Kapiolani Coffee Shop

Located in the Waimalu shopping center on the Ewa side of the shopping center, (looking forward to the center it will be on the left side) near Palama Market.Parking is limited shared by all restaurants and stores, we got there early so had quite a few open spaces, lunch is the most crowded.The ox tail soup they have small and regular only and I had the regular which was still as good as before.My wife wanted breakfast and ordered the scrambled eggs & Pancakes & Vienna sausage which she enjoyed.They have only 1 restroom shared by men & women, so if you have to go if it's open go!

Went today for the first time here with a friend (who last time he came he said was about ten years ago). Upon walking up to the entry from the parking lot, which by the way are spacious wide parking stalls (haven't been here for years, last time was before they repaved)., we had to wait outside in the line for seating (there is NO sign in log ---just wait outside on decal spots on ground designated to 'wait here'. We were 3rd in line to wait, but became 2nd in line when the first party decided to leave the line and muttered he had waited more than I guess he wanted to. Yikes for him, as less than a minute later, the man in front of us got called! Then two minutes later (after waiting over ten minutes), we were seated in the booth by the DH side wall. I decided to order one of today's lunch specials, the Garlic Aioli Cheeseburger with fries at $10.50 along with a side order of two scoops of mac salad at $3.75 (one scoop would have cost $2.75), so the better value I chose with the two scoops. Waited almost ten minutes and both my food and my friend's (there were three sizes available) regular bowl size of oxtail soup was delivered at the same time by our waitress. This waitress tabled all 10 or 11 total tables in the coffee shop except when to clear the tables, when one or two others from the kitchen would come and assist to clear and wipe down the tables. Nice that they provide a metal steak knife to be able to cut your hamburger into a smaller size so it would be easier to grab. The paper napkins were of the good/very good quality type with thickness, not some thin plies like some other similar diners.Let's start off with the mac salad... perfectly cooked, not mushy, some grated carrots visible, but a disappointment in taste... like there is no or so very little salt...I would have to rate this at 2 stars out of 5 stars... sure there is table salt on the condiments tray on each table, but at least some salt already poured onto the mac salad would have been nice.The French fries were another thing not worthy of mention as there was hardly anything special about it, appearance wise or taste wise. It too needed salt as I hardly tasted any salt at all... Makes me wonder if I lost my taste buds... but nah, I don't think so.... yet..The surprise item for my lunch was the Garlic Aioli Cheeseburger sandwich with some grilled onions *and* button fresh mushrooms... Boy, was it soft to bite --- hey, no teeth? no worries! Anyone could eat the so soft medium/medium well interior and nicely grill exterior burger that went well with the soft hamburger buns. Tasty? Oh yes, it was! A very delicious burger to eat, though at $7.00, a little pricey for the small sized burger, but where isn't? But I give it still 3.5 stars, leaning towards wanting to give it 4 stars, but the small size kind of made me deduct a 1/2 star. My friend though who ordered the regular sized bowl of oxtail soup was NOT too excited about the overly salted broth, as he told me it would be overkill to even put more shoyu/flavorings that came in the small sauce container. He is a connoisseur of oxtail soup, always on the lookout for where he gets the best tasting oxtail soup. He loves to cook and his take is their oxtail was cooked separately from the broth as his bowl had NO peanuts nor meat remnants that would have fallen off the bone. Says Zippy's oxtail soup has so much more flavor that comes out to pleasure one's mouth than here!Yes, there is a shared male/female one person bathroom with a wide door (so it has an handicapped accessible entryway). There are Kapiolani Coffee Shop t- shirts for sale but currently only available in sizes XL to XXXL at $16.50 (comes in black, green, or purple) as a black t-shirt showing its design is hung on the upper wall by the cash register. The waitress will drop off the check at your table and you bring it up to the cash register area to pay your bill near the t-shirt on display. This is a good place to informally dine... love the inside ambiance of old...saw a few but noticeable number of retirees eating with each other, so this must be a good place to meet! If I were to come just by myself though, I'd feel guilty to take up a table that could seat at least four since there are no counter seating for single parties.I would come back here to Kapiolani Coffee Shop (open since 1949) for lunch or dinner... maybe even breakfast! Again, it would be fair to give it three (3) stars out of 5 stars!

After watching Amanda and Felix on YouTube eating Oxtail Soup at Kapiolani Coffee Shop in Waimalu shopping center I had to try it!!It's a hole in da wall and thats how I like it. These small places always have "da winna" kine food. They have a large selection on their menu but my wife and I was there for their famous Oxtail Soup and they didn't disappoint!! Service was fast, they took our order and in no time I was digging in. The broth is clear and nicely seasoned. Not too many veggies like other places just enough to give the broth a nice taste. I had maybe six or so pieces of meat, which was tasty and soft. With rice and ginger on the side, this meal was winnas!!!Perfect for a cold day!! When I'm back on that side of the island I would definitely stop by again!! Maybe try something different... then again... just go for the Oxtail.

