Woohoo! A local staple and fan fave! First time I've been in awhile with a literal line out the door. The two aunties who are usually working when I go there are so fast there isn't a chance for there to be a line. I guess everyone was craving some Crack Seed and what's funny is that we were all ordering King Mui that the jar was almost empty! They have so many different items to choose from it's easy to get overwhelmed. Their prices are very reasonable. In comparison to other packaged crack seed, this is the place to go. I have yet to be disappointed here versus other places you may get a junk batch here and there or needs more seasoning/sauce. Plus here, the aunties let you sample if need, but no worry, everything 'ono! read more

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I just love this place. There really isn't anything that truly takes me back to small kid times and I still get the same thrill ( and drooling) now as I did tgen when I see those glass jars. I love the dried lemon and the jumbo soft li hing mui. It just brings me joy. Before I leave I always get an icee with the li hing mui in it. The friendly ladies make them as if you ate still that kid and smile because they see how happy we are to get that cool treat. My husband always laughs because he knows I squeal with glee after the first sip. Its my happy place. read more

Sour, sweet, tarts plum, lemon peel, ginger, mango... everything in the store was making my mouth water. Never heard about li hing mui plum powder till I Yelped "interesting food" -um- tart plum in icee?? Huh wtf? Very skeptical about it. Omg it's so much better than just a sugary drink where two sips makes you feel overwhelmed. It was very hard to stop drinking... then there was no more. Lady of the store, was very nice, I got some samples and bought some lemon peel, black ginger, sweet plum, and a couple packs of li hing mui powders while I waited for my icee. read more

Crack Seed Store - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

1st time here since my go to store for salty seed (saladitos) closed. The aunties who work there are amazing (I forgot their names). They let me and my other half taste test what we want before buying. I hope they never get rid of the salty seed since it's hard to find. I will definitely be back for more since that's the only thing I buy there. read more

I wanted to buy some li hing candies and went to Yelp to try to find some local stores to support. I was interested in going to Crack Seed Store due to a passionate review about this place being a childhood favorite and the li hing icee! I haven't tried the candy or li hing powder yet, but I got a strawberry li hing juice icee and that was INSANELY GOOD! They take a spoonful of the preserved sour plum juice and put it in a cup before putting the icee in. Make sure to MIX the juice and icee up because I made the mistake of drinking it immediately and it was SUPER sour. But once the juice was well combined with the icee, the sweet of the strawberry and sour, tartness of the li hing was honestly super delicious and refreshing! I'm so glad I stopped for this drink and I would totally come back for it! read more

Crack Seed Store - Li hing powder, li hing green apple candy - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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If your ever in the area go here. Very cool spot with different types of seeds and dried fruit. We got some dried strawberries, lychee, ginger and dried lemon. Everything was so good and reasonably priced. If you would like to try before you buy they will give you a sample as well. This is by the pound. read more

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Its still the same crack seed store as I remember, however the gentleman that always helped me no longer is there. I know they sold the shop and also because of COVID you cannot enter the store anymore. Sad. Anyhow I had an icee with li hing sauce inside for old times sake...it tasted great but there was no seed at the end of it. I guess I'm just sad it's not really the same. I grew up with this store and it's hard to see things change. Wishing them lots of luck!! read more

Crack Seed Store - Same icee with li hing sauce but no crack seed on top! - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Crack Seed Store was conveniently located right next to Sprout Sandwich Shop. While waiting for my food, I strolled into the little shop to check out dried goodies. The lady was so nice and helped me pack three individual 1/4 lb bags of dried mangoes, dried strawberries, and plums. It definitely reminded me of Taiwan. My favorite was the dried strawberries and plums. Mangoes were just okay. I think I like the 7D ones better. Super glad I stumbled across this gem of an establishment! read more

Crack Seed Store - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Really good store for dried plums and dried fruit, will be back. It's in a cute little neighborhood that's getting trendy

Being a new HI resident for less than two years. I am still learning new things. So when co-worker suggested to visit "crack seed store", I had absolutely no idea what was that!? Turned out, it's a sweets store that specialized in perserved candy fruits! And I came from Taiwan which is also known for that! I was blown away by the variety this tiny store has. Then got blown away again by its price. Nevertheless, did not leave empty handed...(in fact, far from empty) read more

