Kona’s Coffee: A Hawaiian Paradise in Himeji

Posted on 12/22/2023 Last updated on 01/11/2024

Photo Credit: Jenna Kaita

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while being here in Japan, it’s that everyone loves Hawaii. Mentioning my hometown has always been a great way to make conversation, instantly connect with people, and make lots of friends (who always insist on stowing away in my luggage the next time I go home). Still, I can’t help but get homesick for the islands sometimes. But whenever I do, I always go to Kona’s Coffee to satisfy my cravings for Hawaii-style food.

Photo Credit: コナズ珈琲姫路 via Google Maps

About Kona’s Coffee!

Kona’s Coffee is a Hawaiian pancake café that serves pancakes, popular Hawaii dishes, and coffee! It has a cute, island vibe that you can see in many brunch places in Hawaii and some Hawaii inspired décor as well. The outside is decorated with palm trees, a little garden lined with lava rocks, and some surfboards. Plus, there’s even a cute bench to take pictures in front of at the Himeji location!
But let’s talk about the most important thing—the food!!

Photo Credit: Jenna Kaita

Pancakes!

They have a wide variety of pancakes to try including their special coffee flavored Kona Farm Pancakes, Tiramisu pancakes, and a customizable pancake option as well. All of these come with a mountain of whipped cream and are so incredibly delicious. If you want to try their pancakes, I highly recommend that you come with a friend unless you have a really, really sweet tooth because the pancakes are definitely on the fluffier side and they give you a rather generous portion. However, any of these sweet treats will pair nicely with a cup of coffee that they grind in house!

Photo Credit: Jenna Kaita

Coffee!

The coffee is so amazing here and genuinely tastes like home! The Kona Coffee beans are freshly roasted and ground at each location. You can choose the way you want your coffee brewed (hand drip, French press) and they make it to order. My recommendation is the Kona’sアレ (Kona’s Café Au Lait) that has Kona Coffee and milk! The milk comes on the side, so you can pour in as much as you like. I like to make cute swirling patterns in my cup, but my success varies (haha).

Main Dishes!

Photo Credit: Jenna Kaita

Kona’s main dishes are the real reason I keep coming back here. While you can never beat food on the islands, these dishes come pretty close. Some of their main dish local classics include Loco Moco, Mochiko Chicken, and of course, Garlic Grilled Shrimp Plates. There are some other items like burgers and eggs benedict that are just as tasty as well. If you do go, I highly recommend the Garlic Grilled Shrimp or the Mochiko Chicken. Sometimes, the advertised mochiko chicken in Japan is just karaage with a different name, but Kona’s mochiko chicken feels the closest to the one I know (so far).

Getting There (Locations)!

Luckily, there are a lot of Kona’s Coffee locations around Japan. On their website, they have locations across 22 prefectures, so you can find this restaurant in Tokyo, Osaka, Kumamoto, and even Okinawa! My usual location is the one in Iwabata-cho, Himeji and it’s about a 10 minute drive or a 13 minute bus ride from Himeji Station (or a 36 minute walk for the truly determined). Also, I recommend making a reservation in advance as it gets really busy on weekends during brunch hours.

Well, what are you waiting for?

For the Hawaii locals and lovers of traditional Hawaiian food, you won’t be able to find items like lau lau or lomi lomi salmon here, but you can still get some pretty “ono grindz” (that’s Hawaiian slang for really delicious food) here and feel like you’re in a nice café on the islands. Also, if you really feel homesick or want some Hawaii goods, there’s a little corner right by the cashier where they sell T-shirts, coffee, and some Hawaiian gecko dolls (I’ve definitely picked up a few)!