Fresh Café

40 minutes and still waiting on my food. This is pretty ridiculous. Great looking place too bad the quality doesn’t match.

$ 10 Happy Hour Martini?!
How the heck?
Downtown is known for affordable pau hana happy hours. Take your $ 10 and get a few drinks somewhere else.
Don’t sit outside, the smell is unbearable, I think there’s dumpsters right on the other side of the fence. The servers spray this soapy srpay to mask it but it ends up making the entire patio smell like a public restroom.
Anyways. .Here are some affordable happy hours nearby
Manifest ($ 5 Drinks)
Bar 35 ($ 4 Martini)
Grodin ($ 6 Martini)
Downbeat ($ 6 Drinks)

The food is a 1-​star experience, but the location and decent prices bottles of wine bump it up to 2 stars.
We got the pesto pasta with chicken. I’ve had better food on an airplane. The pesto was out of a jar, no taste of fresh basil (irony) no bits of nuts, nothing but green tasteless flecks. The stale tasting pasta seemed like it was about 2 days old. It was soggy but hard in spots. There was about 3 tomatoes in there. The tiny chunks of chicken were barely detectable. For $ 15. I expected more.
We got a $ 22 bottle of Pinot Grigio, and at least that was good. The service was decent, we say at the empty bar, then a small group came in towards the end. I think last call for the kitchen was around 9.
I miss Indigo!!! (The previous restaurant).

You get the 5 stars in spite of the fact that you where out of food on my last trip…
Seems crazy.
You do great things
Pow wow
Is a gift to the world…
We have outdoor museums in kaakaako
Coffee is good concept is strong keep up your good work!!!

This is Fresh Café’s second location. And it is HUGE. Located on the left side of Nuuanu, you really cant miss this place. It takes up most of the block! Haha.
So at my most recent visit I came here on TACO TUESDAY. Cheap tacos available for $ 2, but of course they are small. Menu is extremely limited on Tuesday. I wish they offered their usual menu along with the Taco Tuesday specials.
[[ SHRIMP TACO $ 2 ]]
Homemade salasa, mozzarella and cheddar cheese shredded lettuce on blue corn tortilla
[[ BEEF TACO $ 2 ]]
Homemade salasa, mozzarella and cheddar cheese shredded lettuce on blue corn tortilla

I’m not a coffee snob, so don’t expect super minute details in this review. I’m currently not on a diet, so I’ve been getting their iced Thai Latte. The one thing that sets their coffee apart from Starbucks, let’s say, is that even though the coffee is diluted with milk, ice and sweetener, flavor of coffee remains pretty profound. The flavor isn’t super bitter and there is a great amount of depth there. The atmosphere isn’t that inviting and maybe that was the establishment’s initial vision. I don’t really stick around too long anyway, so it doesn’t really bother me.
Last time I stopped by, I got their Plantation Iced Tea and it was rather good! I’d choose this place over Starbucks any day. However, if you’re in a rush or something, you may want to go elsewhere. There is usually only one barista making the coffee and watching the register, so it takes a while to get the drinks. But, unlike most baristas who are usually snotty as hell (like some MAC makeup artists), they are usually pretty pleasant. If you’re a «Chatty Cathy», this may also be another reason to go elsewhere because the (one) barista will be too busy to chit-​chat.
The reason I knocked off two stars is only based on today’s experience. My girlfriend got the Toddy with soy milk and for some reason, it tasted oddly sour to both of us. She threw hers away after drinking ¹⁄₃ of it and we just shared my latte. Other than that, I’d be more than willing to go back. Hopefully, we’ll have a much better experience next time.

I really love Fresh Café but I never see it very full for some reason but I have no idea why! The staff is always sweet and accommodating (even when they are nearing closing time which is a big deal!). We always get their pizzas because they are super awesome. The décor is cool and trendy (always new vibrant art on the walls) and they seem to have events quite a bit. My first time there, there was a reggae band coming on later in the evening. 3^rd time I just went for coffee and there was a painting class happening in the coffee bar. Super cool. I’ll have to make sure to have time to join in the festivities next time! (after my pizza fix, of course) :) Parking is always a thing down there though but that’s just what you get when you go downtown!

