Down to Earth Organic & Natural

Worst Acai Bowl I’ve had on the island so far, and I’ve had many. I got the Warrior bowl and all the fruit was frozen. It was terrible! Would not recommend, Lanakai is a little bland but overall much better. Da Spot has the best so far!

A good selection of products; nice, helpful staff; and a commitment to vegetarianism which leaves me comfortable knowing I can shop safely without having to scrutinize every single label; and a salad and hot bar I don’t have to study the bins alongside to see what possible cross contamination with meat I might have to worry about (nothing like biting into a chunk of meat in the middle of your vegetarian salad.)
There always seems to be parking, and the view from the outside seats is lovely across the Hamakua Bird Sanctuary.

Breakfast burrito — go get it! As an avid meat eater and food lover, I was hesitant to try the all vegetarian menu here… Now I can’t wait until my next trip to try more! The burrito was amazing and the amazing chocolate-​coconut pudding pie was exactly what I needed! I loved the I could pick up anything from meals to vitamins at Down to Earth! It was better than Whole Foods!

Love this place. Loved it before Whole Foods and love it after. Maybe even more so! I enjoy the quieter less chaotic scene, super helpful staff, awesome bulk selection and great deli options.
There are many things I get here which don’t exist elsewhere, including allergy-​friendly treats in the bakery cabinet.
The only thing I’ve tried here and wasn’t totally impressed with are their smoothies. Not sure how to describe them other than saying they taste more «earthy» than I like. So I go elsewhere for those. Also can’t get eggs here. Otherwise I’m a very happy shopper here!

The staff are always smiling, helpful and friendly. Great experience with customer service a the Kailua location.
Very much enjoy the monthly cooking class held at Kailua DTE. The instructors are share a wonderful array of recipes and share information on dietary variations for different dietary needs.
Kailua Down to Earth has that neighborhood family store feel. Almost like going to a big mom and pop owned store.

Love their hot food and salad bar! Staff is knowledgable about their products and always helpful.

I was so happy to have this so close by to where I was visiting. As a near vegan, this place was amazing. Made me think of home. So glad to find items to make my visit to the island very delightful. The hot bar is amazing. Must come.

This is tough
I like your concept
The food is good…
You don’t need your workers to drink the coolaid!!!
The idea that you hide your religious affiliations give it a cult feel.
Your employees are awesome,
It just seems like that Seinfeld with the cleaners!!!

Down to Earth is someplace I come to at least once a month for the random things on my grocery list. This is a very dependable place for my vegan/​organic needs.
The Kailua location is right on Hamakua Drive. The parking lot has a lot of stalls, but they are kind of tiny. This store is big (I think) compared to the Pearlridge location. The layout makes it very easy for me to shop at my leisure. The hot food/​deli is right at the front, so you are assaulted with the smells of delectable food. You can also order sandwiches and smoothies.
The rest of the store is short aisles and are very organized. The back of the store has the essential oils, vitamins, shampoo. AND the Hydro Flasks are located in the front by the cashiers. Check out the new colors!
The staff is always friendly and willing to help. The give suggestions and just are so great to talk to!
The food from the hot counter area has always been tasty. I have not had an opportunity to try the smoothies or made to order stuff. The quality of the veggies and fruit are on point. You definitely get what you pay for here.
I would definitely recommend coming here not just for organic & natural items, but for all your grocery needs!

If at all possible, I’d rather shop here than Whole Foods down the street. The staff is way friendlier, the aisles are cleaner and better organized and there is just a very positive vibe to the place. Even the customers who shop here are nicer. Shopping for yummy, healthy groceries should be a pleasant and peaceful experience, not a jam-​packed, cut-​throat race to the registers. I especially like that they do not sell meat or eggs and that they support local farmers and vendors as much as possible. They even give a discount if you order items by the case. And their frequent buyer program lets you earn points towards credit; you can spend it as you earn it or save up till you are ready to use it. The hot and cold bar rocks, too.

I always forget to go here at the beginning of my vacation and come to it in the end and wish I had gone sooner. I could go there every day! Smoothies, deli and hot bar are all good. I much prefer their smoothies over others available at other chain stores.
They also have non-​gmo papayas and other local fruits.
The other fun find was the local organize kombucha that is in tap. This location has 4 flavors on tap. Mango and ginger were a good combination together which I was able to blend myself at the self serve tap station.

Love this place!!! The products, the food, the smell, and the people. Calm, quiet and so Zen in here!!!

I love Down to Earth because its not a big box store. It has a little of everything and is not as overwhelming as say «the other» health food store. The staff is helpful and they make great oatmeal raisin cookies.

