Koko Head Cafe

Great food and service! Great place for brunch and offers i side and outside seating.

We got here early on a Sunday because we had a flight to catch and there was no wait. I saw this place mentioned in Top Chef and had always wanted to check it out. I am so glad that we were able to squeeze a breakfast in here because the food was cooked well and we enjoyed everything that we ordered, both savory and sweet! I'll definitely be back to try some of the other dishes. The steak and eggs were cooked to perfection, and the hash brown was amazing. We also really enjoyed their variation of the loco moco -- even though I usually don't like loco loco the gravy was delightful, the hamburger was cooked well, and the tempura was a nice additional touch.

There is some street parking but we just parked in the lot which was reasonably priced at $0.75/hour.

Cute place with lively decor and ambiance; they offer both indoor and shaded outdoor seating. Food was alright. We ordered the breakfast bibimbap, Koko Moco, and Tako Luau. The dishes all came in adorable skillet pans. I loved the unique brunch options and how they borrowed pan-Asian influences to create a fusion menu.

That being said, the food was fine. The Koko Moco had a very tasty sauce with the beef patty as well as delicious crispy garlic rice on the bottom. The bibimbap was fine, but the flavors weren't as vibrant as I expected.

One point of concern is that they still charge 5% service fees (for the kitchen staff) and say that it's to cover the impact of 'COVID.' I'm all for tipping waiters and I understand that it is a small business, but it's ridiculous to have customers contribute to kitchen staff pay, because the establishment doesn't pay them enough.

I want to start off by saying that this review is not geared towards the employees who were very kind and welcome to our party the whole way through. This review is based solely on the food.

Iced Cafe Latte: Just ok. Skip this and go to a local cafe before you head here. I did see they have a lot of brunch cocktails so that's what you're looking for, it may be good.

Breakfast Congee: Congee with...croutons..and bacon? Interesting but it ended there. The croutons were sweet. It just wasn't my thing.

Chicky and Eggs: the serving size of this skillet was smaller than my mom's hand and she's only 5'0 ft tall. $25 for this. My favorite part was the crunchy rice but the rest of the dish had no flavor.

Dumplings: 4 dumplings for $16. They weren't made of gold and they certainly didn't look like it so I'm not sure why it was that pricey. The sauce and the filling were not my favorite.

Koko Moco: the only redeeming dish of the entire lineup. It came in the same size skillet as the chicky and eggs though so it was small. $25.

There are far better cafes on Oahu with more flavor and half the price, I would skip this one.

When you are lucky enough that work takes to Hawaii, and you have been dying to come here. It did not disappoint!!! We came later than planned so we missed the dumpling. The service was amazing and the food off the hook. We had the corn flake French toast and the Chicky eggs. We were members of the clean plate club.
The sizes were huge.

Good food, be sure you check out the dumpling specials. It does change, and it is typcailyl original in nature. Today was swedish style

The savory dishes are well balanced, although a little salty.

Cornflake french toast was quite tasty and sweet. It is on the larger side. However, if you have a sweet tooth, it'll definitely satisfy it

Service was good, friendly - even if it was a little busy.

The restaurant was nicely lit and parking was easy in the paid parking lot.

First time at the new location, so I thought we were lost for a hot second! Glad we found it.

Came on a weekday, after a sunrise hike at Diamond State park, and Kokohead wasn't that busy yet. Host gave us a tip to park next to the restaurant as the rates are better than the metered parking.

We always get the dumplings of the day, and it was sooo good. Got a zero proof and two cocktails: Mai tai and strawberry kula - so refreshing.

Had the ricotta pancakes, loco moco, and scrambled eggs. Everything was yummy.

I definitely will be back here again on our next trip back to Oahu. I can tell this place continues to get busy, since there are plenty of seats for the waiting area. I think if they still had their old location, we would have waited a bit since the previous place was a lot smaller.

I ordered the haupia pancakes. They were moist and delicious! The haupia sauce was warm and not too sweet. Def would order again. (I forgot to take a picture)

A great place for a brunch with unique flavors done just right. We came on a Saturday morning around 9 and forgot to sign in ahead of time. Just a 20 minute wait so no problem. There's a large waiting area with seats.

Everything was great! The best bite I have had in a long while was the mango bruschetta- the honey nut butter topped with sweet juicy mangos and finished with a touch of lime zest So so good! Half of the tables seemed to have ordered this. I can see why.

Another standout was the miso pork in the don buri Chen. One of the best ways of roasting pork that I've tried.

Definitely in the top 1 or 2 spots for breakfast in Honolulu. Everything about Koko Head Cafe says quality. This is high end cooking technique applied to decidedly local fare.
Service is exemplary and the restaurant's expanded footprint makes for a comfortable and welcoming place yo enjoy breakfast, brunch or lunch.
Not to be missed....the house-made vanilla biscuit with honey butter and jam of the day.
The Miso pork omelette is like a Japanese/Hawaiian match made in heaven!
You can join the wait list...and on the weekends...there is going to be a wait...or just come super early like my dining-partner-in-crime and I did. We arrived when they opened and were seated right away.