kulu kulu

The amazing things about cake in Honolulu, probably due to high Asian population is that it is not overly sweet. Kulu is a nice little place in shirokiya. Their cake are on the airy side and not too heavy or sweet just how I like it

Can you ever have a bad experience here at Kulu Kulu? I think not!!! This is by far is my most favorite bakery on the entire island. Everything is perfectly made to perfection. I sometimes feel like there is a lil Japanese fairy in the back creating a piece of heaven just for me! Every time I get my favorite thing ever which is the diamond head custard cream puff I swear I die and go to heaven for a good minute or so lol Tonight I went w/​my hub who I had to stop from devouring the one that I limited us to (we’re semi on a diet) lol As I was sipping on some water I looked up only to find my hub giving me that guilty look lol He didn’t realize how good it was… Your Welcome!!!
Ugh why do you have to be so far from where I live! It makes the drive worth it… a whole hour and a half lol
Whoever you are my Japanese Kulu Kulu Fairy… don’t stop the beat cuz I’m coming back for more

Best roll cake in Hawaii? I am not sure about that, but my matcha roll was pretty damn good.
Agnes would probably say:
It’s so fluffy, I’m gonna die!
The cake had a consistency of a chiffon cake.
The delicious semi bitter matcha was definitely there! The cream was light and tasty. I had to stop myself from finishing the cream. There was also some kind of jelly inside the roll.
4 stars! I want to go back for the strawberry roll.
Kulu kulu was yummylicious!

Horrible customer service. Older woman working served the patrons before us, and as it was my husbands turn to order, she looked at him and walked away, never returned to help. I personally used to go there a lot with my children. Because of this experience, we will not be spending our money here anymore. Please train your staff to treat everyone equally.

Delicious yet extremely kawaii desserts. Kulu kulu is the perfect place for those with a sweet tooth. They actually have two locations, one in Ala Moana’s Shirokiya and the other location is in Waikiki (about a block away from discovery bay). They have an endless selection of cakes and they also sell whole cakes (made to order + you can personalize them too!)
Drinks: In addition to their never ending selection of cakes, you’ll also find drinks. My personal favorite is the green tea jelly drink (+5/​5) It is served with either whole milk, soy milk, or hazelnut milk. You would then mix the jelly and break them into pieces with your straw and then slurp the delicious goodness concoction. My friend calls them little sweet guppies (metaphorically speaking about the consistency) For the coffee fanatics, there is also coffee flavored jelly! (+5/​5)
Waffles: For those on the go, they have bite sized mochi waffles with filling. These convenient poppers are soft, savory and sweet. We tried the custard, strawberry, green tea, chocolate, lilikoi, and guava filling. (However I noticed the fillings change every week) They’re enjoyable to eat because the waffle is shaped into animals such as seals and bears, this is perfect for the kids! (+4/​5)
November Special:
–Pumpkin Cheese Cake with cinnamon
–Pumpkin S’mores: Sweetly spiced pumpkin cream, melted chocolate and chewy gooey marshmallows, with layers of crispy pie crust, topped with whipped pumpkin cream.
–Pumpkin A La Mode: Chocolate sponge covered with pumpkin cream and whipped cream with crunchy Caramel Nuts.
December Special:
–They are now accepting pre-​orders on full sized cakes and for every order before December 18, you’ll receive 5% off your entire order (Lets think of it as not paying for taxes haha) I highly recommend their kona coffee tiramisu cake! (+5/​5)
Tip:
–They have a stamp card program. For every $ 5 spent on purchases you’ll receive one stamp in return. When you fill the entire card it becomes a $ 10 credit on any item of your choice! So don’t forget to ask for one (:

I’m a fan of cute things, awesome bakeries and yummy coffee… let me introduce you to Kulu Kulu, which is located on the ground floor of Shirokiya at Ala Moana Shopping Center, next to Brug.
Great to place to take an afternoon snack break from your shopping adventure. Kulu Kulu has a delicious coffee jelly latte and mini teddy bear mochi waffles (8 pcs for $ 4.50). Teddys filled with strawberry jam, cream cheese, azuki, kinachi with mochi, custard, chocolate, etc. After sampling one of each of these, our favorite was the kinako with mochi. Peanut butter powder sprinkled teddy bears with mochi inside… yum!
I dream of having coffee jelly lattes everyday because 1) they are sooo good! 2) I once read a sign «No Coffee, No Workee».I’m in total agreement of this and 3) they are sooo good! Sweetened coffee jelly with your choice of regular or soy milk. They also have coffee jelly flavored with hazelnut syrup, green tea lattes and milk tea. Jelly lattes are served with a fat straw to sip up the jelly drink goodness. Mix, mix, sip and ahhh… enjoy!

