Mix Café

After hearing that Mix Café may be closing soon, I stopped by for my (hopefully not) last Mix fix. There were many options when I arrived, including a delectable looking Salmon Naan. I had been craving smoked salmon for a few days and was contemplating running to This Is It Too, but I’m so happy I found the Salmon Naan at Mix Café!
The naan is topped with a generous serving of smoke salmon, cheese, and capers. As I was eating my sandwich, I found slices of avocado and asparagus hidden away beneath the salmon! Awesome! I also ordered the Ginger Lemonade to compliment my meal. If you love ginger, you will LOVE the Ginger Lemonade. It is sweet, crisp, and refreshing!
I hope the rumors that they are closing prove wrong and that Mix Café stays for the long run!

I usually have the Tuna sandwich because I’m in love with it. lol But everything else looks mouthwatering! Recently fell in love with the beef lasagna… Mmmmm :)

They are closing in April so I’m getting my fix of Mix before they close!
This European style sandwich shop serves up a wide range of fresh sandwiches and paninis.
Try anything!

MIX CAFÉ at Alakea Street behind YWCA, old Fisher location. I learned that this café is closing soon, so decided to try their sandwich before they are gone. I loved my Turkey Sandwich. The potion was generous for $ 7.60. The Blondie was great (small piece $ 3.00)! Overall, I was satisfied with $ 10.60 lunch.
Beside all the Unilocal reviews with owner being rude, I thought he was friendly. Will be back before they are gone, hopefully they keep the monthly contract extended.
PS. I overheard the owner saying the café is open until April.

One of best things about working in downtown is that there are a lot of great places to eat — one of my go-​to places is Mix Café.
It is definitely a popular eatery, judging by the fact that if you go after 12:15/12:30, they will have only a handful of sandwiches left. So, my tip — go early, at least by noon, so that you have a much larger selection to choose from.
The place reminds me of Jamba Juice; very bright and cheerful interior. They have a nice display of their freshly made sandwiches and, if you come early enough, pastas. They will always pull your selection from this display and will pop it in their oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Each sandwich comes with a small salad and balsamic vinaigrette. If you get the pasta, you get the small salad and a piece of their home-​made bread. The portion size of the sandwich and salad is the perfect size. The pasta can be a bit more filling and I normally can’t eat the entire serving, so I just save the rest for later.
I try to come early to grab their pastas — my favorite is a penne pasta tossed in a very light tomato sauce with bits of basil and mozzarella cheese with a drizzle of pesto over it. It is not too filling and the sauce is not that heavy meat sauce that is associated with a tomato sauce.
If the pastas are sold out, then my second choice is their portabello mushroom sandwich. They add a drizzle of pesto inside the sandwich. It should also come with fresh cherry tomatoes, but I don’t care for fresh tomatoes, so I always ask the staff to leave the tomatoes out. I love the simplicity of the sandwich and the ingredients just taste so good together.
It can be a bit on the pricey side, but it seems to be comparable with other eateries in the area ($ 7 for the portabello sandwich and $ 10 for the pastas).

This place is across from my work, so I come here at least every couple weeks. I have tried the chicken, the italian, and the oui oui. My favorite is by far the italian, and since trying that, I haven’t tried much else. Second runner up would be the oui oui. I didn’t care too much for the chicken. The pesto mixture they have is tasty. The salad is just a bed of greens with a balasamic/​olive oil type mixture.
On Christmas Eve, they gave us complimentary brownies or were they blondies? I am not sure what they were, but they were delicious.
I see someone said that they are closing. If this is true, that is so sad! I will have to find a new lunch spot!

The owner is INCREDIBLY rude. The sandwiches are not consistent in quality, and the salads taste like dirt! This Is It Too has much better sandwiches, and the service is MUCH better. I am never going back to Mix Café again. Good customer service is important when it comes to where I spend my time and money, and for the OWNER of all people to be the one giving the worst service is an absolute deal breaker for me. This place is a complete disappointment. Will never eat here again.

Busy, but good location for downtown lunch eaters. It was my first time there, and I was overwhelmed by the choices. The server didn’t even other to help me figure out how I’m supposed to order. It was obvious after I saw someone else order, but huh… you can’t tell what’s in the sandwiches other then what type of meat or pasta without having to ask.
So, I finally got to pay. And the cashier’s mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out! I had to guess how much my food cost.
I got mine to go. Now, if you’re 15 minutes away, your food will be pretty soggy when you eat it, but it’s OK.
I think I’d only go here again if I was with a friend who wanted to eat there, and at the location not take out.

