Nector Cafe - Hilo, Hawaii

K Pahl-Duffy

There are positives and negatives.
For the negatives, I went to the cafe at the back of the store to order and I was asked by staff to back to the front of the store to order at the touchscreen "kiosk", so it which was a bit odd to walk back to the front and then back to the cafe again.
The touchscreen is hard to see with its low light and glare due to being at the entrance. It would make more sense to have the screen right in front of the cafe area at the back and have a sign at the cafe saying "looking to order? Use the touchscreen just behind you".
Unfortunately the coffee wasn't particularly great, although the staff did seem very busy so I don't necessarily blame the staff for that.
I ended up waiting about 10-15 minutes for just a coffee & cookie which is one of the longest waits I've had in Hawaii in the few weeks I've been here.
I ordered something else, but it was out of stock and hadn't been updated on the touchscreen.
There's also no option to use dine in cups/mugs even if you intend to sit in; takeaway cups were the only option given at the touchscreen kiosk, but with how busy the staff were I imagine they wouldn't have much extra time to wash up glasses, etc., so it's honestly fair enough.
On the positive side though, the atmosphere was really lovely! I enjoyed the art and colours everywhere. It's a great place to walk around and look at the art while drinking a coffee.

Kit Neil

What a whimsical store that caters to the spiritual soul! Tarot cards, crystals, candles, smudge sticks, even a little cafe in the back! Staff was friendly, everything super organized and clean. Overall awesome vibe at the Nector Cafe, go check it out!! ?

Joe C

Atmosphere is nice here. Beautiful art work throughout the store and cafe.
There was some seating inside and some outside.
We got our food and coffee pretty quick despite reading reviews where people felt it was quite slow.
We ordered from the tablet at the front but the ladies working were friendly and attentive. They even brought us our coffee while we were browsing through the store.
The food was also good. We got two bubbles waffles and the chicken sandwich on sourdough bread. The waffles were not too sweet which was nice and the sandwich was actually a lot larger than we thought it would be. The only thing I’d say about the sandwich is that it was a bit hard to eat with the chunks of breaded chicken. Cutting them in pieces I feel would make it easier to eat or using a fillet.
The only gripe I really had was there was no public bathroom. I really wanted to wash my hands after eating and couldn’t.

Tara Hashemi

It is nestled behind a gift shop, but the order screen is right at the entrance of the gift shop. I prefer to give my coffee order verbally and didn't appreciate the order stand, although the options were pretty good and you could adjust everything in your order.

The place is cute and very hip looking but the latte was bad. It was espresso and milk simply mixed, no foam or froth. Even after I made a note to the staff when I took my first sip, they reassured me that I was having a latte with frothed milk... It definitely was not frothed milk (or very lightly foamed). I would pass on the drinks but cute enough to visit once

Darian Stephens

This is my third visit to the big island and the first time bringing my daughters. I was so excited to bring them to Nector! I’ve had food/drinks here maybe 7-8 times now and never been disappointed. I love the mermaid latte but this time we all had a lemonade. I can’t believe I never tried them before! They were beautiful and so delicious. The baristas are always nice and helpful and the ambience is great. My husband doesn’t love the coffee but he is used to plain old gas station coffee so I’m not surprised. He does love the ice cream though and I think the coffee is great! Wait times can be longer than other places but that’s to be expected and worth it for the end product made fresh with real ingredients. This isn’t fast food, these are magical concoctions made with love for you. Perfection takes time!! We had several people ask where we got our gorgeous lemonade and we directed them all to Nector! Can’t wait for our next visit!

Flow Flowerz

Best locally grown coffee in Hilo. Organic, Locally grown, and the Cafe has food to die for. Best Bubble waffles on earth!! But look at these smoothie bowls…wow! I mean the level of effort put into these is top notch! So many healthy ingredients to choose from. So much attention to artistic detail. Look at the frozen rose ice-cube and edible glitter in the rose lemonade!

Keli Griffin

Excellent coffee/ brunch spot and shop. The food and service were unique and tasted fantastic. I loved the unique jewlery, stones and trinkets as well. I would recommend!

Robbie Harris

I find it really frustrating when businesses don’t allow customers to use the restroom. Everyone has to use the restroom, and being told 'no' when you really need to go is not only uncomfortable but feels incredibly inconsiderate. It’s hard to justify spending money at a place that doesn’t provide basic amenities for its customers. A little understanding and compassion in these situations would go a long way.