Enjoy getting a light snack or dessert from this bakery.
Moderately priced for dessert and tons of seating. The staff are friendly and wil surely help you make make a selection.
Recommend the Kulu Kulu (chocolate goodness), lilikoi bars, and strawberry cheesecake. They are very light and are great for sharing. The Cream Puffs are also good as they have a slight flaky crust.

Had the chocolate cream puff. Definitely can tell that it was freshly made. I fount the custard to be on the sweet side for my taste and I prefer the shell more eggy.

Although kinda pricey, most of the items that we’ve tried at Kulu Kulu were really good. Three things that I would recommend are their strawberry roll cake, green tea jelly drink, and the kulu kulu chocolate. The strawberry roll cake is very light and spongy… unlike some places that make it too sweet and dense. The green tea jelly drink is not overwhelmingly sweet and the green tea flavor in the jelly is relatively strong. We usually order it with soy milk and it comes out perfect! The kulu kulu chocolate totally reminds me of Royce’ chocolate from Japan! Rich, smooth, and absolutely melt-​in-​the-​mouth!!!

The wife’s review:
My very close friend came to Honolulu for work related purposes and stayed for about 2 weeks. For almost every night, we came to Kulu Kulu and tried many of their cakes between the three of us (husband was there too). Luckily, we came during their Kulu Kulu Zoo promotion so we got to try all 5 of their animal offerings; the lion was our favorite! A few other favorites included their strawberry shortcake, Diamond Head puff, Lilikoi Cheesecake, Kuru Kuru Chocolate, Soft Soufflé Cheese Cake, and Rare Cheese Cake Berries.
Since we usually came late to the bakery, around 8:30 pm, we probably haven’t seen ALL of their offerings. But what we were able to try, tasted yummy! Also, they offer stamp cards. For every $ 5 purchase, you earn a stamp. If you check-​in to Unilocal,you get 2 extra bonus stamps! Within a few visits, we were able to fill up a stamp card! And you’ll get $ 10 off your next purchase.

I wanted to get my kids those waffle filled bears. They were somewhat okay. Their desserts was really good. We bought a 6″ strawberry shortcake and that was the best yet compared to other japanese pastry shops. They had other desserts, such as cheesecake which was good, chocalate crème filled puff, and those animal rolls. Love the place will definitely go there again. Don’t forget your stamp card!
MOOD: satisfied!

I’m more of a savory than a sweet person so I don’t often go to straight up bakery’s unless they sell breads too but every time I see people post here, things look tasty and adorable. Recently I saw a post on Instagram about August being KuluKuku Zoo with some animal themed pastries and told my boyfriend we had to go. The universe must of wanted me to get there because I would up at Ala Moana only a day later, eating lunch in Shirokiya, when I realized Kulu Kulu was literally around the corner. My girlfriend agreed to let me try so we went over to take a look. I have to admit, a lot of things looked tasty and were well priced. They were also good sized where you could try a few. Even though I wanted to try the puffs cheesecakes and other assorted rolls & goodies, I limited myself to one zoo animal. I went with the matcha gator, an adorable alligator slice of matcha cake with a creamy ‘teeth’ center. It was like a green tea cheesecake/​tiramisu almost. Super yummy! I’m a big a fan of green tea and as a NYer love cheesecake so this was up my alley for sure. Simple, clean flavor. Like I said, I’m more of a cheese and fruit plate gal but I can’t wait to go back and try more!
*Get a stamp card: you earn a discount after a certain amount of lunches and there is a bonus on punches for checking in on Unilocal!*