Crack Seed Store - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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My friend took me here after our lunch. This was my first time ever having a Li hing strawberry icee. I was expecting them to blend in Li hing powder so I was very surprised when they scooped li hing juice into the cup and added the strawberry icee into the cup. What a game changer! The Li hing flavor was strong and paired well with the strawberry. It was salty, sour and sweet at the same time. This was the perfect drink for a hot day. I believe the medium was just under $2 and it was a fairly large cup. As with the rest of the establishments in the area, parking is tricky. There's street parking or private paid lots available, but with so much traffic, spots fill up quickly. read more

Crack Seed Store - The menu - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I'm not sure how to rate this place. There were two ladies working when I stopped in one was quite rude, curt and unfriendly. The other at first seemed to not understand English, but later, as I discovered would only answer the questions that she felt like answering. For example, I wanted to know about their lemon products so I asked if the lemon peel and lemon strips were the same, just cut into strips, the answer was "no, different". I then I had to ask how are they different is one sour, she walked to the back and didn't respond. I suppose the products are great, but if you don't know exactly what you want, this is not the place to go. I just got a couple of items that they said were popular and called it a day. read more

Update on this Crack seed store in Kaimuki. I understand it's their rule and how they want to handle customers during Covid19 but I'm not going to patronize them anymore until this blows over !. I understand safety first but also they going to lose a lot of business in the future if it's run like this. This morning I wanted to get ginger for my wife and sister in law so I got there and Now the set up is they have a plexiglass right in front of their door way. So no one can go into their store. That's fine and dandy but I'm the kind of person I need to visualize what I'm buying especially they make about 4 different types of ginger Hello?? They have poster posted on their glass window and door with numbers next to the items. So I ask the owner I bought ginger here before but I'm not sure which one and she replied sorry cannot come inside and she suggested to just buy quarter pound worth. Which I did by going on a hunch got to the car it's the wrong one. I suggested to the owner you should let 1 person in at a time because I advise her that I would have bought more if I could see which one I was buying ? Anyway that's the way their running their business I only can mention thru social media that it is very inconvenience and I'm personally not going there anymore I was piss Support local but for me not that one! read more

Crack Seed Store - Outside - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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An institution! Been there for how many years? And these types of places are few and far between on the island nowadays, just so happy that they are still here. I love getting snacks and candy, nice staff too. Never change! read more

They have such a variety of things. They also sell Chinese mushroom and lily flowers for Chinese soup. They are super nice and I would support them 100 %. They closed today at 3:30 because they were going to celebrate Chinese new year. They were going to temple. The cracked seeds were yummy I can't wait to drop by when I am in the area again. read more

Great hole in the wall cracked seed store with so many choices. Friendly helpful ladies. Lots of parking but crowded on weekends.

What a cute shop of strange and wonderful things! Crack seed is Hawaii's version of preserved fruits. But let's be real, this is a candy store LOL! There are so many little jars full of candies. If you are looking for dried fruits, they got them. Looking for gummies? They got them. They had fruits I never even heard of. So as you browse the crack seed store, take note of the numbers on each of the candies that you like. Once you have decided what your goodies will be, give the numbers to the staff and they will prepare small plastic bags of your choice! Also, they have an Icee machine here, if you decide to get one, get one with an ice cream scoop in it. So good. I never had this until I came here. Thanks, Crack Seed Store, you are a treasure trove of goodness. read more

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I was craving a li hing mui coke icee and remembered having one many years ago from this crack seed store. The shop is small, just comfortable to have one person standing in the walk way with some room to scoot around. I went just for the icee, medium $5.17, and was quick enough not to encounter anyone else. First taste of the li hing sauce was straight pucker to my face. It was Broke da mouth- literally!! I like it on the salty sour side and find that sometimes the sweet li hing doesn't cut it for me. I was so pleasantly pleased with it, but it's not for everyone especially those that cannot handle salty sour tastes. read more

