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Ahhh the memories of this place. My dad used to pick up the newspaper and bring me home a gingerbread man practically everyday. Now that I think back, I never got sick of it. Whenever friends from the mainland would visit we would always send them off with their famous macadamia nut cookies.
Fast forward 30 odd some years. What was just a bakery/motel is now a restaurant and sushi bar. This place is clean but old and worn out with jaded waiteresses. The food is local favorite heaven. The loco moco is the best around. On a recent trip home, my friend wolfed his down in about a minute (I am not lying, cross my heart, hope to die). He said he couldn't even remember what it tasted like. I on the other hand, enjoyed it leisurely. Their ox-tail soup also gives many Oahu eateries a hard rub. I never ate the sushi here (I go to Kintaro's), so I can't comment on that.
When on Kauai, do as the locals do...go to Tip Top.
What is there not to like at this local's hangout? You could say it is dark inside and that there is not a lick of atmosphere but does that really count when they have the absolute best mac-nut pancakes on the island? You could knock how close all of the tables are to one another but who cares when you tuck into a huge, filling version of Loco Moco?
The Tip Top is a joyous place to have a great breakfast. Seeing all of the families gathering together to share a meal is an event that I think surpasses any helicopter ride. The food is hearty and delicious and they even serve a decent cup of coffee. What more do you need?
People thought this was:
You walk in, and seat yourself in a place that doesn't look like much. The waitress will shove some menus in your hand. Another waitress will walk by with a cart and fill your water. Little do you know, you are about to have one of the best breakfasts in your life!
The Banana Macadamia nut pancakes were kick ass. The Ox tail soup was utter happiness. If I could chose the restaurant to eat my one last meal on earth, I would be strongly tempted to choose this one. My last breakfast on earth? Hands down, this place!
Best Loco Moco ever!!!
I would not recommend eating here for lunch. My Shrimp Tempura came with frozen peas and carrots - the same kind I had nightmares about as a child. I wish I had tried their breakfast.
Banana-macadamia nut pancakes were the best. The flavors were perfectly subtle and blended perfectly with the mix. My corn beef hash breakfast was great, but the sausage breakfast was slightly on the small side. My boyfriend was pretty hungry afterwards!
5 stars, best loco moco i've ever had. mmm mmm so good. The macademia pankcake was the bomb too. This place was packed full of locals so you know its good based on that alone. We also tried the ox tail soup. Bomb digity! All of these choices were listed as local favorites n such.
After 6 days of food-hell in Kaua'i, I decided to give food in Kaua'i one last chance before we flew home. I wished I came here earlier! We're all lucky that I came here for breakfast AND lunch the same day because now I can honestly give Tip Top Motel Cafe 5 stars!
It is barebone when you enter the building. On the right there's a small rack with various cheap plastic toys and another rack filled with 1lb bags of macadamia nut cookies (buy these as souvenirs - no one wants the tired poor quality chocolate mac nuts anymore). On the left is the cashier and baked-goods behind glass. In the far back is narrow deli fridge ideally filled with eclairs/creme puffs/guava jam if the former two are not sold out (which they were when we finally decided we wanted them). You enter the cafe on the right and we were told to sit down at a booth right away.
Waitresses in carts (almost like dimsum carts) wheeled us coffee and water. I had a good time reading the menu and voyeuring other tables. As some of you know, I'm a sucker for things in GIANT bowls. Hovever, since we were snorkeling right after breakfast, I couldn't convince myself to get the oxtail soup (which my dad makes an excellent version anyway). I'm also a sucker for large helpings of things and a group of male high school athletes were all eating loco mocos. However, I put my lust aside and I had the banana macadamia nut pancake for breakfast and my bf had the regular pancake with a side of bacon. We each received 2 large pancakes that are slightly crispy on the edges (my favorite). The bacon was also extra cripsy (my style). I was happy I had that for breakfast - and it was cheap!
