The Most Delectable Desserts in Honolulu

Ichiriki

★★★★☆ 4.2 (879) • $$

"Came in to take advantage of the lunch specials (see attached pic). It's a pretty good deal all around. Service was however, exceptionally slow. Nothing against our server. He apologized for the wait so I believe it was because of the kitchen getting the plates together. Also this was not the first time where we were seated and the lunch special menu was not handed out to us when we were first seated. The menu is on the front door, but has not been included with the regular menus so check the front to see if it's still being offered. Food is still fresh and plentiful."

UBAE

★★★★☆ 4.3 (831) • $$

"Ubae yay...Or nay that I have yet to visit the shop in Kalihi though lucky me that you're able to find them at various events as well like the current Food and New Product Show at the Blaisdell where you can't miss the cute purple truck filled with goodies galore.Ube Cheesecake and Crinkle Cookies was brought here today along with various merchandise as they're voted Hawaii's Best size years in a row there's a reason for that.The service here is very friendly and great as I adored their Tart Plushie he made sure I knew it was available for purchase as well lol!! Lots of yummy treats and fun items as well making it a great spot for ubae anytime.Thank you!"

Waiola Shave Ice

★★★★☆ 4 (935) • $$

"The best in the neighborhood since we were kids. My friends that went to Punahou used to run cross country and Waiola Shave Ice would be the reward after a long run. Now I find myself in the area, looking at the line at Shimazu next to Rainbow Drive-in and driving past and headign to Waiola Shave Ice instead. It's a hidden gem at this point. Off the beaten path. For a few years Obama made it quite popular again with it being his Shave Ice of choice. Their shave ice is very finely cut and it has all the bells and whistles as well such as ice cream, condensed milk, azuki bean etc. There is plenty of parking and its off the main road, so it feels relaxing if you have to park on the street. The prices are still good, didn't go up too much. Overall a good choice for Shave Ice just outside of Waikiki without the crowd."

Kamana Indian Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.5 (628) • $$

"Their vegetarian lunch special at $11.99 is a STEAL! Today was my first time at this restaurant and I got the saag paneer lunch special. And it had absolutely everything I wanted and craved and honestly I was stuffed to the gills after all that food. Aside from the main dish there was basmati rice, perfect buttery naan, yellow dal, and a curry with aloo and matar which just all *perfectly* hit the spot. There was something else spicy and sweet that I have no idea what it was but it also mixed in perfectly and just an all-around home run meal -- no, a grand slam!Service was excellent, they were super on it with the rhythm and refilling waters and everything, super duper nice too. The patrons at lunch were all smiles with the kind and attentive servers.It's a small cozy restaurant but oddly enough it never felt cramped, they had the space laid out perfectly in my opinion. Any empty tables (not many at lunchtime!) had upturned glasses atop a paper placemat with silverware set ready for the next customer.Will be back for a meat dish next time, pretty excited for that!"

Spero Spera

★★★★★ 4.5 (443) • $$

"I woke up this morning craving a good sandwich. Trolled Yelp for the best sandwich shop on the island. After much searching, I found this hidden Gem. I decided to order the Mixed Avocado $12.42. The sandwich came with a bag of chips that went well with the Sandwich. The sandwich was made with care and thought. Everything was paired perfectly. I mean the shredded carrots and cabbage provided the sweetness to the salted ham and bacon. I also ordered the Bacon Salami $12.42, but this time opted to pair this sandwich with the organic side salad. The salad was complimented with a balsamic vinegar dressing. The sandwich is served on a French roll. The sandwich was served warm seeing the mozzarella needed to be melted. This would be my go to when on a run. The establishment decor provides a warm place to study, read or just to escape the town hustle and bustle. Establishment is rather large place that has two areas to sit and enjoy. Bottom floor can host 14 people and their upstairs can host another 20 people. They have soft jazz music in the background that topped everything off. This place isn't just a sandwich shop, it also serves a rather large selection of caffeine and teas (I'll be back to review). In closing: Whether you're in search for some coffee or a quick bite, I recommend you try Spera Spera if you are in the Honolulu town area. Until next time, eat till your heart is content."