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I enjoy local flavor. It's what makes a community special. Supporting that local flavor is what makes every community unique and worth visiting for me. This crack seed store has been a staple in this community for a long time, and I have never been here! The original owner retired and new people have stepped in to take over, so we went by to have a look. The store is on the small side, like most crack seed stores. Just room enough to look around and point at all the goodies you want to take home. The new owners seem very nice. They welcomed us in the store and were happy to help us. I had my eye on one thing only....li hing icee.... This is an interesting drink. Yes, it's an icee, but with the crack seed and crack seed juice mixed in, it takes on a whole different flavor. It's a little hard to put into words, but I would describe it similar to a light prune juice-ish tasting icee. Definitely not something I have ever tasted before. I dont know if other crack seeds are available in the icee or if they have only made it one way, but it was fun to try. I had it with half coke and half strawberry icee. If you have never had it, it's worth a try! I will be back to try the crack seed! read more

Crack Seed Store - Li hing sauce icee - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The chapter of owner Mr. Kon Ping Young of the Crack Seed Store has come to an end due to his retirement. However, a new chapter starts with its new owners, who also own Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery on Maunakea St. in Chinatown, the New Mui Kwai Chop Suey in Kailua, and the Golden Duck Restaurant in the Makiki area. As I walked into the Crack Seed Store, I immediately recognized the two women staff, and both confirmed that it is indeed, the same owners. In fact, one of them said she was the sister-in-law of Wesley Fang, who owns and runs the New Mui Kwai Chop Suey. Both staff members assured me that everything would be the same as when Mr. Young was there: same recipes and same inventory. However, I noticed that some of the seeds had increased in price but am not sure it's because of the new owners or because of the China tariffs. But I could see their confidence in trying to deliver the same excellence in products and service as Mr. Young. That's good to know. And, there will be additions to their inventory - packaged cookies and snacks from their bakery in Chinatown. Hmm, wonder if they'll also bring in their dim sum, moon cakes, and sesame seed candies also? Encouraging thoughts, but hope that there's enough room to put them in this tiny store. At least, that will save East Honolulu locals from making a trip to Chinatown. They were still out of their lemon strips, which are popular in mixing with gummy bears. I got the lemon peel instead, and it was very soft and tasty. I also got the li hing pickled mango, which I should have sampled first, as it did not appeal to my taste buds; luckily, I only got ¼ lb. And, they were pretty much stocked with much inventory. Only time will tell how the Crack Seed Store will fare in the near future. Based on the success of the present owners' existing food-related businesses, I see the potential in continuing the popularity of the Crack Seed Store. A new chapter has indeed started. read more

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Welcome to the exotic and wonderful world of dried and powdered fruits/vegetables/proteins with flavors that appear to have arisen from a fever dream. The Crack Seed Store had been on my "to visit" list forever and I'm sorry I didn't get there pre-pandemic. As it currently stands, one stands in the doorway staring at a voluminous menu of offerings and voicing their choices. Bags are sold in 1/4 pound increments. I don't know what 98+% of the offerings here taste like though I think I'd enjoy learning. I ordered three 1/4 pound bagfuls of things including Li Hing Mui unpitted plums, some sort of mango, and one of the "less sugar" offerings of lemon peel. Weeks later, here's where that stands: * Plums consumed; delicious; * Mango: have yet to sample; and * Lemon peel: Will likely outlast me. Three of us have agreed that a tiny little bit of this goes a very long way without inspiring one to desire more. I can't help thinking that an assortment of items from the Crack Seed Store would be a great reason to host a paired cocktail event. Next time, I won't miss the Soft Cuttlefish and I'll try to remember to study the web site in advance for other selections. The Crack Seed Store is a place that I think could only exist in Hawaii and that alone should be reason enough to visit, and to release your taste buds from the doldrums. read more

I bought 4 large icee's and I wasn't sure if my friends wanted li hing mui added to their cups, so I asked the staff if I could get it on the side, She, the staff said "no" & chuckled. I reassured that her that I would pay for side order of li hing but she would not budge. She then told me to purchase the bag that was hanging behind me for $8.00, lol. There was 2 older female staff there and were not friendly at all. Mind you, the time before that my bf bought every single ginger seed they have available and they have a lot of choices. They lost our funding moving forwardTHIS PLACE DESERVES NO STARS. read more

