While this Haleiwa establishment is indeed a “bakery and juice bar,” it’s also much, much more than that. Sure, we enjoyed the super-fresh smoothies and some of the best-baked goods we’ve ever had at Waialua Bakery & Juice Bar, but it’s also the place to go for tasty acai bowls, healthy sandwiches, and even create-your-own ice cream sandwiches.
Located off Kamehameha Highway next to Malawa market in a historic North Shore surf town, this quaint open-air gem is the perfect stop for breakfast or lunch—or to stock up on sustenance for a day of hiking or at the beach.
There’s a reason (well, many of them) why locals and visitors alike flock to Waialua Bakery & Juice Bar.
For starters, while the location may be small, the menu is huge with something for everyone—including vegetarians, vegans, and people with dietary restrictions. Everything we tried was wholesome and delicious, and the prices can’t be beaten. We challenge you to find better smoothies for $5, while most of the hearty sandwiches loaded with fillings are less than $10. Craving something sweet? How about an ice cream sandwich made with your choice of homemade cookies and ice cream flavor for just $3.50?
And then there’s the friendly and welcoming customer service. Waialua Bakery & Juice Bar is a very popular (and busy!) spot, and yet they’ll treat you like family—even when they’re swarmed.
As if you needed one more reason to check out Waialua Bakery & Juice Bar, here’s the best part: Not only are all the bread, cookies, ice cream, pesto, hummus, and veggie burgers on the menu at this family-owned and operated café scratch-made, but all the fruits and veggies are actually grown on the family farm. We’re talking tomatoes, papayas, bananas, mangos, avocados, sprouts, eggplants, wheatgrass, lemons, limes, and more. So when we say the food is fresh, we mean it!
Let’s backtrack a bit to talk about the homemade bread selections. Waialua Bakery & Juice Bar absolutely delivers on its tagline of having “the best buns on the North Shore.” In addition to classics like sliced white and wheat bread, they also offer mouthwatering buns baked daily in flavors like jalapeño, pesto wheat, and potato rosemary. And we challenge you not to swoon looking over the tantalizing pastry display case.
We loved everything we sampled at Waialua Bakery & Juice Bar, but here are a few of the standouts:
Beachcomber Cookie
Soft, chewy, moist, delicious….pretty much every adjective you’d want to describe a cookie applies to this one. And they’re just $1—so stock up!
Banana Bread Pudding – One very satisfied customer hailed this as “life-changing.” (Just a heads-up that they sell out of this one quickly!)
The Hungry Hawaiian Sandwich
Piled high with oven-roasted chicken, mozzarella cheese, bacon, lettuce tomato, sprouts, sweet onion, mayo, and mustard, you’ll be thinking about this one long after your return to the mainland.
Green Room Smoothie
Looking for something packed with nutrition yet tasty, too? This lush smoothie featuring almond milk, kale, papaya, mango, wheatgrass, spirulina, and honey is so delicious you won’t even notice that it’s good for you.
Soursop Lemonade
If you’re lucky enough to be there when the soursop is in season, this refreshing beverage is an absolute must.
The Ice Cream Sandwich
We went with two chocolate chip macadamia cookies “sandwiching” the creamiest vanilla ice cream. To die for!
One last thing to keep in mind? When Waialua Bakery is crowded, the line can move slowly so be sure to plan ahead. (But believe us when we say it’s worth the wait!)
Insider Tips:
-Make sure to stop by the ATM before your visit because Waialua Bakery is cash-only. (If you do forget, there’s a convenient ATM at the market next door.)
-Waialua Bakery is small and can be easy to miss. Driving toward the beach, it’s on the right side of the road—just after Spaghettini restaurant.
-Waialua Bakery’s operating hours can be somewhat limited so be sure to confirm whether they’re open before stopping by.