Some of these spots might not be the easiest to find, but your efforts will be well worth it.

808 Urban Bowls

Located in Ewa Beach, 808 Urban Bowls is known for its loaded açaí bowls. All bowls include bananas, strawberries, blueberries, honey, granola and coconut flakes.

Bowls come in 16-ounce and 24-ounce sizes and can include açaí, pitaya or a blend of both.Additional toppings like condensed milk, chocolate chips, Oreo crumbles and Nutella are also available for an additional charge.

Want to take your dessert to the next level? Get the “Urban Loaded” bowl ($22.75), a massive 24-ounce açaí bowl topped with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, granola, honey, extra granola, condensed milk, peanut butter, Oreo crumbles, white chocolate chips and cookie dough.

The business is currently open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.

Kansai Yamato

Last year, Kansai Yamato moved from the Mapunapuna area to its current spot on University Avenue.

You can find signature four-packs of your favorite mochi (peanut butter filled, red bean filled, etc.), along with colorful treats like fruit chichi dango (chichi dango filled with red bean and topped with fresh fruits).

This café also has two-piece packs of larger, stuffed mochi ($4.99). Strawberry cream (stuffed with strawberries and whipped cream) is the most popular, but you can also find flavors like chocolate fudge (chocolate brownie with whipped cream), ube crumble (Oreo cookie, ube custard and whipped cream) and cookies and cream (filled with Oreo cookies and whipped cream).

Ayla’s Patisserie

This Kapolei-based bakery opened a few months ago and offers soufflé cheesecakes ($5.25 slice, $20 whole), European puffs ($3-$3.25), roll cakes ($3.75) and macarons ($6). The pastries here are subtly sweet and are perfect for light snacks.

The bakery’s executive pastry chef is from Tokyo, and the business focuses on soufflé cheesecakes. These cheesecakes are fluffy but still feature a prevalent cream cheese flavor.

They come in pineapple and strawberry flavors, and they’re available as slices or as whole cheesecakes. The bakery is working on incorporating more local flavors for its soufflé cheesecakes, like lilikoi or mango.

Pro tip: If you’re celebrating a birthday, let the staff know, and they can put a decoration on the cheesecake for free.

Meanwhile, roll cakes come in flavors like mocha, strawberry and vanilla.

Mam’s Meat Pies

Located in the Ala Moana Medical Building, Mam’s Meat Pies are known for its savory pies that are popular in South Auckland.

“Our business was created during the pandemic,” says Malerie Feagai, who coowns the business with her younger sister, Ana Lui-Yuen. “We were raised in Hawaii and New Zealand. We usually go home once a year, and because of COVID-19, we weren’t able to get our meat pie fix. If you’re from New Zealand, you know this (meat pie) is like our musubi back home. Our family craved meat pies, so we attempted to make some. We are proud to bring Kiwi goodies to Hawaii. Everything from the fillings to our crusts is made with scratch and with love.”

Popular meat pie flavors include chicken and mushroom ($10.50), steak and cheese ($10), and mince and cheese ($10).

The business is currently open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.