8.7.13.
This review has been long in the waiting… I believe I came here over the summer despite the fact that it’s in the same building that I work in haha #fail
First of all I think they have a great selection of sandwiches that are unique! Second, sandwiches come with salads (super healthy & came with a raspberry? tart dressing). Third sandwich portions were pretty large in my opinion… just be prepared to pay a little more than usual for a sandwich. Last note, this place will get crowded – as in a line out the door so come before 12 pm – if I had one criticism about this place is that it is a very small space. It’s pretty much walk in and order in a single file line.
I tried the Steak Sandwich – very meaty! Still delish & the steak seemed to be of good quality. I would like to try some of the other sandwiches (& yes they do have a veggie option)!
I will have to update if I decide to visit again sometime soon.
Unilocal 365 Challenge: #218/​365

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this place yet! I have been going to mix café for a couple years now and it is DELICIOUS!!! It’s located on Alakea St. right next to Mandalay/​Starbucks. This place has a very limited menu with only sandwiches, pastas and some desserts but everything is sooooo yummy!
They must have about 10 different sandwiches to select from and usually a few pastas. For sandwiches, I absolutely LOVE their portabella mushroom sandwich or their ham/​cheese sandwich. All their sandwiches are heated when you order it and comes with salad and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing – very healthy! Now to their pastas… their mushroom lasagna is to die for! BUT… you must go before 12noon if you want a chance of snatching one up before they sell out. Their pastas go quickly because they bring in a limited amount from Bruno’s Forno. The pastas also come with a side salad and bread so the $ 10 price tag is not bad.
This is a MUST TRY if you are in the downtown area. =)

I’ve never reviewed a food establishment before but I thought that I would give it a shot for this place. If anything, I hope it serves as a «heads up» or «warning.»
The sandwiches are amazing but CHECK YOUR SALAD! I’ve eaten here a few times and every time there has been BUGS in my salad. I took a pic of the latest cluster of bug eggs that I found on one of the leaves. The owner says it’s organic which is fine, but that doesn’t mean you can’t WASH YOUR GREENS before you serve it.
So in summary, don’t eat the lettuce ;)

Great thing about being downtown so often is having so many food options! :D
First time trying this place and I definitely plan to come back :3
When you walk in, you immediately see the sandwiches they have — ALL spread out! DANNNNNNNG I swear they had like 8 different ones. They all looked super good too! They were pretty good size sandwiches too!
When you pick your sandwich, they throw it in the over to heat it up. I simply LOVE warm sandwiches :3 Yum Yum. Once the sandwich comes out, they wrap it up in paper and place it in a plastic container filled with salad.
Honestly I thought the salad was mehhhh. But the sandwich was so yummy.

I probably visit Mix Café for lunch an average of every four to five months. I don’t know why I come here so infrequently because it has everything that I like – a variety of panini sandwiches in a super convenient location. I had one of those moments today where I aimless walked around Downtown Honolulu without a clue of what I wanted to eat for lunch. I finally visited Mix Café because I realized that it had been such a long time since my last visit.
If you like a panini as much as I do, then Mix Café is going to be your place to go for lunch. All sandwiches are made with quality ingredients. Today I decided on the Veggie Sandwich that came with an assortment of long beans, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and pumpkin. All sandwiches come with a side of greens. I’ve also previously noshed on the Italian Sandwich.
Again, I don’t know why I am so ‘ho-​hum” towards Mix Café. Perhaps it’s the price of your meal. I paid $ 7 for my Veggie Sandwich. Granted, it had better quality ingredients than a Veggie Lovers Sandwich from Subway, but a 12-​inch Veggie Lovers sandwich is much cheaper with more sandwich for your buck. Mix Café is good, but I am just not that crazy about it.

I’m not a fan of sandwiches, but it started pouring downtown on my lunch hour and Mix Café was closest to where I was standing. I looked over all of their sandwiches and they all looked. .. thin. Not enough meat, not enough filling to interest me. I figured you can’t go wrong with a veggie panini, so I got one of those for about 8 bucks and headed back to the office.
I was impressed by the fresh veggies in my panini. It contained the usual grilled eggplant, tomatoes, onions and a slice of a mild, nutty cheese but the highlights were the crisp green beans and über-​sweet roasted kabocha. That unexpected bit of sweetness from the kabocha really made the sandwich special. Having said that, the sandwich was a little on the bland side and could have used a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
I was debating between three and four stars but I really liked the veggies and the owner was friendly so I bumped it up. Can’t wait to try the lamb sandwich and those yummy-​looking iced tea drinks!

