Baker Dude’s

Nice little shop it’s more like a kitchen with baked goods displayed on the cooling racks.
I had passed by and decided to give it a try. I love their coconut turnover! It sent me back for more immediately! It was buttery and flaky and the coconut I also tried their savory pastry and it was just okay.

I came here the 3^rd time and now today I got the tomatos 2 for $ 5.00 bakery and I loved it! really delicioua! theres cream cheese i think and the sweetness and saltiness that balances well together soooo ono!!!

They have the best croissants outside of Paris. I saw them dropping butter into their mixer in glorious quantities. A sign of love for craft.

It’s not a scone!
Baker Dudes have a little shop off of Alakea, adjacent to the first Hawaiian Bank building. Their baked good are made fresh daily and their little shop is full of baked delights.
Unfortunately, I chose the scone. A scone is supposed to be like a biscuit and lightly sweetened. What they represent as a scone is a cloyingly sweet concoction that looks like a cupcake with a course cornmeal consistency kept moist with lots of oil (not butter). It was a disappointing experience.

1. VERDICT/​VALUE
These are the dudes you are looking for when your looking for baguettes, scones, pastries that are savory and sweet — from 6:00 am — 4:00 pm — they got them… mostly around $ 3 each or two for $ 5, or four scones for $ 6. Tip: go early, because they sell out quick… but if you’re late and you get there in the afternoon, they may have them discounted to $ 1 each! Buy 12 and you’ll get one free…
2. FOOD
Mango scones? Check. Flakiness in phyllo/​filo-​based pastries like apple and coconut turnovers to write home about? Yes — let everyone know how perfect they are! Those liking soft cinnamon buns that aren’t too sweet will love the ones they make here. Lilikoi buns with blueberries in the center? They’re here too, and so much more!
3. SERVICE
Two guys who are passionate about the goods they bake wait on you. Casual but prompt and professional.
4. ATMOSPHERE
Take-​out counter inside a shop. These guys need the space to bake the awesome goodies and so you’re really only get enough space to stand 5 – 6 people wide while you look at and smell all of the great goodies on the shelves around you! There’s no space to sit or eat inside — get your goodies and go!

The only thing I’ve had to eat here so far has been the spanikopita, but they are so good I want to walk over every day to pick one up. The blond guy who helps you out is very nice and friendly. Eventually I’ll try more pastries, but for now, I’m super happy.

They have a good selection of savory and sweet filled croissants, breads, and other baked goods. And it’s perfect, they’re open early and they’re close to my bus stop! Love walking onto a bus smelling like I’ve got the whole bakery in a brown paper bag!

A MATTER OF TASTE
I pass this location daily by car. On a recent walk through downtown I decided to stop in while on foot. I will preface this review by saying I stopped in without reading any of the reviews on Unilocal; or any social media site for that matter. That said, this review is FIRST impression without knowing what to expect.
Glass half Empty Half Full Logic:
1) Pricey= but good things are worth the price
2) No Parking= but you can get there easily on foot
3) Showcase= None but what you see is what you get
4) Scones= more creamy than buttery ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ ok depending on your taste
5) Breads= more cakey than doughy ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ ok depending on your taste or needs at the moment
6) Taste=leans more toward SWEET but sometimes, sweet is good
7Personality= Dudes are Dudes. they can bake, they can sell, they know how to good day and thank you (that counts for a lot)
My personal take is I’ve realized why I never stopped by in the past and at this point, would need a very good reason to stop there again. No offense to the Baker Dude’s as it will come to A Matter of YOUR Taste when you stop in for their pastries
(ps– I bought a dozen scones and tried the cranberry macadamia nut scone myself: There were a total of 3 cranberries in my ONE scone; and very few crumbs of macadamia nut… $ 1.50 each scone)