Double Three

★★★★☆ 4.4 (407) • $$

"This is where you can experience slowly eating an over the top ice cream cone. You have to order the bubble waffle cone. The first time I did it was by a mistake. The waffle cones are individually made and the ice cream is so creamy and delicious! The extra toppings make these cones an wonderful treat. You can almost make a dinner out of an waffle ice cream cone. Just imagine, chocolate bubble waffle cone, chocolate ice cream, two medium sized Reese's peanut butter cups, sprinkles, ultimately topped with chocolate syrup!! I highly recommend this establishment for a delicious dessert."

Fujiya Hawaii

★★★★★ 4.7 (322) • $$

"I finally got to try this place last week and I was so excited! I bought pumpkin crunch mochi, peanut butter mochi, strawberry and honeydew chichi dango, yuzu honey manju and pumpkin senbei. All were delicious but my absolute fave was the manju. Manju has a tendency to be dry but theirs isn't, it was absolutely delicious. Service here was top notch too. Two ladies helping in the front, very friendly and gave lots of good recommendations. Store is very clean and pretty with decor. They are quite busy and their parking lot is small so be patient when checking this place out. It was totally worth it. Look at the menu I took a pic of for their thanksgiving menu!"

Kulu Kulu

★★★★☆ 4.3 (350) • $$

"We wanted a sweet treat after a terrible dinner experience at Yama udon. We got the cream puff and the rainbow cake. It was delicious! The cream puff was just the right amount to sweet and creamy. The filling was filled perfectly, not too little and not too crazy. The pastry part was fresh and flaky.The rainbow cake was moist and tasty. It even looked great. The layers were small and cool looking. As you know, pastry should look good to the eye as it's part of the experience. I would not hesitate to buy these items from this bakery. I will be back again for sure!"

Tokoname Restaurant & Sushi Bar

★★★★☆ 3.7 (423) • $$$

"Always a great experience here. Food is delicious and sushi fresh. Great and fast service!"

Cloud Nine Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.3 (296) • $$

"This is my favorite place for soufflé pancakes! (I think they make the best ones.) This time I had the #6 Strawberry Cream, and the cream tasted like fresh ripe strawberries! Their soufflé pancakes and cream are perfectly balanced: light fluffy pancakes that still have substance or body to them, and flavorful light cream that isn't too sweet. And they have 8 flavors to choose from; more variety than other places I've seen.Service is always good and the place has a cute upbeat atmosphere."

Cafe Kopi

★★★★☆ 4.4 (275) • $$

"I follow a local artist named @candicedoodles on IG and I saw that she started selling some of her merch at Cafe Kopi. I live near Kailua, so I was surprised to find out that Cafe Kopi is Singaporean owned and has been in Kailua for a number of years. How did I not know about this place??! I kind of jokingly pride myself in being 1/4 Singaporean Chinese. I seek out Singaporean things mostly because I miss traveling to Singapore twice a year with my grandparents. Singapore is nostalgic for me. I decided to come in asap to get a coffee and do some work. It's a nice little coffee shop with about 8 tables and a splattering of chairs. They offer cute pastries and coffee and tea. They also sell artwork from artists like Candicedoodles. I ordered the Teh Tarik with condensed milk. It had a strong tea flavor and I love condense milk, so it was perfect. I was thinking about getting kaya toast, but I didn't see it offered anywhere by the register (like on a menu)...oh well, next time!I will definitely need to come back on a Friday, Sat or Sunday to get Laksa. And I am thinking about making this my go to coffee shop in Kailua."

Thanh French Coffee & Bubble Tea

★★★★★ 4.5 (258) • $

"Starting my next review after #200, I thought I would review a small business that I frequent quite often!! Yes, a lot of businesses including this one in Maunakea Marketplace have been affected due to the pandemic; and now thanks to the recent economic crisis. They may not be open daily, but when they are, please stop by!!These smoothies ranges with a variety of exotic flavors which displays the creativity of Chinatown. Sure, you can get your regular banana, blueberry, or strawberry; BUT if you are feeling adventurous...they have a good assortment of fruits which I suggest you try. Personally, I like to step out of my comfort zone, and get something new: jackfruit, soursop, or even a blend of tropical fruits such as: a pineapple and mango smoothie!! Of course, you cannot go wrong with some boba (tapioca) in there as well!! Some people are not fans, but hey, whatever floats your boat. The wife says: "Really yummy smoothies! Once, they let us know that the taro smoothie would be powdered taro, not real fruit. Love that its fresh and reasonably priced. We tried a few combinations; cashier also suggested a few drinks to us."So not everything is REAL FRUIT, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I support small businesses, and I hope they stay around for a long time. God bless y'all; and I hope to be writing more reviews as both time and my health permits."

