuff in the photos? Will non-Christians feel the aloha?

Oh my god of course. This place is the bomb and they very very welcoming.

Do they sell gift cards or gift certificates?

Yes

Need directions from east?

The easiest way is. 1) Go to the Yelp app. 2) Search Cafe Kalawe 3) Then Scroll down and "Click" on "Get Directions" 4) Press "Go" 5) it will show you how to get there from where you are and how long it will take. 1) Or use Google Maps or any… 

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