New Aala Bakery

All of their pies are onolicios especially their banana crème pie… to die for. Kudos to the bakers and the owners for their excellent service, they never fail to spread the aloha spirit. Mahalo New Aala Bakery, from a satisfied customer

I can’t say enough about the delicious bakery items at the New Aala Bakery!
It’s a true Diamond in the rough
By Times Supermarket off of Liliha St.
The owners are a wonderful older couple with their two sons working with them.
Everything I’ve tried is Onolicious!
I’ve tried most bakeries on the island and this one is the best, the atmosphere, the scrumptious food and the cheery smiles keep me coming back.
The owner said «You all aren’t our customers, you are our friends» you can see he truly means it.

Pros
— 9 or 6 inch pie depending on appetite or party size, if you don’t see it you can probably special order it
— variety of pastries and cookies
— local institution, feels like for over 40 years
— special price on remaining pies Saturday afternoon before closing
— frequently has samples
Cons
— closed Sunday
— closes at 2 pm
— parking my be limited at times
— cash only

I’ve always been reluctant to write a review for this bakery only because I don’t want it to get so popular that I won’t be able to get what I want anymore or have to fight through crowds…
I’m reviewing only the apple pie: it’s a 6 star out of 5. most bakeries can do a decent job on the filling. But I like to enjoy the crust as much as the filling. It’s hard to describe what’s great about Aala Bakery’s crust. I just know what it’s NOT: it’s not «crusty» like biting on bark on the rims; it’s not too bready like eating cardboard; it’s not so thin that it’s too soggy; and it doesn’t need sugar crystals to make it palatable. It has a flavor of its own, and it complements the apple filling perfectly. and the filling is as good as it gets too: not too tart, not too sweet.
It is simply the gold standard for all apple pies. and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg. just save me a pie though.

This bakery is pretty much a hole in the wall bakery located in the Liliha Square shopping center next between Subway and Nail and Beauty. No extra frills here but you do get a lot of bang for your buck. They have a lot of cookies and pies. The cookies are pre-​packaged, bite-​sized cookies and only cost $ 1.50 per bag. They also have 2 different sizes for pies-​the regular sized pies and I believe it’s 6 inches for the smaller pies. I think that’s a pretty good idea, especially if you don’t plan on eating a lot.
Overall, this bakery has a lot to offer for such a little shop and the items are pretty good but not good enough for me to crave. There are some bakeries that have that effect on us where we NEED to go and get a certain dessert from. Sorry, this is not one of those bakeries but I still like this bakery and recommend giving it a try.
PROS
+Great prices
+Wide variety of pastries for such a small bakery
+Good customer service
+Tasty cookies
CONS
–Cash only
–Parking for this area is horrendous

This bakery is seriously the worst bakery I have ever experienced. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how you can mess up baked goods. The shopping center it is located in is pretty dirty and most of the places there get bad reviews. This bakery uses disgusting rotten oil in their breads and most of the things I tried tasted stale and putrid. Absolutely horrible.

It’s cash only and no cakes to grab-​and-​go even though their sign has one on it. I guess I was not aware that this place is known for their pies, and I have to say the banana pie I bought for a birthday was amazingly fresh and delicious. I would come back for that or their variety of mini pies.
I have to mention though, that as a patron in an empty bakery, I was surprised to be so rudely serviced by the woman working. She was in the back for several minutes before coming to the front and gave me an «are you serious» kind of look when I asked if they had any cakes. Isn’t that a reasonable question to ask a bakery? Anyway, I wasn’t going to go to another bakery after already going to a certain other neighborhood bakery that closes on Monday’s, so I settled for the banana pie. The service didn’t improve after I bought the pie and asked her about the unlabeled loaf that was on the counter.
They do hit a home run on the pie crust and filling, so 5 stars for a great pie. It was so fresh and I’ve not had whipped cream and filling that light and fresh from a local bakery recently, but the service was sour.

The only pancake mix used by my family! The secret is to make the batter the night before and refrigerate overnight. The resulting pancakes are to die for… Fluffy and crisp on the edges… Yum!

