Overview
Kraken Coffee Kihei is a Maui coffee shop built around fast service, drive-thru convenience, and locally roasted coffee. It sits at the baseline identity provided by Google Places: Kraken Coffee Kihei, 1 Piikea Ave, Kīhei, Maui, phone (808) 495-1885, and the Google record shows it as operational with daily hours from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. (krakencoffee.com)
For travelers, this is the kind of stop that works best when you want coffee without a long sit-down breakfast. The menu leans heavily into cold brew, flavored lattes, frappes, smoothies, and a few light food items, with several house-signature drinks that are clearly meant to be the main draw. (krakencoffee.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Kraken Coffee sits in a straightforward coffee-shop lane, but with a more playful, signature-drink-heavy menu than a standard espresso counter. The official menu emphasizes Maui Blend coffee, cold brew, flavored lattes, frappes, smoothies, teas, and a small “Kraken Grindz” food section. The business also frames itself as locally roasted in Maui and geared toward drive-thru coffee service. (krakencoffee.com)
Notable items are well-supported by the official menu and repeat mention across review sites: Haleakalatte (caramel latte), Kihei Kicker (Irish cream breve), MochaWao (white chocolate mac nut), Coca Mocha (dark chocolate coconut mocha), Surfs Up Cold Brew (coconut mac nut with sweet foam), and Nitro Kicker. Reviewers also repeatedly mention cold brew with coffee ice cubes, which the business and third-party writeups present as a signature differentiator. (krakencoffee.com)
- Overall menu style: coffee-first, with a strong emphasis on flavored espresso drinks, cold brew variations, frappes, smoothies, tea, and a few quick breakfast-style snacks. (krakencoffee.com)
- Notable specialties: Haleakalatte; Kihei Kicker; MochaWao; Coca Mocha; Surfs Up Cold Brew; Nitro Kicker; coffee-ice-cube drinks. (krakencoffee.com)
- Food items: stuffed pretzel, muffins, mini quesadilla, banana bread, and in some menu views a “Kraken Grindz” section that suggests light grab-and-go breakfast fare rather than a full kitchen. (krakencoffee.com)
- Price range: Google Places lists it at price level 1, and the catering/menu pages show most signature drinks in the roughly $5–$7 range for standard sizes, which points to an approachable coffee-shop spend rather than a destination brunch budget. (doordash.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limits: strong for customizable coffee and dairy-based drinks, iced drinks, tea, and smoothies; weaker for anyone needing a substantial gluten-free, vegetarian meal, or fully plant-based menu, because the evidence points to a limited quick-service menu rather than a broad food program. This is an inference from the published menu. (krakencoffee.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This looks more like a quick stop than a lingering café. The official site and third-party descriptions consistently point to a drive-thru coffee experience, while review sites also mention outdoor seating and a food-truck-village / stand-like setup at the Kihei location. The practical feel is “grab coffee, maybe sit outside a bit, then move on.” (krakencoffee.com)
- Service model and seating: drive-thru plus counter-style ordering; some sources mention outdoor seating and a quick-service setup. (krakencoffee.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: light, casual, island-branded, with a playful “Get Kraken” identity and Maui-forward branding rather than a quiet specialty-café aesthetic. (krakencoffee.com)
- Practical features: online ordering is available; the brand says it has drive-thru locations and a menu built for speed. (krakencoffee.com)
- Best fit: morning coffee, beach-day fuel, a quick caffeine stop, or a traveler who wants a local Maui coffee signature drink. (restaurantji.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers looking for a long sit-down breakfast, a quiet work café, or a full-service meal. That limitation is an inference from the drive-thru-centric format and limited food list. (krakencoffee.com)
History & Background
Kraken Coffee’s own “About Us” page presents the brand as Maui-born, locally roasted, and built around speed plus aloha. It also frames the company as expanding beyond a single stand, with franchise language and multiple locations on Maui. A local news item from 2019 says the Kihei shop’s grand opening highlighted coffee ice cubes and an option to “get kraken” with extra shots, which suggests those signature touches have been part of the concept for years rather than a recent gimmick. (krakencoffee.com)
There is not a lot of deeper founder history or chef-style backstory in the sources reviewed. What is clear is that the brand has built its identity around drive-thru convenience, Maui-roasted coffee, and signature drink naming rather than a chef-led or restaurant pedigree narrative. (krakencoffee.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Across Google-adjacent and review-summary sources, the strongest pattern is very high enthusiasm for the coffee itself, especially cold brew, iced drinks, and the signature lattes. Review summaries repeatedly mention friendly staff, fast service, and the usefulness of the coffee-ice-cube idea in Maui heat. Many comments treat it as a reliable morning stop and specifically call out drinks like the Kihei Kicker, MochaWao, and cold brew as standouts. (restaurantji.com)
