This is a unique experience that is worth visiting if you are anywhere in driving distance -- and…read moreyou love cats. Kona Kat Cafe is nestled in the back of a strip mall. As soon as you get near, you'll see cats through the window. If you're going to - make a reservation. Once you're in, they will ask you to remove your shoes before entering the kitty area. That means wear socks. The cats are all friendly and used to being around people. So, relax and have some fun playing with them. Before you go in, you'll have the options to buy a bag of treats. The cats will be your BFF when they see the bag. I know the place serves food, but we didn't eat while there. Instead, we have treats to the kitties. I will wrap by saying this place really is fun if you like cats.

Lovely spot to visit in the heart of Kona. You can hang out in an enclosed room full of kittens!!…read moreThese cats are rescued from the island, as there is an overpopulation issue. It warms my heart to support a good initiative like that. There is a cute lobby, a transitionary room to keep the kitties from escaping, then you're in! There were maybe 3-4 adult cats and a dozen kittens roaming around. The older cats like pets while the kittens love to play. There is something for everyone! There are creative seats that keep you next to perches and cat trees so you can hang with the cats. It's a longer space, and the kitttens loved to zoom around! Toys and enrichment are everywhere! I loved chatting with the owner about her cafe! She was very kind and informative about her work. This experience made my day, and I would recommend supporting!

Surf Camp Coffee is a must-visit in Waimea! I've been to the Surf Camp on O'ahu and somehow this…read morelocation is even cooler?! It's a general store boutique in the front and coffee shop in the back. The general store is full of local brands with everything from books, snorkels and clothes for both guys and girls. I got an iron on patch and a Hawaiian flag pin. From the cafe, I got my usual that I always get from the Niu valley surf camp - a black sesame latte and also had a sip of my friend's matcha and both drinks were amazing.

I love the Surf Camp cafe in Niu Valley on Oahu, so I had to visit the Big Island location in…read moreWaimea! This coffee shop is located in a small plaza with a pizza place, taco spot, and Merriman's. The plaza itself has plenty of parking even when it's on the busier side on a weekend morning, so it's not hard to find a spot. Inside the cafe, there's a retail section that sells clothing and small goods, and a separate side to place your order and sit and enjoy your drink. The interior is bright and welcoming with a minimalist vibe, and even when we visited on a weekend morning, it was easy to find seating either indoors or outdoors. Service was wonderful -- we were helped promptly by staff, and my drink came out quickly. I got the black sesame latte with a chocolate chip cookie. I thought my drink was perfect, as the flavor of the black sesame was nutty, pleasant, and just the right amount of sweetness paired with the espresso. The cookie was on the softer/puffier side, and although it's not my preferred texture, it wasn't too bad! To sum up, I really enjoyed dropping by to get coffee here, and I feel like the quality of the drinks at Surf Camp is consistent across their different locations. I'll definitely come back if I ever find myself on Big Island for another trip!

Absolutely delicious breakfast and coffee!! Lovely local spot that we swung into after a sunrise…read morehike at Pololu Valley. Customizable breakfast sandwiches and delicious coffee. Lots of outside seating too. My coconut iced latte was a 10/10 :)

Visited this cafe on the way back from a hike and we ordered 2 egg sandwiches (with spam) and an…read moreiced coffee. Came out perfect. Cozy/quiet little patio area in the back to relax. Definitely recommend to anyone passing through for a quick bite.

Upon arrival, my two boys and wife immediately turned to enjoy king Kamehameha's beautiful statue…read morewith day old leis having celebrated King Kamehameha day earlier this week. Long beautiful leis to ho or the great king. Staff at the restaurant was friendly, and full of aloha, we are grateful for their honoring of the islands mana. If we could encourage all island visitors come to see the beauty of Hawi and embrace the local love, DO IT! You will be grateful. Following this stop, we are headed to Kilauea to visit Pele. Best day on the island EVER! Pizzas was delicious, we had three at the table.

Locally owned cafe - We stopped on our audio-tour of the Kohala Coast to take a picture of the King…read moreKamehaha statue. This is a cute cafe and a great local jewelry/gift shop next door. We ordered smoothies and Hawaiian ice cream. Service was prompt and friendly.

Great coffee! Great service! Great atmosphere! Once we found this place, we went every day.read more

This place was SO good! The customer service was exceptional, and the food and coffee were…read moredelicious. I actually went twice during my trip to Maui, and if I had more time, I definitely would have gone again! The coffee and bagel were both delicious, and the whole experience was great from start to finish. Definitely a must-visit if you're in Maui!

Quaint little coffee shop with a better than usual baked goods and food menu. The service is…read morefriendly and the drinks were perfect. They've got inside and outside seating. This place is great.

A cute little place, feels more like visiting a home than it does a commercial space, but with the…read morereliability of a cafe. I had a salmon Benedict and an iced coffee. Staff were kind as well, and helped me decide what to eat. Salmon tasted fresh and delicious, easy to eat. The balcony was roomy, with many gecko sightings.

We stopped for some coffee at Story Maui on the way to swim in some waterfalls. The coffee is…read moreterrific. I had a Vanilla Coconut Iced Latte (5/5 - great flavor and good quality coffee) and my daughter had the Fruity Pebble Iced Latte (sweet but she loved it). While we were enjoying our drinks, we talked with on of the owners, Michelle, who told us her story. She is a great local business woman with an excellent store. She actually remodeling to be able to do even more. We also had a nibble of her macadamia nut spread and macadamia nut butter on some locally made sourdough bread (6/5). It was all so good. We look forward to coming back again.

