MCDONALD’S
No, I am not getting paid to endorse the Golden Arches. I wish! The fact of the matter is that McDonald’s has totally stepped up its game with their Premium Roast. Its flavor in no way resembles the dishwater, stomach-burning cups of yuck that they used to serve. Also, you can even request that they add your cream and sugar for you, which is awesome. Say goodbye to fixing up your coffee while driving a stick shift and simultaneously trying to avoid oncoming traffic and third degree burns. Island-wide locations. $
COLLEEN’S
Originally this place started off as a little coffee place, but it hasn’t been little and the focus hasn’t been coffee in a long time. Frankly, there isn’t a better place to get coffee in Haiku. Never mind that Colleen’s is probably the only place to get coffee in Haiku. What I love most about their coffee is that they offer different types of sugar–white, brown, turbinado–and most of the time you can even choose whipping cream to lighten it up. What’s not to love about the 2,600-calorie cup of Joe? Haiku Cannery, 575-9211. Open 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m. $
WAIKAPU GRILL
The Waikapu Grill at the Maui Tropical Plantation serves great coffee that is grown, harvested, roasted and brewed right there on property. And you know how sometimes homegrown coffee is just plain terrible? Not so at the Waikapu Grill. Plus, there’s just something satisfying about drinking coffee while looking out over a duck pond to the very crop that your beverage came from. Maui Tropical Plantation, 1670 Honoapi`ilani Hwy, 244-7643. Open daily 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $
DENNY’S
Stop your groaning. I know Denny’s has a reputation for taking forever to get your food out–I worked there myself–and I know that it’s definitely not a place considered gourmet or fancy. But the coffee is fricking phenomenal. Seriously, I don’t know what the blend is, but it’s smooth, robust and perfect for drinking at three in the morning. The best part is that you can sit there all night reading a book or working on your thesis/novel/hit list and they will keep refilling your cup for free. 430 Kele St., Kahului, 873-5550; 2763 S. Kihei Rd., 879-8600. Open 24 hours. $
CASANOVA
Casanova has some of the best damn coffee on the island, both at the deli and in the restaurant. There have been many days–years actually–that I’ve spent countless hours drinking cup after cup of the good stuff while talking to the interesting patrons that frequent the place. In fact, during my brief stint on Oahu while going to college I have actually cried because I missed Casanova’s coffee so much. 1188 Makawao Ave., 572-0220. Deli open M-Sa 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Su 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Restaurant open M-Sa 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., daily 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. with pizza served until 11 p.m. on nights with entertainment. $$ MTW
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