This place kicks some serious ass. I’m not going to spend too long on the interior, but it’s pretty big inside, but divided into different areas. I believe there is even an upstairs. It has a tropical bar-​type set up with amazing drinks.
Happy hour from 4 – 6:30 is amaze-​balls. They have 6 different drink specials. I highly recommend the Rumpunch martini at $ 3.50. For dudes, the gin a la fresca. They also have a good beer selection at happy hour prices. They have quite an extensive happy hour good menu as well.
The Hawaiian pizza was made from local products and tasted delicious. It was my first time having actual Hawaiian pizza! The jalapeño poppers and bacon wrapped happy hour appetizers were also really tasty. I’m a sucker for anything bacon, so when you put it on the happy hour menu I’m obligated.
To top it all off, John was amazing as our waiter and very attentive. He recommended the cookie ice cream in a skillet. I can’t remember it’s actual name, but it’s meant for two people. Imagine a colossal sized cookie, cooked to a soft gooey perfection with a scoop of cold, creamy ice cream on top melting into the cookie. I’m not a writer, but I’m serious it’s amazing.
Trivia kicks ass also. It’s not easy either. Romy is s great, interactive host!

I’ve been meaning to write this review for quite some time now and if I could give them 0 stars I would. I normally don’t even write reviews unless I love the place OR am super pissed off about my experience.
I came here for a work event and when I went to pay with my credit card they told me that my card didn’t work and that I would have to pay in cash. I paid with cash that night assuming my card didn’t work for some reason.
A few days later I checked my statement and noticed I was in fact charged, which means not only did I pay in cash, I paid with my card as well — DOUBLE paid.
I have tried FOUR times to be refunded by Fresh Café and they always apologize and say «Give me your information and we will call you back and fix this». It has been about three months since the event occurred and I’m still without my refund and pissed about it. I’ll definitely never return.

I haven’t been here in a while and was glad I stopped by. They tacos were simple, but tasty. I also order the mango honey wings. They were okay, but when I added the hot sauce for the tacos it made them tastier. I’m just not used to sweet tasting chicken wings that don’t have depth. They just need a little extra spice or flavor for contrast. You wanna feel a party in your mouth when you go to happy hour.

I recently attended a Unilocal elite event held at fresh café, where I decorated a fresh café mason jar. The purpose of decorating the mason jars and probably for holding the event in the first place was to get Unilocalers to come back to use the mason jars at the café. I carefully hot glued gold ribbon and fake pearls onto my jar, burning myself in the process, but excitedly anticipating the day I could come back to use my jar. Fresh café offered to hold onto our decorated jars and give us $ 5 off Soju drinks when we returned and requested to use our jars. I thought it was pretty neat that we could leave our jars there, thinking they’d be displayed somewhere or something. I asked how they would know it was mine and they had me write my name on a slip of paper and stick it in the jar. At the event, we had a great time; the service was great, food ok and we had fun «pimping out» our jars with decorations that Unilocal provided.
Two weeks later, I came back to use my beautiful jar and drink some yummy fruit soju. It didn’t happen. My jar was nowhere to be found. I was disappointed and sad that they had lost my jar. This great idea of decorating mason jars and having customers return to use the ones that they created was a great idea, but I gotta say, fresh café has terrible follow through. All I could do was shake my head.
I didn’t major in marketing, but I’m pretty sure this is not how you get customers to come back. It was a great idea and I have no complaints about the event, but I am so disappointed in the execution of fresh café’s great ideas and will probably not be returning.
Also, idk who at fresh café would think its a good idea to play freaking READING RAINBOW on the tv located above the bar. Yep, that happened. Smh.

