This place is a combination of an ice cream shop and bakery. The ice cream is okay – it’s good, but not amazing. What surprises me is how incredibly crowded it always is. Personally, I don’t quite understand the hype.
The quality is decent, but nothing extraordinary, and the prices are extremely high for what you get. If you’re curious, it’s worth trying once, but don’t expect to be blown away.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Katya L.
➕Delicious coffee! I had the vanilla iced latte with regular milk. I also had the apple tart shown in the photo and lemon tart (not shown). Latte was good the apple tart also very good! I’d buy it again. They have a great selection of bakery and desserts. The second time I stopped by I had iced americano with Hawaiian honey as added flavor - and that is the best americano ever! The honey americano is worth raving about I def recommend it!
➖The only negative is that if you’re stopping by in the morning - this location is slammed! Expect a wait time of 30-50mins in the AM.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Julia Netting
Coffee shop with indoor and outdoor seating but not public WiFi? They had wifi to connect to but wouldn’t give out the password. Coffee was great though but not ideal when I went there to work
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jennifer Richmond
What a wonderful, personal experience with Justin. He was so sweet and so kind, took his time explaining all the answers to my questions and never made me feel pressured or rushed. I was able to explain to him what kind of coffee I do like, as in the level of flavor and darkness and he helped me pick out some great options. You can get the beans or ground, depending on your needs. What you can’t get anywhere else is the great experience with Justin! Thank you sir, I’ll remember you every time I make a cup! Thank you for the positive experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeremy Edmunds
Walking into Kona Mountain Coffee's Hilton Hawaiian Village outpost feels less like entering a coffee shop and more like stepping into a high-end gallery devoted to caffeinated art. Which is precisely the point.This isn't your typical coffee retail operation. There are no baristas pulling shots, no milk steamers hissing, no line of caffeine-dependent tourists clutching paper cups. Instead, Kona Mountain Coffee has built something far more profitable: a temple to the coffee bean itself, where $40 bags of Kona coffee are displayed like precious artifacts behind glass cases.The business model is counterintuitive but brilliant. While every other coffee operation in Waikiki competes on convenience and speed, Kona Mountain Coffee sells patience and education. They've transformed the humble coffee bean into a luxury good through sheer force of presentation and cultural positioning.The 1,200-square-foot space operates more like a jewelry store than a coffee shop. Circular displays encourage customers to orbit the merchandise, while museum-quality track lighting transforms coffee bags into objects worthy of contemplation. The polished concrete floors and exposed wooden beams strike a careful balance between contemporary sophistication and Hawaiian authenticity.This visual strategy serves a crucial psychological function. Tourists accustomed to grabbing coffee and pastries for $8 are suddenly considering $45 purchases because the environment suggests they're buying something rare and culturally significant rather than a commodity agricultural product.The exterior pavilion structure reveals similar strategic thinking. Traditional Hawaiian design elements signal cultural authenticity while contemporary construction materials suggest quality and permanence. It's architectural code-switching that appeals simultaneously to tourists seeking authentic Hawaiian experiences and those requiring familiar luxury retail cues.Location within the Hilton Hawaiian Village ecosystem provides perfect market conditions. Guests experience mediocre hotel coffee in their rooms, then discover premium alternatives steps away. The captive audience of affluent tourists creates ideal circumstances for high-margin retail sales, particularly given coffee's role as a socially acceptable luxury purchase and popular gift item.The company operates from a hundred-acre farm on the Big Island, maintaining complete vertical integration from cultivation through retail. This farm-to-shelf story justifies premium pricing while differentiating them from competitors selling blended or imported coffee marketed as Hawaiian.The absence of brewed coffee service initially seems like missed revenue opportunity, but actually represents sophisticated market positioning. By refusing to compete in the crowded prepared beverage market, they've created artificial scarcity around their core product while avoiding the operational complexity and lower margins of food service.Staff function more as product educators than traditional sales clerks, explaining terroir and processing methods with wine-like reverence. This consultative approach transforms transactions into experiences, justifying price premiums while building customer loyalty that extends beyond vacation purchases through their online shipping program.The visual merchandising creates hierarchy through color-coded packaging systems that guide customers through price points without obvious sales pressure. The sheer volume of inventory on display signals both abundance and confidence, suggesting they move sufficient volume to justify the extensive floor space.This represents retail evolution in Hawaii's tourism economy. Rather than competing on convenience or price, Kona Mountain Coffee has created a destination retail experience that capitalizes on tourists' desire for authentic cultural products while meeting their expectations for luxury presentation.The model works because it correctly identifies that many tourists aren't simply seeking coffee but rather tangible connections t
Atmosphere: 5
Edmund Cotta
Excellent coffee and great snacks. The best peanut butter cookies I have had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Heidi Morter
I had the greatest experience with Mia this morning. She helped me ship Christmas gifts to friends in other parts of the country. So easy and it will be such a blessing for them to receive the best of the best coffee!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Soheila Lighvani
Thank you Mia for your friendly and great service
Ike Marcelino
Mia is very helpful and responsible worker
Terryl Spiker
Mia. An Extraordinary employee very knowledgeable and efficient and friendly. She is definitely a keeper. Thank her for us. Terryl and Ruth Spiker. We are 71 years in age and we know extraordinary service. That is hard to come by now days.
Mia was amazing! Very kind and so helpful with all of our questions! Best interaction on our vacation so far !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
linda barron
I visited the shop by the Hilton , you have a very excellent representative as the clerk. Mia is a nice sales lady. She offered me a sample of the cake when I looked at the cake tins. Then when I mentioned the gifts I was buying & looking for chocolates, she offered me a sample of chocolate covered coffee bean. A very pleasant young woman. I did buy something. Very pleasant experience. Linda
This place is a combination of an ice cream shop and bakery. The ice cream is okay – it’s good, but not amazing. What surprises me is how incredibly crowded it always is. Personally, I don’t quite understand the hype.