We decided not to check out the Spouting Horn as we rushed back to Tip Top for lunch that day. We sat ourselves down, and I was trying to decide btw the oxtail soup and the locomoco. I almost ordered them both, but since we were getting poor, I decided on the locomoco. And yes that was the best meal of this trip. My bf said it wasn't flavorful, but I don't like my meals too salty so this was perfect! After I inhaled this, I lusted after the oxtail soup wishing they were open for dinner as well. (They turn into a sushi joint for dinner which the prices were pretty reasonable).
At the cashier, we bought 4 bags of the macadamia nut cookies (5.95/lb) as souvenirs, but unfortunately missed out on the eclair. The cashier recommended the most giant and delicious fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookie I've ever nibbled on after a full meal (and that's saying something). I was depressed however because we were going for Halo Halo shaved ice right after and had to save some room for that... sigh...
I would eat here everyday and just go down the menu the next time I'm in Kaua'i.
Like everyone else, I stopped by here to try their Macadamia Nut Pancakes. Not bad, but would have been better if I didn't have my Auntie from Hanalei saying the whole time, "Eh - you make that at home! Just trow in da nuts!"
Sigh.
To her credit, she did make a better breakfast at home, and no one can match her homemade spam musubi. Mmmm. Still, if you are in Lihue and you feel like a decent diner breakfast, this is a pretty good place to try.
People thought this was:
Came here on a recommendation from a former resident of Kauai. Kitschy casual place to eat. Pancakes and oxtail soup was good. Although the oxtail was a bit fatty, the soup flavor was tasty. I would recommend this place for breakfast. Service was good too.
BEST Macadamia Nut Pancakes EVER.....EVER!
I am in love. I regret that I did not get to eat breakfast here everyday of my last trip. The last time I went here I got there a bit late and they stop serving breakfast. I wanted to cry. I ended up ordering chicken, and Tom got the grilled mahi mahi. It was so suprisingly delicious, and best of all, SO CHEAP.
I will definitely make it a goal of mine to eat here everyday when I go back.
During our trip to Kauai, we yelped every restaurant before we tried it out. This place looked a little sketchy, but we tried it anyways based on the reviews. And we are so glad that we did! We loved their ox tail soup!
We came here to have breakfast one day before heading out to Poipu beach for snorkeling. The cafe is a part of a "motel 6" like establishment. When we walked in, there was a bakery with the cash register. The cafe was on the right side. There was a sign to seat ourselves and we did. We picked up the menu on the table and ordered a half bowl of oxtail soup and a loco moco to share. Almost everyone in the cafe were having oxtail soup!
The waitress brought everything out on a push cart. Water, coffe, and food. Kind of like a dim sum restaurant/denny's ambience.
The ox tail soup was very delicious! The soup had ox tails (of course!), various asian vegetables, bamboo shoot, peanuts, green onions, and glass noodles with clear broth. It reminded us of home! It came with a side of rice and grounded ginger, cilantro condiments. We added soysauce to the ginger, cilantro mix and dipped our oxtail in the sauce. The soup was not oily or heavy. Very refreshing actually! Half bowl was still a good size bowl!
The loco moco was okay. It was average. The patties weren't too flavorful but good for the morning! I wouldn't come here just for that, but if I was in the mood for loco moco, it's good enough to order again.
After we ate, we walked up to the register/bakery to pay and tried their huge chocolate chip cookie. It was yum-my!!
We did end up coming back to tip top cafe the next morning. This time hubby ordered a full order of oxtail and I again half bowl. It was so satisfying!
Best banana pancakes I've ever had, went very well with their guava jam.
Ox tail soup is out of this world. I miss Kauai...no I miss Kauai and tip top. When I go back, I'm having banana pancakes with guave jam every morning and oxtail for lunch EVEY DAY! LOVED IT!!!!!
I also had some kind of stir fry noodles....yum. PERFECT!!!
I love that it's still a secret-ish spot. NO tourist and all. The price is cheap too. The decor is lacking, but the food makes up for it.
