All of the CBTL where I live closed down, so whenever I visit Honolulu, it is a must-get for me. I especially love the caramel ice blended—ultra smooth, sweet, and delicious! Additionally, given that this particular location was only a 5 minute walk from my AirB&B, plus the very friendly barista made it all that much better! 5
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristin C.
Tiny coffee shop, conveniently located in the FHB main branch building. Expect a wait since they are located in a busy office building, especially during the morning rush. This is the place for me as I I'm a tea drinker, they have a good variety of teas. For me it's usually flavored iced teas in the afternoon and a chai tea latte in the mornings. The teas are usually on point and satisfying. Appreciate their assortments of grab and go foods such as: sandwiches, salads, wraps, donuts, cookies, cakes, etc.
Laurie P.
Great location, friendly service. This is a convenient downtown location. Small location, usually only 1 worker so plan accordingly.
La
Perfection every time
Christy H.
Convenient location to grab a quick "pick-me-up" if you're working downtown, or are in the area. Decent assortment of snacks (granola bars, chocolates, sugar-encrusted chex mix, etc.) and refrigerated items (cold drinks, sandwiches, salads, etc.) Some go-to drinks are the classic Americano, and the Plantation Iced Tea. Ambiance is okay--cramped and located in a somewhat hidden side area in the First Hawaiian Center.
Paul Hamilton
Good brew, limited inhouse seating, with an opportunity to experience their unique inventories of coffees, teas, Green teas are my first choice. Water closet availability in house, or mall too, during business hours
Marynell K.
The Vietnamese cold brew is my go to! The prefect pick me up to start the the day with a little and a lot of energy!
Brenda P.
For some reason, every time we keep going back to this location, I keep getting more and more disappointed. The iced teas are watery, not enough tea flavor or not enough lychee flavor. Even when the drink gets remade it's not tasting great. Plus I don't see the same workers that would make the drinks taste good. It's sad, because it's a great location. Other people also agree that the taste isn't the same anymore.
Angela W.
This is literally a hole in the wall coffee shop that's easy to miss. They really don't have any signage on the exterior, just a small sign on a post once you're already in the narrow hallway where they're located. It's too bad you can't have outdoor tables by the ponds. Before covid they had a handful of tables inside by the elevators. Tip: for a cheap thrill free joy ride, catch the glass elevators facing the ocean to the top. Best views in downtown Honolulu. I usually pick up pesto pasta, a sandwich or salad from their chiller. Sometimes I get a coffee, which tastes better than Starbucks any day. I recently tried their lemonade which was tasty and refreshing. Don't forget to try the elevator.
Mona C.
First off, I have to say that I am beyond thrilled that there is a CBTL in downtown. Heaven knows we needed one! So apparently this location opened up sometime while I was working outside of downtown for a few years, but I discovered it when I went into FHB to take care of some banking. It is a cute, tiny location located to the left of FHB's entrance and right of the elevator bay with usually 1-2 baristas working at a time. Don't let any line fool you... they are friendly, quick and efficient, and have the regulars to proven it! Pre-Covid, there were a few tables and chairs to hang out to take a break at, so hoping that can become available again soon. Because they are in the FHB building, their hours do differ from other locations, as they close at 3 p.m. and follow building holidays. Recently I've been going almost every day I'm working at the office, which just happens to coincide with their Mo Joe Monday $3 large drink special and Treat yo'Self Thursday $3 regular sized special of the month. Along the way, I've been getting my coworkers and friends hooked on these delicious drinks, telling them there's no better way to beat the summer heat than with an ice blended treat or tea, then sweetening the deal with free pickup and delivery service!! And if the weather is rainy or getting cooler, no need to fret, a lot of these drinks can be done up warm (ahhh.... lattes). Since they've rolled out the pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha flavors, it's starting to feel a bit like the holidays.... commence the happy dance! What I love most about CBTL is they have pretty much something for everyone. Other coffee places are just ... mostly coffee... but here you can do ice blended without the coffee, or have a tea or lemonade, or a snack (savory: sandwich, bagel, or chex mix; or sweet: pumpkin crunch, macarons or gummy pineapples, etc!!) They usually have an extensive tea selection (darjeeling anyone?) but that has been affected by Covid, so hoping their suppliers are back to normal production soon.
Have started enjoying getting coffee downstairs. Very nice staff and im in the same bldg. Due to COVID they hours have changed slightly and they follow COVID guidelines and social distancing.
