When traveling to the neighbor islands, I always look forward to trying good eats at local businesses. Found this cute little bake shop with great reviews on Yelp and had to check it out. Cardamom coffee cake was moist and full of sweet spicy goodness with chocolate chips sprinkled in. The cinnamon raisin walnut swirl was large, dense and heavy. I opted for the one without sugar icing on top. The sweet cinnamon goo rolled in the middle was so good and made me feel less guilty than when eating a Cinnabon. The guy at the counter told me he wanted to work at the bakery after eating the ginger molasses cookies, so of course I had to try them! They were big, soft but with density and tasted like fall. Not life changing for us, but good for those who appreciate that size. Because they close on Sundays and I was only there for the weekend, I went a little nuts. Also had to try the Lilikoi pie. It was different from those I've had on Kauai. This one had more of the consistency of a keylime pie which they also offer. It was tart abd good. Portions and sizes here are generous. Their style is more rustic and homey. So glad Hilo has another good bakery for me to visit ! Next time I'll go earlier when they're not sold out of their best sellers! (Oops! Forgot to let my camera eat first so photos show half eaten bags.) read more

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My partner and I finally had the opportunity to try out this bakery, and we were very impressed with their mini cinnamon rolls. Their mini cinnamon rolls are not overly doughy, have the right amount of cinnamon, are not overly sweet, and are enjoyably soft. We will definitely be ordering these again. I also got their cardamom coffee cake, which was excellent as well. It was very moist and, like the mini cinnamon rolls, had the perfect amount of sweetness. We will be back to try their other offerings in the future. So, if you're looking for a solid bakery in Hilo, be sure to check them out! read more

This is a great little hole-in-the-wall bakery that we stumbled across walking around downtown Hilo. I ended up ordering a mini-loaf of wheat bread and two pieces of pie: one lilikoi and one coconut. Everything was excellent! I brought the bread back to the mainland and am still eating it now. It is very dense and good for toasting, especially. While I didn't order it, I was pleased to see that they also make challah, apparently on Fridays, for shabbat. That seemed especially appropriate given that -- as the sculpture across the street explains -- Hilo means "twist" or "braid." read more

Amazing bread!! Delicious cinnamon rolls!! Would be nice if they could heat them up for us to-go!!

We had some GREAT Sourdough Bread at a local restaurant (the Temple) with Hawaiian smoke salt and it was incredible. So our goal was replicate this. We found the salt at the Hilo Farmer's Market. Yelp told us where the nearest bakery was - and we were set. Fortunately the bakery was very close to the market - we were there in just minutes. The have a very large assortment of baked goods. The have bread, cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls, scones, and much more. The prices seem very reasonable. The young man in the bakery was very friendly and knowledgeable. They only had fresh sourdough with Poi and that wouldn't work for us. But they had a loaf of Regular sourdough on the day old sale table. So we bought it. And we save 10%. He was helpful and recommended that he slice the loaf for us. He said that the sourdough bread would hold up better if it was sliced. It's a nice little bakery. It's clean and neat. it smells good too. Would definitely come again. Next time we're in the area. read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Sliced Sourdough Loaf - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We love everything about this little hard working, community oriented, socially conscious bakery! Plus, their Deli Rye.... YUM.

Wonderful service and beautiful pastries. All yummy and well packed. Mahalo for being a locally owned bakery and hiring great and friendly staff! read more

Love their cinnamon bread. It is so tasty!! It's across from Subway and the Mexican restaurant. read more

Papa'a Palaoa gets five stars entirely because of the pies they make. The Lilikoi Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie, and Coconut Cream Pie are all simply the best versions of those pies that have ever existed anywhere. It's impossible to overstate just how good they are. I spend a lot of time in Hilo and eat a slice of one of them almost every day. The rest of the food ranges from good to great, but the pie is perfect. read more

