The Curb Kaimuki — Restaurant in Honolulu

This is a small neighborhood coffee shop that has a clean and modern look to it. I went at 8am on a Sunday morning and it was moderately busy. The table configuration is awkward and does not allow for many parties to sit. It is also configured within a way such that if a single person is sitting on one table it eliminates a bunch of seats. I was surprised and disappointed that they ran out of matcha so early in the morning and was not able to order their lavender matcha mocha. I get it is a coffee place but It still doesn’t make sense to run out so early in the morning.

I was originally drawn to this coffee shop because they advertise having nitro cold brew coffee. They have a different definition of what nitro coffee. It is drawn from a tap but it contained no nitrogen. It is as if they hooked the keg or tap up to a compressed air tank rather than nitrogen. I thought it was a mistake or just a on time mess up however, it was given to me in a cup with a lid for a straw. Nitro coffee is known for its natural creamy head. It is not meant to be drank with a straw. This told me right away that they define nitro coffee differently than the majority of other coffee places that I have been. The coffee was ok and nothing special. It was just regular cold brew and not worth the $5.25 price tag. If you are looking for nitro cold brew this is not the place and there are a couple other spots within the vicinity that can offer correct and...

I found a place that serves pour over. Took a while for sure (to find a place - not to get the pour over). Staff is very friendly. There is something super odd about their internet access though. I fooled around with settings for about 15 minutes and as far as I can tell TWC/Spectrum has problems or is purposefully blocking some sites. They seemed to be all Google web properties that had issues (maps, G-Suite/Mail). And it seemed to happen all/most of the time with Chrome - fired up Safari and worked fine. Very weird. I've not experienced this problem at any other location on Hawaii for the past month. Maybe it's just me but my phone also had problems...again only Chrome. Oh well.

At any rate, the pour over was OK. Ethiopian which is usually something I like although I realize there are a lot of different Ethiopian beans on the market these days so maybe I got something that doesn't tickle my fancy. I need it stronger (yes, I know it's a light roasted bean). Maybe there's a Philz on Oahu somewhere! ;-)

Nice, simple, decor. Minimalist. I'd watch out though - they are borderline pretentious/snobby. We all go through that phase of...

The vibes and staff were amazing here, and their espresso drinks were great. I saw so many good reviews for the matcha so I got a large matcha latte w lavender syrup, but in full honestly, it was pretty bad.

I knew something was off when I saw the color of the matcha because it was a pale green, but I tried to overlook it bc maybe it was my fault for not ordering the double matcha version. But while watching the staff prepare the matcha I noticed that they seemed to use the same amount of matcha for the 16 and 20oz??? This would obviously make a difference in the concentration and make the 20oz more bland.

Also, the lavender syrup tasted really weird imo compared to different cafes I’ve been to. It seemed bitter like I was eating grass but also overly sweet.

I’ve had my fair share of bad matcha at places like blank street but I’ve always managed to finish it, but the matcha here was almost repulsive and I couldn’t get past a few sips.

My mom got a latte here and it was amazing, but for the matcha fans...