Bigger of an operation now compared to back when I was growing up in Hilo. But they have always…read morekept the fact that you can walk in and see the workers hand dipping cookies and whatnot. They've not changed much besides having newer items here and there. They've classic chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are always a winner. Best part about visiting is that you get samples of their products if you just ask kindly! The staff are always so friendly and helpful. I wish they would bring back the Peanut Butter Crunch Bars!

Make sure to check this place out if you're in the area! We stopped by around 8:30 AM and honestly…read moreweren't even sure it was open at first--the building looks pretty dark from the outside because of the tint. But as soon as we walked in, we were warmly greeted by the wonderful staff, and the whole vibe completely changed. Inside, the space is bright, inviting, and thoughtfully set up. We were offered samples of their Kona coffee along with a couple of treats of the day, which was such a nice touch. As you walk around, you can actually watch them making their delicious goodies, which makes the experience even more fun and tempting. The shop was beautifully decorated for the upcoming Easter holiday, and they also had some really lovely gift boxes--perfect if you're looking to bring something home for family or friends. There's also a small area where you can grab drinks (and possibly ice cream too). I ordered a green tea latte, and it was absolutely wonderful. Overall, such a cozy, welcoming spot with great treats and friendly service. Definitely worth stopping by--whether you're craving something sweet or looking to pick up a thoughtful gift!

I love this place! Everyone is so nice and friendly. I love all the different samples they have!…read moreToday they had 15 percent off! You must stop by here you'll go nuts

Very cool stop on our drive. We bought a lot of souvenirs here and some of them were even 15% off…read morefor a Valentine's sale they were having. They are generous with their samples (although the coffee samples appeared to be all gone when we were there). It was kind of fun to look through the windows and see the macadamia processing in realtime. The only complaint is that the bathrooms have a strong smell of backed up sewage. Other than that, I really enjoyed our visit here.

I highly recommend this as one of the best chocolate tours!…read moreWe took the two hour tour with our family - it was a nice small group of six in total. Mike was not only an expert in all things chocolate, but he is easy to understand, he takes time to teach you and answer any questions and he has a great personality! It was pouring down rain the day we went, yet the tour was still a great success. We started out at the farm and then concluded down at the shop. You get to taste fresh cacao, nibs, cacao tea and kakao brew - of course at the shop are the full chocolate bars. Mike clearly loves what he does and enjoys sharing that love with his customers. The only down side is that after listening to Mike you will be ruined forever on eating any other general retail chocolate. So long Hershey and friends!

Experienced the VIP cacao tasting tour and enjoyed every last second of it! Mike was an amazing…read moretour guide. He built his cacao farm from the bottom up and it was amazing to witness his progress ever since 2017. He walked us through the seed germination process, the growing process, the fermentation process and everything before, in between and after that.. from seed all the way to chocolate bar. This tour is meant to expand your knowledge and change your perspective on how you think about, taste, and experience chocolate. At the end of the farm tour, you drive down to the gift shop (about a 3 min drive from the farm) to make any potential purchases as well as taste even more chocolate! What an amazing and unique experience in Honaka'a and 100% recommend adding this tour to your Big Island itinerary. P.S. my favorite chocolate bar is the barrel aged bourbon bar!! Notes of dark cherry with a bourbon finish :)

How have I not know about Mrs Barry's Kona cookies? Is it because I haven't frequented Kona? I've…read morehad several friends and family visit Kona, but no one told me about this place nor have they brought these cookies home for me. Were they gatekeeping this? Well I'm here to share about Mrs Barry's Kona cookies. They have so many different flavors, variety packs, single cookies or u can just get packages of the same flavor. They are located less than 10min away from the Kona Airport. It is very important that you stop here on your way back to the airport.... Or when you first land. Their cookies are flavorful.... They are also crispy... thin crispy goodness. Like no other. Way better than......the other big island cookie place lol The lady behind the counter was very sweet and welcoming. It's a small store so whatever they have there is all they have. So make sure u get your cookie fix while you're in Kona

Cookies=***** 5 stars Service = ***** 5 stars…read moreAmbience could use some cheer. Freshen displays, reorganized visual appeal and glow and display case.