Stopped by Story Maui while exploring Paia and it was such a cute little find The space is cozy,…read moreartsy (selling local jewelry) and relaxed -- perfect for slowing down before heading out on the Road to Hana or biking down Haleakala (which we did). We ordered the americanos, and they were so good -- smooth, bold, and not overly bitter. Just a clean, rich espresso flavor done right. You can tell they care about the quality of their beans and how they pull their shots. They do have a small, simple menu, which I think adds to the charm of a small town. A handful of espresso drinks, teas, and a few breakfast options like bagels and warm pastries. Not a huge selection, but everything feels intentional and well made -- quality over quantity. The staff were friendly and welcoming, and the whole place has that laid-back Maui vibe where you can sit, sip, and just enjoy the moment. If you're in Paia and need a solid coffee spot without the big chain feel, Story Maui is definitely worth stopping by.

Amazing! Food, service, atmosphere, owner…read more FOOD: Super tasty. Everyone's food looked fantastic! SERVICE: Wait staff was friendly and attentive with the Aloha spirit. Definitely returning!

First stop on our Maui trip and such a cute restaurant! The service was lovely, and everyone was so…read morekind and sweet. We got the Maui cattle loco moco, which was pretty good. A solid loco moco, but the real standout for me was the shrimp cake Benedict with mango hollandaise. It was so delicious and unlike anything I've had before. The combination was really special and surprisingly good. Prices were decent too, especially for the portions. Overall, a cozy little spot with good local breakfast food and really friendly service. Would definitely come back!

We decided to catch a happy hour for one of our dinners in Kailua-Kona, and On The Rocks ended up…read morebeing our choice. It's a great location, right on the rocks, with great water views. We initially were seated at a table right on the rocks, but the sun is still pretty brutal around 4:30, when we visited. So we opted to change course and sit at the bar, in the shade. You're not going to get the best food service at the bar, because let's be honest...the bartender's job is making drinks. And our bartender/server never stopped. He took our order, and got our food & drinks. But never stopped moving the entire time we were there. Tombo was the fresh catch that day, so my wife went with the grilled furikake crusted fresh catch grilled sandwich. I went with the Manini sliders, and we both had coconut coleslaw. The coleslaw was nothing special, but the sliders were very good. And my wife swore her fresh catch fish sandwich was the best that she had on the Big Island. And to top it off, we split a piece of Manua Kea ice cream pie....which is huge! And very, very good. We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere so much, that for our last dinner before heading to the airport to fly back home, we went back to On The Rocks and had dinner a second time. Tombo was still the fresh catch, so my wife ordered the fresh catch fish sandwich again, and so did I. And she was right, it was the best. Over the 17 days we were on the island, I had a LOT of fish sandwiches at different restaurants. And this is the best one.

The host refused to seat us at a shaded table even though several were open. The service staff then…read moretook 30 minutes just to start us off and take our order, and the table we were given was dirty, another 20 minutes passed before it was cleaned. What really gets me is the poor service while the host made zero effort to help. The server didn't want to inform the cleaning crew; they weren't communicating because it "wasn't their job." Drinks were ok, terrible terrible experience overall.

After hiking at the national park and getting back really late due to several storms, this was the…read moreonly place open on the village for last minute shopping and to get some food. There's an ABC store here, a pricey market and a deli. We got some burgers that were just ok with overcooked fries and some groceries for our suite because we were cooking breakfast at the hotel. They have a decent selection here.

I didn't realize this was supposed to be the gourmet version of ABC Stores, but ironically, it…read moreturned out to be my least favorite of all the ABC locations I've visited. The store itself is enormous and beautiful, of course, but my complaint is specifically about the food section, where they prepare and sell meals for customers to enjoy on-site. We decided to give the food a try, and the experience was unnecessarily frustrating from the start. After receiving our meals, I asked the cashier for some hot sauce and teriyaki sauce. Her immediate response was essentially "no" to both requests. "No hot sauce, just Tabasco." Um... Tabasco is hot sauce, so yes, I'll gladly take that! Then, when I asked about teriyaki sauce, she said, "No, you'd have to pay for that." Okay??? Then charge me! I wasn't asking for a complimentary lifetime supply of teriyaki sauce. I just wanted some sauce with my food! And unfortunately, the kalua pork moco loco desperately needed it. Everything was so bland that the tiny amount of hot sauce they initially gave me wasn't nearly enough. Not wanting to go through another awkward exchange over something as trivial as condiments, I sent my husband back and asked him to get six packets of Tabasco. They gave him two. When he politely asked for more, they looked at him as though he'd requested that they draw blood from their own veins to produce the additional sauce. And even after all that, it STILL wasn't enough, that's how bland the food was. I genuinely cannot stand establishments that are so absurdly stingy with condiments that customers have to keep asking, over and over again, only to be reluctantly handed another packet or two. It's uncomfortable, unnecessary, and frankly ridiculous, especially when the food itself is so lacking in flavor that the condiments are doing most of the work. For a place marketed as a more upscale, "gourmet" version of ABC Stores, you'd think the food would be flavorful enough to stand on its own, or at the very least, that getting a few extra packets of hot sauce wouldn't feel like negotiating a hostage release. Beautiful store, disappointing food, and an unnecessarily unpleasant experience over something that should have been incredibly simple.