Supa Thai

★★★★☆ 4.4 (268) • $$

"Ok so tried this place for the first time. Delicious! BUT they tricked me! lol some of the dishes was posted on the screen but they don't serve them anymore. We were looking forward to trying the crispy rice dish and they didn't have it! It really bummed our trip. It was a good atmosphere. Not too busy and service was alright. Menu is a little limited tho but pretty good!"

Sun Tea Mix

★★★★☆ 4.4 (242) • $$

"First found out about Sun Tea Mix from a Yelp Elite Event. Everything is still as good as it was back at the YEE. Great interior. A bright and minimalist space with comfy chairs and great vibes. Service is fast and friendly. Soufflé pancakes take about 10 minutes to prepare.Strawberry Smoothie with Cheese Foam - Bursting with fresh strawberries. Really good!Mango Charm - Fresh mango, grapefruit, crystal boba and mango milkshake. Delicious!Brown Sugar Boba Soufflé Pancake - Fluffy perfection!Strawberry Soufflé Pancake - So flavorful! Eggy and so much jiggle!A wonderful space to visit or stay and do your work. Free Wi-Fi. Validated parking at 400 Keawe Street. Same parking as H Mart Kaka'ako. Highly recommended"

Ewa Seed Company

★★★★★ 4.7 (201) • $

"Love the hole in the wall! Really good shave ice and cool assortment of dried and pickled items."

Pho One Kapolei

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (453) • $$

"I like the music selection in the background, Vietnamese pop music. Also the French baguette with the banh mi sandwich was perfectly done. Lemon beef salad was not too spicy for me . Great service from our server, Henry. I would return again for another meal to try more dishes :)"

Hokulani Bake Shop

★★★★☆ 3.6 (329) • $$

"It's been years since I've treated myself to the delicious cupcakes that Hokulani Bake Shop offers. They're located in restaurant row at the Waterfront Plaza. Ever since the $1 movies shut down, I don't really go in the area so it was very nostalgic being there where I use to go catch a movie with my friends. Hokulani use to have a booth in the Pioneer Plaza where I would usually get a cupcake after work before I head back home.My favorites are and still the strawberry guava cupcake and their red velvet cupcake. I also picked up a few of their other flavors like their chocolate, carrot cake and ube flavors. The cupcakes aren't as moist as I remember them to be, but they do taste the same deliciousness I remember them to be. I'm usually not a frosting person and usually scrape the frosting off of cupcake, but with these cupcakes, I only wish they would add more. Their cream cheese frosting is top notch IMO.Definitely still one of the top bake shops on my list. I wish there were more locations. Definitely miss their location in Pearlridge Shopping Center. None the less, if you're ever in the area, definitely worth checking out their cupcakes."

Double Three

★★★★☆ 4.4 (177) • $$

"So before I start, quick overview of how I rate places. -3 Stars = It's good, glad I came but I probably wouldn't come back nor would I crave it or recommend it - 4 Stars = it's good and if I'm in the area, I will definitely come back. But I wouldn't go out of my way for it and I would recommend to someone if they are already in the area.- 5 stars = really good and I would probably drive over 30min just to get some more. Highly recommend other people try.Dessert is always tough cause it's hard to ruin plus you usually try it after you ate and are already full. This was the case here. And I was with a good friend so I was already in a good mood. Seating is a small area. Maybe seats like 10 people. And service was quick (it wasn't busy). Ice cream was good. Not sure I would specially come out here for it nor would I swing by if I was in the area, but recommend people try it if they have a sweet tooth."

