Where to sit, sip and slow down in Honolulu.
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Honolulu lingers in over a cortado.
Kona Coffee Purveyors in the International Market Place in Waikiki Honolulu is the Big Island farm-direct coffee bar paired with b. patisserie pastries baked on site through the day.
Signature drink: 100% Kona single-estate espresso
Tip: Daily 07:00 to 16:00. Order a flat white with the kouign-amann; queue snakes by 09:30.
Honolulu Coffee Company at the Prince Waikiki in Honolulu was founded in 1992 with farm-to-cup Kona coffee from a 50-acre estate in the Captain Cook region of the Big Island.
Signature drink: Kona blend latte
Tip: Order the Kona estate single-origin pour over and watch the catamarans round Diamond Head from the lobby.
Morning Brew in Kakaako Honolulu is the in-house roaster cafe that pulls 100% Hawaiian blends weekly, opened by the original Kailua location's owners with all-day breakfast and vegan options.
Signature drink: 100% Hawaiian-blend latte
Tip: Big communal table at the back is laptop-friendly. Order the avocado toast with the macadamia nut pesto.
Morning Brew Kailua across the Pali from Honolulu is the original location of the 100% Hawaiian-blend roaster, drawing surfers off Lanikai for all-day breakfast and house-roasted coffee.
Signature drink: Iced Hawaiian latte
Tip: Daily 06:00 to 16:00. Cash and card; the breakfast burrito is the move after a Lanikai pillbox hike.
Arvo in Kakaako Honolulu is the Australian-style cafe that sisters Casey Wiggins and Dixie Rose opened in the SALT block, anchoring the city's flat-white-and-avocado-toast scene.
Signature drink: Flat white
Tip: Daily 07:00 to 14:00. Order the loaded avocado toast and the Nutella toast; first hour parking is free.
The Curb Kaimuki in Honolulu is a multi-roaster coffee shop on Waialae that pours Olympia and Heart beans, started as a coffee truck and now anchors the bistro corner of Kaimuki.
Signature drink: Hojicha latte with blueberry lavender syrup
Tip: The hojicha latte with blueberry lavender syrup is the off-menu order; oat milk toast with ricotta is the savory.
Hawaiian Aroma Caffe on Kalakaua in Waikiki Honolulu is the Italian-leaning espresso cafe with nightly live music, all-day breakfast and a four-location footprint across Waikiki.
Signature drink: Honolulu cold brew
Tip: Open daily 06:00 to 19:00. The Ohana East branch runs a full bar; the Kalakaua location is breakfast and coffee only.
Andy's Sandwiches and Smoothies in Manoa Honolulu has fed UH students made-to-order sandwiches on house-baked bread and papaya smoothies since 1977, the Rodrigues family still running it.
Signature drink: Papaya smoothie
Tip: Monday to Friday 07:00 to 16:00, Sunday to 14:30. Closed Saturday. The papaya smoothie is the move.
Cafe Kaila in the Market City Shopping Center in Honolulu's Kapahulu has won Hale Aina best breakfast four consecutive years; cornbread waffles and buttermilk pancakes anchor the menu.
Signature drink: Pour over and cornbread waffle
Tip: Daily 07:00 to 15:30. Walk-in queue from 08:30 weekends; order the cornbread waffle with strawberry butter.
Sweet E's Cafe in Kapahulu Honolulu is the casual breakfast room named for Ethel Mathews, serving stuffed French toast and crab cake Benedict on the Kaimuki corner of Kapahulu Avenue.
Signature drink: Coffee and stuffed French toast
Tip: Daily 07:00 to 14:00. The stuffed blueberry-cream-cheese French toast is the move; cash and card.
Musubi Cafe Iyasume on Kuhio in Waikiki Honolulu has handmade Koshihikari-rice spam musubi in a dozen permutations, the canonical breakfast grab-and-go for Waikiki visitors.
Signature drink: Iced matcha and spam musubi
Tip: Daily 06:30 to 21:00. The teriyaki spam musubi is the bestseller; cash and card both work.
Lonohana Estate Chocolate in Kakaako Honolulu is the SALT block bean-to-bar chocolate maker that grows its own cacao on 14 North Shore acres and runs a tasting bar at the factory front.
Signature drink: Hawaiian-grown chocolate flight
Tip: Daily tastings; 90-minute factory tour at 10:00 most days. Order the Lonohana and Onomea bar flight.