Going to be in Kapa'a soon and can't wait to visit Tropical Dreams Ice Cream Shop! It's been 8…read moreyears since we've been in Kapa'a and my husband and I found this gem when it first opened and like to visit it frequently whenever we're there. It's the best ice cream you'll ever taste and the owner is incredibly kind. Can't wait to see you again in a few weeks and enjoy your ice cream. Thank you so much!

Tropical Dreams is located in the same shopping mall as Wailua Shave Ice. We decided to switch…read morethings up and get ice cream one night. We got 1 scoop of ube and 1 scoop of mac nut. We sampled a few other flavors too and these were our favorite. This is a popular spot for dessert, and I like how they have tropical flavors too. The staff member serving us wasn't the most friendly, but I'm sure he's had a long day. For this reason only, I'd probably choose Wailua Shave Ice next time.

Stopped by Wailua Shave Ice on a hot summer day, looking for a way to beat the heat…read more When we arrived there was a small line but it was clear the staff was hard at work. After placing our order, the order came out pretty quickly considering the place was packed. I got the Lava Flow (pineapple juice, coconut milk, haupia foam, strawberry puree) - also added li hing mui powder IYKYK. The flavor was light, fresh & not overly sweet. The texture of the shave ice wasn't the softest shave ice I've ever had but not a big deal. It was still the best thing for such a hot day in Kauai & hit the spot! They also have cute merchandise available & even an OG classic shave ice maker on display. I will say this is my first time coming to a shave ice place & not being able to customize my order & choose specific flavors, but I guess that helps ensure the combinations they do offer on their unique menu are optimal. Overall, I will definitely be back especially since the staff was so friendly!

For my first Shave Ice experience, I really liked it! But just be prepared to wait…read more.. The shave ice really is a special experience. We ordered the Ube and regretted not getting it with ice cream or "snow capped." But the flavor was still good! With that being said, the operations hit a few snags. The staff is really young and not super efficient. They were chatting quite a bit and I could tell it was slowing the process down. Seating is also limited during peak hours, so prepare to take it outside if necessary. For the experience, it's worth it. For the price and the wait? I'd probably skip next time.

Such a cute lil ice cream shop. You can smell right outside the door. It is very pink inside…read more I got a banana mac-nut brittle and a cookies & cream milkshake. And it was so good. It's a small shop so they only one group inside at a time, which I loved. They don't do tester but no need all the flavors are so good. This places warms my heart. I loved it so much. Service is great, the staff was fast and accommodating.

Delicious ice cream!…read more Got the ube and fudge ripple flavors and both were delicious. Unfortunately no samples before ordering but I'm sure all of their flavors are delicious. Very creamy and tasty and we will definitely return. It is a little pricey but it is good quality ice cream!

June 2026 This is…read moreacross the street from Dukes restaurant. Parking was ample and plenty of seats/chairs both indoors and outdoors The ice cream flavors were plentiful. From the classic to the tropical flavors of the island something for everyone. I got 2 flavors and it cost something like $10. Worth it.

Great Ice Cream. Intimidating Scooping Energy…read more Skinny Mike's feels like one of those places locals would rather you not know about - tucked into an unassuming little shopping center with vintage Hawaiian vibes and decor that makes you want to grab a cone and stay awhile. The ice cream, thankfully, was worth crossing state lines for. My kids predictably ordered something bright blue - Cookie Monster and another flavor that could only have been invented by either a six-year-old or a marketing genius. Whoever came up with those flavors is probably laughing all the way to the bank. I went with mint chocolate chip and toasted coconut topped with hot fudge, and it was absolutely fantastic. Rich, creamy, and exactly what vacation ice cream should be. The only reason this isn't five stars was the service. Let's just say the welcome felt a little more "Who sent you?" than "Aloha." Maybe we accidentally wandered into a locals-only witness protection program. Hard to say. Still, the ice cream was so good I'd happily endure another soul-piercing stare for a second scoop.

The food was absolutely amazing! We had breakfast at Hibiscus Sweet Gelato & Café twice during our…read morestay on the island because it was that good. The smoked salmon, hash brown, and egg sandwich was absolutely out of this world--fresh, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. The only downside is that the owner does everything himself, so the food can take a little longer to come out. A helper in the kitchen would definitely speed things up. That said, the quality of the food is well worth the wait, and we'll definitely be back!

While staying at Kauai Shores Hotel we decided to try this place while we were at the shopping…read morecenter near by . Every time we would want to eat here it was closed . We went for breakfast one day at the time they said they were open & waited. We could hear some noise coming from inside the location but they never opened we waited 15 minutes then left . We even tried calling the phone number but no one answered . The menu looks amazing & has a lot of choices. We were sad they were never open when we wanted to try it.

My husband grew up visiting his family on Kauai every summer, and having shave ice here was a key…read moredaily event. We incorporated Hawaiian Blizzard shave ice as a part of our wedding reception and it was a lovely way to beat the heat and share a treasured family memory together! Best on the island! ​

Hawaiian Blizzard shave ice is the best! Aaron's homemade…read moresyrups are the best. Aaron's shave ice stand outside Big Save in Kapaa is the best. Aaron is the best.

I think this had to be my favorite shaved ice on the island. I got a POG, and the flavor was so…read morespot on and tasted so much like the actual fruit. The portion size was also so generous. There's a parking lot around the back and a beach a block away to enjoy your shaved ice.