Common Gripes
The downside signal is comparatively lighter and less consistent than the praise. The main practical limitation appears to be that this is not a full breakfast café: the menu is narrow, the setting is quick-service oriented, and travelers who want a long sit-down meal or extensive savory options may find it too limited. A few secondary sources also imply that it is a compact, high-traffic stop rather than a polished café experience, but those critiques are more about format than quality. (krakencoffee.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours: Google Places shows daily hours of 6:00 AM–6:00 PM; Restaurantji and DoorDash-style listings show very similar daytime operating windows, so this appears to be a stable all-week daytime stop. (restaurantji.com)
- Best time to go: early morning is the safest bet if you want the shortest wait and the broadest drink selection before the beach rush builds. This is an inference from the drive-thru model and the shop’s coffee-first use case. (krakencoffee.com)
- Ordering: online ordering is available, and the business markets itself around quick service, so ahead-of-time ordering may help during busy periods. (krakencoffee.com)
- Parking / access: the Kihei location is at 1 Piikea Ave and is described by secondary sources as a drive-thru or stand-style setup near the Azeka/Piikea area, which suggests easy in-and-out access rather than destination parking. (wanderlog.com)
- What to order first: the signature drinks are the most distinctive part of the menu; if you want the classic Kraken experience, start with one of the house lattes or cold brew variations rather than a plain brewed coffee. (krakencoffee.com)
- Visit style: best for a quick coffee run, takeout, or a beach-day stop; less ideal for a lingering brunch or work session. (krakencoffee.com)
Verification Notes
- Official and Google identity are aligned on Kraken Coffee Kihei, 1 Piikea Ave, Kihei, HI 96753, phone (808) 495-1885, website krakencoffeemaui.com. (krakencoffee.com)
- Google Places marks the business as OPERATIONAL and the hours appear consistent across multiple sources. (doordash.com)
- A few secondary sources describe the place as a coffee truck / stand / drive-thru and mention it being behind or near the Azeka / Piikea area; that is not a contradiction, but it suggests the physical format is more casual and possibly more location-sensitive than a standard café listing implies. (restaurantji.com)
- No major verification issues found.
Sources
- Kraken Coffee Maui official homepage —
https://krakencoffee.com/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Useful for the brand’s self-description, locations framing, online ordering, and broad menu categories. - Kraken Coffee Maui About Us —
https://krakencoffee.com/about-us/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Useful for the Maui-roasted / aloha-oriented positioning and the “Get Kraken” extra-shot claim. - Kraken Coffee Maui Drive Thru Menu —
https://krakencoffee.com/drive-thru-menu/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Most useful for concrete specialty drink names, menu structure, and food items. - Kraken Coffee Maui Catering Menu —
https://krakencoffee.com/catering-menu/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Useful for clearer price points on signature drinks and confirming the core drink lineup. - Google Places record for Kraken Coffee Kihei —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=8333323942951425854— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Baseline identity anchor for name, address, phone, hours, rating, and operational status. - Restaurantji listing for Kraken Coffee Kihei — URL available in source record:
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/kihei/kraken-coffee-/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Useful for review-pattern summaries, menu highlights, and confirmation of daily hours. - Wanderlog listing for Kraken Coffee Kihei — URL available in source record:
https://wanderlog.com/place/details/858455/kraken-coffee-kihei— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Useful for atmosphere, service pattern, drive-thru framing, and the coffee-ice-cube signature. - Maui Now article on Kraken Coffee’s Kihei grand opening —
https://mauinow.com/2019/01/30/kraken-coffee-announces-grand-opening-in-kihei/— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Useful for historical context on the opening and the early signature-innovation story. - Epic Maui Realty island guide PDF — URL available in source record:
https://www.epicmauirealty.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Hospitality-Book-Island-Guide.pdf— Retrieved 2026-03-31. Useful as a secondary location cross-check for the Kihei address.