Meet Fresh

★★★★☆ 3.9 (217) • $$

"Nice spot to come and grab dessert after church. Stopped in this afternoon due to a recommendation from our church friends and it was great! The medium sized Strawberry Milk Shaved Ice was a perfect portion for my wife and I. It was even better because our little one just ate all the fresh strawberries out of it. If you're a fan of ice cream, I definitely recommend asking for a scoop or two to be put on the bottom as well. The ice cream definitely goes well with the shaved ice. Although a bit pricey, this place has definitely been added to our list for dessert and we will be back soon!"

La Gelateria Italian Style Frozen Desserts

★★★★★ 4.6 (154) • $

"Shout out to Donna O. for sharing this place with me. I took my daughter, who is visiting from Portland, to pick up a few cups of sorbet and gelato. They were open for business. We picked up 2 Kona coffee sandwiches and a mix of gelato and sorbet. My daughter tried the Hawaiian Honey gelato. It was creamy, delicious and the taste of honey was amazing. 5/5 starsThe rest is for later consumption. Service: There is a very sweet and smiling lady who helped us with our order. She explained some of the flavors and she was informative and adorable. 5/5 stars Ambiance: it's a small front store operation with a big back factory space. 4/5 stars. It's pretty clean and orderly."

Brug Bakery - Kahala

★★★★☆ 4.4 (134) • $

"LOVE Brug!Faves:* This location does thin sliced bread (whereas the Ala Moana only offers thick)* I've tried the golden, plain, and puffy top breads -- faves are the plain. Golden is good and costs a premium but tastes the same as plain to me? Puffy supposedly has no sugar.* The Hokkaido Haskap Berry Jam - Love that it is tangy. Could be a bit less sweet. Has chunks of fruit inside, and is liquidy (but not in bad way).Lows:* Cranberry cheese bread: Tasted very bitter one time, they did not offer to refund me or replace (nor did I ask)."

Kulu Kulu

★★★★☆ 4.2 (143) • $$

"Everything that I've had from Kulu Kulu has been delicious. This chocolate Christmas cake was amazing! So creamy and delicious.Service is always fast and friendly. No line when I went. I always try to come to this older location because it's not as busy as the Royal Hawaiian Center locationThankfully, I have as much self control as I do or the cake would be gone. Delicious!"

Crumbl - Aina Haina

★★★★★ 4.5 (114) • $$

"Cookie didn't Crumbl...The latest T-Mobile Tuesday offer was a free Chocolate Chip Cookie with that I was instantly in and since I was in the Kaimuki area it was just a short drive to Aina Haina Shopping Center.I thought that I had to order my cookie using the provided computer monitor but had trouble and asked a staff that was familiar with the offer and said that it needed to be placed by manually.The shop is very cozy as the service is very small but they do prep and gather your order pretty fast and have a good system as I got my cookie and got on my way.Thank you!"

Minamoto Kitchoan - Ala Moana Center Store

★★★★☆ 4.3 (118) • $$

"Pricey but perfect! Mochi's have the most perfect fresh soft texture. Bean pastes are creamy with a smooth mouthfeel. Hubs is a huge fan of stone fruit. He is obsessed with the white peach jellies and mochis here! The peach mochis are bite size morsels of pillowy goodness. The peach jelly can be enjoyed at any temperature. At room temperature, it's similar to a firm pudding. Chilled in the fridge gives it more of a gelatin texture. Frozen (my personal favorite) is like fresh bursts of peach sorbet in each bite. While I enjoy their peach treats, I'm a chocolate fan at heart and their chocolate mikasa hits the spot for me! The pancake layers have a soft velvety texture and pair perfectly with the rich silky ganache. I look forward to my next visit to pick up more! And bonus, they have online ordering! We're well beyond their delivery zone but what a convenient service for pickups or closer deliveries."

Crumbl - Pearl City

★★★★☆ 4.2 (119)

"I passed by here this morning. I wanted to try their cookies. They have a kiosk where you can preorder the cookies. They had only certain flavors. I think I got the m&m one, a chocolate chip one, a blueberry one and a double decker chocolate one. I only tried the chocolate one and the blueberry. Pretty moist and good but it makes you thirsty. They should be selling drinks too lol Luckily I had a drink in my car as I ate them. Pretty on point with the flavors. The inside was nice. Sign up for their rewards program. I got points for the cookies I paid for. The staff was nice and welcoming. So glad that they have one here close to home. I'm definitely coming back when they have different flavors. Highly recommend.."

