Gorilla In The Café

Don’t get the Pitaya bowl, or Acai bowl here, because they don’t serve you in a bowl as they advertised. They serve you in a cup: a small cup, and charge you over $ 10 dollars for it.
When I ask them why they are serving it in a small cup, and not in a large bowl as advertised, the poor cashier kept saying «sorry» «sorry» «the manager said to do it like this.»
The cashier asked me to call the manager. No, I don’t want to waste my time to deal with a dishonest manager, I want my money back.

I stopped by here with a few Unilocal friends after having lunch. It’s a tiny coffee shop next to Long’s Drugs on Kalakaua. It was opened by Korean celebrity Bae Yong Joon. They offer specialty drinks that are not offered anywhere else.
I didn’t get anything from here, but my friend got the Kinako Honey Latte. She let me try it and it wasn’t bad. It had a strong soybean powder scent to it. It was also a little gritty. I could taste it in my mouth and as I was swallowing. They sell pastries and sandwiches, as with most coffee places.

Hip, clean, and unique coffee shop. The baristas were super sweet and welcoming! Iced coffee and hot coffee were both excellent, 100% Hawaiian grown coffee. They also have cute merchandise for sale– I think I’ll be back to get some.

The coffee in Oahu is excellent. I did not have a bad cup. Kai Coffee (2424 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96 815) and the Honolulu Coffee Company Kiosk (Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel/​120 Kaiulani Ave Honolulu, HI 96 815) are my favorites because they have macadamia nut lattes that I loved. Glazer’s Coffee (2700 S King St Honolulu, HI 96 826) and Island Vintage Coffee (2301 Kalakaua Ave Honolulu, HI 96 815) are on par. I rank Gorilla In The Café (2155 Kalakaua Ave Honolulu, HI 96 815) slightly below the other four but it is still very good.
If you are planning a trip to Oahu and looking for recommendations, please see

Walking down Waikiki and spotted «acacia bowl» on the menu. Definitely got excited and it sure did not dissapoint. Cashier was friendly and was able to tell me the difference between the two different bowls they had. Wait was a little long but it was worth it at the end.

Kinako is a Japanese sweet sugary powder. It is also the nick name of my bride.
So of course I had to try the kinako latte. The girl behind the counter said it was their specialty.
okay.
the café:
The café itself seems funky cool. The kind of place you would find in Japan or Korea.
I had passed by this place a ton of times and never went in. Now I know why.
the drink:
It was sickly sweet, barely warm and had strange flavour. I could not drink it.
the verdict:
I will stick to Island Vintage and Honolulu Coffee.
ugh
g

Quality coffee drinks made from quality coffee beans grown on local-​Hawaii farms. 5 $ for a large cappuccino. — Wish I could come to this coffee shop instead of my local Starbucks and Coffee Bean every time.
Not sure how they are with crowds but if you want quality, it’s worth the wait, in my opinion.

POOR SERVICE!!!
I wasn’t greeted when I came in, the young Asian cashier was helping a Japanese couple. There was a guy in front of me and I waited behind him. The girl was drinking her drink while she was working. While she was taking the guys order 3 Japanese ladies walk in. As soon as the guy finishes his order the cashier asks the Japanese ladies what they want. Like I wasn’t fucken standing there for 5 minutes before they even came in!!!
That was my first time there and my LAST! I walked out before I even ordered. Get your shit together

Hot chocolate is delicious. I like it. Next time I want to try one kind of its fruit bowl.

Went here recently and had their Acai bowl. It was really delicious! One of the best acai bowl places along with Island Vintage. Acai bowls aren’t cheap but this was definitely worth it. Their mocha frapp is also pretty strong so if you’re a coffee drinker I highly recommend it & coming to this place for a snack or even for lunch with if you’re in the Waikiki area.

So, being a Starbucks junkie, we decided that we needed to try somewhere different. The gorilla caught our eye and so we went in for a late evening latte.
There were two servers ready to make us anything we wanted and it only took us a short while to figure out the menu and order our drinks. One Americano and one vanilla latte.
Our drinks were made quickly while we checked out the décor.
The flavor of the coffee was wonderful. It was very smooth and yet still had the strong coffee flavor that makes one want to come back and drink some more. It was so good that we returned a couple of days later for more coffee as well as an acai bowl.
The acai bowl was stupendous. It was overflowing with flavor and and had a generous selection of fruits embellishing the bowl. The only negative being that it was in a tall cup and so it was a little difficult to eat without the aid of a straw and a long spoon.
This establishment deserves a visit from everyone who is in the area and who likes strong, flavorful coffee. You can also enjoy a variety of different foods with your yummy drink.