I woke this morning and there was the most lovely envelope on the nightstand beside my bed, my name was clearly printed in perfect calligraphy. I rubbed my eyes and lay looking at the washi paper trying to recall the night before. I picked it up, sniffed the amiable scent, and opened it…
«Dear Jeffery,» it began, «I don’t know how to begin to express my thanks to you. The things I see you trying to do for me shakes me to my core. After all this time together, to bare witness to the love you are so effortless displaying, brings me to the edge of tears. I want to tell you, I love you. Keep up the good work, all will pay dividends… I promise… my love.»
It was signed…“Your Body“
I try… try mind you… to do the right thing. I read, I study, I see the «caveman» diet that has become so prevalent in society. Yet, I want (Want mind you!) to be a vegetarian. My thinking has become so Shinto, that I apologize to the ants as I kill them, after all, they are only doing what ants do.
Do I need to consume raw flesh? Is it a need or a want (are the two mutually exclusive?) that drives me to this carnivorous desire? Or, is it the result of my environmental upbringing that tells me «…eat your meat. How can you have any pudding, if you don’t eat your meat?» This is now stuck in my head! Mahalo Pink Floyd!
I have now, for the past five months, been in training. Not any physical training (other than my regular workouts) but using «Premack’s Principal»…which states: «More probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors.» It’s the same principle I use to train my dogs. I go vegetarian for three days, then reward myself with the best quality pork, steak, lamb, etc. after that period. I think I am now ready for the next step!
Down to Earth is exactly what you would think. Rows and isles filled with vegetarian and vegan options (I will never give up cheese or eggs! NEVER!). The cliental, my limited observation, is more on the hippy side, which I have no problem, it would seem that most of the men (again, in my limited experience) might need the bras that the woman have forsaken?! Handle bar mustaches and facial and body hair a given (on both!). No one seems to care and I like that, a laid back atmosphere, where each can be who they are.
My first trip here produced a veggie burger that was passable once covered in a volcanic lava flow of Jack and Cheddar cheese, and topped with maitake (they look like flowers!) mushrooms. I could drop bison like Forman dropped Frazier. As a added bonus, it would be cost effective (financially responsible!). I added oven roasted red-​jacket potatoes (and dropped my side salad!) as I felt the need to reward myself (Jeffery! You are a good boy… who you callin «Boy»…but thank you.) and it was a nice addition. My thinking was that if someone other than myself had prepared this meal and I had no knowledge of the ingredients… I would have never guessed.
So one step forward… Down to Earth… just don’t expect me to grow a Dali anytime soon.
I lay the letter down and crawled from my bed, did some stretching and harnessed my dogs. I skipped rope for about ten minutes and took them for a run. Returning home, I found a note taped to my door. It read…
«What about me? All this time of me taking care of you! Putting up with your silly assed escapades! You had better watch yourself mister! You only got one, and that’s ME!»
It was signed…“Your Liver“
Aloha

While working in Kailua, Down to Earth was so convenient to picking up some lunch since it was right next door. Despite the fact that it was a little pricey, it felt great knowing the fact that I was eating organic food. I tried their mock chicken salad wrap that I saw on Unilocal before coming here and it was DELICIOUS! I couldn’t believe that something so healthy could taste SO good! They have a hot bar as well, and I picked up a breakfast burrito to try one morning which was just as yummy! I actually wanted to try a slice of their pizza which were pretty huge, but I never got a chance to do so.

This has become our go-​to place. Their sandwiches are excellent.
The veggie burgers are really good, with options as to what veggie patty you want. We really like the «Amy» patty. The sprouts they use are really fresh as well as the other veggies. Yummy.
For groceries, their choices are varied and carefully chosen. A place for those who are especially particular with good quality.
Their salad bar and warm food bars are really good. They even have a vegan pancit! Not easy to achieve.
Down side: no wine.
But despite the absence of wine, I wish we have them in Berkekey.

Always a great has most of what you want place with easy shopping and in and out. Food bar always a pleasant surprise along with favorites as baked goods are great. A bit too much variation between offerings at the 3 Oahu locations for whatever reasons but the Kailua outlet is great for Kailua and most all needed. Don’t forget the deli options. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating on the backside outside gets a lot of road noise so go for the marsh side.

I love Down to Earth. Before I even moved to Oahu my sister introduced me to this local gem back in 2004. We would always stop and get their avocado & cheese sandwiches or salad from the salad bar. When I moved here in 2010 I discovered their free cooking classes! The wonderful Cynthia Cruz taught a monthly class at the Pearlridge location & now teaches at Kapolei as well. Definitely look into these classes & the Kailua «coffee talks». Their events are very informative and wonderful resources for your healthy lifestyle goals. Try their pumpkin bars, the Life Foods wraps, Dragonfruit smoothies, and red curry soup (just some of my favorites).

I LOVE this store! They have my favorite soda Zevia and chips, which were on sale. They have an AWESOME hot food bar and salad bar. They also have a huge smoothie and juice bar and you can order sandwiches. One night I had eggplant parm from the hot food bar and it was DELICIOUS. Another time I had the mock chicken wrap which was also VERY good. It could have used more sauce and tomatoes, but it hit the spot. Their pizza by the slice is $ 4.59 but at the end of the day it’s marked down to $ 2.29 if there’s any left. We stopped in and got a piece to have for lunch the next day. There is plenty of seating inside and out. Didn’t grocery shop much but we did eat lunch and dinner here 3X while on vacation. Although I am not a strict vegetarian, I like what they stand for per the sign in the back of the store.

Of course the place is over priced, what would one expect? I’d read an article recently mentioning how refined, overly-​processed, preservative laden foods are «cheap» which makes actual organic/​wholesome/​nutrient dense/​less processed foods seem very expensive. Okay, let’s just say for lack of options; I’ll go with that.
I tend to prefer to park in the metered stalls right up front though they do offer free parking in the back.
I was able to find the items I’d been looking for however, the variety wasn’t as good as my usual, Whole Foods Market store. The service was great. What a relief it was to have employees actually ask me if I needed help then to show me where I needed to go instead of just pointing the way.
The hot bar was a bit disappointing. 1 out of the 5 menu selections I picked up was tasty. Not a good ratio. Though I didn’t purchase anything from, they did offer a med sized salad bar, a soup bar, pizza and dessert. Oh, don’t buy the vegetable chips from the «serve yourself». Compared to the ones I’ve picked up in the past from other places, they were really lacking in texture and flavor.
Overall though, I do recommend this place to those who prefer organic, whole and vegan or vegetarian foods. The location is very convenient and as an added bonus, the seats right up front are a nice place to sit and unwind, maybe enjoy a dessert after a long day and before returning to the Honolulu traffic scene.