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    Riptides Shave Ice & Snacks

    4.8 (187 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Riptides Shave Ice & Snacks Photos

    RIPTIDES SHAVE ICE & SNACKS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Riptides Shave Ice & Snacks

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    It was delicious! It was the least artificial tasting shave ice that I have had! They use fresh fruit and cane sugar! And it was right by the beach.

    The vibe - so cute!
    Sarah P.

    The owner's passion is translated into her shaved ice and smoothies (we didn't try the food!). We sampled every shaved ice on the island (okay- exaggeration but we had a LOT of shaved ice!) This was up there in the top 3- I couldn't choose which one I liked best so they are all in the top Three :) . There was a little picnic table and a public restroom right by the place which made it perfect with its oceanfront view.

    What the shave ice stand looks like.
    Holly D.

    This was the best shave I've we had on the island. We're tried Jo Jo's, Wishing Well (which was my 2nd favorite) and Riptides. Major negative to some of the other places is consistency, as we went many times! And they would melt so fast and basically become soup halfway through. Riptides did not. It wasn't overly sweet, it was just right. It stayed frozen up until the very end of the bowl. Friendly staff; fast service;

    Pina colada and lychee with snow cap
    Josephine F.

    Really good shave ice! The ice was light and fluffy. Soo many flavors of syrup-- I had such a hard time choosing. I ended up picking pina colada and lychee -- pina colada didn't taste how I expected but lychee was light and refreshing. But there was also guava, li hing mui, mango, passion fruit, etc etc. They had fresh fruit syrup too, which I've never seen and also wanted to try. I got my shave ice with the coconut snow cap which was also surprisingly light. I had a hard time choosing between that and the condensed milk snow cap. I think what this all means is that I have to go back and try some more flavors! They also have some savory food that looked good, but I didn't get any because I was still stuffed from our lunch. I'm impressed by how much they offer out of such a small space! Bit of a wait, but it's okay because you get quality shave ice! And the worker was really friendly.

    Shaved ice
    Luis A.

    The best shaved ice on the island. We tried several spots and I just kept wanting to come back to Riptides. Service was exceptional and the location was fantastic. Lots of selections for flavors, get the ube or cherry. Two thumbs up. Would try again. Cheers.

    Danielle P.

    We really enjoyed this place and it was so convenient having it just steps from our condo complex. I think we went here 3 times, and would have gone more if we could have! The owner, Mindy, and staff are super friendly and cool. I was impressed Mindy remembered our faces from a couple days previously. We enjoyed talking with her during our visit. First time there I got the pineapple and coconut. I think my youngest got strawberry and guava and my oldest got lychee and pog. It was so refreshing and delicious! The second time, just my oldest ordered and she got lychee, mango and li hing mui. She even had them sprinkle some of the li hing mui powder on top and got an ice cream scoop. It was wonderful! Final time there I got the lychee and li hing mui with the powder sprinkled on top. My kids repeated what they'd ordered previously. They have all natural syrups as well as others. They also offer a lot more than just shave ice, although we didn't order anything else. It's a great little stop when you've spent the day snorkeling across the street! Love the painted Locals slippahs on the stand! Aloha!

    Noman M.

    Great shave ice, friendly service, and they were even open on Thanksgiving! Our family are big fans of shave ice and this was our first experience at riptides. We appreciated that they have both fresh fruit syrups and local made syrups. Your can see the attention to detail in how they make shave ice here, inserting holes in the ice to allow the syrup to mix throughout, even topping the Mac nut ice cream version with Mac nut on top (made my mom Mac nut ordering family a little jealous). While the line can get long, it moves and you can just turn and face the ocean which is 10 ft away, so not a bad view while you wait. Mindy the owner, was kind and friendly. If you're craving shave ice, put riptides on the top of your list. It's by far the best shave ice place on Kauai.

    April B.

    Riptides serves my favorite shave ice on Kauai, and my favorite anywhere really. The staff is friendly, the location is perfect and the food is delicious. I love to load up my shave ice with a ton of add ons and chat it up with Mindy or enjoy the views of Lawai Beach while I wait. My son also loves the hot dogs and we enjoy chowing down on their delicious Kalua pork nachos. We always stay at the Lawai Beach Resort, so I tend to make daily visits to Riptides :-) It's a must when on island!

    Classic rainbow shave ice
    Megan B.

    Somehow, this is the last shave ice place we tried. And it was one of the best! And closest to us which we really couldn't believe. Riptides does shave ice right, and has both classic syrups and organic syrup options in great flavors. Dragonfruit easily became on of our favorites here which we had not found anywhere else (and we eat a lot of shave ice). For being just a small food truck across from Beach House, we couldn't believe all the other options they had aside from shave ice. All kinds of food and beach items for sale. We'll run and super friendly no matter who helps you. There is one table to sit at, but we always just went and sat on the grass in the shade. We went here twice during our 13 days and will return on our next trip!

    Menu with Current Options and Pricing
    Aaron C.

    The reason I am writing this review is because the person behind the counter watched my young son accidentally drop his fresh made shaved Ice swatting at something. Obviously he's crushed and about to cry. Without skipping a beat she got his attention and told him not to worry. I offered to pay again as it was his fault and I definitely needed to get a new one for him but her compassion bled through the job and she just took care of the little guy so he wouldn't be sad. God bless.