The quality is decent, but nothing extraordinary, and the prices are extremely high for what you get. If you’re curious, it’s worth trying once, but don’t expect to be blown away.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
➕Delicious coffee! I had the vanilla iced latte with regular milk. I also had the apple tart shown in the photo and lemon tart (not shown). Latte was good the apple tart also very good! I’d buy it again. They have a great selection of bakery and desserts. The second time I stopped by I had iced americano with Hawaiian honey as added flavor - and that is the best americano ever! The honey americano is worth raving about I def recommend it!
➖The only negative is that if you’re stopping by in the morning - this location is slammed! Expect a wait time of 30-50mins in the AM.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Coffee shop with indoor and outdoor seating but not public WiFi? They had wifi to connect to but wouldn’t give out the password. Coffee was great though but not ideal when I went there to work
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 4
What a wonderful, personal experience with Justin. He was so sweet and so kind, took his time explaining all the answers to my questions and never made me feel pressured or rushed. I was able to explain to him what kind of coffee I do like, as in the level of flavor and darkness and he helped me pick out some great options. You can get the beans or ground, depending on your needs. What you can’t get anywhere else is the great experience with Justin! Thank you sir, I’ll remember you every time I make a cup! Thank you for the positive experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Walking into Kona Mountain Coffee's Hilton Hawaiian Village outpost feels less like entering a coffee shop and more like stepping into a high-end gallery devoted to caffeinated art. Which is precisely the point.This isn't your typical coffee retail operation. There are no baristas pulling shots, no milk steamers hissing, no line of caffeine-dependent tourists clutching paper cups. Instead, Kona Mountain Coffee has built something far more profitable: a temple to the coffee bean itself, where $40 bags of Kona coffee are displayed like precious artifacts behind glass cases.The business model is counterintuitive but brilliant. While every other coffee operation in Waikiki competes on convenience and speed, Kona Mountain Coffee sells patience and education. They've transformed the humble coffee bean into a luxury good through sheer force of presentation and cultural positioning.The 1,200-square-foot space operates more like a jewelry store than a coffee shop. Circular displays encourage customers to orbit the merchandise, while museum-quality track lighting transforms coffee bags into objects worthy of contemplation. The polished concrete floors and exposed wooden beams strike a careful balance between contemporary sophistication and Hawaiian authenticity.This visual strategy serves a crucial psychological function. Tourists accustomed to grabbing coffee and pastries for $8 are suddenly considering $45 purchases because the environment suggests they're buying something rare and culturally significant rather than a commodity agricultural product.The exterior pavilion structure reveals similar strategic thinking. Traditional Hawaiian design elements signal cultural authenticity while contemporary construction materials suggest quality and permanence. It's architectural code-switching that appeals simultaneously to tourists seeking authentic Hawaiian experiences and those requiring familiar luxury retail cues.Location within the Hilton Hawaiian Village ecosystem provides perfect market conditions. Guests experience mediocre hotel coffee in their rooms, then discover premium alternatives steps away. The captive audience of affluent tourists creates ideal circumstances for high-margin retail sales, particularly given coffee's role as a socially acceptable luxury purchase and popular gift item.The company operates from a hundred-acre farm on the Big Island, maintaining complete vertical integration from cultivation through retail. This farm-to-shelf story justifies premium pricing while differentiating them from competitors selling blended or imported coffee marketed as Hawaiian.The absence of brewed coffee service initially seems like missed revenue opportunity, but actually represents sophisticated market positioning. By refusing to compete in the crowded prepared beverage market, they've created artificial scarcity around their core product while avoiding the operational complexity and lower margins of food service.Staff function more as product educators than traditional sales clerks, explaining terroir and processing methods with wine-like reverence. This consultative approach transforms transactions into experiences, justifying price premiums while building customer loyalty that extends beyond vacation purchases through their online shipping program.The visual merchandising creates hierarchy through color-coded packaging systems that guide customers through price points without obvious sales pressure. The sheer volume of inventory on display signals both abundance and confidence, suggesting they move sufficient volume to justify the extensive floor space.This represents retail evolution in Hawaii's tourism economy. Rather than competing on convenience or price, Kona Mountain Coffee has created a destination retail experience that capitalizes on tourists' desire for authentic cultural products while meeting their expectations for luxury presentation.The model works because it correctly identifies that many tourists aren't simply seeking coffee but rather tangible connections t
Atmosphere: 5
Excellent coffee and great snacks. The best peanut butter cookies I have had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had the greatest experience with Mia this morning. She helped me ship Christmas gifts to friends in other parts of the country. So easy and it will be such a blessing for them to receive the best of the best coffee!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Thank you Mia for your friendly and great service
Mia is very helpful and responsible worker
Mia. An Extraordinary employee very knowledgeable and efficient and friendly. She is definitely a keeper. Thank her for us. Terryl and Ruth Spiker. We are 71 years in age and we know extraordinary service. That is hard to come by now days.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Mia was very helpful and friendly!
There is no drink-in or take-out coffee here.
Mia was amazing! Very kind and so helpful with all of our questions! Best interaction on our vacation so far !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I visited the shop by the Hilton , you have a very excellent representative as the clerk. Mia is a nice sales lady. She offered me a sample of the cake when I looked at the cake tins. Then when I mentioned the gifts I was buying & looking for chocolates, she offered me a sample of chocolate covered coffee bean. A very pleasant young woman. I did buy something. Very pleasant experience. Linda
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mia was awesome and knowledgeable
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