Half the baristas are amazing and friendly. They remember who you are and try their hardest for quality over quantity.
Maybe it’s my New York attitude on time but I do wish they would have more workers in the peak time. There is often a line out the door. But I still wait for it. :)

Definitely a winner! Glad we stumbled onto this place. Lots of great options, including several Kona coffee pour overs, but I went for the honey cinnamon latte with almond milk since it was my nightcap.
Baristas were super friendly and told us that the owner is a Korean movie star. His photo is on the wall.
Second here I had the smoothest, richest tasting Americano EVER. Wow. So good. I also tried the Acai bowl, delicious.

I’ve probably passed this coffee shop over a hundred times walking or driving by, but never had the chance to stop by since their opening 3 years ago. I finally went last night after buying something at the new Longs next door (which is 2 floors and huge btw).
The barista was very nice and helpful… very friendly and happy to answer all kinds of our questions from who is the infamous Korean owner to what is good on the menu.
I’m a huge fan of yuzu so I got the yuzu iced tea which the yuzu taste was a little strong for my liking and a tad bit sweet, but good nonetheless. We also ordered 1 shot of espresso but the barista gave us 2. Awesome.
There were many interesting items on the menu like a Kinako latte and the yuzu iced tea. They also had an array of pastries and sweets… the macaroons looked good but I was too full to eat anything.
If you are in the area and want something other than a chain coffee shop, definitely stop by.

There are so many shops and restaurants in Waikiki, but when you are driving along Kalakaua Avenue, the main drag, you can’t help but notice this cute little café on the right side of the road. It jumps out at me every time because of its name. I just had to go in one day when I was in the area!
My friends and I were passing by and I ran in to look at the menu. I had never seen Kinako Honey Latte before! I NEEDED to have one — because I was curious and because I like Kinako. Kinako is a powdery, roasted soybean product that tastes almost like peanut butter. Usually, it’s found on the surface of mochi to prevent the dough from sticking to each other. The drink was a bit gritty in texture, but I rather enjoyed it!
There were other interesting menu items, but that just means that I will have to return. Outside seating is available, but I just took my cup to go since we were looking for some ice cream… but that’s another story!

Nice and friendly personnel and service
Related to the food, drinks and seating area, it is very average

This is a newer establishment in Waikiki it is very similar to a Starbucks or a Coffee Bean but with a Hawaiian twist. This means everything is made fresh so you will wait a little longer and they also have options such as smoothies, Acai, and Pitaya bowls. The drinks here are much smaller than most coffee shops. The interior is clean but very small but there is a decent amount of seating outside. They do take credit cards here a plus. Now for my favorites the Strawberry Acai smoothie and Acai bowl the bowl costs $ 10 which is essentially the average in Waikiki for a really good Acai bowl and this one is. Here is the downside though they serve this in a very tall cup, so you have to eat half the fruit on top before you can mix it with the Acai. Both of the people that I have encountered working there are always nice.

Waikiki can be a bit of a wasteland when it comes to things like cool, local coffee shops. But Gorilla In The Café holds strong as a purveyor of fine local espresso, coffee, smoothies and açai bowls. The standard set of offerings for coffee shops in Hawaii.
This joint was recommended to us by someone over at Bills as having a solid alternative to our Portland favorite Stumptown, which they serve at Bills. The joe on offer here is definitely of higher quality than the average coffee joint in Waikiki. The options are fairly standard, with the addition of some interesting coffee frappes, alongside the stuff I mentioned before. All I’ve tried here are the espresso (shot) and the Americano. Both tasty.
Service is super friendly. And speedy. And there’s a nice area outside to sit and chat or get some work done. Definitely recommend GITC for your caffeination needs.

Expected beans that matched the awesome environment. Took then back home, ground them, and was thoroughly underwhelmed. So much potential.

Terrible. I paid for better drip beans… And asked for it iced. The lady that took my order passed it over to her employee and he made it hot.
I told them I did not order it hot. They offered to remake it for me but couldn’t give me the same beans. WTF. So I paid 6.26 for something I didn’t order, and the thing they replaced it with only cost 3something. Wasted 20 minutes of my time waiting for a damn coffee. It tasted like shit. Ended up throwing it away 20 feet later. Don’t come here for coffee. Better off going to Starbucks where they will fix your drinks if they mess it up.
Besides the service… There’s not much selection. If your in Hawaii find somewhere with «macadamia nut» coffee!