Waiola Shave Ice

Much like the original, just updated!
There’s nothing like a shave ice to help heal the sick and wounded. Visited here after my son had a traumatic experience getting shots at the doctor, and it was exactly what we needed to turn our day around. This location has a small parking lot in front of the building and is right off of Kapahulu Ave. There was only one woman working which I thought was strange for a hot summer day, but we didn’t have to wait too long. There is a selection of crack seed and some Waiola merchandise, a great alternative to the original store, but the same local experience!

This is by far my favorite place to get shave ice because they have so many flavors and toppings and the ice is super smooth. I also like that they are very consistent and not over priced. This place is also great for groups and children because they have tables and chairs to sit at. I highly recommend coming here if you want amazing shave ice!

Waiola’s shave ice is amazing. Probably the best around the touristy area. So fluffy and soft. Service was pleasant and they were super quick. If you’ve never been there, this is how you order:
1) pick size. (Small cone, small, cup, large bowl, etc.)
2) how many
3) pick toppings (snow cap, condensed milk, li hung mui powder, etc.)
4) choose two flavors
So for example, I ordered 3 large bowls, two with condensed milk, and one with li hing. Then they’ll ask you what flavors you want for each bowl you ordered.

I’ve been here twice. The first time, about two years ago, I tried coffee and green tea shave ice and both had really strong, tasty flavors. The second time was a few days ago. I ordered the azuki bowl and was very disappointed; everything in it was bland and not sweet enough. Service wasn’t particularly friendly.

This is a great place for island treats. For the mainlanders, once you try shave ice, you will never go back to snow cones.

Loved. The kids loved. Off the beaten path and delicious. We’re from Haleiwa, which I believe is the shaved iced capital of the world, so we know shaved ice and we would highly recommend this place! Parking can be hard, but that the only downfall.
Stop enjoy and be happy!

3.5÷5 solid stars
HIGHLY recommend to make sure you add in condense milk in your shaved ice.
I have had better shaved ice on this island, but this place is not bad. I ordered the Pina Colada. The ice is powder soft! YUM!
Oh, they have a mini store to the left of the shaved ice counter. This mini store sells asian candy and Li Hing Mui. Apparently, Li Hing Mui is popular goodie in Hawaii. I grew up eating them, but I am wary how I feel about this in my shaved ice.

This review is on Waiola’s second location in Kapahulu. I had eaten at Waiola’s in a while and decided to try. I got a small cup of shaved ice flavored with strawberry and lilikoi. What I can say is that Waiola’s shave ice was the most smoothest shave ice I have ever eaten. The ice was shaved so fine it was like I could barely feel the ice crystals. I was amazed! The texture was very smooth and find and that made the ice stay together and not fall apart like other shave ice places. It was almost like eating a icee. However at over $ 2 for a small cup… it is a little pricy for ice.

I’m not a big shaved ice person, but I really liked Waiola’s! Maybe because we got the rainbow vanilla ice cream bowl… I love ice cream! The rainbow flavors were great and complimented the vanilla nicely. We shared one order among 4 of us and it was perfect. They put 2 – 3 scoops of ice cream underneath, shaved ice on top, and load on the flavors. Give it a minute or two for the flavors to soak through and it’s absolutely delicious!
There are a few parking spaces up front, order and pick up at the window, and picnic table seating to the side. When we went (weekday afternoon) there was no line and it made the experience even better! No stress, no waiting… only smiles!

We got a Guava /​Mango shave ice and it was so good. This is the best shave ice I’ve ever tried. It’s just so finely shaved, it melts in your mouth like it should without chewing on little pieces of ice. This even beats Ululani’s on Maui (didn’t try Matsumoto’s so I can’t compare to that). I missed out trying this one last time before I left but it will always be my favorite.

You can’t say you went to Hawaii without trying their shave ice… and yes there are many many shave ice place… and i just so happen to bump into this place…
They have many many favors… but all i really wanted is mochi, red bean and condensed milk… i really don’t mind of whatever favor the shaved ice is… so, yeah… you can try all the different favor of syrup… but I LOVE THE REDBEAN AND MOCHI… can’t go wrong with them…

