Food · Island-wide
Best Bakeries on Oahu: Kilani Bakery and Five More
The best bakery on Oahu is Kilani Bakery in Wahiawa, a brownie bakery on the highway to the North Shore. This list ranks it first and puts five more behind it: Liliha for coco puffs, Ted’s for chocolate haupia pie, Paalaa Kai for snow puffies, Halekulani Bakery in Waikiki, and Leonard’s for malasadas. Each entry has the address, the hours as confirmed on October 6, 2026, and what to order.
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Leonard’s Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue, before its 2026 renovation. Photo: Arnold Gatilao, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Short List
Best Bakery on Oahu, by What You Want
- Brownies1. Kilani Bakery · Wahiawa
- Coco puffs2. Liliha Bakery · Honolulu
- Pie3. Ted’s Bakery · Sunset Beach
- Snow puffies4. Paalaa Kai Bakery · Waialua
- Coconut cake5. Halekulani Bakery · Waikiki
- Malasadas6. Leonard’s Bakery · Kapahulu
How the ranking works: there was no blind taste test. Each bakery is weighed on what it can show, which means a signature item it puts first, a published track record, and how easily it fits a day of sightseeing. Hawaii Magazine’s 2024 Readers’ Choice list of the five best bakeries on Oahu is a reader poll and a starting point here, not the ranking. This list adds Kilani, Ted’s and Paalaa Kai, which that list does not include, and drops Sugarlina Bakeshop, which has closed. Hours, addresses and menus come from each bakery’s own website or Instagram, checked on October 6, 2026. Prices appear only where the bakery posts them.
Eating your way around the island instead? Our self-guided Oahu food tour routes the stops by area, and the best food on Oahu covers everything that is not a bakery.
Best Bakery on Oahu: Kilani Bakery in Wahiawa
Wahiawa sits in central Oahu on the road north, about 25 miles and 42 minutes from Waikiki without traffic. Kilani Bakery is on Kilani Avenue, a few minutes from the Dole Plantation, which makes it the easy first stop on a North Shore day.
Kilani Bakery (Wahiawa)
A Wahiawa bakery that leads with one thing: brownies. Kilani’s Instagram bio calls it the “Home of the famous Kilani Bakery BROWNIES,” and brownies are what it leads with, down to the Brownie Bombs. In an Instagram post, Kilani thanks Honolulu Magazine’s editors for recognizing its brownies at the magazine’s Best of Honolulu event. Order the brownies first. On a Sunday, ask for the Chantilly Squares, which its Instagram calls the Sunday Special. Kilani has no website: call (808) 621-5662 for hours before you drive, and ask about ordering ahead, since it has taken advance orders for holiday brownies and Chantilly Squares.
Why Kilani is number one
- It has one thing it is known for, and says so. Brownies are in its bio and its recognition post, and Chantilly Squares have their own day.
- It fits a North Shore day. Kilani is on the way north, so it costs no detour.
Drive times from Kilani (estimates without traffic)
- Kilani to the Dole Plantation: 2.4 miles, about 6 minutes.
- Kilani to Haleʻiwa town: about 9.5 miles, 19 minutes.
- Kilani to Ted’s Bakery at Sunset Beach: 17.1 miles, about 34 minutes.
Rental Car
Compare Oahu Rental Rates
Kilani, the Dole Plantation, Haleʻiwa and Sunset Beach are spread along the highway north, outside Waikiki, so a bakery run to this end of the island needs a car. DiscoverCars searches the island’s rental agencies in one go. Compare Oahu rental cars on DiscoverCars.
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Not sure how much driving you want to do? Our guide to renting a car on Oahu helps you decide, the Oahu Scenic Drive Map plots the island loop with drive times, and our North Shore guide covers what to do once you get there.
More Bakeries on Oahu, Ranked: Liliha, Ted’s and Paalaa Kai
Liliha Bakery (original)
The original shop on North Kuakini Street, open since 1950 by its own account, and the source of the coco puff: a puff with chocolate filling that it sells for $3.19 each on its original-store menu (checked September 27, 2026). Poi mochi doughnuts are the other thing to order. It ranks second as the established benchmark: a signature pastry with a posted price, a seven-decade track record, and two Waikiki branches if Kuakini Street is out of the way. Its locations page lists the original open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; call (808) 531-1651 for late and holiday hours.
Ted’s Bakery
The North Shore’s pie stop, at Sunset Beach. The chocolate haupia cream pie is the signature, and the shop also posts new smoothies and acai bowls on its Instagram. On September 22, 2026, Ted’s posted that the pie was temporarily unavailable, so check its Instagram before driving for it. Its own site lists it open daily from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and it is the natural second stop after Kilani, 17.1 miles up the road. It ranks third as the only bakery here on the North Shore proper; the pie’s status keeps it behind Liliha. Our Ted’s Bakery review has the full picture.
Paalaa Kai Bakery
A bakery in Waialua, next to the Paalaa Kai Mini-Mart, and the home of the snow puffy, which it describes as its own original. Order a snow puffy from the cold case, then a box of Sada’s Malassadas. Its hours page lists it open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and phone orders go to (808) 637-9795. It ranks fourth for the most distinctive signature after Kilani’s: a pastry you will not find at the other bakeries here. It is a detour off the highway, and it posts no prices.
