Wahiawa-based Surfers Coffee recently opened a second location in Kakaʻako.
The shop is still in its soft opening, so it’s currently only open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Kakaʻako location officially opened on Oct. 31.
Located in Kakaʻako Business Center, the coffee shop shares a space with a vintage thrift store. There’s plenty of seating for customers to enjoy their drinks, or to work (there are outlets throughout the space).
“We had always thought about expanding to a second location,” says Surfers Coffee manager Amber Tucker. “Where we wanted it to be was always up in the air. We knew town would be a great opportunity because it’s a lot busier.”
She explains that when Bob Sage — the owner of nonprofit Work Now Hawaiʻi — opened their space within the building, he reached out to Tom and Cindy Bauer, the owners of Surfing the Nations and Surfers Coffee.
“He (Bob) knew about the coffee shop and Surfing the Nations,” Tucker says. “He presented it to them as, ‘This would be a great opportunity; I see it being a great space as a coffee shop.’”
Surfers Coffee, which started in 2011, is a branch of Surfing the Nations, which has been located in Wahiawa since 1995. Surfers Coffee was actually a community outreach program for Surfing the Nations.
Since Work Now Hawaiʻi helps individuals living with disabilities to get into the workforce, Surfers Coffee Kakaʻako has a symbiotic relationship with the business, according to Tucker.
“When we officially built out, we’re able to help employ some of those people and get them into the workforce,” she says. “It’s kind of like helping each other.”
Surfers Coffee’s second location has been in the works since August, and the space came together quickly.
The Kakaʻako store’s drink menu is similar to that at the shop’s Wahiawa location. Beverages include lattes, café Cubano, cold brews, matcha lattes and more. Right now, the selection is more limited to some of the most popular coffees and pastries, as the store prepares for its grand opening. Drinks range from lattes ($6-$6.50) and cold brews ($6-$6.50) to matcha lattes ($6.50-$7) and cappuccinos ($5.50).
Eventually, the menu will expand to include more food, seasonal drinks and the business’s Underground menu.
“We’ll have pretty much everything here that we have at the main location,” Tucker says. “Even our food — we’re bringing our mochi waffles and acai bowls, avocado toast, holiday menus and underground menu.”
The business’s Underground menu features set custom drinks, according to Tucker. Customer favorites include Dawn Patrol — white chocolate, dark chocolate and salted caramel in a latte — and Cocomora (coconut, white chocolate and espresso).
Meanwhile, seasonal options will include a peppermint mocha, and The Grinch, which is a matcha with white chocolate and peppermint, according to Tucker.
Stay tuned for the shop’s grand opening, which will either take place in December or around January 2026. After the grand opening, the shop will extend its hours of operation.
Besides the grand opening, customers can look forward to open mic nights and events on Friday nights, which is something Surfers Coffee Wahiawa does.
“We still want it to be a nice, homey place where you can come and connect with people, get work done and enjoy some vintage artwork,” Tucker says. “We’re still wanting to be part of that community outreach.”
Limited customer parking is available at Kakaʻako Business Center.
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CONTACT
Surfers Coffee Kakaʻako
1019 Waimanu St., Honolulu
Surferscoffeehi.com
Instagram: @surferscoffeekakaako
Open 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays (during soft opening)
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