**Ululani’s is my go to shave ice… It’s the only one I’d recommend on my island so everything I say is in comparison to them. They also recommend Waiola on their website, so I had to stop by. **
I normally don’t like to be «chatted» to at take out stands, most of the time… It was fine that they didn’t here but as we left I thanked one of the workers for the yummy shave ice. No response. Damn. I hate people too but she could’ve at least looked up or smiled so I know she heard… –1 star for the lack of aloha.
There were no lines when we pulled up, they had plenty of open parking spaces, seats and they were shaded. They were also quick to get us our shave ice and it was soft… Apparently there’s some strict instructions on how to order, the signs are all faded so I didn’t know how. Big sis did for me though.
I got coconut and lychee to share, mom and big sis did strawberry and mango. All of them with condensed milk and vanilla. Apparently «snowcapped» and «condensed milk» have different meanings here, don’t confuse the two. The flavors itself is good, the coconut was weak but it still tasted like a coconut. I’m only here for the coconut so everything else is meh.
I also noticed a sign that said you have to wait for the ice to melt slightly so the flavors go down. Well that’s kind of lame, why not just poke holes so the flavors go down. (Maybe someone copyrighted the technique??. XD. lol) The prices were definitely cheaper than Maui prices, but everything else in Oahu is cheaper in general so I didn’t mind adding on a bunch of extras.
My favorite part is they have these cute shave ice displays out front for pictures. I want one. ^_^bb

Whoa whoa whoa whoa!
So growing up on Maui. Especially in Lahaina, it’s a predominantly tourist area, I have always been used to spending $ 5+ for a shave ice with ice cream and toppings. BUT even though expensive, it was always the soft-​fluffy stuff. That’s a REAL shave ice, not the crunchy snow cone stuff, and not the shaved yogurt either.
Waiola, keeps it traditional with its soft texture in their shave ice that just melts in your mouth. Yum. After that long, gruesome, incline hike at Makapu’u Trail we NEEDED soft fluffy stuff to cool us down: P
I like that their prices are cheap. The XL cup’s base price is $ 2.88! You get to pick 2 flavors and additional flavors cost 0.50 more & there are toppings you can add on for extra as well.
We ended up with 1 Large, and 2 XL cups for under $ 10.00! When we went to Maui it cost us $ 10 for two shave ice! But the XL-​OAHU size on equates to a Maui Small size lol.
Parking can be scarce. They have a lot right in front and to the side. But I noticed plenty of street parking. They also have a few tables set out so you don’t get it all over your car, or yourself.
Service was alright. They seem kind of rude and want to rush you, we were the only ones there at the time. But yea, follow their instructions lol. They say they close at 6pm, but we noticed people piling in after they close and they didn’t reject anyone, heck I would have lol: P
ANYWAYS… I’m glad there’s a place that’s not in a really congested area, and sells shave ice the way I like (soft/​fine) and good prices. :) This was one of the first places where their shave ice isn’t crunchy or made of yogurt (blech).

I think I got Strawberry and he got a mix with Mango? It’s been so long, I don’t remember. What I do remember was that it was HOT, and we had been walking around for awhile. We needed something cold and refreshing so why not the infamous Waiola? Luckily, the line wasn’t too long. We ordered and went to eat our treats on the back/​side patio. Portions are quite generous in my opinion and it being served in a cup rather than cone makes it a tad easier, especially when it melts fast from being in the sun. We were satisfied enough to hop back on the moped and ride back to town.
(Late post, 2011)

What better way to feel refreshed after a hike on a hot day (or even on just any hot day in Hawaii aka everyday) than to enjoy a shave ice from Waiola? Whether you’re a first time tourist or a born and raised never-​even-​thought-​about-​leaving-​Hawaii-​ever local, you can’t go wrong here. They have a multitude of tropical flavors, from which to choose, from pineapple to POG. If you prefer the non-​fruity flavors, they have some of those as well (milk tea, coffee). I would highly recommend the fruit flavors, however, as I think that’s the true Hawaiian shave ice experience. Some popular toppings, if you want that extra sweetness, include condensed milk and ice cream.
I always stick to a simple large shave ice cup 2 flavors (for the low price of $ 2.50). On this visit, I got a watermelon and lilikoi shave ice. Both were great flavors, but the lilikoi was definitely the winner of the two. It was just so unbelievably refreshing that I wished I could have made a gallon of lilikoi juice out of their syrup and ice. My only complaint is that they aren’t as generous with the syrup as their other location seems to be (as my friend said, «They have it down to a science»). You will have enough syrup for an enjoyable shave ice. You just won’t be able to drink some of your shave ice as it melts and turns more into a slush (which I’m pretty sure is many people’s favorite part of the shave ice experience).
I came here just before noon on a weekday, so finding parking right in front of the store was very easy. Service was fast. There is a good amount of seating outside. They are cash only, so have a few bucks on hand.

