This mom-and-pop cafe is called the Banyan Breeze Coffee Company and is located in the Waikiki Banyan Hotel, just a block and a half from the world famous beach.
The staff are incredibly friendly, greeting everyone with a warm smile and a hearty "aloha!" The small number of employees and low turnover rate practically guarantees a familiar face behind the counter. There are a large number of regulars, some of whom occasionally come in just to say "hi". As well as being friendly, the staff is very knowledgeable. They know their coffee, and the island. They will give drink suggestions, and suggestions for the best places to go on Oahu. They chat with customers, tell jokes and sing along with the radio, making Banyan Breeze a fun place to grab a cup of joe.
Breeze Freeze
Speaking of their joe, Banyan offers a large variety of drinks, from black coffee to smoothies. Their coffee is a mixture of beans from Costa Rica, Columbia and Sumatra. It has a rich, smooth taste and is freshly brewed throughout the day. Banyan serves lattes, cappuccinos, mochas and more. They have assorted flavors of syrup, with the favorites like caramel and vanilla to Irish Creme, raspberry and even pineapple. All the espresso drinks can be made over ice, which is perfect for the muggy climate of Hawaii.
The fruit smoothies are famous in the neighborhood, with pina colada (alcohol-free, of course), strawberry, peanut butter and Oreo among the offerings.
Yum! Meal Time!
Banyan Breeze sells more than drinks. They also have a menu of breakfast sandwiches, bagels and warm cereals, as well as salads, wraps and desserts. One of the most popular sandwiches is the Tuscan Chicken. It is made on your choice of white or wheat bread, with pesto sauce, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, lettuce, chicken and melted Pepper Jack cheese. Yum!
The desserts are offered on a rotational basis. Sometimes, Banyan will have carrot cake and pumpkin pie; others, they will have brownies and homemade banana bread.
Banyan is also an Internet cafe. They offer free wireless on your laptop with a purchase, as ell as use of their three Macs ($2.50 for 15 minutes or $8 for an hour) and $10 per day modem rentals. You would be hard pressed to find a better deal in Waikiki.
When you first walk into Banyan, you are greeted with a sign reading "Wake Up and Smell The Coffee". And can you smell it! The delicious aroma wafts into the hallway and all the way to the hotel lobby. The cafe is open, colorful and bright. The walls are yellow and green and the furniture is a rich, dark wood. Pineapples are carved into the table legs and some of the chair backs. Other chairs use bamboo, giving the cafe a tropical feeling. Original artwork (by the owner's mother) is used as wall decoration, which makes it feel slightly homey. There are overhead lights, fun lamps and even string lights along the huge windows.
To be completely fair and unbiased, there are a few problems with Banyan Breeze. Since it is located in a tropical climate, fruit flies are present. The staff deals with this by spraying peppermint spray on tables and counters. (It is completely non-toxic, bugs hate it, and it smells wonderful.) Another problem is that food stales quicker in warm, humid climates. The staff keep all bread, bagels and muffins in refrigerators. Finally, there are never more than two employees on the clock at the same time, unless one is training. This means that there is always a delay in getting your order, especially if you come during the busiest times (6:30 am - 9:00 am and 11 am - 1 pm), when the wait time can be up to ten minutes.
The Banyan Breeze Coffee Company is open seven days a week, from 6:00 am until 8:00 pm. It is located at 201 Ohua St, Suite 102. The next time you are in Waikiki and get a craving for coffee, "wake up and smell the coffee" at Banyan Breeze. (Phone number: 808-923-2733.)
Mallory Giunchigliani - I am a graduate student in Hawaii, studying Communications (emphasis in film and media) and Organizational Change (business mixed a bit of ...
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