New Hala Tree Café in Waikīkī Brings World-Class Pastries and 100% Kona Coffee

Front: opera cake, Basque cheesecake, pavlova. Back: ube cruffin, dark chocolate calamansi cruffin, brownie, haupia cake. Photo: Katrina Valcourt

Hala Tree’s 100% Kona coffee has been in my phone’s “Fave coffees” album since 2023. I’ve been ordering it through Grok Coffee because Hala Tree Café in Ka‘a‘awa was too far away for a Hawai‘i Kai gal like me.

Not anymore. That location closed in early June, and Hala Tree’s new flagship soft-opened in Lilia Waikīkī 12 days later. The entrance is on Kānekapōlei Street, just off Kūhiō Avenue. This entire block is new to me—my grandma lived on Walina Street for years, but now everything between Food Pantry and Perry’s Smorgy buffet restaurant has been replaced with something shiny.

Photo: Katrina Valcourt

At the new Hala Tree Café, floor-to-ceiling windows illuminate a space large enough for a couple dozen people to comfortably hang out (there’s some outdoor seating too). Espresso drinks, cold brew and drip coffee are all made from 100% Kona coffee that’s grown, processed and roasted on Hala Tree’s family-owned farm on Hawai‘i Island. It’s truly a farm-to-cup experience, with a QR code on each bag of coffee telling you where on the farm it comes from and the roast date.

Cascara Cola and ‘Uala Latte. Photo: Katrina Valcourt

The signature beverages are fun—especially the ‘Uala Latte ($8), with a sweet potato syrup that is slightly earthy and super creamy, and the Cascara Cola ($7), a sparkling coffee cherry tea with macadamia, blood orange and spices that tastes like a cross between Mexican Coke and Christmas. It’s got less caffeine than the other drinks, so this is what I’ll be drinking through the late afternoon. I can’t stop thinking about it. There’s matcha, too, including mango and honey lavender variations.

The Ka‘a‘awa avocado toast. Photo: Katrina Valcourt

The food menu is basically the same as at the Ka‘a‘awa location, but built upon by chef Abigail Langlas. The sweets veteran grew up in Hilo, studied pastry arts in Europe and made desserts at Alan Wong’s and Honolulu Coffee. More famously, Langlas opened Cake Works and until recently was the pastry chef at Neiman Marcus’ now-closed Mariposa and eBar. Her menu at Hala Tree is as memorable as the coffee.

So even if you’ve had the avocado toast before, get it again—a thick slice of house-made sourdough, garlicky chile crisp and bacon bring texture to the Ka‘a‘awa toast ($14), a salty and spicy bite balanced by a sweet latte. There are biscuit sandwiches too, such as the K-Pop ($12), with bulgogi salmon and kim chee, and the Kama‘āina ($10), with a fluffy egg and teriyaki-glazed Spam. Overnight oats, chia pudding and other seemingly simple breakfasts are elevated by things like house-made granola and liliko‘i coconut whipped cream.

The bakery program spans grab-and-go items like prepackaged slices of banana bread and cookies to fancier pavlovas, cruffins and more. The baked goods will rotate, so don’t get too attached to anything.

Dark chocolate and calamansi cruffin. Photo: Katrina Valcourt

The dark chocolate and calamansi cruffin with blood orange marmalade looks beautiful, and while delicious, I’m more surprised by the fudgy opera cake with macadamia nuts and Kona coffee, a hefty lemon scone with luscious liliko‘i butter, and haupia cake, all of which would go great with a cup of black coffee. And for years, I’ve been saying that I don’t like coconut. But you know what? After this creamy haupia cake where coconut is front and center, I’m just gonna say it: I like coconut.

Pavlova with liliko‘i curd. Photo: Katrina Valcourt

Basque cheesecake, ube cruffins with coconut cream, brownies, chocolate croissants and more are made from scratch by Langlas and her team daily, with locally sourced ingredients as much as possible.

The café just grand-opened July 1. At the time of this writing, Hala Tree wasn’t validating parking in Lilia, but Waikīkī Market was. Elsewhere, International Market Place is across the street. You might be able to find some spots along Kānekapōlei, or use our Waikīkī parking guide. I spent a lot of time in Waikīkī when I was younger so I have a soft spot for it, but Hala Tree Café is worth the search for parking.

Photo: Katrina Valcourt

Keep your eyes peeled for some after-hours workshops in  the future. And if you’re ever in Captain Cook, the farm offers tours, tastings, roasting experiences and more.

Daily 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., 2380 Kūhiō Ave., Space RU 111, Waikīkī, halatreecoffee.com, @halatreecafe

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Katrina Valcourt is the executive editor of HONOLULU Magazine.