My husband and I stopped by Koana after a recommendation from a friend while we were on our way to…read moreVolcano. I mean this with all kindness, but I think my friend undersold the place! At first glance, it may look like other small, local shops, with locally made products and a few interesting goods to browse. (I ended up buying the last 'I'iwi bird pin they had on display, which I loved!) After reading some other reviews, I realized we may have just gotten lucky because the owner happened to be in that day. Let me say this upfront: they advertise slow black coffee and they mean it! The owner (Brian?) takes his time with each customer, chatting with you to understand what you're looking for and making some suggestions. It's clear he enjoys both his craft and engaging with customers. It was not very busy while we were there, which added to that relaxed, Hawaiian vacation vibe. We really enjoyed the conversation with him and even walked away having learned a few new things. We took our coffee and other purchases to enjoy on the bench outside, along with some stone cookies from nearby. (There were also additional tables and chairs available on a side patio.) Overall, we loved both the experience and the coffee, and we will definitely plan to stop by again the next time we are in the area!

Service was incredible, very personable and educational. Atmosphere was very homey. 10/10 would…read morerecommend. Will definitely be back. The mocha was really good.

Big Island Bakehouse is a can't miss when visiting Big Island! We made it over to this place on our…read moresecond to last day and we were greeted with so much cheer and the friendly staff gave recommendations and helped guide our choices. We tried the Bomboloni and Nutella Coconut croissant during our initial visit. The Bomboloni reminds me of a malasada but I enjoyed the creamy filling of this so much more. We ended up going back on our last day and tried some of the savory options - the goat cheese pesto croissant and then sausage roll were standouts for us. Enjoyed this place so much we hardly took pictures, but everyone should add this as a stop especially if visiting Volcano National Park!

Open only 3 days a week, this has become one of my favorite stops on the way to Volcano (from…read moreHilo). In fact, except Madam Pele does NOT necessarily keep to the same schedule as the bakery, would try to time my Volcano drives to coincide with Friday, Saturday, or Sunday! Hahah. Today got a sampling of Mediterranean scones (savory with olives and delicious seasonings), croissants, danish, and my favorite... the ube cruffin. Holy Moly Batman... that one item was worth the drive alone! Since there really wasn't any real estate in our tummies, we split everything 3 ways... over the course of the next few hours. Two weeks later, still thinking about that ube cruffin! Would definitely do a repeat on that as well as the Medeterranean scones while trying other items. And as the nice couple infront of us in line mentioned, will have to return for the sister deli across the parking lot. Heard it was featured in Guy Hagi's food vlog. And if its good enough for Guy Hagi its where I want to be my next mealtime!

I was looking for a sweet treat while exploring Hilo. It was close to closing time and I am SO glad…read moreI stopped in! I got the key lime pie and it was the best pie I have ever had. I am picky about my desserts and always ask specifics regarding ingredients...in this case the homemade whipped cream and local limes won me over. The cream was not too sweet and the texture of the pie (loads of grated limes - AMAZING!) was perfect. My only regret is not getting anything to take with me. I am staying in Kona and I am already plotting ways to get back here. HIGHLY recommend visiting when in Hilo!

If you're looking for tasty baked items or a handheld lunch or snack, this is your next stop. Their…read morebaked items a HUGE. A slice of quiche could easily be a meal. And their meatloaf sandwich ‍ . I thought it would just be a hamburger in between bread, but what I got was a flavor combo that I wasn't quite prepared for and enjoyed. Also, grab coffee next door!

It's pretty small inside. They get pretty busy, so you should probably order ahead of time and pick…read moreup. I got a few pastries - so delicious!!! The chocolate croissant heated up - wow, best I've ever had.