While we lived out in the Aiea area, we’d go to the Pearlridge Farmers Market to enjoy the different vendors but often found ourselves drawn to the fresh baked bread of Baker Dude’s. Perhaps it was the aromas of fresh baking bread products that drew us there and our taste for their cinnamon bread or fruit breads. But, we were drawn to their stand like «moths to a flame».
So, while we were roaming about downtown Honolulu, we went looking for the brick-​and-​mortar bakeshop of Baker Dude’s because we didn’t want to «chase» the Farmers’ Markets for fresh bread or savory pastries. It was easy to find as baking aromas wafting from their store vents and out the front door.
The shop doesn’t have much of a display area. As soon as you enter… BAM, you’re basically in a bakeshop with 4 convection (?) ovens blasting and cooling racks full of products serving as displays or packaging. We were cheerfully greeted by two young men as our eyes started to look for loaves of mango bread, cinnamon bread, macadamia nut sticky buns or their spanakopita pastry. However, their shelves were sort of bare as we arrived around 1:00PM (late for bakery hours) and they probably had been selling out of many of their products to the businesses and office workers in the area.
We did ask about their sweet breads to which, one of the men, replied that they make those on Fridays. Shucks, we came here on Thursday… this just calls for another visit to get that sweet bread!
#451

Quality baked offerings, picked some savory stuffed croissants and a delicious pesto bacon jam pizza slice for lunch. The guys running the shop are pretty chill and friendly. Seems like the are winging it a little in terms of pricing, offerings, and service… But the food is solid and their 3 for $ 5 special on small pastries/​pizza slice is worth it.

We tried the pepperoni pizza here and we loved it! Normally I don’t like the crust so thick but it was still really good. The pizza was also very watery, but I was also OK with that too because it was so delicious. With a couple of tweaks this could easily be the best pizza on the island!

This is a small shop right off Alakea Street with shelves of goodies to temp your will power. They have huge ovens which take up the rear of the shop and you walk into the aroma of freshly baked breads which you can see cooling off in their pans. They have several different types of breads, scones and a very good selection of pastries. Breads are $ 6.00 or the large or $ 4.00 for the smaller loaves.

Needed to get some morning office grinds for the staff on the way to work! I thought as a new change we should have something savory. I parked at the post office lot onKing and Richards then walked the block to Alakea and Baker Dudes. At 0730, this is an easy task.
Ordered 10 yummy yummy filled croissants. The fillings ranged from tomato, asparagus, ham/​cheese, mushroom and spanakopita. I love the crust on these things. Super fluffy and paring perfectly with the content s. The office scarfed them down.
Might even make it a Weds tradition!

This Downtown Honolulu gem is one I hoped to keep hidden, but I’ll be nice and share. :)
Credit goes to my mom for discovering Baker Dudes on her walk to work! The shop itself is tiny and no-​frills. Walk inside and tall racks of fresh, homemade baked goods will greet you, kind of like walking straight into kitchen itself.
The packaged breads are my go-​to. At the end of the day, these are discounted to two for $ 5 or $ 6. With reasonably sized breads and three-​packs of scones, the end-​of-​the-​day discounts make Baker Dudes worth the visit.
My favorite scones are the pineapple ones. The mango scones had a very subtle and almost unnoticeable mango flavor, but I enjoyed the cornbread-​like texture. The chocolate chip coconut scones were spongier. The coconut flavor was hardly noticeable under the chocolate chips.
Out of they breads, I highly recommend the lilikoi. The texture is dense, soft, and moist with a prominent lilikoi flavor. The taro banana bread has a similarly enjoyable texture, but the flavor is predominantly banana rather than taro.
With all these tropical flavors and the homemade nature of these breads, I’d say they make great omiyage for friends on the mainland. They’re truly a great taste of Hawaii!

I had the blueberry Iilkoi bun and a ham & cheese croissant. The blueberry pastry tasted a bit raw towards the center which made me instantly disgusted with the raw dough chewiness. The ham & cheese was decent but nothing spectacular. Might have been better if it was warm with oozing cheese. The only reason why this bakery is not getting one star from me is the banana bread they had as a sample was pretty good, moist and flavorful.
Not worth the money or calories. I’d rather splurge with both at Mr. Donut or Great Harvest in the same area.

Sweet breads and pastries galore, all stacked fresh from the oven just inside the door. Coconut, taro, croissants… mmmm.
I got a three-​pack of day — old mushroom croissants which was a great deal and still very flaky and they had crispy cheese coming out the ends.
I’m excited to go back and try some sweet things.
#100in2015 (#9)
Update: I went back the next day and got a $ 3 schnecken. It’s a cinnamon roll with cardamom and raisins in the dough. Delish but maybe not worth $ 3. I got a loaf of lilikoi cake to give to a friend as well, which was $ 6.