My husband and I have visited the big island many times and I was looking for things we haven't…read morealready done. When I found this, it looked interesting. It turned out to be fantastic. The food was incredible. It was interesting to hear how they use vanilla. I almost never order a grilled chicken sandwich because they're usually dry and boring, but this one was not. It was one of the best meals I've had this year. The tour portion was incredibly interesting. I learned so much about vanilla. All in all, I highly recommend this!

This is my second time doing this tour that includes a lovely meal. The last time it was about 8…read moreyears ago when it was family run and a smaller operation. Now that the family's owner's kids have grown up and moved away. They have lucked out by hiring an incredible do- everything- tour guy named Zach, who is just so filled with knowledge about the history of vanilla and the botany and post harvest detail details of the vanilla. He gives a fabulous tour that is very engaging for everybody. Zach is also incredibly jazzed up about cooking with vanilla and he and his family live on the property and he has been on board with the Hawaiian Vanilla Company since 2023. The have just become so immersed in the vanilla. He shares his recipes and findings with you via email after the tour if you're interested. He also serves up the luncheon which for us included either a vanilla black tea, unsweetened, or a vanilla lemonade or an on Palmer of the two and a starter of a vanilla, gee infused popcorn, followed by a Kristine with vanilla Gar masala and some other vanilla spices with the shrimp and then the main courseteriyaki chicken thigh, marinated in a vanilla a brioche bond made with vanilla and a holy, made with vanilla a salad topped with a balsamic vanilla dressing and a bunch of candied vanilla pecans. After you do the vanilla tour return to the main building and enjoy coffee with vanilla and Kareem and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I had been using the other sauce of the vanilla starter kit that I purchased the last time I talked about 10 years ago and I was very happy to get more beans and some tips on starting a new batch. They have a huge variety of extract made with different types of alcohol that you can smell and they also sell of course they are double strength extract, which is the bomb, but I prefer to make my own cause then I gotta tell everybody I made my own from their beans. It did rain when we were there but they provide umbrellas and if you don't feel like walking about 3rd mile on the hill too the vanilla growing area you can't get a ride in that six seater gator back-and-forth. I highly I recommend this tour!!!

We've read about this place in many Big Island guides, so it was a must stop when visiting the Hilo…read moreside of the island. I must say, these are probably the best mochi balls I've had in my life. Every flavor came to life with every bite. It's very tight inside without any place to sit so be prepared to queue outside if the line is long. You can call in ahead to avoid the crowds. This is definitely one of the must visit spots on the Big Island. Even if you're on the Kailua Kona side.

We tried coming around noon on a weekday but the line was long and we thought maybe we wouldn't be…read moreable to get the flavors we wanted so decided to call to place an order to pick up the following day. We came at 10:30am which was the pickup time we asked for and waited about 20 minutes in the phone order line before being called into the store and waited a few more minutes and left with our order around 11. They did give samples in line though, so that was nice. I did wish I knew about the additional daily fresh fruit flavors beforehand though so that I could order those when I called! I didn't see it until I came to pick up. The place is small and only enough room for a few people at a time. The strawberry mochi is amazing! Other flavors are good too, so soft and fresh. I think it's worth going if you like mochi and have the time!

The sweetest candy shop, located on the main street in downtown Hilo! Gummies, chocolates, taffy,…read moreBig League Chew (hello nostalgia!), and so much more...there's something to satisfy every sweet tooth. I went in with one mission: to find the elusive (and discontinued?) Peach Penguin gummies. Does anyone know these? I've not had them but a friend who grew up in the Bay Area raves about them, so it's my mission to find them (other than on the internet). It's not surprising that we didn't find them, but we did find every other gummy candy under the sun, including gummy peaches and sharks. It was still so fun to look at all the sweet eye candy. If you're visiting Hilo and searching for a sweet treat, definitely check out Sugar Coast Candy!

