I underestimated this place. Â Wife and I had a great lunch for about $20. Â The staff were all very friendly and helpful for us noobs. Â I recommend the kalua pork sandwich on taro roll. Â Wow. Â Hot, heaping and juicy, without overdoing the sauce.
Decent beer and wine selection. Â Nice relaxing patios front and back.
We will be going back - often.
Excellent wine selection. Great food for vegetarians (spinach/goat cheese frittata is tasty; stuffed poblanos are great). Handmade brick-oven mini pizzas are made with fresh ingredients and perfect for one person. Â Location is a bit hectic and traffic is limited to street parking if their small lot is full.
Review Source:I wanted to give this place 3.5 stars, but seeing as it isn't an option and I am semi-optimistic person, I bumped it to 4!
Cute place, good food, what more could you ask for? I definitely want to try their sweets because they looked amazing, especially the fruit tart that is served ala mode.
The system is a little confusing, but the women behind the counter will pretty much walk you through it. Though the environment can get a little intense because they are a lot of people in a small area trying to order. We ended up getting the Turkey Cranberry sandwich and the Pastrami sandwich. Both were very good, though the pastrami had a little too much fat on it. The turkey cranberry was pretty amazing, though not the best turkey cranberry sandwich I had. The prices of sandwich are fairly priced, but the other deli "hot" items are on the pricier side.
Probably wouldn't come back here unless I am already in the Kailua area. There are better options out there, but for the area, this place seems to shine through in the casual lunch department.
Me and my gf had a chance to finally try here (albeit for lunch) on account that a good friend works here and at high suggestion from friends. We were NOT disappointed.
Prices are... well it's Kailua. It's not entirely expensive, but not your deal of the day either. However, price aside, the food was DELICIOUS. Not only that, they offer a wide variety of HEALTHY options, as well as have crab cakes to order! Not only that, but are you having a stressful day? Don't worry! They got a bunch of wine to swish from opening to closing!
We've been told that dinner is a different experience, and menu. We are very much looking forward to bringing our business back to a friendly, delicious-food-offering gem right in the heart of Kailua town.
Stumbled upon this cute place when my boyfriend and I decided to hang out in Kailua for a few hours. Saw the great reviews for the place and noticed it was a gold mine when we couldn't find any parking! Haha.
How/where to order:
The set up was a little confusing: you order at the counter (not the coffee counter, only if you want to get a drink), they give you a receipt and a number, you can sit anywhere and they'll bring it out to you. You can order your drink at the coffee counter.
You can pay before or after you get your order over at the coffee counter. Confusing right? Â Haha.
Anyway, off to the food. I decided to order off menu and got the special of the day, Da Skinny, which was a kalua pork sandwich with cole slaw, tomatoes on a grilled taro bun :) Onolicious!
Overall:
The food: 4/5
Environment: 4/5
Parking: 2/5
I would definitely recommend anyone trying this place at least once if you're on the east side of the island :)
Awesome dinner menu!
We had heard the dinner here was great, but we're Townies - it gets a lot to get us to Kailua at night. Â Kalapawai ended up being more than worth the drive!
The lost star is because lunch just is not as good as dinner. Â It's a good place to meet for meetings or lunch, the food is good at lunch - it's wowzas yummy for dinner! Â
Go early, or you'll wait! Â (although, it's worth a wait!)
Hands down the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life!!! You must stop by if you make a trip to Lanikai Beach. Stop by here and also Boots and Kimo's, which is also nearby, for some yummy mac nut banana pancakes. (Note: Boots and Kimo's closes early, like around 2pm, so plan for breakfast there).
But going back to Kalapawai, I had the best pulled pork bbq sandwich with nicely toasted taro buns and slaw inside. Heaven in my mouth. Their turkey sandwich was the best turkey sammie I've ever tried as well - with lots of sprouts, just the way i love it! Oh man, i miss this place!!
My brother was visiting from CA and wanted to explore all the awesome foodie breakfast places in Kailua. We went to all the normal spots and every single place had a 45 minute wait that Wednesday Morning since it was spring break season.....so after driving around I said "I'm not sure what that place is about, but lets go" and i'm glad that something pulled us into those doors!
Parking: Located at the intersection where the pali meets kailua, the parking is easy in the little area in front of the cafe.
Ambiance & Seating: Upon walking in we were greeted with smiling faces and such a wonderful captivating smell of baked goods! It is a cross between a cafe and deli, with lots of regulars always eating and mingling with each other.
