Island Rootz Cafe

09/03/2026

Is summer over? Pumpkin Crunch Cake it is!

08/30/2026

Baked Dynamite special 😁🌺

08/30/2026

Aloha kakahiaka! 🌺

Come hungry, come chill, and let us feed you.

🐟 12 different kinds of poke
🍙 12 varieties of musubi
🍰 Ever-changing dessert options
🧋 Refreshing fruit iced teas

And if you’re craving something hot, we’ve got plenty made fresh to order 🔥

Mochiko Chicken • Chicken Katsu • Garlic Shrimp • Spicy Miso Tofu • Beef Teriyaki • Chicken Teriyaki

Grab your favorites, try something new, and come hang out with us in the AC. 😎❄️

Good food, cold drinks, friendly faces. See you soon Island Rootz Cafe by Aunty Maile’s ! 🤙🏽

08/28/2026

We have variety of poke, musubis, AND plate lunches too. 🤙🏽

📸 Mixed Plate (Garlic Shrimp & Beef Teri)
Served with mac salad on the side.

08/27/2026

Wish you could smell the buttery goodness. 😮‍💨

Sweet potato crispy manju, ready! Island Rootz Cafe by Aunty Maile’s

Been making all sorts of desserts, but, haven’t been good about taking photos and posting. Will do better! 😜

08/15/2026

Few personal pies ready for tomorrow 🌺

Blueberry Custard Pie with a touch of chocolate
Banana Custard Pie
Strawberry Nutella Custard Pie (forgot to take a photo)

See you soon!

08/07/2026

Morning huddle currently in session. 😂

We take our work seriously… ourselves? Not so much. 🤪

Talk business, get everyone on the same page, handle what needs handling, and somehow it always ends up like this. 😂

Work hard. Stay focused. Have fun. Repeat. 🤙🏽

Wouldn’t want it any other way with this crew. 🔥🔥🔥

08/06/2026

We’ve been so crazy busy that we haven’t had a chance to coordinate with all the talented artists who have reached out. But we’re incredibly grateful that our very first official frame was created by the one and only Kary Kika

Not only is she a friend, she’s an amazing artist whose work you’ve probably seen all over the place, including Trader Joe’s.

We only gave her one direction: to make our space feel less modern and bring more warmth into it. 🌺

She absolutely nailed it! 🤙🏽

Mahalo nui Kary!!!! We absolutely love it and are grateful. 🥹

07/29/2026

Some moments deserve to be slowed down.

On July 25, we officially celebrated the Grand Opening of Island Rootz Cafe. While we had been serving during our soft opening, this was the day we got to pause and realize just how many people have been cheering us on.

Mahalo nui to all of ‘ohana who blessed us with your incredible talent. You all started as friends, but over the years you’ve become our ʻohana. Incredibly grateful for always showing up for us.


Mahalo to Na Pua Me Kealoha and the for bringing such beautiful energy through hula and blessing our new home.

A heartfelt thank you to the Mayor of Gardena and our City Council members for joining us on a Saturday morning for our ribbon cutting and officially welcoming us into the community.

& , mahalo nui for the gorgeous leis. 🌺

To our ‘ohana, friends, customers, and everyone who celebrated with us, thank you. You made this day unforgettable.

The biggest mahalo goes to our team. Yoji led the kitchen, while Scott, Mako, and Jaz led the front of house. Every staff member trained hard and stepped up when it mattered most.

A special mahalo to Isaac and Lei for holding down Aunty Maile’s, and to Abe, Josue, and Aunty Donna for keeping Aloha Platez running strong. With three restaurants, none of this would’ve been possible without every single one of you.

And Waki, even while out, you still came out to support us. Mahalo.

This grand opening wasn’t built by one person. It was built by family, the family we were born into and the ʻohana we’ve been blessed to find along the way.

We’re still learning, and we’ll continue getting better every day. From the bottom of our hearts, mahalo for making our grand opening so special.

Here’s to many years of food, friendship, community, and aloha. 🌺🤙🏽

07/26/2026