Sweet potatoes are delicious, nutritious and hearty! Imagine my excitement when I discovered that Hawaii has an entire cafe dedicated to sweet potatoes! Hawaiian Sweet Potato Factory opened its doors in Honolulu in August 2017. It’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but it’s within walkable distance from the Ala Moana Center.
The cafe uses only local Hawaiian produces. Most of them from Twin Bridge Farms up in North Shore Haleiwa. Two types of sweet potatoes are featured here. The purple Okinawan sweet potatoes or Beni Aloha as they call them at the cafe. The other one is the Haleiwa kintoki, golden sweet potatoes with gorgeous red skins.
One thing that was difficult to miss was the large cellar in the back of the cafe. What is it for? Aging sweet potatoes! This was the first time I’ve heard of sweet potatoes being aged but it made sense. The cellar is set to an ideal temperature so the sweet potatoes can mature after they’ve been harvested. This process helps the starch in the sweet potato convert into sugar. This way the sweet potatoes are as sweet as they can be when roasted.
The cafe serves many food items made from these sweet potatoes. From sandwiches to pastries to desserts to drinks. We sampled a few things and they were so delicious!
- Roasted sweet potatoes: We first tried the roasted sweet potatoes. Freshly roasted and very sweet as expected.
- Boba drinks: Boba balls made from sweet potato starch. The Royal Purple has Beni Aloha, blueberries, acai and yogurt. A very hearty drink. The Sunshine Yellow is a lighter option with pineapple, mango, yellow bell pepper and lemon.
- Poni and kintoki scones: One made with Beni Aloha and blueberries, the other made with kintoki. Both delicious!
- Melon pan & cinnamon bun: The melon pan reminded me of Japan! So soft with the crunchy top. The cinnamon bun was great with chunks of Beni Aloha and glaze.
- Veggie sandwich: Sweet potato bread with local veggies and sweet potatoes. It looked a little too healthy to me, but this was actually my favorite. The breads were nice and soft and the veggies were so fresh and crisp. I devoured half of the sandwich quickly.
There were many more sweet potato items that we didn’t get to try. Next time I want to have their desserts! Their pies and puddings looked tasty. Thanks for your hosiptiality Hawaiian Sweet Potato Factory! I can’t wait until my next visit!
Hawaiian Sweet Potato Factory: 1440 Kapiolani Blvd, Suite 102, Honolulu, HI 96814
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