Service: For a quick breakfast/lunch you order at the counter and then find your seat. The service was friendly, fast and had such a wonderful personal touch that could not be beat. The owner came by several times to check on us as well as talk about life and living in Kailua. I really enjoyed that she took the time to do that with all the customers!
What we ordered: Tri Tip Au Jus and the Local Special of the day, Kalua Pulled pork.
The Au Jus was served on a very toasted baguette and the meat, was such high quality beef that fell apart in your mouth while holding all of the flavor. I was extremely impressed and loved my sandwich. It was on the smaller side but it was more about the quality than the quantity.
My brother didnt want to share his pulled pork sandwich! He loved it so much! Some places are hit or miss with their kalua pork, sometimes its too salty, to sweet or just dry and bland, this place was none of that! The pork was just salty enough, moist and savory. I am picky about pork and I would go back just for that! My brother also had his on a taro roll, and it was just the right texture and flavor to compliment the meat!
What you SHOULD order: Everything! I am so glad that we stumbled upon this little Kailua gem. I spoke to the owner about the dinner menu and i'm sure i'll be heading there someday soon to try out that fabulous menu!
Went here for my birthday dinner and food was awesome! They dont take reservations so we got really lucky and were able to get a table about 7 pm. My boyfriend and I started with the bruschetta (amazing!), then a island cobb, I had gnocchi (which was okay the tomato sauce a little too acidic for me), he had the steak special and mac n cheese (he loved) the salami and cheese sampler and finished with a flourless chocolate mousse (insanely good) Great wine selection. I felt like I had to be rolled out of there and our bill only came out to roughly about 120 but totally worth it. Only damper of the evening was its not very well ventilated in there so the kitchen smoke made my eyes water. Great service and Im still dreaming about that food!
Review Source:Stopped here because it was open early (6am) Â & we don't eat fast food. I stopped mainly for the salads but at 6am I decided to get a sandwich instead. weird, right?!
My bf ordered the kalua pork slider. HOLY CRAP! Delicious. The biscuit was the best I have EVER had. Flaky, fresh, I have no words. The pork was  sweet & salty (perfect amount of salt), and honestly the best I had in the 8 days I had been here already. I forgot to mention that the bf ordered kalua pork at every place at least once a day.
It is one slider... perfect biscuit, pork, slice of tomato, and cheese. Melts in your mouth. It is fairly small, but it is only $3.50, and it IS worth it, so we ordered another one.
The only reason I am giving  them less than 5 stars is because the potato salad was ehhhhh. Myself, being a master at potato salad, find it crazy that people still don't make it as good as mine. I kid. But really, It was ehhhh, so so. Â
The sandwich was good, when we finally got to it.
The staff were really friendly and down to earth.
Cool spot, great sliders, and we are going back in the morning.
Found this place as recommended by the shop girls of both Olive boutique and Oliver mens boutique nearby. Â
had a nice lunch with my husband little boys. Â I had the chicken caesar, husband had another salad and my little boy had the mac and cheese. Â Everything was fresh, tasty and nicely presented. Â The food was on par with Los Angeles cafes, so I was please to have found this place. Â We will definitely be back the next time we visit.
Big, big fan. I go here at least once a week. Great coffee & if you go enough, you'll get a free one using the punch card. If you like breakfast food, the kalua sliders and biscuits & gravy are straight fire. I haven't had dinner yet but I'm assuming good things. Plus the staff is very friendly.
Review Source:Stopped in here to pick up sandwiches on the way to Lanikai Beach. There were 4 of us and we all got the same thing...the 1st sandwich on the menu with turkey, sprouts, cheese on whole grain bread and it was delicious! I would come back for the sandwiches alone.
We also got a side of the Mac & Cheese, which we ate cold; I wasn't personally a fan of this, but my husband seemed to enjoy it. It was too dense to eat cold I think, and just 1 of those super heavy dishes that guarantee a stomach ache if you eat more than 2 bites.
The pastries in the front looked amazing! I would try some if I were to go back.
I give 3 stars for the sandwiches and 1 star for the super friendly service.
My first experience trying Kailua Pig. Fantastic! It's similar to a pulled pork sandwich, but sweeter. It looked to be a special menu item that isn't served every day. I ate here on a Monday so perhaps that's when it is served.
If you're just visiting Hawai'i and want to try one of the state's food staples, stop here for the Kailua Pig - you won't be disappointed.
Another weekend spent in Kailua. Â So after a day of taking pictures at Bellows drove towards back to town but wanted to get something to eat before my family and I got home. Â So of course my husband went onto Yelp and found this place. Â It was around 5PM so we got here before the dinner crowd came.
