Waiola Shave Ice

★★★★☆ 4 (935) • $$

"The best in the neighborhood since we were kids. My friends that went to Punahou used to run cross country and Waiola Shave Ice would be the reward after a long run. Now I find myself in the area, looking at the line at Shimazu next to Rainbow Drive-in and driving past and headign to Waiola Shave Ice instead. It's a hidden gem at this point. Off the beaten path. For a few years Obama made it quite popular again with it being his Shave Ice of choice. Their shave ice is very finely cut and it has all the bells and whistles as well such as ice cream, condensed milk, azuki bean etc. There is plenty of parking and its off the main road, so it feels relaxing if you have to park on the street. The prices are still good, didn't go up too much. Overall a good choice for Shave Ice just outside of Waikiki without the crowd."

Aoki's Shave Ice

★★★★☆ 4.4 (603) • $

"So delicious. Aoki's shave ice is some of the best on the island. The flavors were rich and amazing the ice was shaved thin. The creaminess of the ice cream was great! Reasonable price.I tried lilikoi, guava and pineapple. All great flavors especially the guava and lilikoi. Highly recommend."

Coffee or Tea?

★★★★☆ 4.2 (419) • $$

"The ube float is amazing! Would definitely order again, and the price was not too bad considering you get scoops of ube ice cream in the drink. Lots of drink options on the menu in this small shop with limited seating. Service was nice. Big shared private parking lot with other businesses in the strip mall. Located makai of Pearlridge."

Kogi Aina

★★★★☆ 4.4 (356) • $$

"I came out of Yelp retirement because I'm so irritated by my recent experience.I've patronized this restaurant several times years ago and it easily could get 5 stars. We returned recently and it was pretty awful in terms of service and being empty on a weekend evening was telling. We arrived a little before their happy hour ended and the waitress said she would honor their early bird prices so we ordered our first round. Upon receiving our bill, we were charged full price so we went up to ask and the waitresses said the lady in charge (kitchen) said because we ordered after their happy hour we had to be charged the full price?! Never was that disclosed on the menu not in person because we would've ordered everything the first time! It felt very shady.Food was fresh and good but the service was lacking even beyond that bill incident."

Meet Fresh

★★★★☆ 3.9 (217) • $$

"Nice spot to come and grab dessert after church. Stopped in this afternoon due to a recommendation from our church friends and it was great! The medium sized Strawberry Milk Shaved Ice was a perfect portion for my wife and I. It was even better because our little one just ate all the fresh strawberries out of it. If you're a fan of ice cream, I definitely recommend asking for a scoop or two to be put on the bottom as well. The ice cream definitely goes well with the shaved ice. Although a bit pricey, this place has definitely been added to our list for dessert and we will be back soon!"

Wilson Store

★★★★★ 4.7 (132) • $

"Review: 092422This spot is literally a hole in a wall but well worth the visit! The auntie that helped us out (I'm going to assume that she was the owner) was friendly and oozed out of aloha-ness.The menu was simple but the favorites were all there! I opted for a regular with ice cream, lychee, coconut, and with a snow cap (condensed milk). My bro and sis-in-law both liked their orders (I forgot them). I asked the auntie for the tipping option on Square and she said don't worry about it. Support local businesses and this is one spot that I would recommend post-Lanikai beach outing like ourselves. Good people, good shave ice!"

Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens

★★★★☆ 3.8 (201) • $$

"Lookin' fo' a spot to grind and Rainbow's is waaaay to crowded? Go next door to Hawaii's Favorite Kitchen on Castle St. They have a smaller parking lot and some indoor seating, but due to COVID restrictions, they are only doing take out orders. They close earlier than Rainbow Drive Inn (7pm vs 9pm) but serve almost the same menu as Rainbow's and they have brown rice and steamed veggies. They use to have a business that sold fresh poke, but going to blame COVID on their departure. Shimazu's Shave Ice is STILL located inside this joint and you can still get your frozen treat hea if you need relief from the weather. The KC Drive Inn Waffle Dog is also sold hea and dat tastes pretty much the same as when KC's was still open... you don't know KC Drive Inn? Neither do I ;D.My go to dishes are are the Boneless Chicken with Brown Gravy & All Brown Rice... a classic from next door or the Curry Chicken Bowl...The Boneless Chicken plate I usually get hea, if I'm around wen dey open. Lately, haven't been able to get hea til after they close so settling with Rainbow's version is no lost to meh. Still ono, just no brown rice. The Curry Chicken Bowl with Brown Rice and Steam Vegetables is a wee-nah! This bowl is only found hea and is pretty cheap too. Don't want to post the cost, for not sure if COVID has raised this price too, but is a good deal hea & ONO! They seem to use rotisserie chicken, de-boned, then drop in their version of Japanese curry and then stewed. Very comfort-like food fo' my palate and tummy.Have gotten shaved ice hea a few times, and Shimazu's doesn't disappoint with flavor and toppin' choices... as long as I get condensed milk on top of mines, no matter da flavor to me ;)So, if you're in the Kapahulu area and need something to snack on, go to Hawaii's Favorite Kitchen... til my next snackin' visit, Grind On, Pau!"

