Overview
CUPCAKES, BOOM! is a Hilo bakery and dessert shop on Manono Street that looks, from the available evidence, like a local specialty stop rather than a broad café. Google Places lists it as operational at 697 Manono St with a bakery/cafe/restaurant profile, and recent local reporting confirms the business is still active in Hilo. (staradvertiser.com)
For a traveler, the main draw is that this is a well-known local sweets shop with a strong community reputation and a clear specialty in cupcakes, macarons, and custom desserts. It appears to be the kind of place people visit for treats, gifting, celebrations, or a sweet stop while exploring Hilo rather than for a full savory meal. (staradvertiser.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
The business is best understood as a dessert bakery with a custom-order side, not a general restaurant. Primary-source and local-news coverage consistently describe cupcakes as the core item, with French macarons, cakes, cookies, stuffed cookies, and dessert bars also part of the lineup. The shop appears to make things fresh to order and rotates flavors, which suggests the selection can vary by day. (staradvertiser.com)
- Overall menu style: dessert-focused bakery; cupcakes are the anchor, with macarons and custom celebration desserts as major companions. (staradvertiser.com)
- Notable specialties: cupcakes; French macarons; stuffed cookies; cakes; custom wedding or celebration desserts; dessert bars. (staradvertiser.com)
- Flavor signal: local reporting specifically mentions lilikoi and ube macarons in 2025, and earlier coverage mentions ongoing experimentation with flavors. User-review summaries also repeatedly mention banana cream cupcake, Twix cupcake, and lilikoi-based desserts. (hawaiinewsnow.com)
- Price expectation: no official price level was supplied by Google, and I did not find a reliable published menu with current pricing. In traveler terms, this should be treated as a likely treat-stop or special-occasion bakery rather than a low-cost snack counter, but that is an inference from the product type, not a verified price claim. (staradvertiser.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limits: there is no strong evidence of a dedicated dietary niche like gluten-free or vegan baking. The menu appears centered on traditional baked sweets, so visitors with strict dietary restrictions should not assume broad accommodation without checking ahead. This is an inference from the sources, not a stated policy. (staradvertiser.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This appears to be a small, locally rooted bakery with a made-to-order feel, not a large dine-in café. The available evidence points to a boutique-style dessert shop in a marketplace setting on Manono Street, with a strong custom-order and celebration-dessert component. (staradvertiser.com)
- Service model and seating style: likely counter-service bakery retail with ordering for pickup and custom orders; I did not find reliable evidence of a large sit-down dining room. (alohabridalconnections.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: “cute cupcake boutique” is the clearest description found, and the business image in local coverage suggests a compact, hands-on bakery rather than a polished restaurant room. That said, firsthand atmosphere details from reliable third-party reviews are limited. (alohabridalconnections.com)
- Practical features: the bakery has a strong custom-dessert angle, including wedding and celebration orders, and recent reporting suggests large-volume production capacity for macarons when needed. (alohabridalconnections.com)
- Best fit: dessert stop, takeaway treat run, gift pick-up, or special-event ordering. (staradvertiser.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers wanting a full breakfast, lunch, or linger-long café experience may find it too specialized. That is an inference based on the source material’s dessert-heavy focus. (staradvertiser.com)
History & Background
Meaningful background does exist here. Local reporting says owner Nikki Kawahine / Nikki Savella is Hilo-born and raised, began by selling sweets from a two-bedroom house, and opened Cupcakes, Boom! in the Manono Marketplace after cupcakes “boomed” in popularity in 2013. Coverage also describes her as self-taught and frames the business as locally rooted, community-supported, and still growing nearly a decade later. (staradvertiser.com)
There is also expansion context: in 2024 and 2025, the business was profiled for making large quantities of macarons for the Made in Hawaii Festival, which suggests it has grown beyond a simple neighborhood bakery into a brand with wider recognition. (staradvertiser.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Review summaries and local coverage consistently point to strong love for the cupcakes themselves, especially the variety of flavors and the visual appeal of the desserts. Repeatedly mentioned favorites include banana cream, Twix, and lilikoi-based items, and the macarons also seem to be a signature strength. Reviewers and profiles also emphasize friendly service, owner involvement, and the ability to handle special orders like weddings on short notice. (wanderlog.com)
Common Gripes
I did not find strong, repeated negative themes from high-quality sources. That is important: the downside evidence is weak and mixed rather than clearly established. The main practical caution is not about quality, but about specialization — this is a dessert-first business, so it may not satisfy travelers looking for a broader café or meal experience. (staradvertiser.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours posture: Google Places lists Monday–Saturday, 6:00 AM–6:00 PM, with Sunday closed. Because bakery hours can drift, it would be smart to verify same-day hours before going. (staradvertiser.com)
- Walk-in vs. custom orders: the business appears comfortable with custom celebration orders, but also functions as a retail dessert shop. For special-event cakes or large orders, advance contact is the safer assumption. (alohabridalconnections.com)
- Best time to visit: early in the day is likely the safest bet if you want the fullest flavor selection, since the shop is known for rotating daily flavors. That timing advice is an inference from the “daily” flavor rotation, not an explicit published policy. (alohabridalconnections.com)
- Parking/location: the business is on Manono Street in Hilo and associated with the Manono Marketplace area, which should help travelers place it in town rather than on a remote side street. (staradvertiser.com)
- What to expect: think dessert counter, pickup-friendly stop, and celebration bakery rather than a full restaurant meal. (staradvertiser.com)
Verification Notes
- Google Places, the BBB profile, and local reporting all align on the name CUPCAKES, BOOM!, the Hilo location, and the main phone number. (staradvertiser.com)
- The BBB listing gives the suite as Ste 106 at 697 Manono St, while Google’s formatted address omits the suite number; this is a minor address-format difference, not a clear conflict. (bbb.org)
- Business status is operational in Google Places, and recent 2024–2025 local coverage supports that it is still active. (staradvertiser.com)
- No major verification issues found
Sources
- Google Places business details —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=908359617184833396— retrieved 2026-04-01. Most useful for baseline identity, status, address, phone, hours, and category signals. - Hawaii News Now, “What’s Cooking: Cupcakes, Boom! returns to Made in Hawaii Festival” —
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/08/09/whats-cooking-cupcakes-boom-returns-made-in-hawaii-festival/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for current activity, owner quote, and product focus including cupcakes, French macarons, and cake designs. - Honolulu Star-Advertiser / Hawaii Tribune-Herald, “Hilo baker on a mission to make 30,000 macarons for Oahu festival” —
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/08/13/hawaii-news/hilo-baker-on-a-mission-to-make-30,000-macarons-for-oahu-festival/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for origin story, local roots, business history, and evidence of scale/recognition. - Aloha Bridal Connections vendor profile —
https://alohabridalconnections.com/vendors/cupcakes-boutique/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for custom-order scope, made-to-order claim, and the note that flavors change daily. - BBB Business Profile —
https://www.bbb.org/us/hi/hilo/profile/retail-bakers/cupcakes-boom--1296-53074032— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for alternate address formatting, business start date, and entity/management details.