So when we first stepped into the place it smelled like COFFEE! Â I love coffee! Â There was also case of beautiful baked goodness on our left that my 9 year old daughter and I kept drooling over. Â We had the choice of outdoor seating or dining in so we choose to dine in but next time I think we should dine outside since my 7 month old baby was with us. Â She was pretty much quiet during the whole time we were there so it wasn't too bad.
So of course I had to get the Sweet Potato Ravioli, my daughter got the Mac&Cheese, and my husband got the Wagu Beef Burger. Â I loved my ravioli and the Mac&Cheese was great! Â The burger was suppose to be medium but was pretty much on the rare side but it's beef so my husband ok with that. Â He said the seasoning on the top was a little salty but wishes that he had more of the cheese. Â I think it was blue cheese or something like that. Â Ended our meal with a Fruit Crisp and some kind of coffee dessert with amaretto and ice cream.
Overall the food was good. Â It's on the more pricey side. Â Three stars for the food. Â It was not bad but it wasn't that memorable. Â They have limited parking stalls. There is meter parking close by. I gave them a 4stars since service was excellent! Â A trend I have to say where ever we go in Kailua! KUDOS
I've eaten lunch and dinner here and have not been disappointed. During lunch there are no waitresses so it's more like a deli. Â They have a wide assortment of food though so your every craving will be satisfied. Â I've had their french dip which is O-M-G divine!!!!
Three friends and I met up for dinner one night and everything that came to the table was heavenly. Â We started with the gnocchi in olive oil with sauteed vegetables, the meat and cheese platter and the tapenade. Â The gnocchi were soft and pillowy and the vegetables that came with it made one of my friends a believer in kabocha. Â LOL. Their selection of cheeses that came with the salami and prosciutto were unique. Â A Guinness soaked marbled cheese was the feature and we all loved it. Â The homemade tapenade was too yummy for words, and the pita they served with it was a delight in itself.
Our entrees were a bacon wrapped fillet on a polenta bed (special for the night), pork chop, pork shoulder bucco (special for the night) and their ragu. Â Our table was very quiet once the entrees came out - everyone was too busy eating and enjoying their food to eat. Â Lol. Â There is a pretty good selection of wines and beers that you can have while dining. Â My friend and I had the Downtown Brown beer, another friend had their coconut ale and another friend started with their flight of wines (3 selection) and then a glass of one of their red wines.
I will definitely be back to try more of the menu, and to have their wonderful gnocchi!!!!! Â All of the waitresses that night were super helpful and very accommodating - our party came in scattered and we ended up waiting a little while for the last person to show. Â Chef Jason Iwane is very talented and I love that instead of rice he is using polenta. Â Something new and quite tasty!!!! Â Kudos to Jason and the staff at Kalapawai!!!!!
We were hanging out at Lanikai Beach that day, and felt hungry afterward! We found this restaurant since it was closeby. Here's my notes:
Great, lively service.
Good, piping hot mac and cheese.
The sweet potato ravioli was buttery, savory, and very rich.
NY Steak was delicious and well cooked.
They no longer serve meyer lemon risotto, which I wanted to try.
The whole meal was great!
This would be 5 stars if lunch was better.. I think this is one of the best places in Kailua to have dinner.. Everything I've tried for dinner has been excellent... The cheese platter, Gnocchi, Duck, Sweet Potato Ravioli, Beet Risotto... Etc... So yummy!!!
As for lunch.. My husband got one of the pizzas, which didn't even come out hot.. & the kitchen is right there... I got the Caprese salad which is hard to screw up, but there's usually enough mozzarella for every piece of tomato (it had 4 slices of mozzarella & 5 slices of tomato).. I also think there should be more basil.. The basil was julienned & sprinkled on top..
We'll definitely be back for dinner & we'll give lunch another try..
I wrote a whole blog post about how AWESOME this place was!!!
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwewilleatanything.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F01%2F09%2Fkalapawei-cafe-kailua-hi%2F&s=90b7b7147abde2defb10ecb440c4e66662a26c1af3978e738dbf6ab563ece5dd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://wewilleatanything…</a>
Can I ever have a bad meal here? I think the answer is definitely no.... BUT I am increasingly concerned because everyone else in Kailua seems to know the same. The past several times the wait has been long, but the wait is always worth it! And I must add we typically go there on a Saturday night, so that adds to our dinner-time woes.