Coffee or Tea？Kailua

★★★★☆ 4.3 (122) • $$

"A little hole in the wall Asian coffee shop, but worth a stop. The iced Americano is fantastic. Plenty of pastries and snacks available as well."

Kawaii Ice Wave

★★★★★ 4.6 (100) • $

"We got the strawberry cheesecake ice wave - so good! It's a large size, enough to share and good for the price. It's definitely kawaii in there - super cute location with good spots for pictures. The girls t the register was really friendly and kind. Would recommend this place especially on a hot day. You could take it and sit by the water after getting a coffee or tea from Island Brew as well, which made this taste so much sweeter."

Wiki Wiki Market

★★★★☆ 3.8 (66) • $$

"A great little store near the beach at the base of the Ali'i tower in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. If you want a quick breakfast, or a sandwich, maybe a fruit cup, or a malasada, maybe a soft drink, or some juice, thisbisba great stop. Lots of variety, produce is fresh and tasty.Their shave ice is really good (pricey, but big) as are their ice cream options.Service was hit and miss. Some were very friendly, others not so much...It's a bit hidden, but worth the search."

Rajah Dat Snack Shop

★★★★☆ 4.1 (47) • $$

"Cool place ... roger that.We ate lunch at a recently opened local BBQ place in the same strip mall which has around 10 restaurants of all kinds here. Parking was adequate in the early afternoon but I am wondering how hard it may be to park at prime dinner time.Rajah Dat is a snack shop with various mostly local candies and treats. They have some strange stuff on sale too but I will let you discover those on your own. Because my concept of strange may not be as strange as yours.They also vend frozen yogurt. I asked for the frozen blue vanilla flavor which was a 4 out of 5. Not so creamy and flavorful but still pretty good.Just the thing you want on a hot and humid afternoon in August.Will be back when I'm in the area."

Musubi Boba

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (23)

"My friend and I were walking around Waikiki and had a boba craving. The closest place Yelp took us was this place. I was disappointed to find out that they specialize more on smoothies and blended drinks rather than milk teas. I was actually craving for some milk tea with boba or even fruit tea, but instead they recommended their fruit smoothies. My friend got their Papaya Smoothie with boba, and I got their Mango Smoothie with boba and jelly that came standard (no extra charge for the jellies) with the drink.There was one lady at the store who was very friendly and talkative who made the recommendations. We were so immersed in our conversation that I forgot to request to adjust their sugar level. The drinks came out too sweet!If it wasn't for the lovely and friendly service, I probably would give this place 2-star because I couldn't take a second sip of their drink. It was cloyingly sweet! My drink went to waste as a result.My friend liked her papaya smoothie, but she said, it was also way too sweet, but not as sweet as my drink. So, she finished half of hers.I would still recommend this place, but if you're like me that's not into overly sweetened drinks, be sure to adjust their sweetness level."

Frostcity

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Looking for a light, fluffy, refreshing treat after dinner? This is the place! Delicious creamy Taiwanese style shaved ice! Located on king street right near Panda Express. We couldn't decide what to try, so many delicious flavors! Cool thing, you can combine flavors! Then I stumbled upon 2 of my favorite kinds of tea....have to get it! +Regular Size - Green Tea & Thai Tea Combo Shave Ice ($11.50) - Very creamy with the condensed milk drizzled on top. It was like icecream, shave ice style. The fresh fruits and mochi gave nice texture. I like the spoons they provide, makes it easy to shovel in the dessert. Great to share! My one complaint is that they barely gave any green tea flavor, it was mostly Thai Tea. If I'm paying for 2 flavors, I would like it be more evenly balanced with both flavors. Okay greeting from workers, easy checkout, came out within 5 minutes. Good seating located near the back -booth style. Big plus - parking lot located in the back of the building! Decent space and well-lit for nighttime. Recommend!"