Morning Glass Coffee + Cafe

Morning Glass Coffee sits on East Manoa Road, a few blocks below the University of Hawaii and a long climb above Waikiki. The space is small and wood-trimmed, with a bar that opens to the kitchen. The coffee program leans on a rotation of mainland specialty roasters, and the espresso is dialed for clarity rather than chocolate. Pastries come out of the kitchen. The crowd is half graduate students with laptops, half Manoa residents who walk down for a flat white before work. Anyone who has lived in Honolulu long enough has a Morning Glass story. Order the cortado if you came for espresso done with restraint. Order the loco moco breakfast plate if you want to understand why this is the Manoa breakfast institution that other Honolulu cafes still measure themselves against.