Last night we had the 1/2 cheese 1/2 charcutterie plate. The kitchen will do it special if you ask (and we always do). We had a bottle of Merlot which our server recommended. The people here are super friendly and remember us every time we are in, so love that!!
Hubby ordered the burger, which he has had several times before and it is truly a GREAT burger while I opted for something different and tried the duck. With the wine we had chosen, It was pretty stellar!
I love coming here, and will continue to do so. The food is great and the service is super friendly. The atmosphere rocks with local artists' work hanging on walls.
Had someone take me here as a treat. Â I was skeptical as I am of most places, but that soon changed. Â The atmosphere is relaxed (it wasn't very crowded the evening I went) and it has a sort of small neighborhood eatery feel, which is good (and a great change from the tourist slop-houses of Waikiki). Â
I'm not a big fan of eggplant, but I was feeling adventurous and decided to try the eggplant and smoked salmon bruschetta, as well as the house made potato gnocchi. All I can say is wow! It was absolutely fabulous. I'd definitely do it again my next visit. Â
For the main course I ordered the Big Island sirloin which comes with Kula romaine steak-house salad, grilled asparagus, gorgonzola dressing.  The way the salad was  presented on the plate was unique (leaves fanned across half the plate) which I previously hadn't seen.  The salad had a generous amount of dressing without being too much.  I ordered the steak medium well, but it seemed a touch more on the well done side and was precut, but it didn't affect the taste that much. It was still very good.  it was just the right amount of food as I cleaned my entire plate, which I rarely do, (some restaurants believe 6 lbs of food on your plate will somehow make it taste better and this is definitely not the case with Kalapawai.....quality over quantity).
I also drank a glass of Malbec, which was good as well.
Overall a great dining experience. Will definitely return!
Cool little cafe in Kailua
Good menu selection, it was actually suggested by a vegetarian friend (I am not a vegetarian) but food was good, fairly quick. Able to order, take a seat inside or out (pet friendly outside) and just relax. Part of our order was given to another table and the manager came out and apologized and rushed another one out to us, not a huge deal. I'll go back and I would recommend it for a lunch/brunch place.
My first experience at this small but sweet deli was a good one. A delicious one, rather. I came here with my hubs (of course) and three other couples, so I actually got to taste-test a number of dishes. I ordered the gnocchi and husby had the ravioli and they were both unlike anything I've tasted before. YUMMY! So fresh and packed with lots of unique flavors.
The prices here are are pretty average--maybe a little more expensive than normal, but it's possible to eat "cheaply" if you try hard enough. The only problem with that is once you get inside, you'll want to try everything--from the drinks, to appetizers, entrees, desserts, coffee... everything. It all looks, smells, sounds amazing.
My only complaint with Kalapawai is that they can only accept 2 credit cards per table, and they don't split up the check. It took a good 15 minutes for all 8 of us to sort out meals and figure out each person's total bill BUT the waitress did inform us of this before we sat down, so that was a nice courtesy.
Overall it was a great experience. We'll be back for more!
Kalapawai Cafe & Deli is a cool little place right before you approach the meat of Kailua town. I really liked this place as everything has a very homemade feel to it, and not just the food. It's as local as one place can be, and it definitely shows!
From what I understand, this place has two faces to itself, lunch and dinner mode. My friends and I were looking for a place before heading to Kailua Beach, so dinner would have to wait for another time.
Their lunch spread is pretty outstanding, to say the least. Lots of different sandwiches, cold and hot, and a lot of variety of kickass-looking sides including lasagna, pasta salad, and so much more. Made it really hard to decide on just one.
I love sandwiches. Simple or complicated, stacked or the bare minimum, it doesn't matter. So it's easy to say I had a tough time trying to decide on what to eat as their sandwich count is in the double-digits! I went with the Italian sandwich, which has a good amount of salami, and other Italian meats I don't know how to pronounce. It was good...but with all the different kinds of meat in one sandwich, I expected an explosion of taste, which isn't what I got. It was good, but other sandwich places have gotten it better. My friend got the meatball sandwich, is what I should have gotten. The meatballs were so juicy, I only have to assume they're made fresh there everyday. They don't drench it in sauce neither, so the bread holding it all together doesn't get soggy and fall apart. A perfect meatball sandwich!
Across from their deli showcase is the coffee bar. I had their Chai Tea Latte with a shot of espresso. As soon as I ordered it, the server said "That's my favorite drink, too!" Love at first sight, I thought.
Speaking of the staff, they're all really nice. It can get pretty busy, but they never rushed you and were way smiley the whole time we were there. A+ to them.
