Cinnamon’s Opens a Sweet Shop in Kailua

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Zingy ginger cookies crumbled over black sesame soft-serve, a peanut butter banana pudding parfait with bacon bits, and an iced strawberry white mocha latte are among the early favorites at Cinnamon’s Sweet Shop, which grand-opened Monday across the atrium from the longtime breakfast restaurant.

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The takeout shop sells cookies, specialty drinks, coffee and soft-serve with rotating flavors—we recommend the less-sweet black sesame over toasted marshmallow. Kalo and haupia are coming up, and we plan to head right over when owner Alika Nam rolls out the salted strawberry balsamic soft-serve with black pepper that he’s planning.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Sweet Shop is inspired by and dedicated to the much-beloved Cricket (Bonnie) Nam, one of Cinnamon’s three founders and Alika’s mom. It features some of her signature recipes, including chocolate chip cookies studded with macadamia nuts and crunchy, spicy Ginger Crack cookies (bags of cookies are $6.50–$8.99). Mash-ups of Cricket Nam’s recipes include Peanut Buttah Fingahz, which started as peanut butter cookies with Butterfinger mix-ins.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Nam, who died in 2022, created many of Cinnamon’s popular sweets and and baked goods, working alongside her husband, Puna (Norman) Nam and chef Carsie Green. Generations of Windward families recall her baked goods, wedding cakes and memories of Cricket guiding them to their tables with a smile. “Mom definitely lives on. It feels like we’re channeling her,” Alika Nam says.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

There are other mashups too. Nam credits the shop’s baker for the recipe behind Guava Pani Popo ($6.50), which combines the pillowy Samoan coconut bread rolls with a guava glaze from Cinnamon’s pancake lineup. “There needs to be more pani popo in people’s lives,” Nam says, adding that liliko‘i, matcha, pistachio and other pancake flavors may also be destined for pani popo.

The Elvis Pudding parfait ($7.99) gives a nod to Presley, famous for his peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches and his fondness for Hawai‘i. This was a sleeper hit for us: crunchy cookie bites, fresh banana slices, salty peanuts, silky pudding, whipped cream and that salty pop of bacon bit topper.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

The shop serves traditional espresso drinks as well as rotating specials of cream soda and specialty coffees. Last week, a Sweetheart Latte ($8.99) sold well—fresh brewed espresso with white mocha, strawberry purée and a sprinkle of dried strawberries.

Audrey Badua puts finishing touches on a Sweetheart Latte. Photo: Robbie Dingeman

The Chicha Morada, a purple Peruvian specialty that includes corn, cinnamon and green apple flavors ($4.99, small, $6.99 large), is sweet, cold and bright purple. A friend couldn’t resist the pink-and-green cloud that is the Tokyo Dream ($5.50), whose exploding melon boba, lychee mochi, melon pop rocks, cream and seltzer make up a concoction that’s almost too pretty to consume. Pro tip: Stirring and sipping rather than slurping gives the different flavors a chance to emerge.

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Cinnamon’s Sweet Shop joins nearby post-meal destinations like Mānoa Chocolate’s tasting room, ice cream standout Please Come Again, Perfect Day’s New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream and Frost’s self-serve yogurt taps. Kailua is already known as a stellar breakfast destination. This new addition is another enticing reason to visit.

315 Uluniu St., Kailua, (808) 207-0960, sweetshophi.com, @sweetshophi

Robbie Dingeman is a longtime Hawai‘i writer and editor.