Cute food for cute people. And even if you are not cute there’s a cute dessert sitting there for you just blinking its cute little eyes saying «eat me, eat me» in a teeny-​tiny cute voice. If any sort of pastries could have eyes and teeny tiny voices, it’s the pastries at Kulu Kulu… so Kawaii!
I guess I don’t have to post any pictures seeing there’s already some 683 pictures but yeah, I’ll just go ahead, why not? Same reason that I need to lose weight, but just one tiny cheesecake, yeah, why not? Pay the $ 5.00 for a slice of Rare Cheese Strawberry Cheesecake, why not!
You can always find something here to eat/​try/​buy/​bribe your boss with. This is like a cross between Japan-​marries-​France-​and-​has-​a-​cute-​baby-​with-​a-​panda-​face-​wearing-​strawberry-​headbands. Freakin’ CUTE. The stuff in the glass cases yell «I am the cutest dessert, pick me!» and «You know you WANT ME, DON’T YOU? DON’T LIE!!» If you don’t buy me the visions of sugarplum cuteness will haunt your sleep dancing in their lacy petticoats at 2 AM!
If you don’t believe me, just go there. Even the pink striped awning looks edible. It’s like Hansel and Gretel for adults. Pay the pastry chefs a giant compliment by burping loudly, as they are required to do in France. Even if you are in Hawaii, you are allowed to do this as they are officially serving French pastries.

I’m not usually a decadent sweets or a squishy treats person… but kulukulu takes the cake (haha) in this domain. Coming from a girl that doesn’t like sweet things? That says a lot.
So I told my friend I don’t really like cake. I’m just not a cake person or a cream person like, I’m not someone who can eat a cup of flavored whipped cream (some of you know what I’m talking about) and I don’t do custard either.
If there’s any dessert I eat, it has to have some kind real substance to it – at least a moderate bit of chewing, unless it’s ice cream because of course, chewing and ice cream is a no no, lol.
SO – I get the chocolate cake at kulukulu which I’m not the most pleased about. For one, I don’t like cake because a lot of times it’s too squishy for me. Two, I can’t do chocolate because it’s going to be too sweet. Three, I really don’t like frosting. I take the first bite and, BUM BuM bummmm… it’s somehow amazing. lol.
The chocolate cake, as was my friend’s suggestion, reminded me of Tiramisu. it wasn’t too sweet. The frosting wasn’t unbearable. The cake itself had a good «heft» to it like it wasn’t overly fluffy and airy. The whole thing was just awesome.
I can’t wait to try more things there, but I am a little disappointed that they don’t have coffee jello (not the liquidy drink one). My favorite coffee jello used to come from here on the right hand side before they were kulukulu I think.
Other than that the service was fine and I can’t say much about the location. It’s within Shirokiya and there was ample seating when I went. The prices were seriously kind of high… and perhaps it’s worth it, perhaps not. I’m undecided on that because after all, I was extremely satisfied with my cake when I pretty much dislike cake on a normal basis. Was that a lucky pick? Or is everything amazing and probably indicates a very high quality and standard of baking? I don’t know yet. $ 4+ dollars for that slice of cake seems a bit much no matter how good it was.
This is why I’m hesitant to give five stars at the moment. I’m very lip-​biting about the prices and it’s weighing a bit more for me than my satisfaction with the cake. I’m going to have to come back and try different things before I decide if I’m really satisfied with that price or not.

Fancy desserts everywhere. This is what you experience at kulukulu. There is a wide variety to choose from. Everything looks so good and I bet it is. We got the Kulukulu Chocolate and the baked lilikoi. The chocolate is the #1 recommended dessert to try. It’s like a truffle; melts in your mouth. It went well with my hot coffee. The baked lilikoi is like a pound cake with a passion fruit flavor. That too was Ono.
So much to choose from but can’t try everything at once. A must visit again.
4****

My second visit to Kulu Kulu, it’s a love affair for sure. This place is not overwhelming with sugary stuff but rather keeps you wanting more. The lilikoi chocolate melts in your mouth. Friendly staff and lots a sitting area. I feel like I just stepped into Japan or some place in Asia, totally cool experience. My BFF and I are coming back!

