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The best Neighbor Island bakeries

By Catherine Toth Fox • September 27, 2013 • #CatTravels, Food

komoda

Born and raised on Oahu to a family who loves to eat sweets, I’ve been to my share of bakeries on the island.

I have memories of going to Manoa Bakery as a kid for stick donuts, one of my dad’s favorites, and Valley High Bakery in Kalihi Valley for butter rolls.

I remember the long johns at 9th Avenue Bakery and the giant glazed donuts from Kimuraya Bakery, both in Kaimuki.

While those bakeries have been long closed — and sorely missed — that hasn’t stopped me from trying every bakery that’s popped up since then.

In fact, visiting bakeries could be listed as one of my favorite pastimes, along with surfing and hiking with my dogs.

But as much as I travel to the Neighbor Islands, I haven’t been to too many bake shops there. And I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m always there on assignment or to visit family and never really have time to explore the neighborhood bakeries. Sure, I’ve been to the most famous ones — like Komoda Bakery on Maui (above) and Punaluu Bake Shop in Naalehu on the Big Island. But that’s about it.

So I’m throwing this out there: where are the best bakeries on the other islands? And what should I order the next time I’m there?

This is good to know!

bakeriesbest bakeries on the Neighbor IslandsHawaiiKomoda BakeryMauiNeighbor IslandToth
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Weekend Dish: Spanish rolls

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Catherine Toth Fox

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10 Comments

  • Reply Curtis September 27, 2013 at 10:55 am

    Robert’s Bakery in Hilo was good. I loved the Peach Bavarian cake from there but it closed long ago.
    KTA on Puainako has a nice bakery in it. The baked manju and turnovers are good from there.

  • Reply sugar September 27, 2013 at 11:02 am

    Short n Sweet in Hilo!! ‘Cause look at this stupid-cute hamburger!

    https://sugarandshake.com/hamburger-in-hilo/

    I always get the Chocolate Truffle Cookies (I need to learn how to make them…) but you-know-who always buys up their “Pop Tarts.” He’s such a sucker for those. (I gotta learn to make those, too.)

  • Reply De September 27, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    Stllwell’s on Maui. Don’t know what they call it but similar to puffies from the Wailua bakery.

    • Reply BC September 27, 2013 at 2:16 pm

      Creamed Horns from Stillwell’s. Excellent.

  • Reply soogs September 27, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    daylight donuts on rice street next to ace hardware. they got humangous apple fritters the size of your face. and my favorite is a donut that looks like a pine cone. glazed, of course. mmmmm…glaze…..

    i read that they are owned by the same guys who run the bread and deli connection at kukui grove. they make the best sandwiches there.

  • Reply Pam September 27, 2013 at 9:44 pm

    The florentine from Stillwell’s is the bomb. And the butter rolls, cheese bread & pan de sal from Four Sister’s bakery

  • Reply Annoddah Dave September 28, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    CAT: I don’t remember Kanemitsu in Kaimuki, but do remember Kimuraya.

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 30, 2013 at 2:01 pm

      Yep, I made a mistake. Ugh. Thanks for the ping!

  • Reply A.T. September 29, 2013 at 12:50 pm

    I remember eating an orange cake glazed donut from 9th Avenue Bakery that my U.H. professor and writer Don Weller brought to class one day back in 1978ish. It must have weighed 5lbs but it was the best donut I ever had to this day.
    I also remember that Holy Bakery had a store in Manoa somewhere and although they were famous for their pies (the butta ones) they also sold tubs of chocolate chip cookies. Those cookies were ono they tasted like a crunchy See’s candy cookies.

  • Reply KAN September 30, 2013 at 7:18 am

    Not a bakery per se, but I’ve heard the malassadas at Tex’s Drive In in Honoka`a are worth the drive.

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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