Paalaa Kai Bakery — Restaurant in Oʻahu

I go here for the Snow Puffies but have dealt with rude people behind the counter far too often. I recently brought visiting guests, and the person behind the counter, was really rude when they asked her a question about an item. You have to ask about every item because nothing is labeled which is common here in Hawaii at local spots and I understand them not wanting to go the extra effort to label anything but they should be prepared for questions. I have dealt with rudeness here before, I'm a local and I just don't care if someone's rude - but it does get old. They don't seem to want to tourists to visit here so even if you've lived here all your life, if you don't look the part...One person is particularly rude at this place and no one likes to be waited on by her. They don't really believe in customer service. Most of the pastries are good. There are consistency problems when you order an item that you've had before and it's stale and not as great as the time you went before. I have purchased items here many times and compared to a different Bakery in town they are lacking in the Aloha spirit and consistency of product. I think Snow Puffiies are amazing when they fresh. (You have to ask for them because they are not in the...

I grew up down the road from this bakery. ALWAYS enjoyed coming here and their amazing customer service. I came home to visit and really wanted some delicious pastries. Sadly, as my siblings and I entered NO ONE greeted us. The cashier stood there with a dumb look on her face, another sitting on a stool below her, one actually working and another ignoring us as we stand RIGHT IN FRONT THEIR FACES. I wanted to walk out by then, but because my siblings really wanted their pastries I continued to stand there. Once the cashier realised we were waiting for her to at least pretend like she enjoys working with people, THEN we got to order. We don't usually double check our orders because like I said, I used to come here all the time and the women before we TRUSTED with our orders. But we double checked it, everything was there. Smaller portions, more pricey. They no longer accept EBT for those who used to use it there or planned to. But the store next door still does. Chocolate covered croissants was good tho. Next time, I'll just send someone else to order and drop it off to me tho. I don't enjoy bad customer service, especially if I wouldn't treat them that way. Check it out for yourself, everyone has a...

Paalaa Kai Bakery is known for their snow puffies which are similar to mille-feuille. It's a chilled flaky pastry filled with custard cream and topped with semi-sweet chocolate and powdered sugar. You can skip the other pastries and just buy half a dozen of these to eat and share. The snow puffies taste the best when eaten there. The powdered sugar will get all over you after the first bite but it's part of the experience so just keep eating. You should eat these the same day you buy it because they will get soggy the next day. It is worth the drive from Honolulu to Waialua.

The bakery is small and it gets crowded. If it's busy, pull a number and wait outside until your number is called. I recommend coming before 1pm to get the snow puffies because they do sell out. You can also call them in advance and put pastries on hold to pick up later in the afternoon. They accept cash and credit cards. For parking, their lot is shared with the mini mart. If the lot is full, you can park on the side of the road where there's red dirt and tall grass. As long as you don't block any driveways...