This cozy bakery in Hilo had some great pastries available. We arrived about 10am and missed out on scones but I had the BEST key lime pie I've ever had here. Also my lemon blueberry muffin was so yummy along with a cup of coffee! Definitely a popular spot so go early if you can! read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Chocolate Walnut Cookies - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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They ran out of cinnamon rolls, but they did offer us a pull apart cinnamon roll. I really wish I got a cinnamon roll there I would be able to judge fairly. But my wife got the coconut cream pie and she absolutely loved it. It went really well with the coffee from next-door. Good service small little place they sell out. I can see why looks like you walk in and get what you want and leave decently priced happy with our purchase we got both kinds of icing regular and the Lilikoi go with the Lily Cohee for sure. It's absolutely amazing. We will return again and try to get the cinnamon roll to give it a fair chance But was it really a fan of the big pull apart cinnamon roll because it was a little bit dry and it seemed older. I wanna get a fresh cinnamon roll from here with the icing on top because what they gave us for the icing was very small and I really wish we had more icing to put on that huge pull apart that we got read more

Stopped in for pie. Delicious. Will try the cinnamon rolls next time. Staff was very helpful and courteous.

Fantastic baked goods and friendly staff. We will definitely return during our stay in Hilo.

As I was making my way down the street towards the grocery store, I got a whiff of freshly baked goods. Out of curiosity and temptation, I followed my nose and landed at Papa'a Palaoa Bakery. I was warmly and so kindly greeted by staff. There were so many delicious items to pick from! After a few breaths and tug-o-war moments in my mind, I decided upon the Lilikoi pound cake and the poppy seed challah bread, both freshly baked that day. The Lilikoi pound cake was tasty and had JUST enough of the tart and sweet Lilikoi flavor. The cake was also dense and moist, as should be a pound cake! The challah bread was also delicious and lasted me quite a while! Golden brown on the outside, aesthetically pleasing, delicious, and the perfect amount of fluff. All at a good price point too! Overall, I had a great experience both in the shop and afterwards as I stuffed my face with pound cake as I resumed my walk. Highly recommend stopping by to any and all looking for some decadent baked goods! read more

I went in and saw all the bread, scones, and muffins.i bought a small sandwich meatloaf , palm size with cranberry jelly. Meatloaf was very tasty curry like. The little bread was excellent with nuts. Anything with nuts is good. She has an open kitchen. read more

Every time I visit Hilo I have to make a stop here! Some of the best cookies I've ever had. My family and I finished a bag within a day. Just another excuse to come back and buy more The cinnamon rolls are huge! The lilikoi cream cheese frosting is the icing on top! Literally! Their scones are delicious too. I've tried just about everything! Please, give this place a try! Everything is so delicious and fresh. Honestly worth every penny! read more

Been a few more times since my original review. Everything has been the delicious and the staff has always been friendly. It's nice small bakery but very clean and welcoming. Definitely a 5 star. read more

We found this awesome little bakery while we were on vacation. We enjoyed it so much, we came back twice. The scones, cookies and breads are fresh and delicious. The cinnamon rolls are vegan and you have the option of frostings (vegan or cream cheese) read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Menu as of February 2024 - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Conveniently near the Hilo Farmers Market, so we had to go. We're cookie fanatics, so we did what we had to do. Verdict: 3 1/2 to 4 for the ginger molasses cookies. Some molasses flavors, soft texture, a little light on ginger for our taste. Sorry, closer to a 1 for the oatmeal raisin ones. Bready texture, not enough raisins, lacked that toasted oatmeal flavor. You may be happier with the scones. read more

- Cinnamon rolls are incredible - Service is super friendly - Prices seemed reasonable - Baked goods are very fresh read more

We stopped by Papa'a Palaoa for a treat before the farmer's market; I had heard they had killer cinnamon rolls, so obviously I was sold immediately. The lady at the register was very kind and gave us some lilikoi frosting with the cinnamon bun (we also ran into her while walking around downtown later in the day and she remembered us, which was sweet). They had freshly baked scones and poi sourdough, but unfortunately, we were flying to Oahu the next day and didn't think we'd have enough space to stash even more treats. MAJOR regret, as poi sourdough sounds amazing. As for the cinnamon roll, it was well worth $3 dollars--definitely enough to share between two people. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so moist and fluffy despite being vegan. It was not too sweet, either, so the lilikoi frosting was a perfect match. If you're looking for a Cinnabon/state fair cinnamon roll equivalent, you might want to sit out on this one, but for those who are connoisseurs of the 'not-too-sweet' dessert genre, highly recommend. read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Vegan cinnamon roll - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Spent a week in Hilo and hit this bakery twice. I love these type of scones (big and semi-dense), and the fact that I could get a cinnamon roll that was not drenched in icing read more

