Overview
Kraken Coffee Kihei Market is a Maui coffee stop in Kīhei that appears to focus on quick-service espresso drinks, iced coffee, frappes, smoothies, and simple snacks. The business is listed by Google as operational at 1975 S Kihei Rd with daily hours of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, which makes it an easy breakfast or mid-day caffeine stop for travelers moving around South Maui. (krakencoffee.com)
For a visitor, the main appeal is convenience paired with a local-chain feel rather than a sit-down café experience. The brand’s own site positions Kraken as Maui-born, locally roasted, and oriented toward fast service, and third-party reviews repeatedly describe it as a strong “quick stop” for coffee before beach time or errands. (krakencoffee.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Kraken Coffee sits in the coffee-shop lane, but the menu is broader than basic drip and lattes. The official site groups offerings into cold coffee, “klassics,” frappes, smoothies, tea/soda, and kids’ drinks, with the brand also emphasizing locally roasted Maui coffee and house-style specialty drinks. Reviewers most often single out signature iced coffees and flavored espresso drinks rather than food. (krakencoffee.com)
- Overall menu style: quick-service coffee shop with specialty espresso drinks, iced coffee, frappes, smoothies, and a smaller snack/sweets selection. (krakencoffee.com)
- Notable specialties mentioned in sources: Mocha Wao, Ice MoChawao, coconut mocha, macadamia nut and coconut-flavored lattes, matcha with caramel, and cold brew. These are all repeatedly referenced in review summaries, while the website confirms a specialty-drinks-forward menu. (restaurantji.com)
- Coffee handling detail: the brand highlights coffee ice cubes that “never water down” drinks, and reviewers specifically praise that feature for keeping iced drinks strong on a beach day. (krakencoffeefranchise.com)
- Price range / spend expectations: Google lists the place at price level 1, but the official website’s published menu shows many specialty iced coffee items in the rough $12–$52 range, with smaller “keiki” items lower. That wide spread suggests a low-to-moderate entry price with some premium specialty drinks that can get expensive for a casual coffee stop. (krakencoffee.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: the available evidence supports a beverage-friendly stop with some kid options and smoothies, but not a clearly documented destination for substantial dietary needs. There is not enough source-backed detail here to claim strong vegan, gluten-free, or allergy-friendly coverage. (krakencoffee.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This location reads like a fast, practical coffee stop rather than a linger-all-morning café. The strongest pattern across sources is speed, convenience, and a friendly counter/drive-thru-style experience, with reviewers saying staff help outside when lines get long. (restaurantji.com)
- Service model and seating style: sources point to drive-thru/quick-service behavior more than table service. The official brand materials and outside reviews both frame Kraken as a place for a fast grab-and-go stop. Seating details for this specific location are not well documented in the sources I found. (krakencoffee.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: reviews describe the space as bright and newly renovated, with a generally cheerful, beach-day-friendly vibe. That said, the evidence is thin on design details beyond that. (mapquest.com)
- Practical features: users mention fast service, helpful staff, and a setup that works well for beverages before heading out to the beach or to a day of errands. (restaurantji.com)
- Best fit: breakfast coffee, a mid-morning pickup, or a cold drink on the way to South Maui activities. (restaurantji.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers wanting a quiet work café, a long sit-down brunch, or a restaurant with a full food menu. The review pattern and official menu do not support that kind of use case well. (krakencoffee.com)
History & Background
Kraken Coffee’s own branding says the company was born on Maui and grew from a single truck into a larger local coffee operation with multiple island locations. The franchise site says the business started as one truck serving coffee “with speed and a smile” and has expanded to several Maui locations, including Kihei and Kahului plus a newer Wailea café. That is useful background for understanding Kraken as a local growth story rather than a one-off coffee stand. (krakencoffeefranchise.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Reviews consistently praise the coffee itself, especially flavored iced drinks and specialty espresso drinks. Repeated positives include smooth, rich coffee, drinks that are not overly sweet, quick service, and staff who are friendly and willing to make recommendations. The “coffee ice cube” idea is also a recurring favorite because it preserves drink strength in hot weather. (restaurantji.com)
Common Gripes
Hard criticism is not strongly supported in the sources I found. The main implied downside is that this is a convenience-oriented stop, so it may not satisfy someone looking for a full café experience, a large breakfast menu, or a long place to sit and work. That limitation is fairly well supported by the menu and the way reviewers describe the business, but it is more an expectation issue than a complaint about quality. (krakencoffee.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Current Google hours list the shop open daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, which makes early-morning and beach-run timing the safest bet. (krakencoffee.com)
- Expect a walk-up / drive-thru-style quick stop, not a leisurely café meal. (krakencoffeefranchise.com)
- If you want the most distinctive items, order one of the specialty iced coffees or flavored espresso drinks rather than a plain coffee. (restaurantji.com)
- The place appears well suited to beach-day drinks, especially because reviewers specifically mention coffee ice cubes and cold drinks that hold up in heat. (krakencoffeefranchise.com)
- Crowding and speed seem generally manageable, but review summaries suggest staff may step outside and help when lines get long, so a short wait is possible at peak times. (restaurantji.com)
Verification Notes
- Official / baseline identity anchor: Kraken Coffee Kihei Market, 1975 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753, website krakencoffeemaui.com. Google lists the business as operational. (krakencoffee.com)
- A small identity drift exists in third-party listings: one source places “Kraken Coffee Kihei” at 1 Piikea Ave, while the supplied Google/candidate record uses 1975 S Kihei Rd. That suggests possible venue relocation, venue-area shorthand, or a mismatched listing, so the Google place details should be treated as the canonical anchor for this dossier. (wanderlog.com)
- Phone number was not available in the supplied Google Places payload; one secondary source lists (808) 495-1885, but that should be treated as secondary-only and not as the confirmed canonical number. (wanderlog.com)
Sources
- Google Places payload for Kraken Coffee Kihei Market —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=2432392532652623134— retrieved 2026-03-31 — used as the canonical identity anchor for name, address, operational status, rating, price level, and hours. - Official Kraken Coffee Maui website —
https://krakencoffee.com/— retrieved 2026-04-01 — used for brand positioning, menu category structure, locally roasted Maui coffee claims, and the brand’s own description of the drinks focus. - Kraken Coffee Maui franchise/about page —
https://krakencoffeefranchise.com/— retrieved 2026-04-01 — used for the origin story of the business and expansion context from a single truck to multiple Maui locations. - Restaurantji listing for Kraken Coffee Kihei —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/kihei/kraken-coffee-/— retrieved 2026-04-01 — used for recurring reviewer mentions of Mocha Wao, Ice MoChawao, cold brew, friendly service, and coffee ice cubes. - Wanderlog listing for Kraken Coffee Kihei —
https://wanderlog.com/place/details/858455/kraken-coffee-kihei— retrieved 2026-04-01 — used for the alternate address signal, phone number signal, hours, and broader review pattern summaries. - MapQuest listing for Kraken Coffee —
https://www.mapquest.com/us/hawaii/kraken-coffee-778378619— retrieved 2026-04-01 — used as a supplemental signal that reviews describe the space as bright and newly renovated.