Kansai Yamato

★★★★☆ 4.3 (110) • $

"I'm obsessed with mochi and this is definitely the place to go in Honolulu! They have all the flavors: mango, taro, honeydew, strawberry, etc. My sister and I ordered a lot and they made sure we got the freshest batches and gave us some freebies. It was really lovely!"

Lilikoi Kitchen

★★★★★ 4.5 (97) • $$

"I do love Lilikoi...So you know I was surprised to see a beautifully painted building of a surfer girl, octopus tentacles and cute classic VW bus and had to see what was there and it's located right down the street from the Aloha Home Market which is the reason I was in Kailua and after a bit of browsing I got hungry and knew I had to see what Lilikoi Kitchen had to offer.Slightly confused as it shares a small space with a tattoo parlor though walking in the do make the most of the space as there's a service area where there's two ladies doing it all and immediately informed me that it will take approximately 25 minutes for any orders which is great to know upfront.Menu is quite impressive for this cute cafe and though there are many items that caught my cravings it has to have Lilikoi...right!? Monte Cristo is ham, provolone cheese with Lilikoi jam grilled between Japanese style white bread and Lilikoi Iced Tea is the perfect pairing on this Sunday afternoon and gosh what a treat! The cheese pull was insane and the grill was done with perfect marks as you can see it wasn't rushed and grilled perfectly and I loved that it came with some greens and of course Lilikoi dressing...yum!There are some high bar type seating inside but decided that the outside was much more comfy and really enjoyed it all the iced tea was perfectly balance with Lilikoi, the wait can be avoided with a phone order but I rarely plan that early and had no idea it even existed but will be back for the other items.Thank you!"

The Porch Honolulu

★★★★☆ 4.4 (66) • $$

"It was a warm and humid day ... my walking buddy and I passed by The Porch and we looked at each other and stopped in our tracks.The Porch is located in Restaurant Row next to Aloha Mamacita. After looking at the drink menu, I ordered the Strawberry Butterfly Lemonade Tea. It looked and sounded delicious. Next time I may skip the strawberry as the puree makes it sweeter. My walking buddy ordered the Strawberry Matcha. This also looked delicious. She reported that the drink had a bit of a gritty texture. The drink containers are large and adorable with pop tops. A cute Halloween bat sticker was on one of the drinks. We were instructed to shake our drinks before consuming. See videos. It's fun, refreshing and a satisfying cold drink. @$7 plus per drink. Sign up for points if you like. Smiles abound here and service is friendly and fast. Tables are available outside the store. Food: 4/5 starsService: 5/5 starsAmbiance: 4/5 stars"

Diem 99 Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (50) • $$

"Snack in Aiea, O'ahu, Hawaii...In-between meals, I thought that I would be able to find something to eat at Pearlridge Center. I like to park at Longs in the covered area and catch the escalator upstairs to the "downtown" part of the mall.Catching another escalator up to the food court (Nehu Market), where the Consolidated Theater is (above Hallmark), I saw Diem 99 Cafe. That's a familiar name... they used to be at 99 Ranch in Mapunapuna!I ordered Summer Rolls from the nice young man at the counter. He gave me a buzzer that would ring when my food would be ready for pick up. I asked about the photo of the Super Rolls. He said they're a set of 16 pieces.I'll have to return and get a platter of the Super Rolls for the next potluck! Those sound and look delicious! The Rolls seem to be a combination of Summer and Spring Rolls. The summer roll is wrapped around a spring roll...Anyway, the Summer Rolls that I ordered were refreshing and just right! Both ends were "open"... not folded over... so I had to be careful to not let the contents (noodles, fresh veggies, and shrimp) squeeze out! The sauce was thick and yummy!I should return for a Bahn mi... and the platter of Super Rolls...Note: There are lots of shared tables (with charging ports) and chairs for dining-in at this food court. The restroom was nearby and clean! The air-conditioning was wonderful!"