    Didn't get a pic this year; here's last year's.  Still awesome, and the best on the island.
    Tracey A.

    As if to make up for my prior review of a completely different shave ice experience I will tell you what I find to be the most stellar shave ice on Kauai: It's here at Riptides. In a little portable shack across from a popular snorkeling spot, Riptides has been stellar over the course of several visits over the last two years. It has never once failed to deliver wonderful flavors of quality syrups (they also offer natural flavors, if you prefer), quality ice cream, perfectly shaved ice, and service from the owner and staff that is always warm and an exemplar of the aloha spirit. You might think falsely that shave ice is shave ice and that there's little variation between spots. You would be wrong and once you try a bad spot you'll understand just how wrong. But Riptides? They're the best of the best. Enjoy.

    Mango passion with vanilla ice cream and macadamia nuts

    The shave ice toppings? Next level. Handcrafted tropical flavors that taste like the fruit! Mango and passion fruit was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy but never too much. Coconut and strawberry was creamy and mellow and just sweet enough. A must have while you're visiting!! Go see Mindy! No judgement if you make it a daily treat!

    Cindy L.

    The best shaved ice in Kauai just happened to be right next to our condo. Cute little shack across from a great snorkeling beach. I had the organic homemade syrup with pieces of fresh fruit coconut cream and cherry with macadamia nut ice cream in the middle and topped with sugar cream. Decadent and yummy!

    Unassuming food truck. Friendly staff. Great view.

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    The service is great. The spam masubi is good. Great place to get a snack after a swim.

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Mindy H.

    Mindy H.

    So glad we can make your dreams sweet! Thank You!!!

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    5 years ago

    This place has the most amazing shave ice on the island!! Don't forget the coconut cream top on the shave ice.

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    5 years ago

    Incredible!!! Better than all the rest. Great customer service. She is a true artist. Best shaved ice ever. Yum yum!

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    Mindy H.

    The pleasure is mine! Thank YOU so much !!!!

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    9 years ago

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    Mindy H.

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    6 years ago

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    Mindy H.

    Thank so much, Your family was great!!!!

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    loved this place. Best shave ice we had all week! Wished we would have found it sooner!

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    8 years ago

    Amazing shave ice! And even better customer service! 10 out of 10 for this cute and yummy stand

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    11 years ago

    Very good shave ice located in a stand by the Lawai Beach Club. Owner is very friendly and earnest.

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    Mindy H.

    Thank you so much! I appreciate your feedback.

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    Page 5 of 5

    Ask the Community - Riptides Shave Ice & Snacks

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    Come early, leave full…read more After many friends recommended Puka dogs, we couldn't wait to come here! We arrived around 1 to get in line, and waited about 45 minutes. Luckily the line was shaded so it wasn't terrible. We finally got our turn to go inside and wait in line. The ambiance was super welcoming and relaxing. When we got to the front of the line, we ordered 3 hot dogs to share between the 2 of us (definitely could have just had 2) and each got a lemonade. The lemonade was tasty and refreshing and the Puka dogs were AMAZING. We got the mild, spicy and lava spice level sauces. Honestly the lava spice wasn't super spicy, the server described it as hot Cheetos. The different relish's were amazing. I loved the coconut and pineapple best. If I lived here I'd be in trouble because I'd come back many times!

    My friend and I stopped by here to try the famous Puka Dog. There was a bit of a line by the time…read morewe came by near dinner. The staff worked quickly. We got the polish dog with spicy jalapeno, one of the relishses and the Pukadog Hawaiian Mustard The bread was a bit dry and the hot dog was pretty bready compared to what I have tried before. I did like the homemade mustards that they had and the variety of sauces that were provided. Otherwise, it was a pretty standard hot dog. I believe it was about $13.00-$13.50 for just one hot dog. Overall, it was a fun experience to try out. I was glad we got to try it out for ourselves. The nice thing about this is that Puka Dog is right by the beach so you can eat them while you hangout on the beach and may be lucky to see some turtles as well!

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    Anake's Juice Bar

    Anake's Juice Bar

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    We came around 2p on our first day on the island and were so bummed that they had closed early that…read moreday due to being short staffed. We were able to make it back later in the week and loved our acai! All of the bases are blended, rather than a scooper sorbet, and which made the bowls less sugary and more refreshing. I ordered their most popular, the Sau Sai bowl and loved it! The employee was so friendly and accommodating, offering her recommendations and allowing me to make substitutions. I added papaya on top and it was perfection. Favorite acai spot we found on the island and wish we had more time to come back!

    Anake was such an interesting little find tucked inside of a grocery store, and somehow that made…read morethe experience feel even more local and authentic. It was incredibly busy the entire time we were there, which is always a good sign, but the line moved fairly quickly considering how packed it was. It was fun to shop around the grocery store while I waited. The acai bowl we ordered was massive and definitely enough to share. We added mangos as a topping and they tasted almost out of season and wasn't great. The acai itself was smooth. Everything tasted super fresh, and the balance of sweetness with the granola and fruit was really good without being overpowering. Overall, such a fun spot to stumble upon and absolutely worth the stop if you're in Kaua'i.

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    Riptides Shave Ice & Snacks - shavedice - Updated July 2026

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