Jack Johnson’s music elicits a laid back, take-it-easy lifestyle that is best realized between dreams. It’s early morning, overcast, and raining. Through the screen door and windows, sunlight penetrates the room. There’s no combination of words you could put on the back of a postcard. You head over to the kitchen to prepare a pour over using a North Shore blend. Wake up slow. Wake up slow.
Of course this is just a daydream for those of us who don’t live on the North Shore. But you can come remarkably close with a visit to Coffee Gallery in Haleiwa.
Coffee Gallery Entrance
Coffee Gallery is located in the North Shore Marketplace sharing parking stalls with Cholos Mexican Restaurant, Breakers, and Patagonia. It is tucked away in a corner adjacent to other North Shore eateries. The ceilings are lined with burlap sacks, and the floor is a bright mosaic of colored stone. Adjacent to the store is an outdoor room. There’s no need to shut a screen door here since the entire perimeter is screened to keep nature out. If shelter and indoor seating aren’t your thing, there is a graveled backyard with wooden tables and umbrellas that provide seating and shade. The ambiance resembles that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but therein lies its magic.
Upon arrival, you’re greeted with locally roasted coffee displayed on beautiful wood-stained shelves, Coffee Gallery shirts, cups, jewelry, and a chalk menu.
Backyard Seating
This place is unique in that they serve their own roasted coffee. Some of them are single-origin grown right down the road or flown from across the globe. Hawaii Gourmet Coffee Roasters is the exclusive roaster that provides coffee to Coffee Gallery. And they boast the fact that they roast their coffee in small batches. They also have a roaster in their store!
They sell coffee that they roast just down the road
Coffee Gallery has two daily house brews–the Haleiwa (medium roast) and the North Shore (medium). The Haleiwa contains beans from Hawaii and Latin America, and the North Shore is a special blend of beans from all the regions of the world where they procure their coffee beans for roasting. What these two mellow roasts have in common are fruity notes and a hint of chocolate. The Haleiwa has hints of floral tastes, which will satisfy the taste buds on your tongue.
If those two blends aren’t for you, they have two shelves of coffee blends full of roasted beans named after Hawaiian locales. You can purchase Waialua, Waimea, Hale, or Kaanapali Estate Yellow Caturra (listed from light to darkest roast). They also have a Waialua Estate Reserve, the Aloha Blend (a dark roast), and a host of flavored coffee.
Espresso Machine
Aside from the coffee selection, and the eclectic mix of Coffee Gallery paraphernalia, their menu includes soup, sandwiches, burritos, and affogato. They use a La Marzocco machine, which doesn’t only look nice, but makes incredible espressos. The baristas here don’t mess around, and it is entertaining to watch them work their magic as they prepare your espresso. If espressos are not your thing, or if you have kids, they do serve hot chocolate. (And the hot chocolate is really good too!)
The atmosphere at Coffee Gallery fosters a cool and relaxed atmosphere. It truly is a North Shore café as patrons tend to stick around for a while, sipping their coffee, or enjoying their food and casually hanging out.
