Leonard’s Bakery just opened a Malasadamobile on 540 Lagoon Drive, minutes from Honolulu Airport (open daily from 7 am to 6 pm). It is as close as Hawaii’s most iconic bake shop can get to HNL travelers without actually being inside the terminal. That actually tells you a lot about how airport food works in Hawaii.
A new location for the Malasadamobile.
Leonard’s Malasadamobile sits in the parking area near Hawaii National Bank on Lagoon Drive, just outside the airport ecosystem. Leonard’s language makes the target travel audience obvious, calling out pre-flight pick-ups, post-flight cravings, and easy “omiyage” (take-home sweet) runs.
This is the first Leonard’s location, specifically positioned to leverage Honolulu Airport traffic rather than neighborhood foot traffic. It is not inside security or even within the airport footprint, yet it is close enough to be clearly intentional. The placement is deliberate, and that’s where the story starts.
Why is Leonard’s Bakery outside and not inside HNL?
Honolulu Airport concessions remain controlled by long-term contracts that leave little room for independent local Hawaii food operators, no matter how iconic they may be. Beat of Hawaii readers have been pointing this out for years, especially as terminals are rebuilt and renamed without any meaningful change in which vendors get access inside.
Ted put it bluntly, writing that food is run by a major billion-dollar company that can afford to pay to play, with no incentive for the state to intervene. Susan noted that everything is contracted, which is why repairs drag on and why the same company dominates all of the terminals. Maleko went further, describing decades of poor planning, weak execution, limited food choices, and high prices. And all of it wrapped in dated and transparent talk of “local flavors” that has simply worn thin.
Inside the terminals, the concessionaire HMSHost remains. In the newest Hawaiian–Alaska Mauka concourse, that reality is hard to miss. Travelers are greeted by a mainland chain like Dunkin’ selling generic donuts and coffee, while the pastry that actually defines Hawaii’s food culture sits outside the fence line.
The contrast is hard for any Hawaii aficionado to ignore. A 73-year-old local institution (Leonard’s Bakery) that visitors actively ask for cannot get inside the terminal, yet a national chain with no connection to Hawaii anchors the still largely vacant space. Promised arrivals like Alan Wong concepts, MW Group, Aloha Plate, and Lei Stand are now being floated with a coming-soon timeline, language readers have heard before and learned to discount.
What Hawaii travelers have actually been asking for.
Reader requests have been consistent. One comment said the airport should reflect local “kau kau” food shops like Leonard’s, Zippy’s, and L&L instead of mainland corporate outlets. Another asked why there is no malasada shop or Hawaiian food at all, calling it a missed chance to showcase Hawaii to arriving and departing visitors. Dunkin’ Donuts versus malasadas has been cited repeatedly as the clearest example of how far off the mark the terminal food choices and Honolulu Airport feel.
Leonard’s has been operating since 1952 and sells more than 15,000 malasadas a day. It is one of Hawaii’s most recognizable food institutions, and travelers have been asking for it at Honolulu Airport for years. The closest the system can manage is a truck parked just outside the airport.
Leonard’s found a workaround.
Leonard’s did what airport officials would not do and put Hawaii’s most wanted pastry within near reach of travelers. The new Malasadamobile joins locations at Waikele, Pearlridge, Koko Marina, and Windward Mall, but this is the first one aimed directly at Honolulu Airport traffic.
For travelers, it turns a 20+ minute drive to Kapahulu into a five-minute detour from HNL. It is still far from ideal, but it beats settling for another generic breakfast sandwich.
Leonard’s found a workaround. The question is why they even needed one. Your thoughts?
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