Kilauea Bakery & Pizzeria — Restaurant in Kauai

I had been to the Kilauea bakery a few years ago and bought one of their nice mugs – it’s still my fave mug at home : ) Going back there this year (the bakery is now 25 years old) I was a little bit disappointed but still think it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area. The space around the bakery is welcoming and good for either social gatherings or some solo work or reading – lots of tables in a pretty garden setting; free WiFi and a small library of books for kids. I found their house coffee to be just ok – not as good as some of the good coffee spots on the island, but drinkable enough. A slice of pizza ($4) was filling and tasty without being memorable – the thicker semolina crust may not be to some peoples liking but I thought it was fine for a change from crispy thin crusts. Their coconut cream éclair was amazingly heavy because of dense coconut cream filling and yet the chilled filling makes it a refreshing option for a hot day. The staff is pretty busy and don’t have a lot of time to answer questions – so it’s kind of a brusque, efficient vibe. They cater to vegetarians and those on gluten-free diets.

I’m giving them 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact. It has traditionally served as a community gathering spot, and emphasizes the importance of supporting local farms. It would be nice if they provided more information on where their ingredients came from – other than a few items (like Kilauea goat cheese) they don’t say much about their sourcing. But you can find out more in various articles online – for example, from The Garden Island: “No part of the locally-harvested coconuts goes to waste. First the sweet coconut water is used in smoothies; then the meat is ground up to make coconut milk used in soups, haupia and creme filling for éclair pastries. The left-over pulp is used to make their marvelous macaroons. And finally the husks, an excellent growing medium, are composted back into soil.”

The chef/owner (Tom Pickett) is really into incorporating local, sustainable ingredients, like taro and cassava, and also wants to introduce more breadfruit to the island, which sounds like a good idea. They reportedly use organic, Fair Trade coffee beans (the staff is often too busy to answer questions but I found this out online) and provide organic milk or soymilk. They are conscious about minimizing waste, and recycling or composting as much as possible. When I was there I saw that their utensils were compostable but not coffee cup lids or water cups. Surplus food is reportedly donated to...

The variety here is excellent, featuring all kinds of baked goods, as well as soups, smoothies, pizza, salads, and Stromboli, with prodigious vegetarian as well as meaty options.

My favorite meal here is a cup of their always thick and hearty soup (to go because the to-go cups are double the size of the in-house cups). They always have four options available and allow sampling to help you decide. The soup comes with bread and butter, but I skip the butter and order a side of salmon spread instead, which is basically smoked salmon mixed with cream cheese. When I want veggies with lunch, I'll pile shredded beets on top of my salmon-spread bread for a healthy open-faced sandwich to go with my soup.

If I'm really hungry, I'll also order a Green Jade smoothie, which is sweet and healthy! with a Haupia Eclair. Haupia, for those new to Hawaii, is a coconut cream that is absolutely delicious and epitomizes the way eclairs were truly meant to be made. It is so good that when my daughter was born, I promised myself that if I got thru the experience, I would have 6 of them and yes: I kept that promise!

Other super-ono (ono means delicious in Hawaiian) treats here include the chocolate raspberry cake, which we liked so much, we had it as an entire layer of our wedding cake, the breakfast strombolis, and the big-meat pizza.

They bake as much as possible local and organic, which makes a big difference in quality on an island 3,000 miles from the mainland. They have loads of vegetarian and vegan options, and have a really comfortable, pleasant social seating area, including a very large outdoor courtyard with cover from both sun and rain. Their prices are quite reasonable for Kauai and they are so good that most of their items seem to sell out by the...

I am soooooooooooooo happy I made a pit stop here before I left to catch my flight back home. It was so easy to get here from where I was staying in Princeville and on my way to the airport.

It's a very pleasant and quiet shopping center with a few shops and restaurants. The bakery is right in the center with some outside seating and beautiful little grassy area next door to it. I felt at peace on my last day in Kauai being there.

I started off with a Portuguese Sausage soup. It was perfect for my slight hangover from the night before. They didn't have any pizza ready when I got there until 10:30am. Once I finished my soup the pizza was ready and I went to place my order. The veggie pizza (in picture) is sooooo delicious. At first, I felt that it could've been cooked a little longer but still so yummy. I love artichoke! Definitely worth it. The Berrylicious smoothie was yummy too, but nothing significant or outstanding from other smoothie places.

The service was great and really fast. Lots of people kept showing up to eat and everything I saw looked yum. Unfortunately, I couldn't try it all but I plan on vacationing in Kauai again and will come back...