The coffee here is really good, like really really good. From the beans to the espresso extraction, they just absolutely nail it here. You can tell that the people behind RUBYVIOLET are absolutely obsessed with coffee. You can find them w/ Empty Elle Bagels Thurs-Saturday 8 am - 12 pm and at the Lokahi Kailua Market on Sundays 9 am - 1 pm. They have a little cart that they serve all their goodies out of. I visited them at their Empty Elle Bagels location in Kailua on a Saturday morning. There's tons of outdoor seating, made for the perfect post-workout coffee and catch-up sesh with a friend! I got an Americano, which is my fav way of espresso because you can really taste the quality and nuances of the coffee. And I added Nigerian Kola nut syrup, something I've never tried before! They gave me a small sample of the syrup before I added it to my Americano, and it was such a deep, rich, flavor that complimented the coffee so well. It does have caffeine, so it was like an extra bit of caffeine to go with the caffeine in my Americano. The taste is most comparable to a cola, but it's not the same- it's less sweet and has a more earthy flavor. I can't wait to come back and try some of their lattes like the beet, ube, or Matcha!
Mary Kate M.
The cafe mocha is incredible. Very well balanced flavors and friendly service - they know what they're doing!
Josephine Wai Lin
Very impressed, strong & perfectly crafted latte. Definitely the best made latte in Kailua ??
Rise D.
I love the iced lavender latte! I usually get regular milk in lattes but the oak milk was good for this drink. The guy is super nice. I will go back to this coffee cart whenever I want a lavender latte.
Rahim K.
7/10. Decent coffee but not the best by any means. Friendly staff and service made up for decent coffee. Happy to come back and try again at another time
Wina G.
Stopped to get our favorite bagels at MT Elle but sadly they were sold out. BUT this place was open and whoa, what a find! Kind of deserted because of the sold out bagel situation.Hubby felt sorry for the barista so he got a latte. OMG!! That turned out to be the best latte we've had! The coffee was so smooth, not a bit of bitterness or sharpness. Move aside Starbucks!Totally would come back here for coffee and support a local business as well.
Peter Darroch
Super friendly staff who knew what a 'flat white' was. An Aussie on holiday couldn't ask for more. And the coffee was superb.
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oat Latte
amc124
The only milk option here is oat. Just as important: the espresso is incredible. Lots of cool add on options as well.
Stefano Quarta
Real chocolately cacao in the mochaHe knows his craftAwesome p-funk and out doors
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Taulbee
Fantastic, takes great pride in his work and the coffee (& customer) benefits for it!!!
One of my favorite places to get coffee on the island! They have homemade syrups, make their drinks with oat milk, and their coffee has an amazingly smooth flavor. Even better, they’re right outside of Empty Elle bagels! Such a nice lanai to sit outside and have coffee & a bagel in the mornings.
Brooke K.
The best coffee on island for sure! James has such a talent for making good well balanced coffee while incorporating unique ideas. For example, he just started serving a Charcoal Chai Latte and it was incredible. I’ve never quite had a drink like that before and it was so wonderfully comforting and sparks delight! He knows how to bring flavor into a drink to enrich the already pure coffee taste without overpowering it with sweet-which sounds like a simple concept, yet most baristas can’t do that.FYI definitely use their instagram page to know their schedule for the week!
Rob LaFave
Very well-executed coffee from a curated selection of roasters.
Elizabeth M.
Cute Coffee. Cart right in the front seating area of Empty Elle's Bagels / Grace ń Growlers. I ordered a Rooibis Tea. It's a South African Tea, no caffeine but lots of antioxidants. It was a clean floral Type of tea with a hint of black tea flavor. I added coconut sugar but it wasn't over powering. I'd like to try other flavors and some coffee next time. They bring your order to your table and they use Apple Pay which was convenient. Didn't need to bring my wallet out. The guy making the tea was patient friendly and informative.
Wesley T.
We were at Empty Elle Bagels for a late breakfast or early lunch one day and saw that Rubyviolet sharing the space offerings specialty coffees, so we ordered matcha milk teas to accompany our breakfast bagels and it sure was good. From what we hear the coffees here are fantastic also. We are sure to return because the outside seating was wonderful on a beautiful clear day in Kailua. The wonderful environment is so Kailua and we are planning to return to enjoy the same. I only wish that they offer a frozen blended version off their offerings.