Café fresh is located in Chinatown; close to public parking with «happy hour» prices after 530 on certain days.
We drove by Café Fresh but often pass it assuming they only serve coffee; boy I was wrong!
Café Fresh is huge! Divided into different sections– café/​pastries, bar & a restaurant.
The restaurant is very neat, chic and classy while the outdoor seating offers a very nice ambiance especially at night. (NOTE: there are homeless people relaxing across the street)
Customer service by the bartenders is okay, greeters are nice BUT service by the servers is superb! Servers were very accommodating, friendly and courteous; they really took care of us during our visit. Also, I highly recommend their chicken tacos! Yum!
All in all, whether you’re feeling casual or fancy, this place is worth a visit!

I’m generally not a fan of Chinatown, but that may need to change so I can get to Fresh Café more! We tried several of their menu items– papaya, pizza, tacos and wings… all delicious! The staff was super friendly and one of the owners, Tiffany, is delightful and very personable. She’s aiming to please and the changes they are making are great! I like the atmosphere here as well… it’s always been set up this way (remember Indigo people?). I think the best deal has to be happy hour! The drinks are original, delicious and decently priced! I’ll be coming back for more soju… don’t forget your mason jar!

This is a review of $ 2 taco Tuesday’s. I tried all three… hated the chicken and veggie tacos but somewhat liked the beef. The tacos were generally lacking in radishes/​salsa/​lettuce. Sup with that? Next time, Ill add radishes, etc., to a beef taco or order entrees.
On Tuesday night, this place had live music (dj playing hh/r&b inside, guitarists outside on its «restaurant side»). I totally forgot where I was situated thanks to a huge artsy gate separating the patio from hotel street. I’ve noticed this park being somewhat cleaner in recent weeks (As of this past week. Servers lit candles and were very attentive).
I tried and eventually liked the soft-​battered avocados and gin and ginger I sampled (wow-​delish!); however, my (nighttime) bellini had a lllot of st. germaine (which kinda grew on me). The menu also offers good beer (sapporo, etc) and wines.

This place has weird layout, mediocre food and slow service. First thing that hits you as you enter is that there is really no foyer, you walk in from Nuuanu and there you are in a largely empty diningroom. It turns out that the hostess stand is located at the back of the dining area between the dining room and the back patio. Finally got seated and looked over the menu, turns out they were out of soup, so I go with the burger and fries. The waiter tells me that it will take 15 minutes. I informed him that a medium=rare burger only takes about 8 minutes. He replies that it takes longer because it is bigger.
Got the burger and bit into a medium well burger with a tiny bit of pink meat in the center. Sure enough a medium-​rare burger does not take 15 minutes. As I finished up the water brought the bill adding that I looked like I was in a hurry. I paid and left.
As I walked away I noted that there was a separate coffee shop associated with fresh Café. I was going to get cheesecake elsewhere but thought i’d tried something new. So I asked the barista if she had desert. She said that I could have a muffin or a sundae. I ordered the sundae paid and waited, and waited. Another group of people ordered coffee and left so I finally asked where my sundae was. Petra went away and reported that they were waiting on the ice cream but offered an ice cream sandwich. So I told her that I thought she was just going to make the sundae since I had to get back to work. She refunded my $ 6 and I left.
Bad service is somewhat excusable if the restaurant is busy but Fresh Café was not busy also it is odd that they seemed to be short on food. Anyway, I probably will not be back.

I came here for a drink after my very last class for the semester with my classmates. We came with a fairly large group & it was the first time I’d been to this location at night.
HYPES:
Service was GREAT, drinks were reasonably priced, atmosphere decorated to target the hipster group, but what really blew me away was the live jazz music! Damn those boys are great! I looooove me some live music & I loooooove me some musicians that are playing for the love of music no matter how many ppl show up to watch. They were a treat. I just had a modelo, so I can’t review any food right now. But once I do, I’ll be sure to update. But this joint is cool in my book!
GRIPES:
None for now! :)
Stay FRESH, Fresh Café!

