Manoa Café: Morning Glass

What I love about Morning Glass is that it’s inviting for all levels of coffee lovers. At this café, coffee is brewed by the cup with a Chemex filter, and each day, a Hawaii-grown coffee roasted in house is featured alongside imported coffees from micro-roaster Stumptown in Portland. This attention to detail attracts the serious coffee drinker (case in point: On a recent visit, I saw Pete Licata, recently crowned the best barista in America, second in the world), but for those who just want to enjoy the pleasant ambiance of an open-air Manoa café, there are less serious options as well, such as a mocha or latte topped with housemade caramel.
 
In these hot and humid days, I’ve been favoring the cold latte, shaken with ice for a refreshing frothiness, or the espresso soda, sweet and slightly tart.
 
And what’s a café without food? Baked sweets include scones, a condensed milk pound cake and coffee cake, while the sandwich lunch menu yields perfection in a grilled cheese with Gruyere, grilled onions, and prosciutto, or a mortadella, provolone, and hot pepper sandwich.
 
Breakfast, served on weekends, offers one of Honolulu’s most satisfying morning meals outside of pancakes and waffles. There’s biscuits and gravy and omelette en casuela (eggs baked in a terracotta dish).
 
Morning Glass Coffee, 2955 East Manoa Road, 673-0065, Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.