Overview
Arise Kona Bakery and Cafe is a small, family-run bakery and coffee shop in Kailua-Kona. Based on the restaurant’s own site and Google Places, it is operating at 74-5555 Kaiwi St F 2-3 and is currently open on Tuesday through Saturday, with Sundays and Mondays closed. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
For travelers, it looks like a breakfast-and-lunch stop rather than a full-service café with a broad menu. The draw is house-made baked goods, sourdough bread, filled brioche, sandwiches, bubble waffles, smoothie bowls, and coffee, with a fairly strong local following reflected in Google’s 4.6 rating from 462 reviews. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Arise’s lane is bakery-first café food: bread, pastries, coffee, and light breakfast/lunch plates. The official site says the shop was established in 2022 and focuses on fresh-baked sourdough, filled brioche, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, bubble waffles, and smoothie bowls made with organic fruit and locally grown apple bananas. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- Overall menu style: bakery/coffee shop with breakfast and lunch sandwiches, pastries, dessert, coffee, and a few more distinctive sweet items like bubble waffles and smoothie bowls. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- Notable specialties: house-made bubble waffles; bubble waffles with Nutella and fresh local apple banana; bubble waffles with lilikoi, strawberry, and banana; smoothie bowls with real organic fruit and locally grown apple bananas; sourdough bread; filled brioche; breakfast and lunch sandwiches. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- What stands out most: the combination of house-made bread and more dessert-like breakfast items gives it a more specialized feel than a standard café. Tripadvisor reviewers repeatedly mention sourdough, pastries, cinnamon rolls, salmon toast, and bubble waffles. Those are review-reported highlights, not official menu guarantees. (tripadvisor.com)
- Price range / spend: Google does not list a price level. Based on the menu type and traveler reviews describing it as “limited but high end” meal/sandwich options, expect a casual-to-midrange breakfast or lunch spend rather than a budget counter-service meal. This is an inference from the available evidence. (tripadvisor.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limits: the site suggests some fruit-forward options and bakery items, but there is not enough official evidence to call it especially vegetarian-, vegan-, or gluten-free-friendly. Bread-and-pastry focus likely means it may be less useful for restricted diets unless the menu changes. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This looks like a sit-down bakery café with enough room for a relaxed breakfast or coffee stop, not a grab-and-go kiosk. Tripadvisor reviews describe it as spacious, nicely renovated, and good for lingering over coffee or a light meal; one reviewer specifically mentioned varied seating and a calm atmosphere. (tripadvisor.com)
- Service model and seating style: counter-style bakery/café with in-shop pickup and table seating. The official site also offers “order to go” pickup ordering. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: reviewers describe it as cozy, peaceful, and attractively renovated, with one comparing the interior feel to a Pottery Barn-style space. That’s subjective, but the pattern is consistent across several recent reviews. (tripadvisor.com)
- Practical features: located in a strip-shopping-center setting in Kailua-Kona, with on-site pickup ordering available through the restaurant’s own site. (tripadvisor.com)
- Best fit: breakfast, brunch, coffee breaks, a light lunch, or a relaxed stop with baked goods. It seems especially appealing if you want something a little more distinctive than a standard café pastry case. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- Weaker fit: if you want a full dinner menu, late-night hours, or a very fast in-and-out coffee run during peak breakfast time, this may be a less convenient choice. Weekend lines are mentioned in reviews. (tripadvisor.com)
History & Background
Meaningful background is limited, but the official site says Arise Kona Bakery & Cafe was established in 2022 and is family run. That gives it a relatively recent, local-origin identity rather than a long legacy business. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Reviewers most often praise the baked goods, sourdough, cinnamon rolls, bubble waffles, salmon toast, coffee, and the relaxed sit-down feel. The strongest recurring pattern is that people see it as a “find” or “gem” for breakfast/brunch, with many comments about fresh, attractive food and a pleasant atmosphere. (tripadvisor.com)
Common Gripes
The main recurring downside is operational convenience, not food quality: a few reviewers mention long lines on Saturday mornings and only one restroom stall. Those concerns appear real but limited, not widespread enough to outweigh the overall positive pattern. (tripadvisor.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours: official site lists Tuesday–Friday 8:00 AM–3:00 PM, Saturday 8:00 AM–2:00 PM, closed Sunday and Monday. Google Places matches that posture closely. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- Best time to go: earlier is safer, especially on Saturday, when reviewers reported lines. (tripadvisor.com)
- Ordering: the restaurant offers online “order to go” pickup through its own site, which may help if you want to avoid a wait. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- Meal type: plan on breakfast, brunch, or a light lunch rather than a long dining session. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- Location note: it is in a strip shopping center in Kailua-Kona, described by reviewers as tucked away behind Target; that may matter for first-time arrivals. This is reviewer-reported, so treat it as a helpful but not official location cue. (tripadvisor.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name, address, phone, and website match the Google Places record: Arise Kona Bakery and Cafe, 74-5555 Kaiwi St F 2-3, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, (808) 731-7388,
http://www.arisekonabakeryandcafe.com/. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com) - Business status appears operational on Google Places, and the official site shows active hours and ordering links. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
- No major verification issues found. (arisekonabakeryandcafe.com)
Sources
- Google Places details for Arise Kona Bakery and Cafe —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=3687752273318531033— Retrieved 2026-04-01 — Useful for baseline identity, rating, review count, address, hours, and operational status. - Official website home page —
https://www.arisekonabakeryandcafe.com/— Retrieved 2026-04-01 — Useful for establishment date, family-run positioning, menu focus, specialty items, location, hours, and contact details. - Official menu page —
https://www.arisekonabakeryandcafe.com/menu— Retrieved 2026-04-01 — Useful as a primary menu/identity anchor, though the captured page text was sparse. - Official order-to-go page —
https://www.arisekonabakeryandcafe.com/order-coffee-to-go— Retrieved 2026-04-01 — Useful for confirming takeout/pickup ordering availability. - Tripadvisor listing for Arise Bakery, Kailua-Kona —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60872-d27129399-Reviews-Arise_Bakery-Kailua_Kona_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html— Retrieved 2026-04-01 — Useful for recurring traveler impressions, standout items, atmosphere, and practical downsides like lines and restroom capacity. The page failed to open directly in-tool, but the search snippet and review excerpts were still informative.