I LOVE desserts. I guess that makes me a dessertaholic. I dread the day my doctor tells me that I’m diabetic (fingers, toes and everything else crossed) because I’d miss out on all the yummy goodness Kulu Kulu offers. Until that day comes, I’m choosing to eat only the best desserts. Kulu Kulu has some of that going on.
This place is a dessertaholic’s kryptonite (at least this one)!! When my sweet tooth is aching I look to Kulu Kulu to fill that hankering. I come for the Japanese cheesecake (soufflé), green tea tiramisu and the Kona mocha rolls. Unlike most pastries out there, these pastries are light, airy, creamy and just enough sweetness to put an end to that sweet craving. I’ve literally have had all their desserts here and by far the ones listed above are my favorites. Pair those bad boys with a strong cup of coffee and you’re good to go. Unlike American pastries, these desserts do not give me the «sleepies» at all.
Staff here aew extremely friendly when I’ve stopped by and always asking if I’d like to sample the goods. Prices are a bit high ($ 4.25 for the cheesecake and tiramisu and $ 3.25 for the Kona mocha roll). I don’t mind that price since they’re pretty darn tasty and satisfying. Now if it was something that I needed on a daily basis… that $ 4.25 would rack up pretty fast but since it isn’t, I can deal with that price point.
Seating here is not always optimal. There are a few tables (hardly bussed) and you’d be lucky if you can find seating here on at peak hours (brunch, lunch and dinner). The few times I’ve been lucky to score a table it wasn’t as pleasant to maintain prolonged conversation because of the noise level and foot traffic. Kulu Kulu is located on the first floor of Shirokiya and next to Brug bakery.

I love this place. Everything that I’ve had so far has been scrumptious. It’s located inside Shirokiya at the Ala Moana Center, mall level. They have this little sitting area where you can sit and eat your cake after ordering it from the counter.
Don’t forget to ask for your stamp card if you purchase from here. You fill up the card and get $ 10 off your order.
My all time favorite is the rare berries cheese cake. It’s a light and fluffy cheese cake topped with mixed berries in a gelatin. One bite and I was hooked. Some of my other faves are strawberry shortcake, soft soufflé cheese cake and chestnut cake. I also tried the green tea tiramisu but found it bitter. It might have been better if they had made it a little sweeter to balance out the bitterness.
When I’m here, I always get my drink, which would be the green tea jelly latte. OMG! They have these plastic cups with sweetened gelatin coated on the sides of it. When you order your drink you can get it with regular or soy milk. They add ice and the milk of your choice. Then, you scrape the sides of the cup with your straw and mix it with the milk. Yummers! If you’re wondering, I always get mine with soy milk.

Truth be told, I love this place to grab a coffee drink when I am shopping at Ala Moana Center. The customer service at the Starbucks at Macy’s is so irritating and slow. I never understood why that particular location is so slow and yet seems to have more baristas behind the counter than other Starbucks.
I enjoy the Iced Coffee at Kulu Kulu because it is good strong and smooth coffee. Starbucks coffee can sometimes have a burnt flavor. The Iced Green Tea here is super yummy with matcha inside.
I am also a fan of the little filled pastries shaped as bears. These are so cute and so perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth while shopping. Although I’ve never tried their shaved ice desserts, they all look delicious and huge. Seriously, they ate enough for three people to share.
With tables and chairs available inside Shirokiya, Kulu Kulu is a great place to enjoy coffee and dessert while taking a break and refueling from shopping.

How can you go wrong with a popular bakery inside the biggest japanese market in town? I have no idea but somehow Kulu Kulu pulls it off.
I ordered sooo many different items to take home and share with everyone and only a single one of them was any good. Some were average, some were poor and a few were absolutely aweful.
The mocheese was the only one I can say I actually liked, which was a mochi filled with cheesecake. It wasn’t great, but it was good. We had some sort of baked cream puff with pumpkin filling and a baked lilikoi bar, both of which were average. We also had a bunch of the mini waffle bear things and these were just bland and boring. Lastly we had the green tea tiramisu which shows up in a few reviews and this was straight up gross. We cut it in to pieces so everyone could try it and everyone made the most disgusted face when they put it in their mouth. I just spit it out it was so nasty.
Overall, I very much disliked this bakery. Would I come back here again? «Methinks not.»