Shave IceCapades Roster

Ambassador took a quick blog-break due to APEC, but is back with a list of some fantastic shave ice places for you to try! Thank you EVERYONE (Colette, Amanda, Jasmine, Joycelyn, Mister Ed, Sean, Dara, and KiteGoods! We love you all!) for your input on Facebook, Twitter, and our shave ice blog post!

Shave IceCapades Roster

Ailana Shave Ice
2250 Kalakaua Avenue; Ground floor of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza
1430 Kona Street

What makes them special: Ailana prides themselves in their homemade flavors made from fresh fruit. These flavors are deliciously refreshing and taste exactly like the real thing! Ailana also has great, friendly service at both locations.

Ambassador says: Just a stroll away from our Kuhio location, Ailana is definitely worth trying! The ice is very fine and smooth, and the syrups are one of a kind. Ailana has our taste buds saying "10"!

(Uncle Clay's) HOPA
Aina Haina Shopping Center

What makes them special: The motivation behind Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha is not making or selling shave ice, it's creating and sharing pure aloha. Their goal was to create a gathering place as and for Ohana, as "there are no such things as strangers, just Ohana yet to be met."

Ambassador says: We love the spirit of aloha you get when you walk in to Uncle Clay's. On top of this, we love that they give each shave ice two pours of syrup--once in the middle, and again on the top! As with their aloha spirit, all of their ingredients and products sold are natural. We also love that you can take a picture with cardboard Uncle Clay outside or even buy a shirt with Uncle Clay's face on it. Great stop on the way to Hanauma Bay--definitely check it out to meet the man himself!

Kaka'ako Kool
831 Queen Street

What makes them special: Kaka'ako Kool is the cutest convenience store that happens to sell amazing shave ice. They offer RB's ice cream, which is locally made, in vanilla and haupia flavors (we tried the haupia; thumbs up!), and even make their own azuki beans!

Ambassador says: Take note that while there are only two parking stalls in front of Kaka'ako Kool, you are allowed to park in the surrounding lots! We loved that the sizes weren't gigantic and the prices were great, not to mention there were no lines and the service was so friendly! We highly recommend!

Shimazu Store
330 N School Street

What makes them special: When we asked Shimazu Store what made their shave ice special they said "Uhh, nothing? We just make classic shave ice." Amidst the flurrying array of shave ice shops trying to set themselves apart, Ambassador will take a leap and say that Shimazu is trying to keep something classically great in its simplest, purest form.

Ambassador says: Shimazu Store has an extremely wide variety of syrups including ones that aren't so classic (contrary to their statement above). Ones that stuck out to us were buttered popcorn, red velvet, and creme brulee. We also loved that they had white vanilla so we could enjoy the classic flavor without turning our teeth blue! *Watch out: kiddie size is more like large.

Waiola Shave Ice
3113 Mokihana Street
2135 Waiola Street

What makes them special: Waiola advertises their homemade syrups and finely grated ice, saying that these things make them special. They also sell a wide variety of snacks and souvenirs and have ample parking.

Ambassador says: As seen on Hawaii 5-O, Waiola is one of the older shave ice establishments in Honolulu. We love the wide variety of flavors available and number of different shirts you can buy! The shave ice man you can take photos with is another added touch that makes us smile. There is plenty of outdoor seating so you can eat shave ice comfortably! We love Waiola!




Ambassador wants to get your true opinion on all of these great shave ice contenders! We will be closing the polls on Monday, December 5 to give you a chance to try some shave ice and vote! You can comment on our blog, or Facebook, or Twitter, for a chance to win some awesome gift certificates and other prizes! Stay tuned to find out who won our raffle and to see which shave ice place is the best in Honolulu!