Hakuna

I so want this to be 5 stars. The place is cool, the food is good, and the waitress was friendly & attentive. It was also empty. Unfortunately the drinks were really expensive and the portions were small.
The cocktails were hand made from the freshest ingredients but they were just okay and small for costing over $ 10. Beer and wine were no bargain either. The food was really good but we left hungry.
They did have live music that was also good but a bit loud for the size of the place. We thought it was fine but there are a number of our friends that wouldn’t be able to hear a dinner conversation over the music.
This place is so close to awesome, but not quite. It really just needs a few tweaks. I hope they make some small changes or just stick with coffee & lunch. I frequent the restaurants that surround it and this could be what the neighborhood is missing.

Hakuna Matata is Swahili. It really means NO WORRIES. When you enter this amazing restaurant you are greeted by happy and big smiles. A family owned and operated health food style restaurant, the menu boards are loaded with great lunch and dinner ideas. Juices & Smoothies, wraps and paninis, even the rice bowls were out of sight. As you can see from most of my other reviews I am not a easy person to make happy. But not Hakuna. Easy to find, bright Yellow building makes it jump right out. Lastly the baked goods are also fresh, the chocolate chip muffin if any are left, are on the top of my list. Maybe not so healthy, but worth it. We are new to the village, and just dropped in for a cup of tea. Now if they would just open up one more store in Miami.

I was so thrilled to find a restaurant with organic, vegetarian food in Meredith! Everything was delicious and the ambiance was amazing!

I had a chai latte and a bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on a bagel. My wife had a coffee and a cup of bisque.

My tea was loose in the cup. I took a sip and almost gagged on the tea/​herbs. They all stuck to my tongue. I asked about it and the very friendly woman who made it said it was how they made it «loose». First, there was no mention that I was getting a «loose» chai latte. But even if it was «loose», loose tea is suppose to be made by using a little tea strainer ball that you put the loose tea in. The strainer is suppose to be used in place of a tea bag. But she said she was told that was the way they made it «loose»…interesting.
My wife got a cup of bisque. Bisque is suppose to be thick. She got a brothy soup that was no thinker than your average chicken noodle soup. She said the flavor wasn’t bad but there is no chance anyone would call it a bisque. It was a a thin bright soup.
I got a bacon egg and cheese sandwich. There was no cheese on it. I asked for cheese and she put shredded cheese on it. Since it wasn’t hot it all fell right off. The breakfast sandwich was served on a plate that was barely bigger than the sandwich. I’d say there was a half inch of space on either side of the plate…4″ bagel on a 5″ paper plate.
The atmosphere was nice and the woman working was friendly. That said, she didn’t know how to accept my $ 20 groupon. So she asked me to just write down the groupon info before we left.
The décor was nice and the service was friendly. However, the food and drinks left a lot to be desired. This place has been open since July of ’15. I could understand if they had only been open a week or two and they were working out kinks. But we were the only ones in the place when we ordered at around 9 am on a weekday. I will be very surprised if they are still in business this time next year.

Finally had a chance to try it out (after 2 failed attempts this summer when we went but they were closed) got corn chowder and salad. The chowder was good would come back for that but the Mexican salad — just ok. Both together were expensive $ 18 which I don’t think the quality of the salad or portions support.
I’m really hoping this place makes a go of it as there really isn’t any place to grab a tea or coffee while walking through town.

Excellent juices and smoothies! It’s SO important to have local, organic options in town. I love it!

We unexpectedly stopped into Hakuna while wandering the streets of Meredith this past Saturday. Within the first minute we were greeted by an employee and offered assistance if necessary. We ordered food and had a seat. Our food arrived within 10 minutes and was great.
Some of the negative reviews on Unilocal really didn’t reflect our experience while dining there. While waiting for our meals, I decided to look at Unilocal (to bookmark the page to review later) and I was pretty amazed at the negativity here compared to the great experience we had.
Either something has changed since those reviews were left, or maybe people enjoy complaining too much.

They never took our orders… waited for 10 minutes by register and neither of the two workers talked to us. We ended up leaving.

Went in for a large coffee and a small machiato today. should have come to about $ 7. Came to $ 10.54. When I asked why the total was so high, the cashier mumbled something about «tax». Bummer, because it’s a great place for a coffee spot, but not one that swindles customers with false prices. I certainly won’t be back, and I don’t suggest anyone else tries it. Any business that blataly rips off customers like this place deserves to be replaced with a Dunkin Donuts.

This is the worst place ever. $ 6 coffee are you kiddin me? Just go to dunks down the street. Don’t try any of the smoothies or breakfast burritos they tastes like Hitler.

We stopped by Hakuna for some drinks during a hot day (heat wave!) on the boat. The décor seemed impressive when we walked in: a quaint, cozy interior with the menu written pleasantly in chalk across the front of the café; appropriate fixtures lining the walls and counter.
The next thing you notice, if you’re like me, is the prices. «$ 8 for a fruit smoothie? Well okay, I suppose it is organic…»
So you order your smoothie, and take notice of the staff… It’s not that they are specifically rude, there is just a striking lack of friendliness that is off putting.
Finally you get your smoothie, which only fills ¾ of the cup, pay the gouging price, put your lips around the straw and… it’s warm. Not just «not cold» but actually warm. As if they threw the thing in a microwave before handing it to you. Then you realize how the smoothie tastes. The «tropical classic» smoothie tastes like a half-​ripe pineapple had a illegitimate baby with a rotten banana, blended it up, then neglected to include the other numerous ingredients listed on chalk board. This was more than disappointing. Before we put 90% of it in the trash, three of us had a sip and we all noted that it gave us a sore throat and acid.
We also got 2 iced coffees and a bottle of water. The coffee was served with ~3 ice cubes each, so we had to go back to ask for more. It was terrible coffee, one person with me stated that «I would rather drink Dunkin Donuts coffee than this, and I HATE Dunkin Donuts coffee.» She then proceeded to throw the drink away.
These four items came to $ 24! I can safely say the only good item was the bottled water.
TLDR; If you are in the market for a bottle of water, Hakunas MIGHT be a decent place to get it. That is, as long as you are okay with the hefty price tag and lackluster service.

Got a breakfast burrito that was cold on the inside and watched the woman take eggs out of a container where they appeared to be hard boiled and then cut up. They didn’t have any guacamole at 9:30 am on a Saturday. Staff was kind and apologetic about guac. Very disappointed in the food, was honestly quite awful.

Hakuna should be on your list to visit. Their staff creates a friendly environment for all customers and demonstrates a vast knowledge of health and food. Hakuna offers many organic coffee and tea options. They feature a la Marzocco expresso machine. For food they bring a new fresh and not to mention healthy option to the area. Hakuna offers salads, wraps and paninis, and rice bowls. They have many options for desert in their bakery including many gluten free options. My favorite are the juices and smoothies that express the healthy roots behind the business. The organic juices contain many healthy organic ingredients that come together to form a refreshing, upbeat drink. Their smoothies offer a choice to cool down or power up with fruit and protein options. Really enjoyed the eats and the treats. Stop by and see for yourself.