I used to visit HNL about 3-4 times a year for work, and every time, there was Dave the mainlander walking into the place on Koko Head. I'd spend $50+ every single time. I moved to Texas and changed jobs, now I order it online at $100 a pop. It's just the absolute best!! read more

Not many places left on island for great seeds but this place is legit!! read more

Crack Seed Store - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I always make every effort to stop by Crack Seed Store. Any of their li-hing or dried fruits are tasty! My go-to is the Strawberry Lihing Icee with Ice Cream read more

Crack Seed Store - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I took my friend from Alabama out to lunch and said, now we're going to the Crack Seed Store. She gave me a confused look. "Crack grows from seed?" she asked. Oh my, that "crack"ed me up. Growing up here, I never thought about those words- crack seed. When she saw the poster on the window, she laughed, as her mouth started to water! Mine is, too, as I write this review. Lol I love my sweet wet lihing mango. I wish I bought more. And my hubby was so excited when I gave him his olive cake. We haven't been able to find it on our side of the island. I really wanted to get a lihing icee float, but I was still full from lunch. Oh well, I'll get it next time, as I'm definitely going to come out again to get more mango!!!!! read more

The two ladies working there are not that friendly. No hello , no smile and just a straight rude face. Little store with lots to choose from. But, the vibe makes you want to leave and take my business elsewhere. My Mom and I asked for samples and they acted like they didn't want to give us samples. We bought four different items and no thank you at all! And, parking is hard to find ! read more

Best crack seed store! They're so nice and the li hing icee is a must have. There are so many delicious snacks to choose from.

Best li hing icee everrrr. Perioddttt. Plz never close. The ladies are relatively quick. The shop is a cozy crack seed store with a variety of different seeds, dried fruits, gummies, kakimochi, etc. read more

Crack Seed Store - Regular size li hing icee - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Lots of choices, efficient service. Glad to have the small business in the area. Prices were reasonable though I may not remember my purchases because the bags were not individually labeled. read more

LOVE this uniquely Hawaii crack seed store that brings back memories of childhood. It's got the classic crack seed large glass jars, but the place is modern and clean. They're doing an amazing job with COVID protocols (one at a time at the door, everything well labeled, you point to or say what you want and they pack and seal it for you). They're SO nice, and it's wonderful to see a family owned local business going strong! My favorites are wet mango (salty and sweet) and dried seedless cherry. You just can't get this kind of thing at anywhere but a crack seed store. The grocery store versions do not hold a candle. I tested out my favorite drink from childhood to see if it still holds up to my memories-- it does. Go with li hing strawberry icee with icecream! I grew up with crack seed being the best treat and I hope to create the same special memories for my kids at this local treasure! read more

Crack Seed Store - Dried seedless cherry - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Crack seed...and Li Hing Mui Icee... If you want an authentic "Old School" "Hawaiian" experience, this is the place! I would listen to my mom's and cousins' stories about getting "crack seed" in the old days in a paper bag. Nowadays, the preserved seeds aka Li Hing Mui, Rock Salt Plum, etc. come in a heat sealed plastic bag. This tiny shop in Kaimuki is packed wall-to-wall with goods, so I waited for my turn outside, while the lady ahead of me got about a dozen bags of crack seed to take to the mainland. Everytime the lid of the jars were lifted, I got a whiff of the li hing flavor...and my mouth watered automatically! Mr. Young patiently gave the customer some samples and measured, weighed, and packaged each flavor that she wanted. He's so pleasant and kind! When my turn came, I told him that I was the one who called him on Thursday. It was getting close to his 6pm closing time, so I asked if I was going to make it, since I was near Punahou School. He said he had already cleaned the Icee machine, so I'd have to try another day. The Crack Seed Store is closed on Sundays, so I got there on Monday. I found metered street parking on Koko Head Avenue, across from the former Liliuokalani Elementary School. I got the strawberry Icee and watched Mr. Young scoop a spoonful of li hing juice into my cup which was halfway full of Icee. Then, he filled the rest of my cup to the top with more strawberry Icee...yay! (I also got a quarter pound of SEEDLESS rock salt plum...yum yum!) I imagined my strawberry Li Hing Mui Icee to be a sour concoction, or maybe like Orange Chicken or Sweet Sour Pork. Haha! It was tangy and fun! The bonus surprise was the li hing mui at the bottom of the cup! Wow! Score! This was a delightful and unique experience for me. I want to return and do it again! Thanks to Roz, Dan, and Lori for telling me about this place! read more