We have traveled to 3 countries looking for these and unexpectedly found a Wonka bar in Hawaii!…read moreThis made our trip! They have a wide variety of nostalgic candy along with local picks and gourmet options. Service was great, store was very clean and quality of chocolates was on point.

My go-to shave ice and ice cream spot on this side of the Big Island!…read more Service is smiley and friendly. I love the different flavors for the shave ice--I always get what I consider to be more Hawaiian or tropical (after all, when in Rome...) Portions are large! In November 2025, I got the 3 flavor guava pineapple and all natural lychee $6 but in the past, I've also enjoyed li hing mui, guava, and lilikoi with mochi (+$1), as well as pina colada! I keep coming back and so should you!

GPS took me to the wrong address.. but I prevailed and found it! Delicious after a day at Hapuna…read morebeach! Coconut ice cream is delicious! The $6 shaved ice 3 flavors is a very generous size. My was so delicious w pina colada , blue vanilla and lilikoi. Sooo yummy.

Loved this shop! Located in the Ali'i Gardens Marketplace, this little shop sells yummy treats that…read moreare local from Hawaii! We stepped in and were greeted immediately and offered samples of several items, including the Hamakua Toffee, apple banana, furikake rice crispies and white chocolate with cacao nibs. Everything was delicious and we ended up purchasing several items. Great customer service and a nice spot to pick up some local, tasty gifts for friends and family (or yourself hehe).

Great mix of products! Hawaiian made and delicious!…read more It's only been open for a few weeks so this was a cool new find. I see I get to be the first to review! Every product in Yay! Candy has a story of local history behind it that the store owners/operators are happy to share. They are very local focused and said they have a very strict policy to only carry products from Hawaiian companies. The owners said they seek out vendors where everything is made on one of the islands and ingredients are source locally when possible. Fair trade when not. So no cheep imports here. We checked a few and couldn't find anything that didn't meet this criteria. The store is ran by a super sweet couple that reminds me of my grandparents and make you feel super welcome when you come in. They have a bit of a sense of humor about their store as well it seems. They have a secret dentist discount. So all you dentist with a sweet tooth, we found your spot. Samples! They have samples available for most products. So if you're unsure you can probably try it, but be warned if you sample it you will want to buy it. Chocoholics be warned! I saw over half a dozen local grown and made "bean to bar" as they say, chocolate crafters on their shelves and each with multiple options. Farm to table tarts. And a wall of small farm macadamia nuts options, including chocolate covered varieties, and the best friggin toffee I've ever tried. Lilikoi, Li hing, coconut options in everything. Even organic cotton Candy?? My new favorite candy store! The only negative is I don't live on the island, so I have to wait for my next visit to get my next fix.

Great experience at Kailua Kona location Big Island. Came in for one simple thing -- potty pads --…read moreand almost left empty-handed when I saw the shelf was completely bare. I could see the stock sitting up top, just out of reach, so I figured I'd ask an employee if there was any way to get some brought down. Not only did Kema help without hesitation, he actually closed off the aisle to properly restock the entire floor section. No attitude, no "that's not my job" -- just genuine, willingness to help a customer out. In a world where good customer service is getting harder to find, Kema reminded me why I keep renewing that Costco membership year after year. That kind of effort doesn't go unnoticed. Give this man a raise!

I love Costco in Hawaii. Any island. Never a disappointment. We came here to browse and pick up…read morequick food before our flight. They have great local items. I've purchased their Costco cooler bag before from here on a previous trip. Ordering food took a long time. They take the time to get you your order. I mean it's island time. Just make sure to order at kiosk first. The guy before us did not and he waited so long. If you want to purchase at window, make sure you are in correct line. This Costco has never been busy when we have visited. It's busy enough but not crowded at all.