UBAE — Restaurant in Honolulu

My taste buds have changed from decades of eating sweet desserts to now favor savory food items. However, I was lured to this shop by a BOGO free offer for a 4 oz ube cheesecake through the Five Stars marketing platform.

Upon entry, the counter girl greeted us with a smile as I mentioned the BOGO offer which was loaded onto my account. She pointed me to the Five Stars keypad where I entered my phone number then went about browsing their display case of purpleness.

For those who may be unfamiliar with "ube", it's actually a regally purple-colored sweet potato. Pronounced "ooh-bey". In fact, its pronunciation is boldly emblazoned in a purple neon sign on one of this bakery's walls. (See photo). It's a mildly sweet and not too starchy sweet potato that is used most commonly by the Filipino community in desserts. The desserts can be made from fresh cooked grated ube or from powder, dependent upon its application.

Luckily, we had just eaten lunch so I didn't go "hog wild" ordering the mouthwatering ube products. I did get the BOGO free offer for a 4-ounce ube cheese cake and 6 ube crinkle cookies that I'll pair with a cup of hot black coffee or a Cortado.

The crinkle cookies are light with its somewhat cake-like brownie textured center. But, its ube flavor isn't particularly intense. As for the ube cheese cake, its cream cheese filling is rich and creamy but I couldn't taste ube flavor even though it was vividly purple. The graham cracker crust was crumbly and not too sweet to distract from the cream cheese flavor. I was a bit worried if our teeth or tongue would be stained purple from these treats because we just got our teeth cleaned by our dentist. Well, no staining occurred.

We liked their ube products but it's not something that we crave of would indulge...

If you're in Oahu and haven't discovered UBAE yet, you're seriously missing out on one of the island's sweetest hidden gems. Tucked away in the bustling City Square Shopping Center at 1284 Kalani St., this family-run bakery (shoutout to founders Adrienne-Joy and Jeremy Jataas for starting this ube revolution back in 2017!) is a must-visit for anyone with a sweet tooth—especially if you love that vibrant, creamy purple yam magic from Filipino cuisine.

I swung by on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and the line was out the door (totally worth the wait!). The shop's cozy vibe hits you right away: warm lighting, the irresistible aroma of fresh-baked goods wafting through the air, and friendly staff who greet you like old friends. Pro tip: Go for the classic Ube Cheesecake—it's their signature, and for good reason. Silky smooth, not too sweet, with that perfect balance of rich ube flavor and a buttery graham crust that melts in your mouth. I grabbed a slice to go, and it was devoured in minutes during a picnic at nearby Kapiolani Park. Divine!

But don't stop there—their Ube Crinkle Cookies are next-level chewy perfection with a crisp exterior, and those mini Ube Cheesecake Tarts? Ideal for sharing (or not). Everything's made fresh daily, using high-quality ingredients that scream aloha spirit. Prices are fair for the quality—nothing over-the-top for Hawaii—and they even have party platters if you're hosting.

UBAE isn't just a bakery; it's a little slice of cultural joy that brings people together over dessert. Whether you're a local craving a ube fix or a visitor hunting unique souvenirs (their treats travel well!), this spot delivers every time. 10/10, would (and will) return ASAP. Mahalo, UBAE—keep spreading that...

We love ube more than anything — that’s why we can’t fall in love with this place.

We were so stoked to try their items. I’ve had their cheese cake, mini tarts, Fran, mamon, and cookies, but they just don’t have enough ube flavor. If I close my eyes, I can’t really tell that I’m eating ube desserts. Amongst what we tried, mamon had the strongest ube halaya flavor, but even with that I wish I could taste more ube! I detected some textures of ube from cookie, but the sugar on the cookie overpowered the ube. Fran was the worst and neither of us couldn’t say it’s ube fran, the flavor of the sponge cake was non existent.

You can buy Trader Joe’s ube ice cream and pancake mix and still can taste great ube flavors. Each item from Ubae is not cheap at all, so why waste money? Our impression is that Uabe is insta-pretty place/tourists trap. When I have ube cravings next time, I’ll turn to Magnolia’s ube ice cream or get Tiger Ube from Nio for much...