The coffee here is really good, like really really good. From the beans to the espresso extraction, they just absolutely nail it here. You can tell that the people behind RUBYVIOLET are absolutely obsessed with coffee. You can find them w/ Empty Elle Bagels Thurs-Saturday 8 am - 12 pm and at the Lokahi Kailua Market on Sundays 9 am - 1 pm. They have a little cart that they serve all their goodies out of. I visited them at their Empty Elle Bagels location in Kailua on a Saturday morning. There's tons of outdoor seating, made for the perfect post-workout coffee and catch-up sesh with a friend! I got an Americano, which is my fav way of espresso because you can really taste the quality and nuances of the coffee. And I added Nigerian Kola nut syrup, something I've never tried before! They gave me a small sample of the syrup before I added it to my Americano, and it was such a deep, rich, flavor that complimented the coffee so well. It does have caffeine, so it was like an extra bit of caffeine to go with the caffeine in my Americano. The taste is most comparable to a cola, but it's not the same- it's less sweet and has a more earthy flavor. I can't wait to come back and try some of their lattes like the beet, ube, or Matcha!
The cafe mocha is incredible. Very well balanced flavors and friendly service - they know what they're doing!
Very impressed, strong & perfectly crafted latte. Definitely the best made latte in Kailua ??
I love the iced lavender latte! I usually get regular milk in lattes but the oak milk was good for this drink. The guy is super nice. I will go back to this coffee cart whenever I want a lavender latte.
7/10. Decent coffee but not the best by any means. Friendly staff and service made up for decent coffee. Happy to come back and try again at another time
Stopped to get our favorite bagels at MT Elle but sadly they were sold out. BUT this place was open and whoa, what a find! Kind of deserted because of the sold out bagel situation.Hubby felt sorry for the barista so he got a latte. OMG!! That turned out to be the best latte we've had! The coffee was so smooth, not a bit of bitterness or sharpness. Move aside Starbucks!Totally would come back here for coffee and support a local business as well.
Super friendly staff who knew what a 'flat white' was. An Aussie on holiday couldn't ask for more. And the coffee was superb.
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oat Latte
The only milk option here is oat. Just as important: the espresso is incredible. Lots of cool add on options as well.
Real chocolately cacao in the mochaHe knows his craftAwesome p-funk and out doors
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic, takes great pride in his work and the coffee (& customer) benefits for it!!!
Restaurantji Recommends
One of my favorite places to get coffee on the island! They have homemade syrups, make their drinks with oat milk, and their coffee has an amazingly smooth flavor. Even better, they’re right outside of Empty Elle bagels! Such a nice lanai to sit outside and have coffee & a bagel in the mornings.
The best coffee on island for sure! James has such a talent for making good well balanced coffee while incorporating unique ideas. For example, he just started serving a Charcoal Chai Latte and it was incredible. I’ve never quite had a drink like that before and it was so wonderfully comforting and sparks delight! He knows how to bring flavor into a drink to enrich the already pure coffee taste without overpowering it with sweet-which sounds like a simple concept, yet most baristas can’t do that.FYI definitely use their instagram page to know their schedule for the week!
Very well-executed coffee from a curated selection of roasters.
Cute Coffee. Cart right in the front seating area of Empty Elle's Bagels / Grace ń Growlers. I ordered a Rooibis Tea. It's a South African Tea, no caffeine but lots of antioxidants. It was a clean floral Type of tea with a hint of black tea flavor. I added coconut sugar but it wasn't over powering. I'd like to try other flavors and some coffee next time. They bring your order to your table and they use Apple Pay which was convenient. Didn't need to bring my wallet out. The guy making the tea was patient friendly and informative.
We were at Empty Elle Bagels for a late breakfast or early lunch one day and saw that Rubyviolet sharing the space offerings specialty coffees, so we ordered matcha milk teas to accompany our breakfast bagels and it sure was good. From what we hear the coffees here are fantastic also. We are sure to return because the outside seating was wonderful on a beautiful clear day in Kailua. The wonderful environment is so Kailua and we are planning to return to enjoy the same. I only wish that they offer a frozen blended version off their offerings.