Overview
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Makakilo is a neighborhood coffee-and-tea stop in Kapolei on Oahu’s Leeward Coast. It is a branch of the Hawaii-operated Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf system, not a one-off local café, so travelers should expect a familiar chain format with Hawaiian-specific operations and a menu built around coffee, tea, blended drinks, and light food. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
For travelers, it matters mainly as a practical early-opening café in the Makakilo/Kapolei area: useful for breakfast coffee, a quick cold drink, or a low-friction stop before driving, errands, or work. The Google record shows it as operational with a strong rating and modest review volume, which fits a stable everyday café rather than a destination restaurant. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
This place sits squarely in the coffeehouse lane: espresso drinks, lattes, cold brew, tea drinks, and the chain’s well-known Ice Blended-style frozen drinks. The Hawaii site also says the local operation includes “onolicious fresh food offerings made locally at our kitchen,” which suggests a broader grab-and-go café case rather than drinks alone. (coffeebean.com)
- Overall menu style: coffeehouse chain with espresso drinks, tea drinks, frozen blended beverages, and light pastries/snacks. (coffeebean.com)
- Notable items with support: Cafe Latte, Mocha Ice Blended, Cold Brew Coffee, Cold Brew Tea featuring Mango, Caramel Cold Brew Latte, Americano, hot Chai Tea Latte, White Chocolate Ice Blended, Flavored Apricot Ceylon, and Today’s Brew are all supported across official or review-derived menu references. (coffeebean.com)
- Food examples: official Hawaii menu pages show pastries and light food such as croissant, blueberry bagel, almond croissant imagery, chicken caesar wrap, and chinese chicken salad, indicating a café meal rather than a full restaurant menu. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- Price expectations: Google lists a price level of 1, so travelers should expect low-to-moderate café spending rather than an expensive sit-down meal. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: the menu is easiest for coffee drinkers, tea drinkers, and people wanting simple lighter food; there is no strong evidence here of broad vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free specialization, so those needs may be only partially served. This is an inference from the menu mix rather than an explicit claim by the store. (coffeebean.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This looks like a standard café rather than a full-service restaurant: order at the counter, grab a drink, and either take it to go or stay for a short visit. The official site explicitly notes outdoor seating, Wi‑Fi, rewards, gift cards, mobile payments, and order-ahead/delivery pathways, which makes it more of a functional coffee stop than a linger-all-day café. (coffeebean.com)
- Service model and seating: counter-service café with takeout, delivery, outdoor seating, Wi‑Fi, rewards, and mobile payment support. (coffeebean.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: the source set does not give a strong interior description, but the overall picture is a familiar chain coffeehouse with a practical neighborhood feel rather than a chef-driven or design-forward destination. This is an inference from the brand and the available evidence. (coffeebean.com)
- Best fit: breakfast coffee, a quick tea or blended drink, an easy weekday stop, or a convenient caffeine break while moving around Kapolei/Makakilo. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers looking for a distinctive local dining experience, a destination meal, or a long sit-down lunch with a deep kitchen menu. The evidence points to a café-first format. (coffeebean.com)
History & Background
The Hawaii operator says The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is a “California born and brewed” family-run specialty coffee and tea retailer that was brought to Hawaii in 2005. That gives this location a clear chain-and-franchise context, with local Hawaii operation layered on top of a long-running mainland brand. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
The recurring praise is straightforward: friendly staff, quick service, and drinks people come back for. Tripadvisor reviews for this location mention “nice workers,” excellent service, and a strong Americano; Restaurantji’s summary also repeats that the staff is friendly, attentive, and patient, with drinks described as tasty. The positive pattern looks consistent, though the strongest firsthand review evidence is older and the overall review count is not huge. (tripadvisor.com)
Common Gripes
There are no major, well-supported complaint themes in the material gathered for this location. The main limitation is that the downside signal is thin: review volume is modest, and the available summaries skew positive. One practical caution comes indirectly from Uber Eats, which marks the location unavailable on Uber Eats as of March 1, 2021, so delivery availability may not be dependable through that platform. (ubereats.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours: official Hawaii store hours are Monday–Saturday 5:30 am–7:00 pm and Sunday 6:30 am–7:00 pm. Google matches those hours. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- Best time to go: early morning if you want the quietest, most useful window for coffee before commuting or sightseeing; this is a reasonable inference from the opening time and weekday-oriented reviews. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- Ordering expectations: walk-in counter service is the default, with order-ahead and delivery pathways advertised on the official site, though third-party delivery availability may vary. (coffeebean.com)
- Parking / access: the address is on Makakilo Drive in Kapolei; it reads as a neighborhood roadway stop rather than a mall anchor. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- Convenience features: Wi‑Fi, outdoor seating, rewards, gift cards, and mobile payments are supported. (coffeebean.com)
- Practical caution: if you were hoping for a fuller meal or a highly local coffee identity, this is more chain café than destination café. (coffeebean.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name and contact details line up across Google and the Hawaii store page: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Makakilo, 92-585 Makakilo Drive, Kapolei, HI 96707, (808) 672-8819. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- Google shows the business as OPERATIONAL; no closure signal was found in the official store page. (coffeebeanhawaii.com)
- The only meaningful caveat is delivery/platform drift: Uber Eats lists the location as closed on its platform as of March 1, 2021, even though the store itself appears operational. (ubereats.com)
Sources
- The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Hawaii — Makakilo store page —
https://coffeebeanhawaii.com/store-location/makakilo— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Best source for official hours, phone, address, and local amenities. - The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf corporate store page for 92-585 Makakilo Drive —
https://www.coffeebean.com/store/hi/kapolei/92-585-makakilo-drive— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Best source for amenities and chain menu examples tied to this location. - Uber Eats listing for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (92-585 Makakilo Dr) —
https://www.ubereats.com/store/the-coffee-bean-%26-tea-leaf-92-585-makakilo-dr/_XPIc69_TMecPuLeXxa04w— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Useful for delivery-status drift and a menu-category snapshot. - The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Hawaii — About Us —
https://coffeebeanhawaii.com/about-us— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Best source for Hawaii ownership/context and the 2005 local expansion story. - Tripadvisor listing for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Kapolei —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60654-d4636194-Reviews-The_Coffee_Bean_Tea_Leaf-Kapolei_Oahu_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Useful for recurring praise about service and favorite drinks. - Restaurantji listing for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Makakilo —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/ewa-beach/the-coffee-bean-and-tea-leaf-/— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Useful for review-summary patterns and examples of favored drinks.
