5 Refreshing Drink Cafes in Hilo, Hawai’i to Quench Thirst!
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Y’all know me. I’m a SoCal gal. I NEED my juice. It’s my favorite treat of the day and it is just the cherry on top of any travel experience for me. During my hectic 5 days on the Big Island, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to squeeze such a big island into my teeny tiny itinerary. I definitely needed to find some refreshing cafes in Hilo to help cool down.
The Island of Hawai’i, aka the Big Island, has a good amount of juice spots – it is one of the Hawaiian islands after all\ – but since the population is drastically lower than O’ahu or Maui, there noticeably weren’t as many GREAT options.
While bouncing around Hilo and that side of the island, I did have some not so amazing experiences. One cafe which had like 4.8/5 on Google didn’t acknowledge me for 10 minutes. At others, the drinks were just…gross. For lack of better words.
So to help you out on your next trip, I’ve compiled my personal favorite cafes in Hilo so you can have a great experience!
Best Cafes in Hilo
For this list, it is personal, so they are places I’ve been and had a good experience. They are they best to me. I have no relationship bias positive or negative toward any of them. None of them paid or invited me to visit. Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get into it!
So Juicy Hawai’i
- address: 239 Keawe St, Hilo, HI 96720
- hours: closed Saturday, Sunday, Monday | Tuesday-Friday 10am-3pm
If you can only go to ONE cafe in Hilo, make sure it’s So Juicy. They hands down have the BEST juice in Hilo. I even believe they’ve won some awards, but don’t quote me on that haha. They have cold pressed juices, wellness shots, as well as a range of grab-n-go food options so you can pick something up regardless of your timeline.
All of the ingredients are sourced local and they are adamant about putting the environment and sustainability at the forefront of their operations. And, an extra bonus, they are So Juicy Hawai’i is Native Hawaiian owned!
Sweet Cane Cafe
- address: 48 Kamana St, Hilo, HI 96720
- hours: daily 9am-4pm
Sweet Cane Cafe has a completely vegetarian menu, with many many many vegan options, so if you are a plant-based eater, this is probably one of the best food cafes in Hilo for you! Along with smoothies, juices, sandwiches, salads, and wraps, they also have a completely vegan and gluten-free bakery as well!
I popped in for a quick juice on the go, but what I immediately noticed was their stock of local food and trinkets items from small business on the island. Really cool spot to pick up a gift or souvenir as well!
The Sippin Siren
- address: 88 Kanoelehua Ave #A102, Hilo, HI 96720
- hours: closed Sunday | Monday-Friday 6am-2pm, Saturday 7am-2pm
I believe The Sippin Siren was started by two caffeine loving sisters, so the backstory is very cute and sweet. The employee who was working when I visited was sooo lovely. The menu was probably the most creative in the sense they have freezes, smoothies, and Italian sodas. And coffee drinks of course. They have a few bites as well, but not like a full meal type of deal.
Just a heads up though, it’s a very small shop and not too many seating areas. There was only one other person when I visited in the early afternoon (close to closing), but if you got in the morning with a large group, it might be a little cozier.
Coffee Girl
- address: 2100 Kanoelehua Ave A6, Hilo, HI 96720
- hours: closed Sunday | Monday-Friday 6am-5pm, Saturday 7am-5pm
But if you need coffee and drinks in the downtown area, Coffee Girl is one of the best cafes in Hilo downtown. They’re probably the most “social media” popular, because their space is absolutely stunning and very photogenic, but I also want to give them props for having such lovely staff. I felt very welcomed when I stopped by and enjoyed sitting and refreshing myself after window shopping downtown. But if you really gotta jet, you can even order ahead for quick pickup which is nice.
You’re not gonna really find juices here, but they have a wide wide range of coffees, teas, and lemonades. So basically everything else. They also have a fun rotating seasonal menu that was delicious! I didn’t end up ordering food, but you’ll find muffins, waffles, and toasts to go along with your drink.
Hilo Ice Coffee
- address: 213 Kalanianaole St, Hilo, HI 96720
- hours: Monday-Friday 7am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 7:30am-4pm
So I was literally just driving by and saw this little truck on the side of the road and immediately pull over. If I’m honest, I had actually just come from another cafe where the employees were in a backroom for like 10 minutes and I had no way to alert them a customer had walked in?? Also the drink I got was nasty so…double offense.
ANYWAYS, I needed something tasty to rebalance myself after that and I’m so glad I spotted Hilo Ice Coffee! It’s a small cafe truck in a small food truck pod with an even smaller parking lot that can fit maybe four or five cars? Though if it’s full you can park on the little side street just past the pod and walk over.
Hilo Ice Coffee of course has caffeinated drinks, and a great variety of them, but I grabbed their Calamansi juice. I hadn’t had any since my trip to El Nido in the Philippines and my mouth watered just seeing it on the menu. It was sooo perfectly sweet but not too sweet. The women working in the truck were amazing and so friendly. It seems like they have a lot of regulars which is another green flag!
Kava Republic
- address: 301 Keawe St, Hilo, HI 96720
- hours: Sunday-Wednesday 9am-9pm, Thursday-Saturday 9am-10pm
And last but not least on my favorite cafes in Hilo is Kava Republic. If you haven’t had kava (or ‘awa) before, it comes from a root plant that is technically part of the pepper family…but it doesn’t taste like pepper.
It just tastes like root.
Anyways, kava is native to the South Pacific and Hawai’i, so I thought why not? When in Hilo, right? I believe the owner of Kava Republic was born and raised in French Polynesia, so him and his daughter have been drinking kava basically their whole lives. There aren’t too many kava cafes in Hilo, but this is one of the highest recommended so I went here.
The staff was super friendly and explained everything, which was very welcoming and reassuring. They also have kava-tails (kava + hibiscus, kava chai, kava hot chocolate, etc etc), as well as coffees and teas. I think the most standout part, that earned Kava Republic a spot as one of the best cafes in Hilo, is that it is also a community third space. There’s weekly open mics, karaoke, poetry, live performances by local artists, and events that allow people to come together.
Bonus: What’s Shakin’
- address: 27-999 Mamalahoa Hwy, Pepeekeo, HI 96783
- hours: closed Sunday & Monday | Tuesday-Saturday 10am-3pm
Okay I lied I got one more! What’s Shakin’ is technicallyyyy not in Hilo proper, but it’s only 15 minutes away and you’ll probably pass it as you explore that area, so I wanted to give them a little shoutout on this post for cafes in Hilo.
This family owned cafe and smoothie stand sources their produce (including honey!) from their 20 acre fruit farm and everything else from other local businesses. That all folds into their juices and smoothies being absolutely PHENOMENAL and so refreshing!! You’ll want to get an extra one for the road! They’re also one of the few but mighty Black owned restaurants on Big Island, so you know you’ll get an extra helping of flavor!
Conclusion
Okay okay okay, now I’m for real done hahah. Hopefully this list has helped you get a good feel on where to go when you need a lil liquid pick-me-up refresher! Again, these were just my favorite cafes in Hilo, but if you have any favorites of your own, let me know in the comments below!
Also, let me know if you’re more of a juice person or a caffeine person? I actually don’t like coffee (I KNOWWW hold your gasps), but I’ve become a big fan of teas over the years. Still, I don’t think anything can beat a good juice in my eyes. I mean, clearly, I got a LOT of juice in just one day haha.
Anyways, I’ll stop rambling now. Thanks for reading!
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