Whenever I arrive in Hawaii, I feel hungry, but I don’t have much of an appetite because I’m exhausted from the long flight. But still, I’m hungry… An acai bowl is the perfect food for such a situation. It’s a healthy Hawaiian dish made with acai purée, granola, and fruit. Plus, it’s light and refreshing.
The most convenient place to get an acai bowl is Island Vintage Coffee, located in Royal Hawaiian Center along Kalakaua Avenue, right in the heart of Waikiki. I usually stay at hotels nearby, so it’s very convenient for me.
They are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (last food order at 10 p.m.), so I always head straight there from the airport—except when I arrive at midnight.
Island Vintage Coffee is on the third floor of the Royal Hawaiian Center. You can access there directly from the outside using the elevator along Kalakaua Avenue.
One-third of the shop is dedicated to their merchandise, including coffee, nuts, and honey. Inside, there are plenty of tables, both indoors and on the balcony. I ordered at the counter, paid, and received a number card from the staff.
From the balcony, you can see the courtyard. Since I visited just before Chinese New Year, red lanterns were hanging everywhere—it was beautiful.
Island Vintage Coffee also sells its own original products. Their Kona and Kau coffees are highly rated, and they serve 100% Kona coffee in the shop.
I wish I could make an acai bowl with this cute mug…
The drink menu (including acai drinks) is displayed above the order counter, but the food menu isn’t. Instead, the food menu is placed near the counter, featuring options like poke, sandwiches, and salads.
The Original Acai bowl is $10.85. It’s made with organic acai, banana, strawberries, blueberries, granola, and honey. The acai bowl has a refreshing taste—almost all the ingredients are fruit, making it perfect for an exhausted body after a long flight. Plus, it looks adorable!
You might be wondering, what is acai? Acai is a superfruit native to the Amazon, known for its nutritional value. However, acai itself has very little taste—it’s often described as having a slightly iron-like flavor. The acai purée used in the bowl contains banana, so it tastes mostly like banana. Even though it’s purple, it tastes like banana! And it’s delicious.
If you don’t have enough room for an açaí bowl, you can opt for an acai smoothie instead.
Island Vintage Coffee is also known for its delicious poke. One evening, when I was craving a poke bowl around 9 p.m., Island Vintage Coffee immediately came to mind. I hurried over and ordered the Spicy ahi. The bowl came with a generous portion of rice and fresh tuna. Interestingly, it also included Korean laver and gari (pickled ginger). However, the gari was overly sweet for my taste, and I couldn’t eat it.
This dish features marinated tuna mixed with a spicy aioli sauce. The seasoning was bold, and the tuna was incredibly fresh. In fact, the spiciness exceeded my expectations—in a good way!
It also included creamy avocado, which balanced the heat nicely.
You can choose between hakumai (polished white rice) and genmai (unpolished brown rice). The rice was cooked to a firmer texture with a pleasant chewiness, complementing the spicy ahi perfectly.
Island Vintage Coffee doesn’t just excel at açaí bowls—they also serve an outstanding poke bowl. That’s why I make it a point to visit at least once every time I travel to Hawaii.
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Name Island Vintage Coffee
Open Breakfast through dinner
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