“You are what you eat” is a popular phrase, but recently opened Rise Café demonstrates this to customers in a practical way.
Upon entering the Kaimukī-based café, customers will see a display featuring various containers of sugar on the counter. Each shows the amount of sugar that specific foods and drinks turn into (inside your body) once you consume them. It’ll make you think twice before eating a plain bagel, white rice, or an acai bowl.
But that awareness is what metabolic health doctor Jodi Nishida is aiming for.
“This is a combination — a coffee shop clinic, the first of its kind in the world,” she says. “We are the only doctor-created eatery in Hawaiʻi with a strict focus on nutrient density and wellness. What you eat dictates everything. I have this (sugar display) here on purpose so when people are ordering, they see this. This is very meaningful to pre-diabetes and diabetes patients who struggle to eat out, especially when to scoops of rice plus one scoop of mac salad turns into 42 packets of sugar.
“My clinical practice, The Keto Prescription, has been open for more than six years and I’ve worked with more than 3,000 patients,” she adds. “My office was in Kailua, but when I finally decided to open a coffee shop and do the whole keto menu, I moved my clinic into the same space.”
Rise Café opened in the former space of AV Restaurant in Kaimukī around mid June. Nishida says she had the idea to start this café since 2022.
“I just wanted a place that my patients could come to eat at that was happy and positive,” she says. “The name is based on three concepts — rise above illness, rise up to your health, and rise and shine.
The café’s entire menu has been crafted to keep individuals’ blood sugar under 120 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter), Nishida says.
“My husband and I kept tweaking the recipes and testing our blood sugar to make this claim,” she says. “We only use real butter and extra virgin olive oil in here, nothing else — no inflammatory seed oils. Canola, vegetable and soybean oil are major causes of inflammation and obesity. We offer clean, simple, home-cooked recipes using minimal ingredients that are filled with flavor.”
The steak and eggs (two eggs $16.99) is one of the café’s most popular dishes. The plate features a 6-ounce steak and 2 to 4 eggs cooked in butter and drizzled with chimichurri sauce.
“I’m a big steak person, and our steak is really tender,” Nishida says.
The café’s chicken and chaffles ($16.99) — a twist on chicken and waffles — has become another customer favorite. It’s made with butter and comes with a light keto syrup drizzle. "Chaffles" is short for cheese waffles, according to Nishida, who says the café doesn't use chickpeas and all beans and legumes, since they turn into a lot of sugar.
“People love that we did a keto take on chicken and waffles,” Nishida says. “They’re amazed; it’s really good. Cheese is one of the main ingredients."
Of everything we try, the Kamalu bowl ($14.99) is our favorite. It comprises bacon, medium boiled eggs, avocado and tomato relish on a bed of cheesy “risotto” that’s made with cauliflower.
“Steak and eggs, chicken and chaffles and the Kamalu bowl are our biggest sellers,” Nishida says.
When it comes to coffees — the café offers everything from drip coffees and lattes to specialty drinks and matcha lattes — customers can rest assured that they’re getting a quality product.
“Our coffee is certified pesticide-, mold- and mycotoxin-free and is extremely rich and smooth,” Nishida says. “Coffee is a huge source of unknown pesticide consumption and is often consumed daily; pesticides cause cancer.”
The café’s roasted mac nut latte ($6.25-$7.25), available hot or iced, is a bestseller. It features espresso, milk and finely roasted macadamia nuts; we enjoyed its distinctly nutty flavor.
One note about milks — the café offers whole, nonfat or coconut milk. You won’t find oatmilk, soymilk or almond milk here, as the café focuses on natural sources of milk.
“Coconut milk is our dairy-free alternative,” Nishida says. “Is a cow designed to make milk? Yes. Do coconuts naturally have milk? They do. Does an almond? What about oats? No. When you’re deciding what to eat for health, you have to decide based on those types of thoughts.”
The Coconut Wireless ($6.75-$7.25) has been another customer favorite. It features a blend of espresso, coconut milk foam and coconut flakes on top. The iced coconut matcha ($7-$7.75) is also popular for its coconut-forward flavor and creamy texture.
“I hope to reach more people in Hawaiʻi through delicious food that encourages them to reduce sugar,” Nishida says. “If everyone cut their carb and sugar intake in half, we would be a much healthier Hawaiʻi.”
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CONTACT
Rise Café
1135 11th Ave., Honolulu
Instagram: @risecafehawaii
Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays
Closed Tuesdays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