As others noted, tiny allowing one person in at a time. We got a peasant bread which is a fairly soft bread. It is fine, but I wasn't overwhelmed by its goodness. The young woman at the counter acted like she didn't want to be there and had little interest in serving us. She was borderline out right rude. After days of experiencing great Hawaiian friendliness everywhere we went, it was quite a shock. read more

Small bakery shop in downtown Hilo with delicious, very affordable goods. I was drawn in by the smell of delicious baking treats on a rainy Hawaiian day :) Got a MASSIVE delicious cinnamon roll ($3.25) and a cheddar scone ($3) that was amazing. Service was really great too. Love how they have vegan goods like seitan sandwiches too which are absolutely amazing. read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Huge, yummy cinnamon roll ($3.25) - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Overall: We were in and out in a few minutes. They had plenty of options available at 8am (the below review had trouble arriving too early and not having anything baked yet). Great place to stop for a quick treat! Lemon cranberry scone: The texture was great, and it had a nice amount of cranberries. It had the slightest hint of lemon - I wish it was a slightly stronger because at times, I felt like I was eating a plain scone. Cinnamon roll: It was still warm when we got it! Love the cinnamon flavor - the edges were a little dry (I wish more than the middle was gooey - Maybe a glaze added to the top?), but still great! read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Lemon cranberry scone - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Friendly service, very informative and helpful! The muffins and cinnamon roll were so good! Best breakfast with our coffee before heading over to VNP! We got some bread and ginger molasses cookies to take home the cookies will absolutely be what we go back for any and every time we are in Hilo. So, so good! A lot of their ingredients are also organic and local, and they have plenty of vegan options! 10/10 recommend! read more

Their lemon cranberry scone was very good. Great service. Tiny and quaint place. Next time, I'm going to try their blueberry scone, which was packed with blueberries. Their breads and pies look delicious too. read more

My daughter and I had a hour to burn before her haircut... drove around downtown before 10am on a holiday of course not a lot going on... except this joint! I was so excited let's try.... She got a cinnamon roll which is huge and I got a slice of quiche (spinach and bacon and cheese) last piece mind you and it's cold... so on my way back to the hair shop I stopped at 711 to heat up my quiche.. once it's heated up! To die for! No wonder why it was the last piece. It was so good! We will be back to try some other goodies! I also bought a loaf of challah bread for $3.50 half off!!! read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Bakery goods - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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A+ experience. Do you want a lazy breakfast like us? :) Ordering online and delivery was great. Our hotel doesn't allow delivery to room but we were able to go down to lobby desk to pick up. EVERYTHING we got was delicious. The scones are as good as they come! A great balance of fluffy and dense. Not overpowering sweet. Just right. We tried the lemon cranberry and the berry and both were excellent. The lemon might have a slight nudge in favor. Oh my goodness the cinnamon roll. We will have to save o e for later as they are as big as a volcano :) I did order the cream cheese frosting and it was enough for 2 if you like lite frosting (which we do). Looking forward to trying the breads some day. Tonight we try the pie :) read more

Almond scone, delicious. Cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing side, old school delicious (this is no Cinnabon and that is a great thing in my book). Poi sourdough, delicious. Haven't tried anything else yet... will continue coming back when I'm in Hilo. read more

If you want to enjoy the best bakery goods on the Big Island head to Papa a pala0a bakery in HILO. I,m a regular customer now and discovered a secret when I ordered an EGIFTCARD online...you get a 15% discount if your egiftcard is over $100. No brainer. My family is there twice a week! I made a slight error on my first online order but they cleared it up for me in a jiffy. read more

Wow. First, this place is tiny, and they only serve one customer at a time, so it's best to send one person in to order for a group. Second, don't let that keep you from trying this small town bakery! My vegan cinnamon roll was outstanding, and my husband said his lemon cranberry scone was, as well. They have daily specials, so some items aren't always available, but the staff is friendly and the stop is worth the short wait for a delicious breakfast. One word of warning - their coffee is served black only, so bring your own cream or sugar. read more