My favorite part of the shave ice is adding mochi on the bottom of the cup and drizzling condensed milk on top. Of course the different flavored syrup is just the cherry on top.
But my point is the mochi and the condensed milk. When you finally reach down to the mochi on the bottom after multiple brain freezes, you don’t expect your jaws to be in pain due to hard and (extra) chewy mochi. That flavorless, hard dough,. as you chew, and chew, and chew, and chew… you either regret paying 50 cents for them or you’re glad it’s only 50 cents, but saddened by the fact that those mochi balls took up space over more shave ice! Now let’s talk about that condensed milk. Not enough of it? After 5 bites, I’m all, «where did it go?» *sad face*. Again, either regret paying 50 cents or glad it’s only 50 cents? But HEY, you add those up, that’s already ONE DOLLAR. DAMMIT.
As for the flavored syrup— Guava and banana were pretty good, so two stars for you. My friend got the Thai Tea flavored, and that was weird. So weird. Ya better get that as the real thing instead of shave ice.
It’s cash only and there are few parking spots right in front of the shop, with small seating area to the right.
Check it out, if you must. Stay clear from mochi ballz & ask for EXTRA condensed milk?

This is old school shave ice like back in the day! They are so old school they don’t even take credit cards; cash only bruddah! For just a couple bucks you can get a cup or cone and I strongly suggest you get the Lychee. Love this place!

**Shave ICe** Honolulu, HI
This is not the original location. This is the more newer location located near Leonard’s Malasadas so *hint*hint* you can hit two places if you choose. I’m born and raised on the island of Oahu and shave ice is a very popular due to the hot and humid weather we have here. Oddly, I rarely eat shave ice anymore, even in Hawaii. But Auntie Nadine wanted to go on her famous Unilocal adventures and since my mom lives really close by, we decided to check this place out. I have been to the original location but it is much smaller and not really a place to sit comfortably besides a bench. At least here, there are tables and benches in shaded area with large umbrellas. We ordered some ice but the texture as others said is very very fine. I can see why some may not be happy with the shave ice here. I think it just depends on your preference. Never fails though, every time I come here, there is always a line. Probably because there is not many shave ice places in the area and it’s not too far from Waikiki beach so a lot of people come here after the beach to cool off by eating shave ice.
There are no restrooms, it’s a walk up window, you order your shave ice and wait. They have an area inside where they sell some merchandise, and Auntie Nadine bought us some luggage tags! They are so cute! Kawaii!!! I ended up coming back to buy some for some party favors, I made goodie bags for a lunch gathering that was thrown by Terry. I think this past summer was the best summer I ever had due to all the Unilocal parties and adventures I went on. Hopefully, I’ll be back next summer for more fun and adventures. :)
If you do come here, in the area, there is Leonard’s Bakery which is a popular must, and there is a cozy café called Kaimana Farm Café which is all walking distance from each other, definitely worth a bookmark.
Thanks for reading! :)
~*kenzie*~

It’s juuuust off the main street and there’s a few parking spots right outside with lots of seating area w/​umbrella stands
This one has a gift shop inside for any Waiola shaved ice branded items
At the this location, I tried a small cup with mochi, lilikoi cream, POG (passionfruit, orange, guava), and melona.
As you can tell, there was a lot going on lol but it was a max of 2 flavors so I figured why not get the 3-​flavors-​flavor!
It was nice and fruity — what I wanted at the time
The lilikoi cream was interesting w/​the added texture of the seeds and I enjoyed it
The mochi was a lil weird for me; it was bigger than I anticipated and more bland than I expected (and I already expected it to not have flavor)

Who doesn’t like shave ice. No not snow cones. Very fine ice and so many variations with flavors and toppings.
Definitely one of the top shave ice in the area if you have that craving. Can’t even think of another that I have gone to in this area other than its old location.
I personally like a little bit of a grit in my shave ice versus it being so finely shaven. Waiolas has a nice balance.
Farily certain they make their own syrups but don’t see any postings about it.
Personal Preference on Negative
My one negative about this place is the ice cream. They are one of the few that consistently has prescopped ice cream in cups. This makes it hard and more difficult to mix with your shave ice. I enjoy when they can scoop your ice cream into the cup so it allows gaps and for the ice cream to mix with the shave ice.
Best place for adding ice cream was Aoki’s (Haleiwa) and you could get different flavors of ice cream or my favorite macadamia nut ice cream. But they are closed. Matsumoto’s (Haleiwa) also did this in the past and offered different flavors.
But, in all fairness, it does help in moving the lines quicker.