Bean About Town

Tucked behind the perfume counters of DFS Galleria in Waikiki, Bean About Town is a circular room with a dramatically low ceiling and a nature mural overhead, and stepping inside feels like a European escape from the mall around it. The seating is well-cushioned and spaced for privacy. No annoying cafe music plays over the speakers. The room is peaceful and sophisticated, hidden in plain sight in one of the most tourist-heavy blocks in Honolulu. Owner Olivier is welcoming and dedicated, and the menu is printed in Olelo, the Hawaiian language.

The coffee program is serious. Olivier sources his own beans, including 100% Kona Red Bourbon and SL34 varieties from a single estate, plus Panama Gesha when available. Order the Hawaiian pour-over for the Kona, or the Panama Gesha pour-over if you want to see what the bean can do. The Oat milk Shakarato, a shaken espresso with oat milk, is the house signature. A flat white with oat milk and an oat milk mocha cover the milk-drink side. The rose latte is worth ordering at least once. Pastry: house-made canele with the crackly caramelized crust.

A regular has called it the best work spot in Waikiki, and it lives up to that for remote workers and staycationers willing to settle into the back. European-style coffee customers find their people here. Daily local pickup customers come for the beans. Kona enthusiasts come for the Red Bourbon. Tourists looking for an alternative to the beachfront chains find a quieter scene that takes coffee seriously.

Two caveats worth surfacing. There's a 12.75% dine-in service charge that catches some customers off guard at the register, and the mall location confuses first-time visitors who expect a streetfront cafe. Walk past the perfume, follow the curve of the floorplan, and look for the low ceiling and the mural. The room and the coffee are what you came for, even if the path through DFS feels strange the first time.