Bakeries in Waikiki and Kapahulu: Halekulani and Leonard’s
Halekulani Bakery
Across Helumoa Road from the Halekulani and next to the Halepuna Waikiki lobby, so it is the one bakery on this list you can walk to from a Waikiki hotel. Its own page lists artisan breads, a coffee bar, pastry pairings, savory bites and the Halekulani Coconut Cake, and lists a 2025 Hawaii Magazine Best Bakery #2. It is open daily from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m., and the first hour of parking is validated in the Halekulani and Halepuna lot on Kalia Road. Call (808) 921-7272 with questions. It ranks fifth because its window is five hours long: a breakfast stop, not an all-day bakery.
Leonard’s Bakery
The malasada bakery. Leonard’s says it opened in 1952 and has sold malasadas since 1953, and it appears on Hawaii Magazine’s 2024 Readers’ Choice list. Its official menu lists malasadas at $2.25 each, in plain, cinnamon sugar or li hing coatings. Check before you go: Leonard’s closed on September 14, 2026 for renovations and reopened on September 21 for malasadas only, on temporary hours of 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It had planned a full reopening for September 26, and no post confirming it was found as of November 1. Its website and Google list daily 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and its website menu lists pao doce, wraps and pies; its Instagram has the current status, and the phone is (808) 737-5591. It ranks last for now only because the full bakery is unconfirmed. It also runs Malasada Mobiles around the island.
Rather have someone else plan the stops? The tour below lists a malasada from Leonard’s among its stops, alongside Kona coffee, a plate lunch, a chocolate factory tasting and shave ice. Leonard’s was under renovation in September 2026, so confirm that stop with the operator when you book.
Oahu’s Top Hawaiian Food & Scenic Tour, With a Leonard’s Malasada
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Oahu Bakeries at a Glance
Hours are as the bakeries list them, checked on October 6, 2026. Prices are shown only where the bakery posts them.
| Bakery | Area | Known for | Hours (checked Oct 6, 2026) | Price (as posted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kilani Bakery | Wahiawa | Brownies, Chantilly Squares | Call (808) 621-5662 | None posted |
| 2. Liliha Bakery (original) | Liliha, Honolulu | Coco puffs | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily per its locations page; call (808) 531-1651 for late and holiday hours | Coco puff $3.19 (menu checked Sep 27, 2026) |
| 3. Ted’s Bakery | Sunset Beach, North Shore | Chocolate haupia cream pie | Daily 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | None posted |
| 4. Paalaa Kai Bakery | Waialua, North Shore | Snow puffies, Sada’s Malassadas | Daily 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. | None posted |
| 5. Halekulani Bakery | Waikiki | Halekulani Coconut Cake, artisan breads | Daily 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Not confirmed |
| 6. Leonard’s Bakery | Kapahulu, Honolulu | Malasadas | Daily 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (website and Google, Nov 1); full reopening unconfirmed, check before you go | Malasada $2.25 (official menu) |
Malasadas on Oahu: Where to Start
Malasadas are Portuguese doughnuts, fried and rolled in sugar, and two bakeries on this list make them. Leonard’s in Kapahulu is the name to know, and Paalaa Kai in Waialua sells Sada’s Malassadas next to its snow puffies. For malasadas alongside the other snacks Hawaii is known for, see our guide to local Hawaiian snacks.
Oahu Bakery Questions
What is the best bakery on Oahu?
Kilani Bakery in Wahiawa tops this list. It is the only bakery here whose own Instagram bio leads with one item, its brownies, and it sits on the drive to the North Shore, 2.4 miles from the Dole Plantation. In Honolulu, Liliha Bakery is the pick for coco puffs, and in Waikiki, Halekulani Bakery is the one you can walk to.
Where are the best malasadas on Oahu?
Leonard’s Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue is the best-known, open since 1952 and selling malasadas since 1953 by its own account. It was under renovation in September 2026, so check its Instagram before you go. On the North Shore, Paalaa Kai Bakery in Waialua sells Sada’s Malassadas.
Is Kilani Bakery open?
Kilani Bakery at 704 Kilani Avenue in Wahiawa was open in early October 2026, with its latest Instagram post on September 29. It has no website and no weekly hours list we could confirm, so call (808) 621-5662 before you drive.
Which Oahu bakeries are on the way to the North Shore?
Three: Kilani Bakery in Wahiawa, Paalaa Kai Bakery in Waialua, and Ted’s Bakery at Sunset Beach. Kilani to Ted’s is 17.1 miles and about 34 minutes without traffic, with the Dole Plantation 2.4 miles from Kilani along the way.
Are there good bakeries in Waikiki?
Halekulani Bakery is on Helumoa Road, across the street from the Halekulani, and is open daily from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. Liliha Bakery also has two branches in Waikiki; the original, which this list ranks, is on North Kuakini Street in Honolulu. Leonard’s is a short ride away on Kapahulu Avenue.
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