Because I saw Fran C’s post the other day, it made we want to stop by as I don’t live too far from this bakery. In the past, my choice of bakery is Kam Bakery or Liliha Bakery in my neck of the woods.
The cashier /​counter girl was very friendly and when I told her because of Fran C’s Unilocal write up and it made me want to come here, she didn’t seem to care at all.
At any rate, they have a large assortment of baked goods and because it’s the holiday season, they had a whole bunch of nicely wrapped goodies (fruit bars, choco chip cookies, lady fingers, rum cake, pumpkin corn bread, cornflake cookies, shortbread, gingerbread) ranging from $ 1 per bag to $ 2 per bag.
I picked up some and immediately tried the nutella cookies and fruit bar when I got back to my car. They were both okay — nothing special. Perhaps I ended up choosing a whole bunch of misses?
Not sure if I’ll come here again…

I was running around, and extremely busy in the field today… I was working in Kaneohe, Ka’a’awa, Kaimuki, then Nu’uanu.
When I was done with my last job, I figured I’d stop by my friend’s house to drop off a few holiday gifts, but before I did this, I decided to drop by one of my favorite bakeries to get a pie for my friend.
I got there a weeeeeee bit late (almost 2:00 PM). When I got there, I could see that there was nothing on the shelf (as everything was put away), and a nice lady was standing by the door as it appeared that they were about to close.
I asked her, «are you folks closed?»…although I think they were closed, she was really nice, & invited me in and asked me what I was looking for.
Of course I had to get a custard pie for my friend, and since I was running around all day long, I didn’t even get a chance to sit down & have lunch, so I thought I’d get one of my all time favorite things that they make here — «The Custard Danish!» Ummmmmm, nom, nom, nom, nom!
Unfortunately for me, they had run out of custard danishes today… so I had to pick something else. I decided to get some cream puffs (3 cream puffs for $ 2.55).
Just an FYI… as a lot of folks probably don’t know about this… Aala Bakery makes GREAT Cream Puffs & Coco Puffs! Just as good, if not better than Liliha Bakery! I swear!
Since I couldn’t get the Custard Danish, I was a little bummed, and I was talking to the nice lady about how much I loved the custard danish. As I was talking to her, she then started to tell me, they made this other new treat…
Best way to explain it is… it’s kinda like a «Long John», but it’s made in a round bun. But the thing about this new treat is… it is not deep fried! It’s baked, then the cream is shot into the bun (like a Long John).
Sometimes when we eat pastries… we feel a little guilty about having too many sweet treats, but in my case… I don’t! (as you can see the size of me!) Lol! Buwahahahahaha!
Now here’s the kicker… as she was talking about this new treat, and was gonna ring me up for the custard pie & cream puffs… the nice lady reaches into the fridge, and takes out (3) of these new treats, puts it in a plastic bag, then gives it to me for FREE!!! She told me to try ‘em! Trying it? She could have given me one… but she ended up giving me three! So generous I tell you!
When I got back to my car, I bit into one of the powdered sugar bun… MAN! Was it GOOOOOOOOD! The custard filling was like a long John, but the bun was so soft, not oily (of course it wouldn’t be oily as it wasn’t deep fried), and put together just right!
When I was eating it… I felt like my doggie — as when he gets a treat from me, he takes it, then runs to his secret hiding place to eat it, so no one can bother him.
I must say, I was really touched by her ALOHA spirit!
I was already a fan of this bakery, but now, I’m a LOYAL fan of this bakery! I must return soon, & bring this nice lady some manapua or something…
Excellent customer service, & Aala Bakery makes World Class Bakery treats! Nuff said! :)

