DEAN & DELUCA HAWAII - RITZ-CARLTON STORE — Restaurant in Honolulu

There's something to be said for forced patience in paradise. At Dean & DeLuca's Waikiki outpost, nestled beneath the Ritz-Carlton's geometric canopy like a modernist cave, a Thursday morning decaf Americano became an unexpected anthropological expedition.

Twenty minutes. In Manhattan, this would constitute grounds for revolution. Here, with trade winds carrying plumeria through palm fronds, it felt like invitation rather than inconvenience. The baristas—dressed in whites that would make a Greenwich tennis club proud—approached each order with the reverence of tea masters, their deliberate movements suggesting coffee as ceremony rather than commodity.

The clientele provided its own bespoke entertainment. Athleisure-clad wellness devotees discussed adaptogen benefits between sips of turmeric lattes, their conversations a curious blend of nonsense and supplement science. At neighboring tables, well- fed vacation-spirited families from America's heartland navigated menus with the delighted bewilderment of cultural explorers, their genuine enthusiasm curious.

This is where Dean & DeLuca succeeds brilliantly—not as mere café, but as inadvertent cultural embassy. The $28 loco moco becomes conversation starter. The artfully arranged pastry case draws admirers regardless of their preferred morning uniform. Everyone becomes equally enchanted by the ritual: the careful pour-over technique, the Instagram-worthy plating, the shared recognition of being somewhere special yet not that special.

The outdoor seating area transforms into theater-in-the-round, where morning light filters through architectural angles and overheard conversations create an accidental soundtrack of American wanderlust. Watch someone photograph their breakfast while their companion debates snorkeling excursions. It's democracy in designer packaging.

That $7 coffee? Perfectly adequate, though you're not paying for perfection—you're investing in the experience of unhurried time in a hurried world, where twenty minutes becomes meditation rather than aggravation. And supporting big business when it...

5 course afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton Dean and Deluca in Waikiki?! And I had never been until my birthday week this year? Crazy!!! Apparently this tea time has been around for a couple of years! Some items on the menu items do change but the core is the same. The restaurant offers a free 3-hour parking validation with their hotel valet (only accessible from Kalakaua side). Just make sure to bring cash tip.

They take you upstairs to the dine in side, as downstairs is purely bakeshop. Service is excellent. You have a choice of either 1 coffee/iced tea option or 2 hot tea options per person. I chose a German "Green Angel" which was a fruity green tea *with notes of pear. The second tea I chose was a light black tea "Afternoon in Paris" with notes of Rose Petals and Vanilla. Both were beautiful and my teapot was refilled multiple times without me asking.

First course of a petit scone with cream and jam was very nice. I didn't care for the second course of the seafood "pot pie". The seafood bisque was too fishy and unpleasant. And the saffron seasoning didn't help. Third course was the savory small bites/tea sandwiches. Some were better than others. Some of the items change from time to time. Definitely best were the shrimp on rosemary/herbs foccacia and the ratatouille jelly slices. Least favorite was the katsu sandwich and the edamame stuffed mushroom cap. Not well executed at all. Fourth course was a tray of sweets including a rose cream puff (not bad!), rose infused macaron (beautiful!), matcha chocolate cake bite (very good!), etc. My least favorits were definitely the lemon curd tart and the pistachio cake with fresh raspberries. Couldn't finish everything so they generously packaged everything up nicely. The fifth and last course of the yuzu sorbet was so freshing and delicious! They gave out complimentary cookies and 2 tea packets each.

It is a beautiful way to treat yourself and converse with a group as well. Very easy parking and excellent service I'd expect from an establishment housed at a Ritz-Carlton. Would come back to...

I had ordered food and drinks for my family of four from this location. The barista made my chai latte incorrectly and didn’t pour enough steamed milk in. We had ordered a large chai latte and the cup was just half full.

I took the drink back immediately and asked if she could remake it as they didn’t add enough steamed milk to begin with and the drink wasn’t sweet at all.

She said if I wanted them to remake it I would have to pay for a new one again. I told her she didn’t add enough syrup and she told me to just add sugar to make it sweeter. I once again emphasized that she didn’t put enough steamed milk in the cup along with the syrup. She argued with me and said they did put 3 pumps in. But then the other barista who had apparently made our drinks said she had only put two pumps in instead of three. She didn’t want to admit she was wrong and kept arguing about it with the other staff member in another language so I left the drink on the counter and exited the store as I was very annoyed at this stage. I ended up ordering the same drink from Island Country Markets and they made it perfect. My advice for anyone looking for a good drink and service is to consider Island Country Markets instead. I’m still waiting to hear back from Dean & Deluca and Ritz-Carlton management regarding...