Patisserie Nanako — Restaurant in Hawaii

5/2025 This place, the staff, and those desserts still rock it! Yum, yum, and yummy! 😋🤙✌️

5/2023 I've been following her on IG, swing by whenever I get the chance, and admirer from afar, but always a sizeable line. I happen to be in the area on a Wednesday and early. Another good hint that they're good is when you see locals standing in a line, or, better yet, contractors with the neon shirts going. Wherever they go, you know it's good and economical. All about value, and they're right. I'm definitely not a dessert or pastry person, but I had to bang my order with popular favorites, especially for first-timers. Oh, so onolicious! See my selections in the attached pics. So good, I had to share too. Such a great find and great to see our Japanese neighbors sharing their cultural talents with locals. Why we live Japan and its culture. Oishi-desu! 😊🤙✌️🫰

Later that same day........ Oh my freekin goodness. All of the desserts were so light, not overpowering with heavy sweetness, as Japanese desserts typically are. Tastes were simple yet filled with sweet flavors. The peanut butter crunch mousse thingy was different and oh so scrumptious. The lilikoi mango one was beautiful and diverse with an ever so light balance of sweet and tart. The real surprise was their specialty. When I saw Rachel Pacarro tasting it on Hi Now, I was somewhat skeptical. I'm not a big bread person or "cream," whatever as well. Of course, being a true foodie, though, and seeing her other products, I had to try. What a "shut the front door" surprise. Something so seemingly simple, but oh, so dang yummy, I just kept eating it. It was absolutely surprisingly light feeling, lightly sweet, and a nice touch of hidden sweetness in the bread. ONO-FREEKIN-LICIOUS! I like that she's upcountry and unique. She would rock it on Oahu, but this makes a beautiful, must visit for Waimea town. Thank you, Chef. Great gift to the neighborhood, really. Im gonna figure a way to take that bread back to Oahu. 😊🙃🤠💕💪👌🤙✌️!

5/2023 2nd time in 3 weeks, and I don't even live on the island. Chocolate Cream Puff, Apple Turnover, and Fruit Roll this time, with the Milk France. Ono-freeking-licious! 😉😋🤙✌️

4/2024 This fantabulous patisserie still rocks! A must visit every time you land on the...

From the moment I picked my wedding date I knew that I wanted the cake to be done by Nanako. I have been purchasing pastries from them since I moved to the island 3 years ago, often times bringing them to share with my coworkers. From their breads to their cakes, Nanako has unequivocally the best pastries in Waimea. A good part of my family was coming from South America, where cakes are only decorated with whipped cream and as such I needed a cake that would not contain frosting of any kind. While they were not able to decorate the cake with whipped cream (as it would melt in the heat) the buttercream they used instead was incredibly light and tasty. They were actually scheduled to be closed during the weekend of my wedding, but they assured me that I had nothing to worry about and that my wedding cake would be ready for pick up on time.

They absolutely delivered, and stayed in communication through the entire process of picking up this cake while their bakery was closed.

The sponge was light and airy, the filling was tangy and refreshing and the buttercream was right the amount of sweetness. The cake was so popular we only had a handful of slices left over. This will most certainly be a Patisserie that I recommend for many...

We wholeheartedly believe that Patisserie Nanako is the best bakery on the Big Island. Our love story with their cakes & pastries began last year when we were on the island for wedding planning, and my sister - who is a HUGE fan of the bakery - insisted we give them a try. From the very first bite, we were totally blown away. We tried a variety of their cakes, and they were all equally delicious - moist, perfectly balanced, and not too sweet.

When our wedding reception arrived in April 2025, Patisserie Nanako created not just one, but four cakes for us: coconut, tiramisu, lilikoi, and strawberry. Every single one was a hit! Our guests couldn't stop raving about how delicious the cakes were, and many of them kept asking where we got them. We saved our main cake to enjoy on our one-year anniversary, and we are already looking forward to eating it!

A special thank you to Jimmy for being so kind, flexible, and easy to work with throughout the planning process. If you're on the Big Island and looking for pastries / cakes for your wedding, or simply to enjoy as a treat,...