Cute little bakery with lots of sweet treats. Went to Short n Sweet on a rainy Hilo day, so the…read moreshop was empty and there were lots of pastry options available. The shop keeper was friendly and patient as I browsed the pastry case. I've always been curious about the Dubai chocolate bar, so I decided to splurge and give it a try. Very pricey at $16 for a 4-5" bar, but it was worth it to try it once. The chocolate was smooth and high quality, the pistachio cream was sweet with a hint of pistachio flavor, and the kataifi was pleasantly crunchy. I would have loved more pistachio flavor, but it was a nice little chocolate treat. Looking forward to trying more things from Short n Sweet in the future. Will definitely be back when I want to treat myself to a gourmet dessert. :)

My husband and I shared: - Turkey, Cranberry, and Cream…read moreCheese Popover Sandwich - Pastrami Popover Sandwich - Ube Donut - Lilikoi Butter Mochi Both sandwiches were fantastic. I love popovers and it's such a great idea to turn them into a sandwich. I think I had a slight preference for the turkey one, but you can't go wrong with either. The desserts were a little disappointing. The donut was dry and the butter mochi was just ok. If you're in Hilo, come here for lunch!

Variable food quality. Some of the doughnuts were okay, the flatbread was pretty good, and the…read morepopovers were fine. Most of their "puffs" had quite artificial fillings, and I'd rather attempt eating a rock than one of their scones again. Service is an absolute mess. We ordered pickup via DoorDash and I'm convinced we were the first people to ever do that, because the employees were so confused by the entire concept. Overall, I don't think I'd recommend and we definitely had better breakfasts in Hilo.

Pane Nudo opened two years ago in Downtown Hilo, taking place of another favorite bakery location…read more My friend told me about this place and said it was a must try here. Their store is only open on Wed and Sat, so you should definitely plan ahead to visit this store on those days in the morning to have a better selection of bread choices. I tried their Asian Pear foccacia and it was absolutely amazing; pear, honey, and manchego cheese was a perfect harmony of sweet and savory flavors akin to well-balanced charcuterie board. Pane Nudo is a must try in Hilo. Highly recommend their foccacia bread!!!

We initially didn't realize that this bakery was only open twice a week. Patrons were ordering a…read moresizable amount of bread with one guy taking at least a half dozen mini baguettes and two big loaves. At the rate people were buying, this house of flour, water, yeast, and salt would be out of bread in no time. We got two focaccia slices: goat cheese roasted pepper basil and an ali'i mushroom garlic. Both were chewy but airy at the same time. The mushroom was spicier than expected requiring bites of the goat cheese slice to cool the palete. The roasted peppers and basil added extra flavors to the richness of the goat cheese. Both were delicious, large slices of bread, and you should absolutely make a stop here, just make sure they're open. And get there early. These Hilo natives love their bread and there may not be much left if you get there late! For those of you familiar with Honolulu's famous Breadshop in Kaimuki, this may be slightly better, but don't take my word for it. Parking in whatever street parking you can find.

Two ladies kitchen has a small service area and what looks to be a big kitchen in the back…read more There are two lines, Phone Order Pick Up Line and To Go Order Line. I didnt want to take up too much time being in the service area with everyone waiting outside for their turn so I just asked for what I wanted and paid. I ordered a dozen fresh fruit, strawberry mochi. When I got home, I opened the box and there was about 20+ pieces in my box. A pleasant surprise because now I had a LOT of mochi and didnt have to worry about how I was gonna divide the dozen amongst family.

Delicious and generous business!…read more Food 5/5 We ordered lilikoi, strawberry x2, tangerine, red bean, apple, and pear. They gave us two extra strawberry mochis, which were our favorites! My least favorite was the tangerine. The tangerine tasted good on its own but it tasted like an odd combination with the mochi. Service 5/5 Super nice and friendly folks. Ambiance 5/5 Small inside with a waiting bench. There are two lines outside for walk-ins and phone orders. I've had mochi from many different places in San Francisco, Little Tokyo in LA, and Japan and this lives up to the hype.

Love all her pies and cakes.....especially her Haupia Chocolate pie and the Flourless Chocolate…read morecake! The Cappuccino pie is always a must! I can definitely tell she uses quality ingredients! Would definitely come back for more! Owner was really nice and friendly as well!

Absolutely the best place for baked items, cakes, cupcakes, and scrumptious sweets. We ordered the…read moreespresso bars, the berry cupcakes, and the dolce de Leche cupcakes. Holy cow! This succeeds anything we've ever seen in a bakery.