Only on Unilocal can I find insider deals and info! With that said, I work nearby New Aala Bakery and do my banking at the Liliha branch of First Hawaiian Bank and the Liliha branch of American Savings Bank. Normally, I would do Subway for lunch, but I found myself here at the New Aala Bakery just to check things out and to expand my Unilocal repretoire. This bakery is centrally located in the Liliha Square shopping plaza. The bakery is very small and it’s pretty much standing room only. This place reminds me of Kamehameha Bakery on North School Street, where it was just basically a huge display case filled with assorted goodies and its just standing room only to place your order and leave.
The insider deals is basically where you can get discounted items, but they are a day old. I guess that’s cool if you don’t mind that kind of thing. Normally I wouldn’t go for that kind of thing, but if it tastes ok and doesn’t leave your stomach a mess, then it’s a pretty awesome deal to go. They have these items in a basket on the side, so you can look through them — like a treasure trove of assorted delights, but discounted so you can get more value and calories for your $$. And so, whenever I come here — along with my daily trips to Subway and sometimes Toyo Sushi next door, New Aala Bakery does have some hidden gems that most people do overlook. Thanks to Unilocalers who rave about their favorites, I can surely say that I do share some of their experience too — especially the haupia donut!
They also do pies, so that’s another option to just the pastries you are accustomed to. After all, they are a full service bake shop and you shouldn’t really over look that aspect of it. I will say everything I do have tastes as they are and lives up to its expectations — which is average for what it is. This place is a bakery — a people’s bakery for the masses, so it’s not going to be fancy in any stretch of the imagination, but the prices are competitive and the location is pretty much perfect for me. I do admit that the coco puffs here versus Liliha Bakery are comparable, but I don’t know I’ll have to compare them side by side.
The parking situation is very much crowded. Just like the fiasco at the Market City Shopping Center, here at the Liliha Sqare strip mall, there is very limited parking stalls during peak times, since everyone shares with the American Savings Bank, Times Supermarket, and the rest of the mall.
Overall, I have had pleasant experiences each time I come to this place. The ownerI and her husband are nice and they smiled as I walked in the door. The transaction was quick and I was eating it as soon as I got back to the office. ‘ll admit that I did gain 10 lbs from going here in the past 3 months, which is why I run a lot. Damn, that sucks. Maybe I should stop coming here and just buy for the office. Recommend the haupia donuts for sure, along with the other classic pastries you’ve all come to know and love.
Support local!
B

Everything I have tried from this place is delicious! Butter rolls, cinnamon bread, custard pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin/​custard pie.
There hasn’t been a party that I’ve brought butter rolls where people haven’t RAVED about them. It’s hard to eat just one. I usually consume at least one prior to leaving the parking lot. Luckily there are six in a bag.
The pies are scrumptious too! The pumpkin and custard are yummy… for those who can’t decide, they make a pumpkin AND custard pie all in one.
Highly recommended!

This bakery is the sole reason I gain 10 lbs. I don’t know how since I don’t live, work nor go to school near it, but I had at one time bought the super discounted day old pastries for several consecutive weeks. Everything tasted pretty good, I liked the apple turnover the best. Well the inside of it anyway. I’d tear off the yucky cover and enjoy just the ooey gooey-​ness.

Pretty ok pastries, they even have reduced items in the basket in the side from the day before. I bought a bag that included a turnover, danish, ensamada, and bread pudding for only $ 1.60! now thats a steal even though its ONLY a day old. They even have pies and even mini pies that looks quite good.

The specialty of the house at New Aala Bakery is their Haupia Donut. It is a smallish square donut filled with delicious Haupia and topped with a sweet icing. The dough has a very light and faintly lemony taste. They are very good and unique. I haven’t seen any other bakery yet that makes a similar donut.
Another thing to like about New Aala Bakery is that their donuts are reasonably sized, which makes them good to bring to the office. They are more or less the size of Krispie Kreme donuts.
The lady who owns it with her husband is very nice. She gave me some career advice one day…“Don’t marry a baker or you’ll be waking up at 3 AM everyday” Obviously it can’t be all that bad they have been married for over 30 years. Nonetheless she is a sweetheart.
So if you want to diverge from the Liliha Bakery Coco Puffs one day, you might try New Aala Bakery. It’s in the same neighborhood. In the Liliha Shopping center that has the Times Supermarket.