Vanta Coffee Hub — Restaurant in Maui

Our boys day out adventure started with brunch. I swayed my friends away from a buffet which I'm not fond of, and figured it was the perfect time to try this place that has a 5-star average rating with over 100 reviews. I tried to pick up lunch from here a few months ago but my lunch time was not jiving with their lunch schedule.

ATMOSPHERE: They're located in a dinky strip mall, the Hookahi Business Center, in the Wailuku Industrial Park. The inside is clean and inviting but small, with seating for only 14 people max. We came in around 11am on a Sunday and luckily grabbed the sole 4-top table. Tables were constantly occupied.

MENU: Coffees, breakfast selections, ramen.

Because I feel I can easily make breakfast at home, and they were out of their local plate lunches, I took a chance on their "ramen". I'm not sure whether to laugh from disbelief or be mad with insult from what I received. You be the judge.

FOOD: Ramen Noodle Soup I thought the price was abnormally cheap for ramenl. What the heck, take a chance. It took a good maybe 10 minutes for it to come out, so I had high hopes of a homemade dashi, chewy noodles, and delectable toppings, especially being that the chef/owner is a Japanese national. What came to the table floored me. I thought to myself, no way, it can't be. Sure enough, as soon as I took my first bite of noodles and dashi, I was shocked. It was instant saimin, straight out of the package!? Sapporo Ichiban-brand in the shrimp flavor to be exact. I know because I eat this at home! To add insult to injury, the noodles were overcooked. He did doctor-up the dish with scrambled egg slices, white onions, and a few slices of fresh mushrooms, but come on... In reality, this dish was marked up 171% if you do the math.

SERVICE: The man running the front of the house was friendly in a sushi bar sort of way. You get the greeting and thank you, but nothing in the middle.

TIP: They're open for breakfast & lunch only, with lunch served at 11am.

OVERALL: When and if they ever bring back the local plates is when I'll return. If not, I can make breakfast and instant...

This is like a hole in the wall kind of place. If you blink your eye you will surely miss it. It's located in the Hookahi Business Center which is a L shaped two story building. Free parking in their lot (Nadine approved... Inside joke)

I tend to be a creature of habit. When I find a place that I like to eat at, I tend to keep going to the same place which is good and bad. Well I memorized the menu at the other place so I decided to change it up and turn to none other than Yelp to help me find another place. And once again the Yelpers didn't let me down.

Once I got my rental car, I locked in the navigation and headed directly down here. Like I wrote in the beginning, this place is a hole in the wall place. But like many of you know, these kinds of places have some big flavors being served.

I was drooling over the pictures of the kim chee fried rice. It is number 23 ($11.95) on the menu and comes with two eggs and some nori (seaweed) to make some wraps which is totally Korean and I love it. You could smell the Kim Chee in the fried rice and I couldn't stop eating it even though I knew I had more food coming.

I was also craving some french toast so I also ordered number 15 ($10.95) which came with three slices (6 cut in half slices) of French toast, two pieces of bacon, sausage and a orange slice. It's no frills here meaning they only have one type of syrup. The French toast had lots of egg batter on the side (which I don't mind but I know some may not). I like when restaurants use Hawaiian Sweet Bread especially since we are in Hawaii but unfortunately it looks like it is white bread being used here. Nonetheless, it was nice, fluffy but I'm thinking it might of been missing vanilla or maybe not enough in the batter. The sausage and bacon was done just right so I was happy with that.

The waitress named Hee is awesome. She has a friendly smile that never seemed to go away. Very attentive and very accommodating. One of the owners saw a little baby girl and came out from the back and gave her a flower.

I think I found my new spot to eat breakfast when I come...

If you're ever in Wailuku, Vanta Cafe is a must-visit! The establishment is run by a very kind, older Korean man, and what I believe is his family. Their hospitality really adds to the warmth of the experience. The food is absolutely fantastic—every bite is bursting with flavor! We had the blueberry pancakes, bacon and sausage with eggs, and hashbrowns. The pancakes were incredibly fluffy and packed with fresh blueberries. The sausage and bacon, though simple, were cooked to perfection and had an exceptional flavor. The hashbrowns were huge and crisped just right.

The atmosphere is quaint and cozy, decorated with a fascinating assortment of cars, foreign currency, and photos from different points of interest around Maui. It's a small place, but it feels like a hidden gem. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, making you feel like part of the family.

Overall, I highly recommend Vanta Cafe. Whether you're looking for a delicious breakfast or simply a place with a great vibe, this...