2 Kauaʻi, Oʻahu shops score in top 5 spots in U.S.: Yelp

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Six Hawaiʻi coffeehouses landed on Yelp’s 2025 Top 100 Coffee Shops list, and two of Hawaii’s own broke into the coveted top five.

That kind of national spotlight highlights what locals have long known. Coffee in Hawaiʻi is more than a drink; it is community, story and aloha.

The top three that landed in the top include:

• Rainbeau Jo’s in Līhuʻe ranked #3 overall to make it the highest Hawaiʻi shop on the list.
• Makua Banana Bread in Haleʻiwa on Oʻahu followed close behind at #5.

The rest of our best coffee houses include:

• Koana in Mountain View on Hawaiʻi Island rounded out the top five with a #28 placement.
• First Wave Coffee on Maui came in at #85,
• Coffee Cove in Hauʻula on Oʻahu at #94.
• Greenwell Farms in Kealakekua on Hawaiʻi Island at #99.

National spotlight

Yelp’s Top 100 Coffee Shops, released just ahead of National Coffee Day on Sept. 29, tracks both coffee trends and community favorites across the United States.

This year’s list reflects everything from matcha mania to banana lattes, along with the growing importance of coffeehouses as community gathering places.

Hawaiʻi’s six inclusions stand out in part because of the state’s rich relationship with coffee and the role local shops play in everyday life.

Rainbeau Jo’s story

Coming in at number three for the entire U.S. is Rainbeau Jo’s on Kauaʻi. Jo, co-owner of Rainbeau Jo’s coffeehouse in Līhuʻe, said the shop began with a simple desire.

“Rainbeau just started with a passion for coffee serving our community,” she said. “Just having an outlet to be a part of our community and serve the people that are so good to us.”

Beau, co-owner of Rainbeau Jo’s, traced the journey back to their first venture 12 years ago when everything all began with humble beginnings.

“We came from Washington state originally. And so, we had an opportunity to open up our small coffee truck,” Beau explained. “The original coffee truck on the island back in 2013. And it’s just been an exciting journey.”

Jo and Beau credit their success to the connections they have built over the years in their community.

“I think a lot of the passion is just our community,” Jo said. “We always say we get to drink coffee and become best friends with everyone who walks through our door.”

Recognition and gratitude

When asked about ranking third in the nation, Jo admitted the recognition was more than just a pleasant surprise. It was a moment that left them humbled and reflective.

“I think we’re so pretty shocked,” she said. “It is very, very beautiful and very humbling.”

For Beau, the honor also underscored the strength and resilience of Hawaiʻi’s wider community of small businesses, many of which face similar challenges and triumphs.

“There’s a lot of amazing local small business coffee shops and just regular just restaurants and small businesses out there that deserve all these groceries as well,” he said. “We’re grateful to be seen, but we know what it means to these small businesses to see this live.”

Beyond accolades, Jo said the heart of Rainbeau Jo’s has always been the people who walk through their doors and the voices of customers who share their experiences.

“It’s incredible. It’s just really special that people take time out of their day, out of their lives, to sprinkle joy into ours because every review means so much to small businesses,” she explained. “And I think sometimes people don’t realize that their reviews mean so much. Like we’ve literally cried. We’ve literally danced. We’ve literally had moments where these reviews are the rainbows of our days.”

You can click here to see Yelp’s full top 100 listings.

More than coffee

For Beau, the heart of Rainbeau Jo’s is more than the coffee itself. It’s the atmosphere they’ve worked to cultivate from day one and the kind of welcome that turns a simple stop for caffeine into a daily ritual.

“The experience has always been brought from the greeting to people, whether it’s from the window, from the food truck, or when you’re walking in the door to our flagship coffee shop. It’s been incredible to, over the years, start everyone’s mornings.”

He added, “The real magic of what we do has less to do with the coffee, and the food has more to do with the connections that are made with the people in the moments that we get to spend together.”

Jo agreed. “We view our shop as our home and we want people to always just feel at home when they walk in, and we have incredible employees that echo that and just show aloha.”

Even after a decade of growth, Beau said what keeps Rainbeau Jo’s running is the balance between creativity and hospitality which he said is a partnership that defines everything they do.

“This is a dynamic duo,” Beau said. “My name is Beau. This is my wife, Joe. We are Rainbeau Jo’s and she is really creating this coffee and all the concoctions behind the scenes. I’m striving to bring elevated hospitality to everybody that walks in the door.”

For Jo, it comes back to one thing. “We all deserve to feel special.”