I'm not sure about the rest of the menu, but this place beats all of the other breakfast place on KAuai. Country Kitchen was a ripe and gross.
People thought this was:
Who knew that a run-down motel would serve the best pancakes on the island? You can get banana pancakes anywhere, pineapple pancakes at some places, but only at this pit stop in Hawaii can you get macadamia nut pancakes. The macadamia filling is crunchy, fragrant, and simply delicious. Other savory and sweet standards also made me smile: loco moco, macaroni salad, teriyaki beef, and guava jam. If you're in the mood for something even more exotic for breakfast, try a bowl of oxtail soup. Make sure you are a beef person though, or else you'll see a piece of cow tail sticking out your bowl and wish you went to IHOP instead.
1 star off: IHOP is way cleaner
People thought this was:
***this review is strictly for their bakery***
so my mom was dying for cream puffs from tip top and being that we were there, i told her i'd bring some back for her.
when you enter, there's like this huge space with some toys and cookies lining their shelves. they had like three cases, but only one was filled with pastries...sorry i don't remember exactly what kind of pastries, but i was there for cream puffs, hence i was on the lookout for them. so i asked the lady if they had any cream puffs and at first she said "sorry, no more yet" so i said, "okay....thank you...." and i swear i didn't give her the stink eye or anything but after a pause, she suddenly said, "oh, oh wait. let me check in the back..." did this lady just lie to me? just a moment ago you said 'no more...' hmph.
long story short i ordered half a dozen. my mom loves these, i think they are disgusting. they are huge like manapuas maybe even bigger, and if you like that thick, heavy, custard-pudding filling, you'll totally love their cream puffs.
People thought this was:
Pancakes are one of the MOST important culinary creations of all time. When you take an ordinary pancake and you elevate it by making it big and fluffy, you are serving humanity. When you go a step further and add exotic fruit and macadamia nuts, we're talking divinity.
Tip Top deserves high praise for their heavenly pancakes. These are some of the best pancakes this breakfast-lover has ever enjoyed.
Bring your sweater, this is a highly air-conditioned restaurant. Cafe seems like a misnomer, it looks more like a diner to me.
One suggestion would be that they should serve pancakes all day. They stop serving pancakes at 11:30am.
People thought this was:
Why isn't anybody reviewing the sushi that is served in the evening? Is it under a different name? We went in for the Ox tail and it was not available in the evening. That was ok but the Japanese food and sushi was not too good. The chicken teriyaki was not grilled...it was more like a stew that had been boiled. Mackeral was ok. Nigiri was small. The best dish served was the CA rolls and that is hard to screw up. There are just not enough options on the island!
Loved it. Hawaiian version of a greasy spoon. Drab, plain interior with vinyl booths and worn-out waitresses. Cheap, filling grub. Pancakes. Loco moco. Even beef stew (for breakfast, oddly). A 70/30 ratio of locals to tourists.
I had a so-called bento box, which was really just a selection of different meats with rice. Gristly beef teri(yaki). Something called Goteburg sausage. Two small pieces of fried chicken. J. had pancakes, one of several dishes of which she ate on our trip. Stop by on your way to wherever you're going by way of Lihue.
People thought this was:
Best breakfast on Kauai! This little cafe is located at a motel of all places! They also have a bakery and little shop where you can buy things. I bought macadamia nut cookies and my friend bought a jump rope for her daughter.. I pretty much already knew what I wanted when I got here. Loco Moco baby! If you don't know what that is, it's 2 scoops of rice topped with a hamburger patty and 2 eggs and lots of brown gravy. Yum! I also shared the mac nut pancakes with my friend. Amazing! Light, fluffy and perfect.. Prices are more than reasonable here making it a great pit stop before a long day of snorkeling. I definitely recommend this place to anyone who is visiting the beautiful island of Kauai!
People thought this was:
We went there for breakfast, and it was not bad. We have tried the macadamia nut pancake, the loco moco and the bento box are all good. Nevertheless, the ox tail soup are not good, as we go there in the moring and maybe it is not well cooked so the oxtail has some strange taste.
Our valet recommended this place as a local joint. Good food! Not like that over hyped hamura's. Wired to have a place in a motel as your local fav joint but hey I don't live here. Try the ox tail soup. Well made. Loco moco was good too. But like everything else on this island way over priced by 10 to 20 percent. I guess you have to ship everything in.
The Ox Tail soup is good but tasted like any other ox tail soup I had. Loco Moco was pretty good. But the item that you must order is the BANANA MACNUT PANCAKES. These pancakes were great. Real banana and macnut pieces cooked into the pancake. The guava jam was okay but the coconut syrup worked well with the pancakes. Good and fast service. A place I will come in for breakfast again if I had the chance.
I love this place!! Banana/macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup...ohhhh man...they were soooo good!! I wanted to eat here everyday of my freakin vacation! Unfortunately, I was only there for 4 days but whatever...
This place also sells filipino pastries like mamon, yan-yan (u know!!), and various kakanin.
Whoa! Talk about a mash up! In the same space there's the lobby of a motel, bakery, japanese restaurant, and a cafe! We visited one morning just for breakfast so this review only applies to the cafe.
My breakfast buddies raved about the loco moco (I didn't order it myself). I had the macadamia nut pancake and pineapple pancake. The pancakes were well made -- fluffy and light and big. The other breakfast stuff was just standard fare. The thing that sticks out was the homemade passion fruit - guava jam. That was quite delicious and unique.
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Talk about hole in the wall.. this place is bananas!!!! As in the banana pancakes! These little fluffy wonders actually made my taste buds have multiple orgasms! They have transformed a simple concoction of flour, eggs, milk, and buttet, and have elevated it to a whole other level!!!! This is pancakes at its best! The corned beef hash, saimin and loco moco is also great here, but man, those pancakes are always in my mind. Please make a concerted effort to visit this place if you are ever on the island......you will not be disappointed------guaranteed!
Definitely a local hangout, you might at first think you're in the wrong spot, despite the sign outside, when you walk into Tip Top Cafe. Did I mean to walk into a Japanese grocery store? Walk around the corner and you'll feel slightly more oriented, if not completely charmed by the stripped down, slightly depressed interior. If you're completely opposed to finding a stray hair or undefined fragment of something in your food, this is not the place for you, but you will most definitely be missing out on some goodness.
Our order was taken by a very cool grandma type, who recommended the Grand Slam breakfast to us (pancakes with choice of topping, meat, and eggs). Prices are really good, hence part of the local appeal, plus menu choices include specialties like oxtail soup for breakfast (which I was impressed to see someone eating early in the morning).
One bite in to his pancake, D declared, "this is the fluffiest fucking pancake I've ever eaten." And yea, they were fluffy...fluffy and delicious, with carmelized tasting bananas baked right into the pancake (you can also choose pineapples or macadamia nuts, which were sadly out this morning). Pancakes are also served with a tasty guava jam, which disconcertingly seems to glow a bit in its bright pinkness.
The eggs were kind of whatever, but I am not a big egg person in general. My bacon tasted oddly like chicken, but I think I've just seen too many island roosters. D's Portuguese sausage was really good. I think we'll be heading back for our ideal breakfast in a few days, which for me will be the sausage and banana and macadamia pancakes.
Broke da mouf?*
Most definitely.
*D and I have discovered the phrase 'broke da mouf' and thinks it's the best and funniest thing ever, so all Kauai reviews this trip will have a 'broke da mouf' rating.
People thought this was:
Surprisingly good breakfast.
Try their homemade beef patty over rice with an egg and gravy for breakfast. Hits the spot.
Tip Top Motel is likely the dodgiest spot I've ever stayed in and it's taken nearly a year for me to get over how divey it was to appreciate the hilarity of the situation.
It was my 28th birthday and I was in beautiful Kauai. After a lovely five days (and two trips to the ER for a staph infection on my face on the actual day of my birthday) we missed our flight home and our taxi driver drove us to Tip Top, which looked even seedier at night. We forked over $65 and an old gentleman took us to our room. He opened the door to reveal a 10x10 (if that) stark room with cinderblock walls. Cinderblock walls!!! Like a friggin jail cell! I half-expected to see a grungy toilet in the corner of the room. Worn linoleum floors, holes and cigarette burns in the paper thin bed blanket, and one window that we couldn't even open ...
I couldn't even sleep and the next morning, we booked it out of there as fast as we could ... but not before grabbing breakfast at the adjacent restaurant which turned out to yield the yummiest breakfast ever. We had the most amazing banana macadamia pancakes. With fried spam of course. That almost made up for the scary night in prison.
I'd definitely come back for the breakfast again, it's the only reason why this place didn't get 1-star (which would have been generous) ... the thought of staying in that damp and prison-like room again makes me shudder.
People thought this was:
this is definitely a strange place. it's a part of the tip top motel, and it's got a blend of both tourists and locals. when you first walk in, there is a small array of childrens' toys and baked goods for sale. the seating only consists of booths, giving it a "diner" feel. there's also a sushi bar off to the side (not open during brunch).
the menu features both traditional breakfast items (yummy banana and macadamia nut pancakes) and non-traditional items (i had the highly satisfying ox tail soup for breakfast, a local favorite).
reasonable prices, good breakfast selection, and good coffee!
Review for the Cafe:
This place is a dive. It is a strange mix of hotel/restaurant with a customer base of locals/tourists. It is located on a small street and it is definitely off the beaten path (or at least mine). There is an odd bakery at the front and the booths ate crowded. The food is cheap and come in portions meant for 3. The menu is very long and serves all the standard island fare (loco mocos etc) as well as all the standard diner fare. There are also other specialties that stood out a bit on the menu (miso and eggs, saimin, oxtail soup etc.)
I would return here for breakfast again.
My only pet peeve: the tables are cleared by big plastic basins on wheels. Note to anyone who owns a restaurant: THIS IS GROSS. It may be easier for you & your staff, but I repeat THIS IS DISGUSTING.
People thought this was:
*This review is for the restaurant.
The 2nd day we got up, we met up with our aunty and went to this local joing called Tip Top. This place serves food to the locals and has sushi at night time. We were here for breakfast, actually twice! It was just that good. The coffee they serve here is Kauai coffee, a great local brew.
I ordered the "bento" and it came with chicken, corned beef hash, teri beef, eggs, goteburg sausage, mac salad, takuan, rice. $7.25. Such a bargain!
The service here is really good too. The lady who sat us down immediately bus the table of the patrons that left so we can sit down. You CANNOT find that nowadays at any eateries in California. The seats can be a bit small as it is arranged like a diner. You can park next door at the motel.
People thought this was:
This review is for the CAFE, for breakfast.
Yummy breakfast, especially if you go with the totally local loco moco. My stomach was feeling funny the night before and I was really worried that would have ruined my day, but as soon as I had some of that yummy loco moco, everything was soothed.
My friends ordered the pancakes with mac nut and pancakes with pineapples and both were pretty good too.
I will definitely go back again.
This is the first place I come when I get off the place in the morning. I usually get the oxtail soup or loco moco.
To make the most of your day, I would suggest booking an early AM flight to Lihue (if you're a resident of Kauai, just meet us at the airport and we'll go get breakfast together). Since we'll be arriving early, it'll be perfect timing to pick up our car and head north towards the nearby, and local favorite Tip Top Motel & Cafe.
Paraphrasing a bit from their pamphlet, here's a little history on the gem that has been serving the people of Kauai for more than 85 years:
Tip Top originally started as a Cafe & Bakery in November of 1916 by Denjiro Ota, and soon starting baking and delivering fresh bread island wide. In 1925, Denjiro's creative son Mitchell the took over the business where he introduced pastries, pies and other baked goods that were to become the mainstay of the business. One is the famous pancake recipe which is still used today and another is the Macadamia Nut cookie which was the first Macnut cookie made in Hawaii.
In 1965, Mitchell moved the business a half mile to its present location and built a restaurant, bakery, 34 room motel and a bar. In 1989, Mitchell passed away at the age of 85, leaving the business in the hands of his 30 year old grandson Jonathan, the 4th generation of Otas to run the business.
Tip Top is known for their famous banana/macadamia pancakes, Macadamia nut cookies, and their best seller, the Oxtail soup, but since we're here for breakfast, let's get eatin'!
(! - As always, get here early or come during semi-off-peak hours as it's always crowded, though I've been here twice and there was no wait on both occasions...)
Rather than the traditional hand over the shoulder technique, the wait help at Tip Top cutely rolls your order to you on a tray on wheels type contraption.
On this occasion, we skipped the popular banana/macadamia pancakes and went straight for the hefty items, scrambled eggs, corn beef hash & hash brown, and Loco Moco.
Yum! Another successful morning at Tip Top.
Read my complete Kau Kau Kauai article (with photos) here:
http://www.world-wide-...
Great place for breakfast, that is, if you are looking for a great local hangout with local-style comfort food. I had a Portuguese sausage omelet and rice, and it was fine. The waitress was pleasant, and it was cool to be in an old landmark that is still frequented by many people from Kauai. I hadn't been here since I traveled with my high school band several decades ago. If you are looking for a fine dining establishment, replete with healthy California cuisine, then by all means, avoid Tip Top and head on over to one of the two P's (Poipu or Princeville). You can also buy some crunchy cookies in their store. These are great for taking back home as o-miyage (presents) for your co-workers or family. Be advised though, the restaurant part is closed on Mondays.
People thought this was:
This place is the shit for three big reasons:
1. They serve great Hawaiian diner food, it's huge in calories, and flavor. You want grease? They got it. You want something light? Go somewhere else. They have CHICKEN FRIED STEAK as a side-order!
2. Looks like a bunch of locals to me. If the locals eat it, then it's probably legit!
3. It is on a "neighborhood" street, you have to want to find this place, a tourist will not just run up on it....i.e. not many fat boat people. You will feel slightly out of place when you walk in (assuming you ain't from Kauii).
If you want some, "light refreshing California cuisine," this ain't the place to be. If you're hung over, order the loco moco, or the oxtail soup with a side of chicken fried steak....and you'll be properly prepped for the upcoming evening!
j
i love this place.
you walk in and you have to battle for the next open table. it's good times esp since my family and i walked in and knew a lot of people there, despite having moved to the mainland a while back. anyhow. the place is kinda rinky dink. but who cares.
macadamia nut pancakes and ox tail soup is an odd yet amazing combination. loco moco here is really good too.
can't wait to come back hereee.
We ate here almost every morning during our stay in Kauai. The pancakes are delicious. The host was really friendly, but the waitress would not make eye contact with me. Good coffee. Highly recommended if you like pancakes.
We came here for their Ox Tail Soup. And we left satisfied. Don't wait though, they run out quickly!
Tried this place based off fellow yelpers comments, not bad at all. What I love most about this place is that you hardly find any tourists here. Always a plus. This restaurant is Tip Top Motel Cafe & Bakery for breakfast and lunch. We came back for dinner and it turned into a sushi restaurant that shares the same dining area and kitchen.
Ate here for breakfast. Ordered the macadamia nut pancakes and the Portuguese sausage omelet. The pancakes were simple yet good. The pancake is thin and not too heavy, light and fluffy, with a good balance of crunch from the macadamias. The omelet was OK, nothing fancy but not bad at all. I will come here again for breakfast next time I hit Kaua'i up.
Hanalei, HI
Category: Juice Bars & Smoothies
Lihue, HI
Category: Hawaiian
Lihue, HI
Category: Bakeries
Lihue, HI
Category: Japanese
Kapaa, HI
Category: Hotels
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