You’ve probably seen the motivational posters with captions like, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” At Journey Cafe Big Island, your taste buds are destined for a journey savoring culinary delights.
Journey Cafe Big Island is a small cafe in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and first opened its doors in 2019. They serve farm-to-fork plant-based foods and feature meat substitutes on their menu. Journey Cafe Big Island sources local farmers for seasonal products and creates its menu around fresh produce. The result is mouth-watering, healthy meals that are vegan and gluten-free. Even if you snub your nose at this type of eatery, we believe you’ll find something on their menu that will amaze your palate.
Even the ambiance of Journey Cafe Big Island radiates goodness and vibrancy. This quaint cafe is cozy, clean, and decorated in a shabby chic style. A white brick wall has several shelves decorated with books and art. Against the wall is a comfy couch with several tables and chairs for guests. The service bar has a whitewashed shiplap and a cream-colored counter with chairs for sipping drinks or dining solo. Adding a lovely rustic feel to the cafe are several ceiling beams stained to match the shiplap of the counter area.
As serene and delightful as the cafe’s setting is, more important is what customers say about the food. Let’s examine some standouts at Journey Cafe Big Island.
Mac n Cheese
Journey Cafe Big Island created a Japanese-Western rice gratin dish. They take farm-fresh vegetables like hearty jackfruit, mushrooms, or Brussels sprouts and cover them with macadamia nut-based cheese. Next, they bake it until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Who says vegans can’t enjoy comfort food?
Breakfast Wrap
The wrap is gluten-free and is stuffed with tofu scramble, walnut sausage, salsa, and cheese.
Jackfruit Tacos
Jackfruit tastes sweet, is crunchy, and is popular in Malaysian dishes. Journey Cafe Big Island serves three tacos made with hand-pulled jackfruit and mushroom fajitas, pico de gallo, jalapeno, pickled onions, and garden salad.
Journey’s Pizza
Journey Cafe Big Island makes its crust using a wild-caught sourdough culture that makes digesting easier. Atop the crust, they add marinara sauce, chili papas, kale, mozzarella, fresh basil, cashew Parmesan, crushed red pepper, roasted garlic, and micro-greens. A balsamic reduction is drizzled over the pie to top this popular pizza.
Beverages
Try one of their handcrafted drinks to go along with your meal. They offer Hawaiian Ginger Kombucha, Hibiscus Tea, and Hawaiian Grape Kombucha. All drinks use natural ingredients and organic cane sugar.
While Journey Cafe Big Island is small, they are big on preparing flavorful, vegetable-based meals. If you’re looking for healthy, locally sourced food made to order, you owe it to yourself to dine at Journey Cafe Big Island.
Insider Tip:
Be sure to save room for dessert! Step next door to the sister shop, Sweet Journey Soft Serve. All ice cream uses locally sourced ingredients, is organic, plant-based, and dairy-free.