Overview
Sconees Bakery is a long-running neighborhood bakery in Kaimukī on Oʻahu, at 1117 12th Ave. The Google Places record shows it as operational, with daytime hours and a phone number still active in the listing, which fits the independent bakery profile rather than a dine-in restaurant. (restaurantji.com)
For travelers, the draw is specific: this is a local sweet-shop stop known primarily for scones, plus a small set of bakery items that have built a loyal following over time. It is not a broad breakfast café or a destination for a large sit-down meal; it is more of a focused, old-school bakery visit. (honolulumagazine.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Sconees’ lane is straightforward bakery fare with a strong identity around scones and a few signature pastry items. The best-supported specialty story is that the bakery has sold scones for decades, and that fruit bars were later added and became notable in their own right, especially the lemon and lilikoʻi versions. (honolulumagazine.com)
- Overall menu style: compact bakery counter focused on scones and a small set of sweets rather than a full café menu. (honolulumagazine.com)
- Notable items: scones; fruit pockets; lemon bars; lilikoʻi bars; guava bars; cornbread; cheese pockets; brownies; white chocolate bars; custard pies are also mentioned in review summaries. (honolulumagazine.com)
- Traveler spend expectations: best understood as a low-cost bakery stop; available evidence describes prices as reasonable, but no official menu or price list was available in the material reviewed. (restaurantji.com)
- Dietary usefulness or limits: the bakery appears to be most useful for people seeking classic sweet baked goods; there is no strong evidence of robust gluten-free, vegan, or savory meal coverage from the sources reviewed. (restaurantji.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This is a compact neighborhood bakery, not a large café or lounge. The experience, based on the evidence, is best thought of as counter-service takeout with a quick stop feel, though some third-party listings also describe it as cozy and welcoming. (restaurantji.com)
- Service model and seating: takeout is clearly supported in third-party listings; no reservation structure is indicated. Seating, if any, is not well documented in the sources reviewed. (restaurantji.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: described as cozy and neighborhood-oriented rather than polished or upscale. The physical brand is more about familiarity and repeat local traffic than design. (honolulumagazine.com)
- Practical features: hours run early and end mid-afternoon, which favors breakfast or late-morning visits. Google Places shows daily opening, and third-party listings echo that pattern. (restaurantji.com)
- Best fit: a quick breakfast stop, coffee-and-pastry pickup, or dessert run for someone specifically looking for a well-known local bakery item. (honolulumagazine.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers wanting a full brunch menu, a scenic sit-down meal, or a broad pastry case with many dietary options. (restaurantji.com)
History & Background
Sconees has meaningful local history. Honolulu Magazine noted in 2014 that the bakery had been on 12th Avenue since 1999 and that the main draw was still the scones; the same article said they are more like sweet biscuits than the classic tea scone, which helps explain the bakery’s style. The same reporting also identified Gary Chong as the buyer-operator who eventually ran the bakery and credited him with adding fruit bars. (honolulumagazine.com)
A later Honolulu Magazine piece described Chong as one of four investors who bought the bakery about 20 years earlier and said the original owner had been a former head baker at Liberty House. That gives Sconees a fairly classic Honolulu bakery lineage: local ownership, continuity of signature items, and incremental additions rather than a total reinvention. (honolulumagazine.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
The strongest pattern is loyalty to the scones and fruit bars. Review summaries repeatedly describe the scones as buttery, light, and among the best on Oʻahu, while the lemon and lilikoʻi bars get especially consistent praise. The bakery’s appeal seems to come from familiar, not-too-fussy sweets done in a dependable way. (restaurantji.com)
Common Gripes
The main caution that appears in secondary commentary is texture preference: some people find the scones on the drier side, while regulars seem to like them specifically because they are more biscuit-like than delicate tea scones. That complaint is real but looks preference-driven rather than a broad quality failure. Evidence for other downsides is limited and mixed. (wanderlog.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours: the listing shows early opening and a mid-afternoon close, so this is best treated as a morning or early-lunch stop. Sunday opens later than the rest of the week. (restaurantji.com)
- Walk-in expectations: no reservation system is indicated; this appears to be a walk-in bakery counter stop. (restaurantji.com)
- Order timing: if you want the best selection, go earlier in the day rather than near closing. That is an inference from the bakery’s limited daily hours and the nature of bakery inventory. (restaurantji.com)
- What to prioritize: if you only buy a few things, the most consistently supported items are the scones and fruit bars, especially lemon and lilikoʻi. (honolulumagazine.com)
- Fit for travelers: best for a quick bakery stop in Kaimukī rather than a lingering meal. (honolulumagazine.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name, address, and phone match across Google Places, Restaurantji, and BBB: Sconees Bakery, 1117 12th Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816, (808) 734-4024. (restaurantji.com)
- Google Places shows the business as OPERATIONAL; no credible closure signal was found. (restaurantji.com)
- No official website was identified in the research set, so the website field remains unconfirmed rather than known to be absent. (restaurantji.com)
Sources
- Google Places / place details for Sconees Bakery —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=4700730690822951531— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for baseline identity, address, phone, hours, business status, rating, and the editorial summary that anchors the bakery’s core specialty. - Honolulu Magazine, “12 Unexpected Desserts to Try at Your Favorite Local Bakeries” —
https://www.honolulumagazine.com/13-unexpected-desserts-to-try-at-your-favorite-local-bakeries/— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for the bakery’s history, Gary Chong’s role, the original owner lineage, and the best-supported specialty items like fruit bars and the longstanding scone focus. - Honolulu Magazine, “Kaimuki’s Sweetest Street” —
https://www.honolulumagazine.com/kaimukis-sweetest-street/— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for local context, the bakery’s place in Kaimukī, and the description of the scones as more biscuit-like than traditional tea scones. - Restaurantji listing for Sconees Bakery —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/honolulu/sconees-bakery-/— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for a secondary check on hours, takeout orientation, and the recurring review themes around scones, lemon bars, and value. Some claims here are summary-level and should be treated as secondary inference rather than primary fact. - BBB Business Profile for Sconees Bakery Inc —
https://www.bbb.org/us/hi/honolulu/profile/retail-bakers/sconees-bakery-inc-1296-53010577— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for identity confirmation, address formatting, and the Gary Chong business-management listing.