Banana pancakes Mmmm!!Loco moco with mac salad was ono. Our waitress Jennifer was great. Small place but, we got the last table or we be outside waiting.

Best oxtail. I usually go with the family so I usually get the xl oxtail to share with my girlfriend along with a plate of fried rice to share with the kids as well. Little over $30 for the oxtail which is ok since it feeds 2. The xl oxtail comes with a plate with like 5 scoops of rice and they serve premixed soy and ginger on the side. I like my soup extra gingery so I usually ask for extra ginger on the side which they are happy to give.The broth is so flavorful so we usually finish the broth before even finishing the meat. I could have a meal with just rice and the broth alone. The oxtail meat is very tender. You don't have to put in too much work when eating it. The meat alone taste amazing with the broth but I like to dip the meat in lots of ginger and some shoyu. One thing I like to do is take the ginger that's been in the shoyu and eat that straight with some rice and the broth... everything about the oxtail soup is delicious. The fried rice is flavorful as well. I usually get the Kim chee fried rice and honestly I don't really touch it at dinner but I like to take it home to eat later.At the end of the meal, the kids don't normally finish all the meat in their bowl nor does my girlfriend and I so they'll give a to go container. I'll put the leftovers from both bowls together and the great thing is you could order extra broth for cheap. Depending on the server, I've had times where they don't even charge for the extra broth.The restaurant itself is not no fine dine place, it's more like a mom and pop kind of restaurant... it feels homey. The workers are friendly and provide great service. Need anything like bowls or extra ginger and they'll bring it right away. Overall it's a great place to go for any day you just don't want to cook at home. I personally like cooking oxtail soup myself but it takes time so for the days I am short on time or just too tired or lazy to cook, this is one of my go to spots to eat.

Updated: January 2025. It must have been nearly a year since I've eaten at Kapiolani Coffee Shop. Ordered the Pork Gisantes, which was one of my usuals. Prices went up over a dollar for mostly everything. The Pork Gisantes tasted different. I'm assuming a new cook. The taste was not as poignant as I recall - it lacked the spices that defines this dish. The texture and color were also different. It was more watery with lighter tomato sauce or paste. Portion to price ratio was appropriate. Probably tomorrow the flavors will come out better and will thicken. Fair customer service during the early evening hours. A few people after me and one of them could be heard ordering the oxtail soup.

A cute coffee shop with Ono grinds! Service is always quick and efficient. did take out and it's as good as dining In. I gotta say their oxtail soup is perfect!! Not too oily, so flavorful and the meat so tender!! If you're craving for oxtail soup, Kapiolani coffee shop is where to get it!!

For as long as Kapiolani Coffee Shop has been open in Aiea, we have never been until about a month ago... (10/2024). And, believe it or not, we've been in 3 times since!! Yikes!! But yikes in a good way! I can't believe we never cane sooner! We used to live in Kailua, and swore by Times Coffee Shop. But NO! Kapiolani Coffee Shop is where it's at! The Adobo fried rice is our favorite so far!! We've also had the French toast, mochi pancakes, and sides of corned beef hash and lup cheong, along with lots of coffee. We still absolutely need to come in and try their famous Ox Tail Soup! Ambience is basic, old school diner. It's small, less than 10 tables, so sometimes there's a wait outside the door. But service is attentive and fast, so normally you don't have to wait long for a table. Totally recommend Kapiolani Coffee Shop!Oh, and there's lots of parking and a take out window too, if you don't want to dine in.

This place was ok. I was at Pearlridge and was hungry. I found this place in my bookmarks. It was pretty much across from the mall. They are popular for their "famous oxtail soup" and I love oxtail soup. It came with a side of rice and some dipping sauce. To be honest the oxtail could have been trimmed properly (quite fatty) and cooked more (didn't really fall off the bone). The soup was nice and the dipping sauce was good. There is a good size parking lot and the service was nice and friendly. It's not an overly big place so I can see it getting full quickly during peak hours. It's got like a diner type vibe....

While heading to Ewa, my wife suggested we take our friend toKapiolani Coffee Shop for a bite to eat. Got there about 9 am and was seated promptly. our friend ordered the mushroom chicken, and my wife had the grilled ham and cheese with side order fries. I ordered the grilled cheese and a side of fried calamari. My wife and I didn't really care for the taste of the cheese sandwiches. I thought the cheese had an odd taste. My wife said the ham in her sandwich had a strong garlic taste. My Calimari was crisp and tender but was bland in taste. The fries came out hot and crispy. This ended out to be the highlight of our meals. Enjoy