We tried the vegan breakfast burrito and smoothie bowl. Staff seemed knowledgeable about what was vegan (asked closely about honey given previous reviews). Food took a while to come out, even though we were basically the only customers. It was okay but nothing special - the flavors were a bit muted in both dishes, they tasted fine but that's all. The best part of the meal was that it didn't leave us feeling heavy afterwards.
I liked that they had a lot of vegan baked goods (most/all gluten free as well), but the cookies we tried were just ok.
We couldn't figure out what they were trying to be - if the cafe is trying to be healthy, why so many traditional baked goods? My wife's burrito was colored so vibrantly we wondered if they used artificial food coloring (not sure, but there was nothing on the menu to reassure us otherwise, or explain what made the food at this restaurant more healthy than other food one might come across).
My advice to the business would be to have a more clearly defined/articulated philosophy to attract customers, especially local ones.
mountainmalama
Big fan of Hā Cafe in Hilo because of their serious attention to ensuring food is vegan, and for me, egg-free, as I also have a severe egg allergy. From all of their desserts being entirely vegan and gluten-free (20-30 different bakery items each day), to their smoothies and juices being 90% vegan, with the exception of honey in some premade juice or dairy that can be substituted in smoothies, and a separate vegan menu for sandwiches and toasts, they are doing very well! They know each and every item in their foods and menu and are hyper aware of cross contamination. Plus everything is delicious and served with aloha. Can’t go wrong here.
Leora215
The spot is cute and the menu has clearly labeled vegan options. I got the vegan breakfast sandwich which was supposed to come on sourdough but I got a croissant instead (not a fan of processed oil and was looking forward to sourdough). The taste was fine but could have used a touch of salt. Husband got the breakfast burrito. He said it wasn’t that good and, again, needed salt. Overall the food was just okay and even a bit disappointing.
Diana Wang
Surprisingly they have great coffee too! The smoothie bowl is super delicious, I’ve had the kale one with morniga, added honey and almond butter. Really recommend this place and this plaza has a lot of options for food and small shops!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica Shipley
My sandwich was soooo manini. I got the turkey pesto. It had two slices of thin deli turkey (could’ve been Oscar Meyers, was not tasty), one extremely thin tomato slice, and a smear of “pesto” which was mostly mayo. Had zero flavor. I took it home and added mustard, greens, and more tomatoes and some salt and pepper, and it was sorta salvageable. Very pricey for what I got. Had some purple sweet potato chips on the side, they were fine. But overall, not worth the money.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
이서우 (Nylon)
I ate Acai Island and a mixture of orange juice and ginger from the refrigerator. The Acai Island tasted like acai balls and were delicious. It felt healthy and this place seemed a bit like a cafe specializing in folk remedies. A local resident I met here told me to try the orange juice and ginger mixture to detoxify. I tried it and it tasted a bit good, but it was very refreshing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
summersolstice
Their juice is good, but the food is extremely overpriced and bad. I have had 2 burritos from here on different days that were completely saturated in oil. Like sitting in a puddle of oil! The baked goods sit in the display case for a long time and are stale. I recommend getting smoothies with apple juice because they are a bit bland on their own. Again, I really like the juices, but everything else is disappointing and overpriced
Margarita Weinman-Brown
Great fresh juices
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Vegan
mizpuff
They weren’t open when we went despite their online hours and the hours posted on their door saying they should have been open at that time. The name also seems to have changed to Ha cafe. Maybe they aren’t in business anymore?
Updated from previous review on 2024-06-26
Jean Myerson
I had the most delicious steak burrito and some blue drink which was decent. Hubby loved his smoothy and nachos.