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Overall 4.25 stars! Got the cardamom coffee cake muffin which was very tasty. Could tell there were a few cardamom bits although the flavor was not prominent. There were a few surprise chocolate chips inside as well! Size was very large, great for an easy breakfast the next morning read more

We had the most excellent and fresh treats from here, all at very reasonable prices. The cinnamon roll is the best I've ever had...fresh/moist, loads of cinnamon, not too sweet but sweet enough, and so huge that 2 of us could barely finish it. Highly recommend that for a morning coffee treat. Wash very fresh even the next morning. And the lilikoi pie is simply divine, an excellent, golden, key lime pie-style with yummy graham cracker crust, tart and sweet. An amazing value, very large slices, which became our lunch that we took over to the black sand beach to enjoy. Very friendly and polite service here. All around highly recommend Papa'a Palaoa Bakery! read more

A bake shop that is Hilo. A proud, passionate, dedicated baker running his own shop turning out delicious simple baked goods. Nothing fancy, just very well made breads and a handful of sweets. Don't expect gluten free, hand milled whole grains, or other things that sound like bird food. Stuff made from flour. That's it. Yeast products such as an excellent cinnamon roll are denser than most with a good, yeasty flavor and very well controlled sweetness. Scones are exceptional. Huge, not too flaky, good amount of mix-ins (i.e. Cranberries) and a top crusted with crystallized sugar; the only real sweetness to an otherwise neutral scone. Finally muffins, denser and larger than most, with good internal moisture. Gentle sweetness and great toppings. Street parking only. Be patient, be friendly, let the locals "visit" with the owners. There's no rush. Enjoy the smell of fresh baking bread. read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Cinnamon Roll (fresh baked, softball size, chewy with well controlled sweetness) - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Some of the best scones I've ever had. So delicious. We also enjoyed their cinnamon rolls. They run out quickly. So if you want some of their goodies I really suggest you get there when they first open. We had both the savory scone and the fruited scones. Both were to die for. So much so that we came back at least one more time before we left this area. Can't wait to come back. read more

Employees casually not wearing masks, thanks for not caring for our community. Also if a customer walks in at least try to look busy instead of not doing anything and talking stories with one another. Then have one employee put on their mask and help with my transaction. Also this isn't a one time experience this is a review based off of 10 visits. Yes, 10 visits because I counted. Never once has those experiences they improved so they literally scored 0/10, ZERO out of TEN. I know I know, too many chances I give them. I'll just give it a break for a couple months and I'll base my updated review after that. Employees most of the time don't wear masks PROPERLY (nose exposed or nose & mouth exposed or mask in their pocket/hand.) when doing tasks behind the counter. Consistency is also not key there. A lot of baked goods but sometimes they can be drier than the Sahara Desert. Muffins are dry most of the time, Cinnamon rolls look hella dry. The cookies I say are the most inconsistent. The cookies are either too dry, small lumps, low wide discs, crumbly as sand, or alright. Theres a lot more I can say but I think this is enough for them to soak in and improve themselves. A LOT of customers pay close attention to details but majority of them won't say anything because they simply won't come back or lessen their visits entirely. Tsk tsk. See you guys in a few months! read more

The ginger molasses cookies were wonderful. Especially after heating up in the microwave for 5 seconds. I haven't tried the bread products yet but they smelled and looked amazing and fresh. The front counter woman was friendly and nice. You could see in the back that pastry items were made fresh. read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Excellent Cinnamon Rolls. Also their muffins....is outstanding. They are truly ..."A Bakery "...... read more

I'm just going to give this place a neat 5 stars for great tasting baked goods like breads and scones and COOKIES! As the lady was describing all of the goodies my eyes fixated on the berry scone and all the talking became a hazy mess in the background! That scone was calling to me and she quickly got it out so I could put it into my mouth. I loved the taste and in fact I liked everything I got there. Such a nice small place with charm and fantastic baked items. Friendly service make this place a winner. I will be back! read more

Papa'a Palaoa Bakery - These scones rock! - Bakeries Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii