Overview
Kraken Coffee and Shave Ice Wailea Cafe is a cafe in Wailea/South Maui that appears to combine coffee drinks with shave ice and a few light food options. The business is listed by Google as operational at 10 Wailea Gateway Pl B102 in Kihei, with daily hours of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and the official Kraken Coffee site presents it as part of a Maui-based coffee operation with both cafe and drive-thru service. (wanderlog.com)
For a traveler, the main draw is convenience plus a local-feeling coffee stop in a busy resort area: early opening hours, a Wailea location, and a menu centered on coffee, cold drinks, and sweet refreshments rather than a full meal experience. The identity is mostly clear, though the business name is somewhat broader than the official site’s general branding, so it is worth treating this as a Kraken Coffee cafe location that also has shave ice in the name rather than as a standalone dessert shop. (wanderlog.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Kraken Coffee’s own site positions the business around Maui-roasted coffee, espresso-style drinks, cold coffee, frappes, smoothies, teas, and kid-friendly drinks. The Wailea venue’s name adds shave ice, and traveler reviews strongly mention matcha lattes and custom add-ins, suggesting the sweet drink side of the menu is a real part of the appeal, not just branding. (krakencoffee.com)
- Overall menu style: Coffee cafe with cold drinks, sweet specialty beverages, and some light food/snack options; not a full-service breakfast or lunch restaurant. (krakencoffee.com)
- Notable items or specialties supported by sources:
- Matcha lattes, repeatedly praised in reviews. (wanderlog.com)
- White chocolate add-ins for matcha, mentioned as a favorite variation in traveler feedback. (wanderlog.com)
- Mocha Wao / “Mochawao” drink, referenced in a Tripadvisor review of Kraken Coffee’s Maui locations. This is relevant as a Kraken signature drink, though not specifically verified on the Wailea menu page. (tripadvisor.com)
- Coconut smoothie, also mentioned in Tripadvisor feedback for Kraken Coffee’s Maui locations. This is a broader brand signal, not Wailea-specific menu confirmation. (tripadvisor.com)
- Bagel turkey sandwich, mentioned in a Wailea review and consistent with a light-food cafe model. (wanderlog.com)
- Shave ice, implied by the venue name, but not well detailed in the sources reviewed. (wanderlog.com)
- Price range or spend expectations: Menu and reviews suggest a casual coffee-shop spend rather than a sit-down meal budget. Official site language and review comments point to drinks plus light food; one reviewer described the drinks as “not overpriced,” though that is subjective. (wanderlog.com)
- Dietary usefulness or limitations: There is some practical usefulness for travelers wanting vegetarian-leaning coffee-shop choices or dairy/customization flexibility, but the menu evidence is thin on fully verified dietary accommodations. One review mentions a turkey bagel sandwich, so this is not a vegan-only or specialty-diet venue. (wanderlog.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
The Wailea location reads as a small, casual cafe stop rather than a destination dining room. Reviewers consistently describe a friendly, local-feeling atmosphere, and one highlighted detail was the wood-carved octopus tables, which gives the space a more playful Maui identity than a generic coffee chain. (wanderlog.com)
- Service model and seating style: Counter-service cafe with at least some indoor and outdoor seating; the overall Kraken brand also emphasizes drive-thru service at other locations. (wanderlog.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: Casual, creative, and local-feeling rather than polished or formal; the octopus-themed tables were specifically called out in reviews. (wanderlog.com)
- Amenities or practical features: Free parking was mentioned in review feedback, and the cafe’s early 6:00 AM opening makes it practical for morning coffee runs. (wanderlog.com)
- Best fit: Morning coffee, a quick sweet stop, a casual break during errands or beach/resort activity, or a low-commitment place to wait while someone else is occupied nearby. (wanderlog.com)
- Weaker fit: Travelers seeking a full breakfast, a long sit-down meal, or a highly structured dining experience. The available evidence points to a cafe stop, not a substantial restaurant. (krakencoffee.com)
History & Background
Kraken Coffee presents itself as a Maui-born brand with locally roasted coffee and a broader expansion across multiple locations. The official site says the company was “born on the shores of Maui,” and its locations page and Instagram embeds indicate a multi-location operation with drive-thru stands and at least one newer cafe in Wailea. There is also a franchise pitch on the site, which suggests the brand is in growth mode rather than a single independent shop. (krakencoffee.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Reviewers most often praise the matcha lattes, especially the smooth, balanced flavor and the option to customize with white chocolate. Friendly staff is another repeated strength, along with a relaxed local feel that people say beats a chain coffee shop. Some guests also specifically liked the indoor/outdoor seating and found the drinks reasonably priced for the area. (wanderlog.com)
Common Gripes
The strongest downside signal is a complaint about drink fill level and customer service when ordering no ice, with the reviewer saying the issue was handled poorly and left them disappointed. That is only one clearly detailed negative review among a small number of reviews, so the evidence for a broader service problem is lightly supported, not yet conclusive. (wanderlog.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours: Google and the review pages both show daily hours around 6:00 AM–6:00 PM, which makes it especially useful for breakfast coffee or an early afternoon stop. (wanderlog.com)
- Ordering style: Expect a quick cafe experience rather than a reservation-based meal. No reservation system was evident in the sources reviewed. (krakencoffee.com)
- Best time to go: Early morning is the safest bet if you want the broadest practical window and potentially lighter crowds; the brand’s drive-thru roots also suggest it is built for speed. (wanderlog.com)
- Parking/location: The Wailea Gateway address suggests a strip-mall/commercial-center setting in South Maui, and a reviewer specifically mentioned plenty of parking in a free lot. (wanderlog.com)
- What to order if you want the strongest signal from reviews: Matcha latte, possibly with white chocolate; coffee drinks; and, if available, ask about shave ice or local specialty variations. (wanderlog.com)
- Watch for variability: One negative review suggests that iced/no-ice drink sizing and drink-fill expectations may not match every guest’s assumption, so it may be worth clarifying how they build drinks if that matters to you. (wanderlog.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name and Google-listed name align closely, but the official website brands the business more broadly as Kraken Coffee Maui, while Google’s place name includes “Kraken Coffee and Shave Ice Wailea Cafe.” (wanderlog.com)
- Google lists the business as OPERATIONAL at 10 Wailea Gateway Pl B102, Kihei, HI 96753 with phone (808) 830-1328 and website https://krakencoffee.com/; these matched the candidate facts. (wanderlog.com)
- No major verification issues found
Sources
- Google Places / Google Maps listing —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=6294746650926593677— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Best for official identity anchor, address, phone, hours, rating, and operational status. - Official Kraken Coffee Maui home page —
https://krakencoffee.com/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Best for brand identity, Maui/local-roast positioning, menu categories, and broad service model. - Official Kraken Coffee Maui About Us page —
https://krakencoffee.com/about-us/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Best for brand-origin language and general service promise. - Official Kraken Coffee Maui Locations page —
https://krakencoffee.com/locations/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Best for confirming the business is part of a multi-location operation. - Wanderlog place page for Kraken Coffee and Shave Ice Wailea Cafe —
https://wanderlog.com/place/details/15488826/kraken-coffee-and-shave-ice-wailea-cafe— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Best for traveler-reported specifics on matcha, white chocolate add-ins, seating, parking, and decor; also provided the strongest downside signal from a recent negative review. - Tripadvisor listing for Kraken Coffee in Kihei —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60632-d17532010-Reviews-Kraken_Coffee-Kihei_Maui_Hawaii.html— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Best for broader Kraken Coffee brand references to signature drinks like Mocha Wao and coconut smoothie; not Wailea-specific, so those points should be treated as brand-level rather than location-verified.