Great sandwiches. Comes with a nice little side salad.
Love the pork and love the beef; turkey was a bit dry. Tuna with olives is nice.
Bread is fresh and awesome (crispy chewy on the outside, soft on the inside).
Oct 31 Unilocal Challenge: #9/​31

I love sandwiches. I’ll choose them over salads any day. I can do side salads but always in company of a good sandwich… So I was excited to get a side salad with our sammies.
I had passed Mix Café when going to Café 8 ½ and wanted to check it out so I suggested to Chris M that we meet up for lunch recently…
I got there a little early so I had time to browse around… Well. Kinda. The woman working (pink dyed hair) wasn’t busy so she was basically watching my every move, which was incredibly nerveracking… And she seemed pissed when I asked her what was in the sandwich… like it was a huge task…(No, but its your job and there’s no sandwich descriptions written anywhere)
I prompted to sit down until Chris M came… and carefully listened as other customers asked her what was in their sandwiches… Another thing that was irritating was that she would immediately ask customers what they wanted when they walked in… Half the people were like «I still need to time to look at the sandwiches»…Woman, chill. Don’t forget you’re serving customers please.
Anyway, onto the food. I decided to get a spicy pork sandwich… which came with pork/​ham/​cheese/​onions on a ciabatta. The spicy comes from the sriracha sauce which was a little disappointing seeing as I paid $ 9 for a sandwich that was spiced with sriracha sauce… Nonetheless it was good. Even Chris M liked mine better than her own Turkey sandwich.
There were plenty of other yummy sammies that I would love to try next time… Also, a couple people were picking up lasagna so I’ll definitely be back… Just hope that woman has a better than day than yesterday.
Oct31Challenge: ¹¹⁄₃₁

At Mix Café, you’ll find an abundance of delicious paninis, sandwiches and pastas, which are made with quality ingredients. And yes, these bad boys are assembled ahead of time, so that when you order it. it just gets heated up or pressed, then you’re on yer merry way. An interesting concept, but a smart and speedy lunch option for Corporate Honolulu and those needing to get back to work in a timely manner.
I love me a great panini, so I was excited to give this place a go. The first thing I noticed was the «Lamb» sign, so that’s what I ordered. It wasn’t a panini, but I really didn’t care at that point. bc come on, it’s lamb! I don’t even know how to describe what it was, but I’ll give it a shot. It was more of an open-​face, pizza-​esque sort of deal. which could be eaten as a roll /​wrap (or how ever you choose). The dough was soft like a pita, but thicker like a pizza.
The great this about this (and the other sandwiches /​paninis), which I didn’t know at the time, is that it comes with a small salad. (Bonus!)
For under $ 10, what an awesome deal.
My lamb thing was delicious and I loved the bread /​dough /​pita /​crust. Mix Café also makes a Caprese one that looks fab. But, I’m actually really looking forward to trying the paninis that my friends and Yeeps have been raving about.
Oh, and their iced tea is cherrrrry (not the flavor) and unbelievably refreshing, especially on a hot day walking over from QMC!
31 Unilocal Review Challenge — #06/​31

I had the Pollo Panini. It was a good-​sized, tasty sandwich. With not any of the flavors dominating all, all the ingredients meshed together well. The sandwich also comes with salad and their balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
I will return to try other sandwiches.
Mix Café is a good choice if you are looking for a healthier lunch that will leave you satisfied and filled up.
update: tried the steak sandwich. I thought the steak sandwich was thin on the steak. It still tasted pretty good but more steak for a better balance would’ve been better, imo…

Close your eyes. What do you smell?
Freshly-​baked ciabatta. Cured meat. Melted cheese. And is that a little Italian melody from the kitchen?
Nah, THAT’S just in your head. But your nose was right. Rows and rows of pre-​made sandwiches stacked up on top of each other like candy in a candystore. The steak sandwich ($ 8) is a massive carbfest with tomato, cheese and roasted beef. The ciabatta bread is massively glutenous, so grab napkins to wipe the flour off your face. They will heat it up for you, although make sure they leave it in the oven long enough – my cheese wasn’t quite melted. The bread though… yums. I love ciabatta. And the steak wasn’t half-​bad!
Also, the organic greens were dead. They put the bread on top of the salad, with paper to separate, and the balsamic vinegar/​oil dressing did not mix at all. I just stuffed leaves in my mouth and then realized later how yummy it would have been to skip the dressing and put the greens into the sandwich. These revelations always come so late.
Still, this place blows Subway right out of the water. It’s all in the bread.

They have a wide variety of delicious sandwiches (mostly paninis) with all kinds of meats/​veggies/​cheeses and breads. Just don’t expect to get anything remotely healthy. Most of the sandwiches are hot and they toast them for you so the cheese is nice and melty and the bread is toasted crunchy. They come in leakproof boxes with some mixed greens and a container of vinaigrette dressing. They cost around $ 7.50 each, so the prices are not too bad. They don’t have drinks you usually see (but a lot of interesting bottled ones) but there’s a pitcher w water on the side.
This place is good when you are tired of subway and just want to eat a really good hot sandwich. It’s not really good if you have more than two people though as most of the seating is two person. But you could always pick up and take it across the street to the tables by the ASB tower.