Waikiki is one of the most popular vacation spots in the world, and I know that a lot of our readers go or have gone there. I’m fortunate to visit multiple times a year, so I know some things about the place that even some locals don’t—like how you can pre-order from Island Vintage Coffee, the wildly popular coffee/food spot in the Royal Hawaiian Center.
There’s almost always a line out the door as customers, are jonesing for their açai bowls, poke bowls, salads, and more. If you don’t want to waste 15 minutes of your life waiting in a slow line, you can simply order ahead of time. I have the Island Vintage number (808-926-5662) programmed in my phone since I go almost every morning but they no longer accept phone orders. Everything takeout order now has to be made online at Island Vintage Coffee.
Prep time takes about 5-15 minutes. So I don’t get a lot of eye darts, I go to pick up my order through the side entrance and then walk past the cash register to the side near the balcony. There’s usually a team member their to hand you your order but if there’s not, a sign reads, “please pick up your pre-order Acai Bowls in the freezer.”
Just be sure to bring a bag if you don’t order one ahead of time because they cost $0.25 and they will tell you, you need to go purchase one and the line is usually around the corner.
Then walk back to your hotel and eat it on the balcony or near the beach if you don’t have a good view. FYI: My favorite is their Waialua Moana Bowl, which has acai and Wailua dark chocolate, Big Island cacao nibs, house-made coconut peanut butter, local banana, strawberry, seasonal berries, granola and Big Island organic raw white honey. Yum!
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2019 but has since been updated.
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