Hawaii Shave Ice

Mainlanders call them snow cones, but in Hawaii the coolest treat around is shave ice. It is not shaved ice, rather just shave ice !

For those taking a drive around the islands, or trying to cool off after a day on the beach, nothing hits the spot like shave ice.

It is snow! No, it is a drink, and you can eat it with a spoon straw!

Regarding shave ice, Matsumoto Shave Ice is a North Shore Treasure.

It is nearly impossible to go past the small shop without stopping and indulging. Matsumotos is a family business which has been in operation since 1951.

There are photos on the walls of famous Americans, Japanese and others. Here is just a few of the names on the walls: Tom Hanks, Kristi Yamaguchi, Jason Scott Lee, Megumi Oishi, and Junichi Ishida.

How Shave Ice is Made

The ice is actually shaved off a big block right in front of you into a fine powder so it's easy to eat. Then it's topped with any one of countless exotic tropical fruit flavors, and sometimes questionable ones like root beer and bubblegum.

You can have a scoop of ice cream in the bottom, or have them throw in some Azuki beans . That may sound a little strange to you, but in Asia they are Japanese sweets.

Azuki Beans comes from the Far East. They are prepared by boiling till the beans softens, some sugar is added. Azuki beans go into the cone shaped cup first then the Shave Ice above it. Of course, they are optional, but you should give it a try.

You can have up to three (3) flavors of your choice per Shave Ice and all of their flavors are home made.

Waiola Shave Ice

Of course, one shave ice spot would not be enough for all of Hawaii, so here is another favorite. There is no point on driving all the way out to North Shore even thought they are $2.00 cheaper (it will cost more than that for the gasoline)

The employees are friendly, and the ice comes out so fine you can barely taste the texture allowing the flavors to explode in your mouth. You may have multiple brain gasms otherwise known as brain freeze. You can't go wrong with Strawberry or Watermelon paired with ice cream and condensed milk.

Ululani's Shave Ice

If you are in Maui, they also have truly "ONO" (Delicious) and "No Ka Oi" (The Best) Shave Ice ever.

Ululani uses only pure cane sugar and filtered purified water.

The minute Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice dissolves in your mouth, you will definitely feel the LOVE