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Wet plum and footballs. If you know what those are, you must have grown up in Hawaii. I, however, grew up on an island about 4,000 miles due west, and on Guam we called crack seed "sweet and sour." And since my unrefined palate balks at the sour end of the flavor spectrum, I am a crack seed neophyte. I've been expanding my knowledge of this apparently addictive substance since it's my best friend's singular request when it comes to birthday and holiday gifts. So I've trekked to Chinatown and made forays to Lin's ... but hallelujah, I found crack seed gold eastside! Or at least Kaimuki... The parking gods of Kaimuki never see fit to bless me with a street spot so I'm always resigned to shoveling quarters into the meters in the lot behind the building. Thankfully, I found a spot and luck shined on me again - only one person in line ahead of me! The tiny store is closed to browsers - you steps up to the entrance, one at a time, and you makes your order. Me: Wet plum and footballs, please. Nice lady behind the divider: What kind? Me: Oh. There are different kinds? Nice lady, very patiently: Yes, there's ones with seeds, ones without, and different flavors. Me: Oh. Yikes. Give me your best sellers, half pound each. Mahalo nui to the patient ladies at the store for taking care of this crack seed neophyte ... I know better now, and you will be my crack seed gurus for all future orders! read more

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Haven't been here since attending Liliokalani School. New owners. Much brighter with new lighting and also cleaner than 1966. Still had those glass jars and li hing icee. Ono! read more

A friend who grew up in Honolulu told me to come here for great snack. She was right. Great hidden gem (whole in the wall). You pick the item and how much in weight then Lin seals in pouches for you to take home. Super nice guy and let's you taste and tells you what you might like and not. read more

Crack Seed Store - Red li hi seed plum and light salt and seed plum - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

What a charming little shop selling old style Chinese preserves such as ling hing mui, moi and other seeds. Such a cute old couple ran this shop. There wasn't a menu necessarily, but I did eye their Icee machine and implored about their flavors. I was quite the happy customer with my Strawberry Icee with dried ling hing mui candy sitting at the bottom. Ling hing mui is a little salty and the candy is sticky some, so it was a pleasant mix with the cold and sweet strawberry icee. An inexpensive snack and a perfect cool down post-hike! read more

Always a must for their mixed icee with lihing juice! Can't find it anywhere else except for the old school crack seed stores.

I was in the area picking up a gift for a friend and decided I'd check out this little crack seed store. My go to is of course always a li hing strawberry icee float, yum! I go in for that one thing and typically come out with a few other items lol. I was good and only got one other candy cause I'm usually browsing around the store at a leisurely pace and tend to find more things I don't really need but they look delish. I couldn't do that here because they have it blocked off so you can't actually walk really inside the store, they have a list up of items and you can order from there, but I did also feel rushed because there was a lady behind me who was very eagerly trying to get into the store (not socially distancing from me), so I definitely feel like I'll need to come back again to get the full experience at a later time. The li hing icee float is as delicious as ever, the li hing juice they use here was really strong and really packed a punch (it's the juice straight from the jar soooo yummy). Anyway, I'll definitely be back again in the future and hopefully I'll be able to browse at my own (very slow) pace. read more

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The pickle mango was okay. But they very exact on the weighing the items. They took a slice of mango because it .09 over. The same with all the products. Which is good for the store. Otherwise, it's the typical preserves. Service was good. read more

Five star items but only one star for a huge issue. I love this place but was taken aback when order one and a half pound of seed that was listed as $25 a pound only to be told over $48 them when I question that she points to the jar which we can barely see cause we're not even allowed inside the store only one step up from the doorway. With the menu listed on the door...I can't trust them now and that's sad because I'm trying to support local but if we are just as well going the extra mile with the changes they need to do so as well to update the only information they give us at the store. read more

Crack Seed Store - Candy Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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