Baker Dudes, a staple at many Farmer’s Markets throughout the island, has opened a bakery and shop in downtown on Alakea Street! Inconspicuously hidden between other small eateries, it may be a bit difficult to find at first. Just follow the scent of freshly baked bread and pastries!
Half Bakery/​Half Storefront, Baker Dudes offers fresh and delicious breads and pastries directly from its ovens. Seriously! You can order croissants right off the cooling racks! Their various pastries range from the sweet to the savory that are sure to meet anyone’s preferences. On my first visit, I decided to try the Spanakopita and Almond Croissants. Both were light, buttery, and flavorful! And for $ 3 each or 2 for $ 5, you can’t go wrong!

On my way back from a business meeting, I passed by Baker Dude’s and popped in to see what they had to offer. Stepping inside there is not much space since all of the products are stacked on three shelving units surrounding the entryway. This got my hopes up, because often the bakeries with the worst layout and smallest space are the hidden gems which make the best pastries. Sadly, this was not the case here.
I picked up a Macadamia Nut Sticky Bun and a bag of the Mango Scones. The sticky bun was average, although a bit doughy and dry. I made it through about half of this. The mango scones though, were really bad. I took one bite and the consistency was like eating saw dust. Just to make sure it wasn’t just a single bad one I pulled another out of the bag but no, it was the same as the first. They were soooo dry that I just tossed the whole bag.
Overall, I did not like this bakery and will not be returning.

Baker Dude’s is an awesome find located on Alakea Street (ocean side of King Street) for anyone looking for a carb fix. It’s a tiny bakery packed with a variety of baked goods. They open at 6 am and stay open until the goodies run out.
I was drawn in by the beautiful rows of small stuffed croissants. There were at least a dozen varieties like Spanakopita with spinach, parsley and cheese; Chocolate; Artichoke, Aspagus; Mushroom; Almond; Pastrami; and Sun-​Dried Tomato. Priced at 2 croissants for $ 5, I had a hard time choosing just 2 and ate both of them before I made it 2 blocks (don’t judge me!)
They also have other pastries to drool over like Turnovers, Blueberry-​Lilikoi Danishes, Macadamia Nut Sticky Buns, packaged Shortbreads, Banana Bread, and loaves of bread like Spelt and Taro.
The loose pastries are a quick and tasty breakfast or snack. I bet they would be a hit served as refreshments for a meeting or group event (score extra brownie points!). The packaged cookies and breads would make a nice «thinking of you» gift or treat to take home.
Definitely check this place out and get some of the goodness.

I noticed that there’s been a whole lot of rumblings going on at the old space that Ace Express used to occupy on Alakea Street, but I didn’t know who or what was moving in. Then, the other morning as I was driving on Alakea Street, I could’ve swore I saw a rack of fresh bread cooling by the window. Note to self: Need to check out.
I decided to visit this morning and it didn’t take long for my nose to pick up the heavenly scents coming from this shop. I didn’t even know the name of this place until after I visited it.
This place is a no-​frills place. Racks of baked yummies in the front that hide the bakers and ovens in the back. You are instantly greeted by racks of scones, danish, croissants, and loaves of breads. This morning they offered loaves of sourdough, banana taro, guava, and cinnamon. The scones included lilikoi and almond. The sticky buns looked heavenly! I decided to try the Blueberry Danish and get a loaf of Banana Taro Bread. I’m not sure if the menu changes daily or weekly.
The Blueberry Danish was super yummy. It wasn’t super sweet, but had just the right consistency of blueberries, cinnamon, and sugar to make a great accompaniment with my morning coffee. It was also light (rather than doughy) and flakey. The best part about my pastry was because I bought in the morning, it was still warm!
Since this is my only first time here, I can’t give it 5 stars just yet because I want to try other things here, but Baker Dude’s is off to a great start! Seriously a gem in Downtown Honolulu that is starving for a place like this!