My cravings for a good sandwich will never go away, so it's nice to find a place like this, with such good variety, whenever I go over the hill. I'll return soon!!
31 Yelps Review Challenge - October 2012 #24/31
(I failed, but I will not give up!)
I broke my rule about eating out on Monday nights because that's when most chefs have their day off. Well, if that is the case at Kalapawai Cafe, then kudos to the second-in-command because this place was awesome on a Monday. This friendly, neighborhood restaurant has good service, and almost encourages you to share plates.
The gnocchi dish is different from any other I've had. For the most part, gnocchi is bathed in a rich, creamy sauce. Not so at Kalapawai Cafe, because their gnocchi is flash-sauteed resulting in a dish with a lightly crisp/chewy gnocchi morsels accompanied by seared fresh asparagus, kale and almonds.
The steak was prepared perfectly as ordered (medium rare) and sliced pupu style (ablout 8 pieces). Served with whole leaf baby Romaine lettuce leaves drizzled with Caesar dressing. The steak had an alae (salt) seasoning that gave just enough  to add to the meat and not overpower it.
The salmon bruschetta was four slices of french bread topped with smoked salmon. Simply prepared, the salmon was fresh and moist.
This restaurant is one of the top places to dine in Kailua. Park in their lot, or street parking available as well.
Went here a few weeks ago with some friends who live in Kailua. Â We were looking for something relaxing and not overly fussy. Â This hit the spot. Â I had a Pork Sandwich which came with some slaw on it. Â I also had a yummy beer. Â I think this all came to around 12 bucks or so; totally reasonable. Â
The pork was cooked well and had kind of a mango-y BBQ sauce on it, which was a nice contrast. Â It came on a taro bun, which was interesting and tasty. Â Around the table, I can't quite recall exactly what everyone had, but I do remember noticing that everything was very fresh in terms of the ingredients used and that fact that they're making everything to order. Â The ingredients themselves are meant to be the star at Kalapawai, and they are.
We sat outside, which was nice, but the occasional loud car or motorcycle going by the nearby busy intersection broke up conversation a bit.
Recommended for an inexpensive, relaxing, casual dining experience with a focus on freshly made food with good ingredients.
By day a cozy sandwich shop, by night an upscale eatery. Both menus delicious. I think i'm in love. The first time I went here, I had the upscale, sit-down experience. Which, I was not expecting...AT ALL. I thought, let's eat here instead of Cactus because it's probably much cheaper...WRONG. At night the prices are like $20 per entree and all the food comes out looking like you're at a fine dining restaurant. Â My boyfriend had the duck with kale and potatoes and I had the gigantic pork chop. It was so good. Oh and who could forget the bruschetta for appetizers. Mmm, actual fresh pieces of tomato and a hint of a goat cheese taste with yummy balsamic. Â It was sooo yummy. --- til this day my boyfriend talks about the thick cut pork chop i had that night and you see the gleam in his eye and the slight drool down his face. LOL.
Next time we came it was with the parentals. Slightly different atmosphere in the day. You place an order at the counter (theres sandwiches, pizzas, and other deli items - as well as not so deli items like crabcakes and lasagna in their showcase area that you can order), then you pay at another register, take a number to your seat and wait to be called (or served, depending on how long you take to walk up there and pick up your food).
I got the chicken club made with...REAL chicken! I was expecting thin slices of deli meat chicken, but no, I got a big breast piece of actual chicken! It was yummy...and did I mention it came on foccaccia roll?
My boyfriend got the special which was the butterfish Po' Boy. It was one of those moments where you love your boyfriend, but you would totally steal his sandwich and run away if the opportunity presented itself. :) The butterfish was so flavorful and tender and the slaw on top was yummy and crisp, not overly mayonaisey and soggy like some places.
Definitely look forward to eating here more. I want to try a pizza and crabcakes next time :)
Oh! and before I forget, their Curry Potato Salad thingy is sooooooooo good we wanted to put it in a sandwich! The regular potato salad is just so-so though.
This Cafe located in the heart of Kailua boasts a great dining space which includes outdoor seating. Not only do they offer up some great deli options for lunch and dinner but they have quite the tantalizing bakery selection, all made in-house.
Prices here are as expected for high quality fresh foods and they taste great. I had the crab cakes, stuffed chicken and bean salad; all of which was delicious. Most deli items are sold by the pound if not individually so you can order portions that fit your appetite.
The bakery case offers up an assortment of muffins and scones that are fresh and will keep well into the next day if you want to take a snack home with you.
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