All of the CBTL where I live closed down, so whenever I visit Honolulu, it is a must-get for me. I especially love the caramel ice blended—ultra smooth, sweet, and delicious! Additionally, given that this particular location was only a 5 minute walk from my AirB&B, plus the very friendly barista made it all that much better! 5
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tiny coffee shop, conveniently located in the FHB main branch building. Expect a wait since they are located in a busy office building, especially during the morning rush. This is the place for me as I I'm a tea drinker, they have a good variety of teas. For me it's usually flavored iced teas in the afternoon and a chai tea latte in the mornings. The teas are usually on point and satisfying. Appreciate their assortments of grab and go foods such as: sandwiches, salads, wraps, donuts, cookies, cakes, etc.
Great location, friendly service. This is a convenient downtown location. Small location, usually only 1 worker so plan accordingly.
Perfection every time
Convenient location to grab a quick "pick-me-up" if you're working downtown, or are in the area. Decent assortment of snacks (granola bars, chocolates, sugar-encrusted chex mix, etc.) and refrigerated items (cold drinks, sandwiches, salads, etc.) Some go-to drinks are the classic Americano, and the Plantation Iced Tea. Ambiance is okay--cramped and located in a somewhat hidden side area in the First Hawaiian Center.
Good brew, limited inhouse seating, with an opportunity to experience their unique inventories of coffees, teas, Green teas are my first choice. Water closet availability in house, or mall too, during business hours
The Vietnamese cold brew is my go to! The prefect pick me up to start the the day with a little and a lot of energy!
For some reason, every time we keep going back to this location, I keep getting more and more disappointed. The iced teas are watery, not enough tea flavor or not enough lychee flavor. Even when the drink gets remade it's not tasting great. Plus I don't see the same workers that would make the drinks taste good. It's sad, because it's a great location. Other people also agree that the taste isn't the same anymore.
This is literally a hole in the wall coffee shop that's easy to miss. They really don't have any signage on the exterior, just a small sign on a post once you're already in the narrow hallway where they're located. It's too bad you can't have outdoor tables by the ponds. Before covid they had a handful of tables inside by the elevators. Tip: for a cheap thrill free joy ride, catch the glass elevators facing the ocean to the top. Best views in downtown Honolulu. I usually pick up pesto pasta, a sandwich or salad from their chiller. Sometimes I get a coffee, which tastes better than Starbucks any day. I recently tried their lemonade which was tasty and refreshing. Don't forget to try the elevator.
First off, I have to say that I am beyond thrilled that there is a CBTL in downtown. Heaven knows we needed one! So apparently this location opened up sometime while I was working outside of downtown for a few years, but I discovered it when I went into FHB to take care of some banking. It is a cute, tiny location located to the left of FHB's entrance and right of the elevator bay with usually 1-2 baristas working at a time. Don't let any line fool you... they are friendly, quick and efficient, and have the regulars to proven it! Pre-Covid, there were a few tables and chairs to hang out to take a break at, so hoping that can become available again soon. Because they are in the FHB building, their hours do differ from other locations, as they close at 3 p.m. and follow building holidays. Recently I've been going almost every day I'm working at the office, which just happens to coincide with their Mo Joe Monday $3 large drink special and Treat yo'Self Thursday $3 regular sized special of the month. Along the way, I've been getting my coworkers and friends hooked on these delicious drinks, telling them there's no better way to beat the summer heat than with an ice blended treat or tea, then sweetening the deal with free pickup and delivery service!! And if the weather is rainy or getting cooler, no need to fret, a lot of these drinks can be done up warm (ahhh.... lattes). Since they've rolled out the pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha flavors, it's starting to feel a bit like the holidays.... commence the happy dance! What I love most about CBTL is they have pretty much something for everyone. Other coffee places are just ... mostly coffee... but here you can do ice blended without the coffee, or have a tea or lemonade, or a snack (savory: sandwich, bagel, or chex mix; or sweet: pumpkin crunch, macarons or gummy pineapples, etc!!) They usually have an extensive tea selection (darjeeling anyone?) but that has been affected by Covid, so hoping their suppliers are back to normal production soon.
Restaurantji Recommends
Good ice coffee
good small store only run by only 1 person
Service is pleasant and quick!
Have started enjoying getting coffee downstairs. Very nice staff and im in the same bldg. Due to COVID they hours have changed slightly and they follow COVID guidelines and social distancing.
Its good but pricey
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4