For the amount of time I spend in this area, I still can’t believe this was the first time I’ve been here. Husband and I came to Chinatown to look for a Haku lei. While wandering around, we thought we should probably eat lunch.
The restaurant wasn’t too busy especially for lunch time. We were seated immediately and drinks were promptly set after. I ordered the turkey pesto melt and tomato bisque combo. My husband ordered the tuna melt and bacon corn chowder combo. I also ordered him the Old Chinaman martini.
We both didn’t check in until after we ordered which is when we saw the Unilocal offer of free garlic parmesan fries with any entrée purchase. The food came out really fast.

Taco Tuesdays!
Atmosphere: Bar, café and restaurant all next to each other in Chinatown. Very comfortable and relaxed setting.
Service: The relaxed atmosphere translates also to there service. Be sure not to be in a rush if you’re coming here as things take some time.
Food: I came here on a Tuesday night and was lucky enough to stumble upon taco tuesdays. Only a $ 1 a taco!!! What a deal! I had one of each beef, chicken and veggie taco. The beef taco was great so moist and tender.
Intangibles: Great place to grab a drink and food. Come here to relax!

I loved absolutely everyone about this place; from the clean décor, ambience and their simple menu.
Food:
Pesto pasta w/​tofu: WOW such a huge portion, his will definitely fill you, just the right amount of pesto and it’s still light but filling.
BLAT w/​ciabatta bread: OMG love love love this sandwich, it’s got BACON & AVOCADO my two favorites things atm.
Corn chowder: this was okay a little on the bland side though
Tomato bisque: this was a okay as well, it kinda tasted like chef boyardee tomato-​ish
Garlic Aioli Fries with garlic oil: dang for 3.95 it’s a bang for your buck! This goes great with your sandwich!
I will most definitely be coming to eat here again. Great service and fast!

I just loved the bite of Fresh Café that I got to experience through the fresh nights Unilocal elite event so decided to come back and check it out! Plus, we were able to use some of our freebies and our new fresh card!
Their most amazing appetizer is the fried avocado. Delicious, piping hot avocado covered in breadcrumbs and FREE with your Fresh card!
The «Beet It» pizza was awesome! It was a light dinner: a flatbread pizza topped with beets, arugula and some cheese. It was delicious and the perfect amount of food if you also get an appetizer.
Justin really liked the Pasta Primavera with shrimp. Although I am not positive, the shrimp seemed super fresh (local maybe?) and had the shell still on. Tons of garlic and cream sauce with the veggies added to the flavor! I also loved the taste I had. The dish was great enough for Justin to order it again the next time we went… the true test of good taste!
Taco Tuesday is also a great deal! Your first three tacos are $ 1 and they are delicious! I got the veggie ones and they were full of flavor and filling.
Happy Hour is also great at Fresh! Craft beers are often on special and their house wine is delicious.
Great spot for a during-​the-​week meet up!

I work from home and rarely coffice anymore, but this may change now that I’ve discovered Fresh Café Coffee Bar Downtown. Attached to Fresh Café Downtown, the coffee bar portion is perfect for breaking up my workweek monotony because it’s not too busy and has lots of open tables for me to get some work done. I love the mix of music that they play as it’s all upbeat and energizing.
Leland was my barrista today and because I’ve recently given up caffeine, he made me a nice ginseng hot tea. They’ve got a nice selection of breakfast items which are available from 7am-​11am. Lunch from 11am-​2pm. I didn’t eat anything during my first visit but I perused the breakfast menu and saw that they also offer ½ portions on breakfast which I think is great! I can never finish an entire plate and this is a perfect way to try multiple things.
Parking is the only conundrum but there are lots of municipal lots nearby. I started today off with a breakfast meeting nearby and a lunch around the corner at noon. Fresh Café Coffee Bar is the perfect place to stop and focus on getting lots of stuff done before another meeting. Cheers to the revival of my cofficing and more productive days with great music!
Note: There’s a separate listing for Fresh Café but I created this listing because currently the coffee bar is only open until 2 pm.