I Love Country Cafe

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (119) • $$

"Huge portions, You'll have leftovers for tomorrow. Good quality food for the price & food court wise. Friendly staff. Quick and easy eats. If you see a lot of islander locals lined up for their food, you know it is daaaaa bomb. Go for it."

Frostcity

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Looking for a light, fluffy, refreshing treat after dinner? This is the place! Delicious creamy Taiwanese style shaved ice! Located on king street right near Panda Express. We couldn't decide what to try, so many delicious flavors! Cool thing, you can combine flavors! Then I stumbled upon 2 of my favorite kinds of tea....have to get it! +Regular Size - Green Tea & Thai Tea Combo Shave Ice ($11.50) - Very creamy with the condensed milk drizzled on top. It was like icecream, shave ice style. The fresh fruits and mochi gave nice texture. I like the spoons they provide, makes it easy to shovel in the dessert. Great to share! My one complaint is that they barely gave any green tea flavor, it was mostly Thai Tea. If I'm paying for 2 flavors, I would like it be more evenly balanced with both flavors. Okay greeting from workers, easy checkout, came out within 5 minutes. Good seating located near the back -booth style. Big plus - parking lot located in the back of the building! Decent space and well-lit for nighttime. Recommend!"

Da Spot

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Surprisingly good food for a small, open air spot in Mo'ili'ili. I was pretty impressed with my rice and Egyptian lamb. The portion size was huge for $20. The restaurant itself is nothing fancy. Just some tables and chairs in a big open room. But the food was truly good. Honolulu, being approximately one million miles away from the Med, has a distinct shortage of good and affordable Mediterranean food. Da Spot does a bunch of curries and meats with delicious saffron rice. My food was delicious. The girl at the counter was friendly. And the price was reasonable. What's not to like?"

Scratch Kitchen - Ward

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Great brunch spot! The street tacos, loco moco, and ganduli rice are amazing.Service is always friendly & quick, even when there's a constant wait list."

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Always popular and busy here! For good reason. Especially on Tuesdays where bowling is 50% off making it a really fun and affordable place to hang out with your loved ones. Also bowling alley food always suck everywhere else, but here you'll find some good food too! We used to come here, but it's harder for us to get all the way over to Aiea so we sadly haven't been bowling in ages. We vowed to come back so we can beat our previous scores. Usually the wait for the restaurant is long, but thankfully today no wait so we dined in! Everyone always raves about the Tasty Chicken ($17.99), but it was not as crispy as I would liked, the garlic sauce was delicious though! The rice however was so dry. The star of the show was the Oxtail Soup ($24.99) which was perfect for this windy and "colder" weather. Flavorful and hits the spot. We also had a side of Garlic fries ($5.50) which were plentiful and the perfect side dish. Definitely took leftovers home though. Expect big local plate lunch style. Never leave hungry.We wanted to try the combo pizza, but their oven wasn't working today :( next time! Of course you can't leave without dessert! We got the carrot cake ($11.5) and lemon crunch cake ($5.5)! The carrot cake is my favorite one on island now, very moist and not too sweet for me.Service was nice, but they were slow. They also had a big party behind us so it took along time to get our check and close out. We ended up just paying cash because the wait took forever. Parking can be challenging when busy, so plan accordingly. Try to come during off hours. Will return again!"

Cafe Maharani

★★★★☆ 3.8 • $$

"We recently visited Café Maharani and tried the Maharani Dinner for Two. The course started with a crispy and flavorful Eggplant Pakora, which was a great appetizer.For our main dishes, we chose Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Masala Curry. The chicken was tender in a creamy tomato sauce with mild spices, while the lamb was hearty and flavorful in a rich, aromatic gravy. We also enjoyed warm Garlic Naan, perfect for dipping into the delicious sauces.The cozy atmosphere, traditional décor, and attentive staff made our visit enjoyable. Just a heads-up--it's first-come, first-served, and parking can be tricky during busy times, so plan accordingly.Overall, our experience at Café Maharani was exceptional. The Maharani Dinner for Two is an excellent choice for those looking to explore a variety of authentic Indian dishes. We look forward to returning to sample more of their menu."