The Coffee Shack — Restaurant in Hawaii

I love this place, and have recommended it to others dozens of times over the last decade, however, most of their food is not very good. The view, on the other hand, is outstanding, and it's quite a pleasant place to grab a bite, and it's rooftop is where the only paragliding club I know of on the island picks up thermals to gain altitude, while they land in the coffee fields which are lost of the view. Their Ono Benedict is quite good, and after trying the rest of the menu, is about the only thing I'll order, and the only thing I'm not dissatisfied with after ordering it. Their biggest problem is that they use really thick slices of "artisan" bread, which while it looks impressive in a picture, detracts from the French toast or sandwiches it is used to make. Sandwiches and up tasting dry with too much bread, and not enough everything else, and the French toast doesn't achieve the crispy outside soft inside of a classic French toast, and the flavors of the bread seem to overpower and not compliment the rest of the French toast flavor. Their home fried potatoes are fine with ketchup, but are not particularly savory eaten as served. Their pastries are about what you'd expect from any Hawaiian shop with pastries.. mostly quite good if your looking to consume sugar, though it is common in Hawaii for the textures to be much more dense in some items than is common on the mainland.. the cheesecake is always good though. The staff here is always pleasant, and it's generally comfortable weather to sit and eat in (though they could use a fan for the hotter days), however, it is not uncommon to build up a sweat while waiting as there's 1 small bench, and then most people just stand around in the sun. The parking here is also pretty bad with little space to back out before your vehicle is in the highway, so if you have a large truck parked next to you or the like, it could be rather hazardous. There is a lower parking lot with several spaces most don't know about, however, it is also fairly cramped, and if you drive a truck in there and don't find a free space, it can be tricky getting out again. All in all, I still like to go here often for the Ono Benedict, however, when my friends don't take my recommendation, I pretty much universally get to say "I told you so" in response to the inevitable grumbling of dissatisfaction. I'd love it if they re-examined their menu and bread choice as I live almost directly above this location, and I would love a place I could grab pancakes or French toast, or a nice deli style sandwich so...

The Coffee Shack is one of our favorite places to visit on the island. It's completely unique, offering spectacular views, the dishes are comforting, and the service has always been outstanding. The Ono Eggs Benedict with homestyle potatoes is incredible. They add a sprinkling of capers to the top, which beautifully ties it all together.

Call before you come and get on the waitlist. You will then receive a text with the link to see where you are on the list. If you are driving, having someone pay attention to that list is essential. If you miss the notification that it’s your turn, you go to the bottom of the waitlist. We were told our wait was 20 minutes, which was perfect since we were 15 minutes away. Once we arrived and parked, we realized we were notified only five minutes into the twenty-minute wait that it was our turn. As a result, we were put to the bottom of the list and ended up waiting another 20 minutes past our original time. We told them on the phone that we were driving there and 15 minutes out, and it felt unfair they then put us at the bottom of the list.

The Coffee Shack has minimal parking. If you look at the satellite map, you can see a long main road, and suddenly, The Coffee Shack is off to the side. Their storefront is so close to the road that it only allows about 10 spots facing the front. They ask that customers not to park until it’s their turn. What do you do then? There's a bit of parking down the side road behind the shack, but they are built on the side of a very steep drop-off. We waited until we had 5 minutes left, parked on the side of the road up the street, then pulled in and parked when it was our turn.

We saw the ginormous pies in the case and have heard they are soooooo worth it. But every time we finish eating their huge meals we leave with no pie. I usually have a separate dessert stomach but not here! Next time we will plan a trip just for desserts and get one...

This review is based off of the two different days that we had breakfast here while on a recent trip.

-First time visiting was amazing 10/10. The food is amazing. The fried egg sandwich is what I had(with the onion dill bread).. so delicious!! The waiter was great. Very friendly from start to finish.

-Second time visiting the food again was amazing. Not one let down when it came to our meals(there were 4 of us). The waiter was more neutral/not as friendly as the last guy. No biggie at first. But then it came time to pay. We asked to have the bill split(was not an issue at all the first time we ate there!!) and he replies we have to take it up to the girl at the register(not at all what we had to do the first time)… my husband takes the bill to the front and marks on it what was our food that way it’s easy to split. The lady accidentally leaves off part of our meal so my husband mentions it and she immediately makes a rude comment about him not telling her(it was clearly marked). You could tell she was upset that our waiter made us come to her and that she was having trouble even splitting it. The whole time a long line is forming at the door so I’m sure that was flustering her.

I do recommend eating here and would again if we ever return, but I just think things could’ve gone a little smoother and people could’ve been a bit nicer when it’s a completely normal request to have a...