Whether you prefer lattes, cold brews or cappuccinos, celebrate the caffeinated beverage on National Coffee Day, coming up Sept. 29. If you’re looking for a good cuppa Joe, check out the following options across Oahu.
ARVO Café
Kakaako-based ARVO Café (324 Coral St. Ste. 1A) is a trendy spot that’s centered around music, art and the community. Its coffee menu offers a wide variety of beverages, ranging from flat whites and cold brews to lavender, charcoal and matcha lattes.
Popular breakfast options include ricotta toast with fresh fruit and honey, loaded avocado toast and smoked salmon toast (complete with cream cheese, spinach, red onions and capers).
Call 808-312-3979 or visit arvocafe.com.
Kona Coffee Purveyors
Kona Coffee Purveyors (2330 Kalakaua Ave. Ste. 160) is a famous local roaster that specializes in single-estate high-elevation coffees from Kona. The coffee beans are hand-harvested and roasted to extract their natural sweetness, full-bodied flavors and vibrancy. The flagship café, located in International Market Place, partners with San Francisco’s b. patisserie to offer fresh-baked pastries to complement the variety of beverages.
Call 808-450-2364 or go online to konacoffeepurveyors.com.
Alii Coffee Co.
Alii Coffee Co. (various locations) focuses on light roasted coffees and delicious breakfast dishes. All of its coffees are roasted in the business’s original downtown Honolulu location.
Signature lattes include The Queen — espresso, hazelnut syrup, toasted coconut flakes and steamed milk — and taro ube latte, made with espresso, taro powder, ube extract, steamed milk and sugar.
Meanwhile, popular “coff-tails” include Almond Roca (almond, chocolate, caramel and half and half), The Princess (coconut, almond and vegan creamer) and Kula Cold Brew (cold brew, housemade lavender syrup and half and half).
Keep an eye out for seasonal drinks like the pumpkin latte, which is currently featured.
Visit aliicoffee.com.
Kai Coffee
Kai Coffee (various locations) is a locally owned and operated business that specializes in artisanal coffee. While the biz has several locations, it opened its roasting facility on Kapahulu Avenue last November.
Customers can book reservations to tour the facility, which features bean-to-cup demonstrations (a pour-over demonstration, a roasting session, discussion of the Hawaiian coffees offered and a discount on the purchase of bagged coffee beans). Cupping sessions are also available. Popular blends include Kai Espresso Blend, Kai House Blend and 100% Kona Peaberry.
The business’s newest location is a kiosk on the first floor of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza.
Visit kaicoffeehawaii.com.
Neko Koneko Café
Neko Koneko Café (1658 Liliha St.) recently opened its storefront in the Liliha neighborhood. Prior to that, the biz operated out of a small truck in Mililani.
Neko Koneko is known for its signature bottled cold brews, but now, the company offers several specialty in-store beverages like Kuro Goma (black sesame) latte and Borahae blueberry latte. Other bestsellers include matcha latte and Cairo and Shiro cold brews.
Visit nekokonekocafe.com.
The Manifest
Located in historic Chinatown, The Manifest (32 N. Hotel St.) is a café by day and cocktail bar at night.
The coffee menu features traditional options like Americano, cappuccino and cold brews, along with unique drinks like beet rose latte, Dirty Chai (Waialua espresso, tiger spice chai and milk), Hapa Mocha (white and dark chocolate, espresso and milk) and salted caramel lattes. Enjoy bites from the toast bar — like avocado toast, almond butter banana toast and salmon toast — to go with your coffee.
Visit manifesthawaii.com.
Tradition Coffee Roasters
Tradition Coffee Roasters (905 Kalanianaole Hwy. Ste. 3201) features a relaxing, open-air space, but also offers roastery tours and coffee tastings. During the tour, you’ll learn more about the coffee beans’ journey from the farm to Tradition Coffee Roasters, and learn how aromas and flavors are created during roasting.
The coffee shop also offers Hawaii-grown pour overs, espressos, lattes, cold brews and more. It even has keiki-ccinos (milk with vanilla and chocolate powders) that are perfect for kids.
Call 808-207-7022 or go online to traditioncoffeeroasters.com.
Talk Kaimuki
Talk Kaimuki (3601 Waialae Ave.) is a coffee shop during the day and cocktail bar on select evenings. The neighborhood hangout is known for its coffee beverages and baked goods in a laid-back atmosphere.
Popular specialty beverages include hot honey latte, nitro cold brew, caramel snickerdoodle latte, rose white chocolate latte and a red velvet latte. The latter features a blend of white chocolate, dark chocolate and raspberries.
Call 808-737-7444 or visit talkkaimuki.com.