We got the juice several times while on vacay in Hilo. Particularly liked the passion fruit blend. I also had a curry chicken sandwich wrap that was outstanding!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Thomas DeCarlo
It took 40 minutes to just get a simple sandwich
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Brannu Studios
A little long of a wait with no one ahead but well worth it! The steak burrito is delicious!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Steak Burrito
Daniel Bayer
So good! Had the strawberry banana smoothie with apple juice and the acia smoothie bowl with coconut milk. Perfectly made not overly sweet and frozen fruit on top the smoothie bowl.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Haili Gibbs
Best vegan food we’ve had on the big island! Please check this out if you’re plant based
We tried the vegan breakfast burrito and smoothie bowl. Staff seemed knowledgeable about what was vegan (asked closely about honey given previous reviews). Food took a while to come out, even though we were basically the only customers. It was okay but nothing special - the flavors were a bit muted in both dishes, they tasted fine but that's all. The best part of the meal was that it didn't leave us feeling heavy afterwards. I liked that they had a lot of vegan baked goods (most/all gluten free as well), but the cookies we tried were just ok. We couldn't figure out what they were trying to be - if the cafe is trying to be healthy, why so many traditional baked goods? My wife's burrito was colored so vibrantly we wondered if they used artificial food coloring (not sure, but there was nothing on the menu to reassure us otherwise, or explain what made the food at this restaurant more healthy than other food one might come across). My advice to the business would be to have a more clearly defined/articulated philosophy to attract customers, especially local ones.
Big fan of Hā Cafe in Hilo because of their serious attention to ensuring food is vegan, and for me, egg-free, as I also have a severe egg allergy. From all of their desserts being entirely vegan and gluten-free (20-30 different bakery items each day), to their smoothies and juices being 90% vegan, with the exception of honey in some premade juice or dairy that can be substituted in smoothies, and a separate vegan menu for sandwiches and toasts, they are doing very well! They know each and every item in their foods and menu and are hyper aware of cross contamination. Plus everything is delicious and served with aloha. Can’t go wrong here.
The spot is cute and the menu has clearly labeled vegan options. I got the vegan breakfast sandwich which was supposed to come on sourdough but I got a croissant instead (not a fan of processed oil and was looking forward to sourdough). The taste was fine but could have used a touch of salt. Husband got the breakfast burrito. He said it wasn’t that good and, again, needed salt. Overall the food was just okay and even a bit disappointing.
Surprisingly they have great coffee too! The smoothie bowl is super delicious, I’ve had the kale one with morniga, added honey and almond butter. Really recommend this place and this plaza has a lot of options for food and small shops!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My sandwich was soooo manini. I got the turkey pesto. It had two slices of thin deli turkey (could’ve been Oscar Meyers, was not tasty), one extremely thin tomato slice, and a smear of “pesto” which was mostly mayo. Had zero flavor. I took it home and added mustard, greens, and more tomatoes and some salt and pepper, and it was sorta salvageable. Very pricey for what I got. Had some purple sweet potato chips on the side, they were fine. But overall, not worth the money.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
I ate Acai Island and a mixture of orange juice and ginger from the refrigerator. The Acai Island tasted like acai balls and were delicious. It felt healthy and this place seemed a bit like a cafe specializing in folk remedies. A local resident I met here told me to try the orange juice and ginger mixture to detoxify. I tried it and it tasted a bit good, but it was very refreshing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Their juice is good, but the food is extremely overpriced and bad. I have had 2 burritos from here on different days that were completely saturated in oil. Like sitting in a puddle of oil! The baked goods sit in the display case for a long time and are stale. I recommend getting smoothies with apple juice because they are a bit bland on their own. Again, I really like the juices, but everything else is disappointing and overpriced
Great fresh juices
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Vegan
They weren’t open when we went despite their online hours and the hours posted on their door saying they should have been open at that time. The name also seems to have changed to Ha cafe. Maybe they aren’t in business anymore? Updated from previous review on 2024-06-26
I had the most delicious steak burrito and some blue drink which was decent. Hubby loved his smoothy and nachos.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Burrito, Nachos
Restaurantji Recommends
We got the juice several times while on vacay in Hilo. Particularly liked the passion fruit blend.
I also had a curry chicken sandwich wrap that was outstanding!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It took 40 minutes to just get a simple sandwich
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
A little long of a wait with no one ahead but well worth it! The steak burrito is delicious!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Steak Burrito
So good! Had the strawberry banana smoothie with apple juice and the acia smoothie bowl with coconut milk. Perfectly made not overly sweet and frozen fruit on top the smoothie bowl.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best vegan food we’ve had on the big island! Please check this out if you’re plant based
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