It’s been a crazy month — to say the least — for James Webb, co-founder of Aliʻi Coffee Co. The business’s last day at its Ward Centre store was June 27, and it opened in its new Ala Moana Center location on July 1. Aliʻi Coffee Co.’s Ala Moana Center store is located on the street level next to Jollibee.
“We got the keys (to the new space) on June 15; it happened really quick,” says Webb, who co-owns Aliʻi Coffee Co. with business partner Will Gold. “The menu’s the same; we make everything fresh. We’re still roasting our own coffee.”
Finding a location close to the former Ward Centre store was important to Webb, who says Aliʻi Coffee Co. was located in the Ward Village neighborhood for more than five years.
“It’s only four minutes away (from our former location); that was my goal,” Webb says. “We have a ton of customers from the Ward location and we have some from downtown (Honolulu), too.”
A big change for the Ala Moana Center store is its longer operating hours. The biz is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Webb.
“We’ve never been open this late; we always closed around 2 or 3 p.m.,” he says.
Closing the downtown Honolulu store wasn’t planned, but the move to Ala Moana Center was a catalyst for it.
“Will and I sat there and were like, ‘Maybe it’s time,’” Webb says. “When this (Ala Moana Center store) became available, I moved everything (from downtown) into here; it could all fit. Everyone knew we were struggling to keep the doors open downtown.”
The menu is still the same at the new Ala Moana Center store; customers can find Aliʻi Coffee’s signature cold brews and lattes. Bestselling beverages include The King ($6-$6.75) — cold brew on tap with chocolate, coconut, breve and coconut milk — The Queen late ($7.25-$7.75) and the taro ube latte ($7.25-$7.75). The latter features taro powder, ube concentrate and liquid cane sugar.
Meanwhile, The Queen latte features a creamy blend of hazelnut and coconut.
The food menu features breakfast and lunch fare. The business’s avocado toast ($15), cinnamon sweet bread toast ($14) — cinnamon sweet bread toasted with butter and brown sugar, and topped with berries, cinnamon and powdered sugar — and breakfast burrito ($16) are popular morning options. The latter features a spinach tortilla stuffed with bacon, scrambled egg, Mexican cheese, black beans, pico de gallo, green salsa, avocado and sour cream.
Popular lunch options include the classic turkey pesto ($18) — turkey, provolone, red onions, tomato, mixed greens, balsamic drizzle and pesto between slices of rosemary sourdough — turkey avo ($18) and pastrami sandwich ($18).
Stay tuned for Aliʻi Coffee Co.’s next location, which will be opening next month on Monsarrat Avenue (in the former space of Gecko Girlz). Webb says the biz will also open its first central Oʻahu location next year in Waipio.
“When you have the right cup of coffee in the right environment, you feel like a king or a queen,” Webb says. “You feel special; that’s where it (the business name) came from. It gets harder as it (the business) gets bigger, but we try our best to serve people like they’re alii.”
CONTACT
Aliʻi Coffee Co.
Ala Moana Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu
aliicoffee.com
Instagram: @aliicoffeeco
Open daily, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