We've been going to Hee Fat for shave ice for nearly two decades. It used to be our favorite place…read morefor shave ice, mostly for the high quality syrups. But it both hasn't kept up with some of the more creative offerings at other shave ice places, and the quality was lower on our most recent trip (June 2026). Here are the rankings of the shave ice places from our last trip: Kauai Shave Ice Rankings 2026 1. (Tied) North Shore Bowls in Kilauea - very enjoyable and creative pre-designed flavor combos, nice fluffy ice, good ice cream, flavorful syrups 1. (Tied) Wailua Shave Ice - very enjoyable and creative pre-designed flavor combos, delicious toppings, very good ice texture and ice cream; too light on the syrup for one of our two trips 3. Wishing Well in Hanalei - good fluffy ice and really flavorful natural syrups; downside is it's very crowded (always!) and pretty basic 4. JoJo's in Hanalei - this is a standard shave ice place; ice was a bit compact and icy, but the syrup was plentiful (maybe too much, if you can believe that, for our one visit) and the ice cream was both generous and good 5. Hee Fat in Kapaa - great flavors but the syrup was light coverage, and the ice cream seemed gummy/freezer burned, ice was decent texture; used to be our favorite in Kauai in years past, but it hasn't kept up with other places and maybe the quality has gone down hill 6. Honu Shave Ice in Kapaa - syrup was very light, almost nonexistent on one of our shave ices, ice was clumpy/chunky, ice cream was really minimal, flavors were decent

The Thai ice tea shave ice was one of the culinary highlights of our trip to Kauai. This is a…read morecompetition grade shave ice on creativity, execution and taste. Super friendly service was an added bonus.

This place was pretty disappointing. Based on the reviews, we were expecting much better. I would…read morenot recommend this place, when there are tons of better options on the island, including just a short trip south to Wailua. Our entire family of four got different things in our one stop at Honu Shave Ice and all were a bit disappointing. The ice quality was mediocre, the ice cream was barely there, and two of our shave ices had almost nonexistent syrup, to the point where it was just clumped ice chunks. I suspect that they don't train there staff well, given that our experience was pretty different than the reviews. Here are the shave ice rankings from our recent trip to the island (June 2026): Kauai Shave Ice Rankings 2026 1. (Tied) North Shore Bowls in Kilauea - very enjoyable and creative pre-designed flavor combos, nice fluffy ice, good ice cream, flavorful syrups 1. (Tied) Wailua Shave Ice - very enjoyable and creative pre-designed flavor combos, delicious toppings, very good ice texture and ice cream; too light on the syrup for one of our two trips 3. Wishing Well in Hanalei - good fluffy ice and really flavorful natural syrups; downside is it's very crowded (always!) and pretty basic 4. JoJo's in Hanalei - this is a standard shave ice place; ice was a bit compact and icy, but the syrup was plentiful (maybe too much, if you can believe that, for our one visit) and the ice cream was both generous and good 5. Hee Fat in Kapaa - great flavors but the syrup was light coverage, and the ice cream seemed gummy/freezer burned, ice was decent texture; used to be our favorite in Kauai in years past, but it hasn't kept up with other places and maybe the quality has gone down hill 6. Honu Shave Ice in Kapaa - syrup was very light, almost nonexistent on one of our shave ices, ice was clumpy/chunky, ice cream was really minimal, flavors were decent

BEAUTIFUL ART, love the style and it definitely pops out from all the sad other buildings with NO…read moreart, and it's all just so beautiful and creative. food is AMAZING!!!! service is quite literally the best I have ever seen in ANY store/food place. I 100% recommend Christine, she is so sweet,and dose everything in her power to make sure you have the BEST experience. (And a little tip, the donuts are most likely the BEST you will find on island or in general!)

This eye-sore in Kapaa needs to check themselves. Let's be real- this is simply cheap junk food…read morethat this island certainly did not need more of. Nothing special or unique about burgers, pizza, and doughnuts. Thus, having "100% Local" and "Quality over quantity" garishly marketed on their building- constitutes as fraud as far I am concerned. What exactly is "local" about this business? Certainly not the ingredients- nor are the business owners. What exactly makes the coffee "Hawaiian"? Certainly not the coffee beans. What makes it "quality"? Fruity pebble lucky charm marshmallow donut? This business does not support or benefit the local farmers or the health of the local people. But they will use shady marketing and gladly accept the money of the naive and gullible. This building has the ambience of a laser-tag arena, and I wish the county would make them paint over the hideous artwork. It stands out like a giant tacky billboard on the side of the highway. So to the locals and tourists- go support an actual deserving local business. You can get junk like this anywhere- there's nothing unique or authentic about it. Also- this business is sketchy. Ask around.

While planning our trip and going through Hawaii's best magazines to see what was ranked best for…read moreeach category and all the runner ups, Jojo's shave ice was recommended not only from Hawaii's best magazines, but also by so many people on youtube. There are different locations of Jojo's shave ice and we were lucky that there was one by our hotel! There was no line and we shared a a lilo and stitch (red raspberry and blue raspberry) with li hing mui and vanilla ice cream! The shave ice was super soft, and the syrups were not sweet! The staff were super friendly and the service was fast.

In the coconut shopping area, there is a little hut with icy desserts. We came over as the shopping…read morearea is close to our hotel. It has many gift shops, a grocery and restaurants. The center also has some entertainment, and our main reason for the visit was the hula and fire dance that was put on by a local hula school. Jojo's has many shaved ice options with ice and ice cream and many flavor syrup options. We had the tropical breeze, and it had tropical syrups and ice cream covered by shaved ice. Two sizes available. We shared a large for the show. Quick service and nice treat location.