Cupcakes Reign Supreme at Sweet Downtown Destination

At one of downtown Honolulu’s increasingly popular sweet spots, patrons can indeed have their cupcakes and eat them, too.

Let Them Eat Cupcakes continues to unwrap success, as throngs of sweet-seeking enthusiasts flock to the quaint South Beretania Street location in the midst of the bustling Chinatown district. The store’s “friendly cup-cake specialists” carry out the vision of owner Kawehi Haug, a former Honolulu Advertiser food and entertainment writer who turned her passion for crafting gourmet treats into a business three years ago.

“I covered food for the Advertiser for a long time, so I had a good idea of what people in Hawaii like,” Haug explains. “So, I thought I’d give it a try. Our buttercream frosting is really different — it’s not super-sweet; it’s very light like whipped cream, and I had a feeling it would be great for local palates.”

Haug’s cupcakes are composed of freshly-made batters and buttercream frostings that are whipped up and baked from scratch daily. The creamy texture and rich flavors of each bite are apparent, as diners delve into a rotating daily selection of enthralling cup-cake confections, including Cream Cheese-filled Red Velvet, Double Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Dobash, Strawberry, Chocolate Mint, Caramel Macchiato and Maple Bacon. Cupcakes range in price from $2.50 to $3.25 apiece depending on the flavor, and gluten-free options are available Wednesdays (as well as via special orders) for $3.50 apiece.

Custom cakes and special-order pies also are popular (prices vary), including a six-inch, three-layer cake accompanied by 24 cupcakes — a perfect option for a small gathering or celebration. Cake and large cupcake orders can usually be fulfilled with 72 hours’ notice, but orders of 100 cupcakes or less can usually be completed within 24 hours — a benefit of having a hands-on owner.

“We’re the only cupcake shop on the island that does customization. We’ll basically do anything you want as long as it will look nice, taste good and fall within a customer’s budget,” Haug says of her creative concepts that, in the past, have included Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, seahorses, mermaids and many others.

Let Them Eat Cupcakes offers cupcake-themed greeting cards and other memorabilia and keepsakes for purchase as well. A refreshing Tea Bar resides within the store, and for $3.25 (20-ounce cup with refills included) customers may indulge in brewed favorites such as Earl Grey Cream, Vanilla Chai Spice and Ginger Citron Mint, just to name a few.

Dining Out readers are encouraged to take advantage of a can’t-miss Hot Deal for Let Them Eat Cupcakes available now through Wednesday, June 25 at HotDealsHawaii.com. The special offer is good for a $24 voucher for just $15 and can be redeemed through June 30, 2015. As a reminder: guests may redeem the Hot Deal for in-person and phone orders, and must present voucher when ordering; voucher not applicable to custom/specialty or email orders; one voucher per party, per daily visit; no cash or credit back for any unused portion of the voucher; deal may not be combined with other specials, discounts or coupons.

In dire need of cupcakes? Diners should get there early, as the window curtains to Let Them Eat Cupcakes are drawn once the daily allotment of cupcakes has sold out.

Let Them Eat Cupcakes

35 S. Beretania St., Honolulu
531-CAKE (2253)
Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday
CupCakes808.com