Had the much talked about Ube Milkshake! Exceeded my expectations, and what a huge portion. The staff provided excellent and quick service and great location nearby my hotel. Clean and bright store and great ambiance all around. Look forward to coming back to try the Croffles and Bubble Waffles! read more

Swirl Tea - Ube milkshake! - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Service was super friendly!! When we walked in around 8:20, they were empty. However, we took a few minutes to figure out what we wanted, and they filled up real quick! The girls working were so helpful and worked hard to get orders out quickly. I ended up ordering the Thai milk tea with oat milk. Forgot to customize my sweetness level. Although in retrospect I think keeping regular milk would've complimented the Thai tea more. My friend had the tiger milk tea at 75% sweet which has jasmine tea in it. I thought it was good, but still pretty sweet. Boba was slightly hard and chewy, but it was still cooked through and through. Definitely recommend going down in sweetness regardless, unless you like things super sweet. read more

Swirl Tea - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Very disappointing experience. We came here on accident but decided to try it out -- should have just went to our normal spot. We came in tonight around 8 pm. I love Thai tea smoothies with tapioca boba -- I literally get one multiple times a week from my local boba in Arizona so I know what it is supposed to taste like, look like and also what the consistency is supposed to be. I asked the gal working if they have regular tapioca boba and she said yes, that would be the honey boba on the menu. I ordered that thinking it wouldn't deviate too much from the one I normally drink. Well I was wrong -- the one that I was served here was DISGUSTING. I feel like it's really difficult to disappoint me but they nailed it here. The smoothie itself was a much darker orange-red color than normal and also looked different than the same one served to a patron after me (his looked more like the one I get in AZ -- a lighter orange color). The boba looked normal until I tasted it -- definitely honey but tasted burnt? My partner and mom also tried it and thought it tasted like a campfire. I did notice the crockpot in the back of the shop that had a sign saying it was boba, so I'm assuming they burnt the boba in it and accidentally served it. Well the cherry on top of this already disappointing experience was when my dad (who paid for all of the treats here for our family) let the gal know that I hated the drink and would like something else. I got a pineapple dole whip instead (it was good) but she still charged us for it and never reimbursed for the drink we gave back to her. Horrible customer service. At the very least, the drink should have been credited back since we returned it without drinking it. Do not recommend and will never be back. If you want decent ice cream and way better service, go up to Gypsea Gelato on Alii Drive. read more

Swirl Tea - Pineapple dole whip - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Out of almost all of the boba places in Hawaii, this one comes on top. The boba's have a great texture, and the drink itself isn't too sweet. Like many boba places in Taiwan, you can choose your ice & sweetness levels. The drinks came out extremely quickly, with very small wait time, and the architecture is quite cozy. Love it! read more

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Decided to stop here after seeing photos of banana cream pie ice cream that looked sooo good, but when I arrived it, and other drilled ice creams that are showcased here and on their facebook page (though, hasn't been pictured since Jan 2023 on Facebook), were nowhere to be found on the menu. I decided not to give up, and to get something else since I was already here and drove this way during my vacation. I love fruity pebbles, so I went for the Pebble Party milkshake. Full of sugar to no surprise, and I was decently happy with it since it was pretty tasty! The price point was a bit high for what it was, but the decorations are cute. My only grip on the milkshake would be that texture-wise, I wish it wasn't as strongly blended so there is a bit more of the cereal texture and less of a gritty, sandlike texture. read more

Swirl Tea - Pebble Party - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

The only reason for four stars instead of five was that it was a little chaotic inside... Honestly everything else was great... service was good, drinks were good, and the place was relatively clean for how busy it was. read more

Swirl Tea - Crème brûlée bubble tea and Ube coconut blends with boba Both were delicious! - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Decent milk tea. Got the taro coconut blended shake too and it was ok. Wished it was real taro. Saw that they had don ice cream shake too. Maybe I will get that next time and it will be better. read more

Swirl Tea - Store front - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Got ube and coconut cream! Really good! Would come here again next time i vacation here read more

Swirl Tea - Coconut cream and ube soft serve - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Maybe i'm jaded by SoCal prices but my order came out cheaper than expected. The egg waffle cone ice cream concoctions are great. I got the smores one and it was on point. 1 order is definitely enough for 2 or maybe 3 people. It's way too much for 1 person. read more

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Super cute shop! Nice people and great tea!!! I got the passion fruit with lychee jelly! read more

Swirl Tea - Passion fruit with lychee jelly - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Cute place but we found the ice cream was a little bland in flavor. They were out of the two flavors we would have chosen. Tried the macadamia nut but could not taste that flavor at all. Seth staff was super friendly and helpful. read more

Coming from So-Cal, I feel like I can say I know my way around the boba and ice cream shops. This place definitely can keep up with the mainland and they are just so friendly! We got the Brown Sugar Boba (forgot to take a picture because we inhaled it so fast) and the Banana Pie ice cream (pictured). The boba was perfectly chewy and soft (I hate hard rubbery boba!) and you could tell their brown sugar is ACTUALLY REAL brown sugar (none of that fake stuff). My husband couldn't have enough of their Banana Pie ice cream - it was clean and rich with fresh bananas! Usually cheap ice cream leaves a greasy film, but this places uses the good stuff -- worth every penny. We came back for seconds before leaving this beautiful island and definitely will come back when we visit again :) Mahalo!!! And bonus: I love that they support local businesses with their mini setup next to the cashier. read more

Swirl Tea - Banana Pie Ice Cream (from their signature menu) - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

4 stars for the drink. 2 stars for the price but I don't know if I should complain. The price is definitely way too much for a drink that tasted standard. But you're on an island and it's not like you have a choice. I was just craving a boba drink and it satisfied my craving. In support of local businesses, I don't regret it. read more

Tried 3 different drilled signatures and they were all really good! It was a cute place & we want to go back for boba and more ice cream! It was quick too!:) read more

Swirl Tea - Cookie monster - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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The desserts are good, but the service is terrible. First, one of the workers were sitting with two of her friends that were in the shop. She didn't help the other worker until after we finished ordering. Second, the cashier inputted the wrong orders multiple times after correcting her. She also had to input the order again because she got the change wrong. Then when we got our order she got the order wrong again. In fear that I would get another wrong order, I just kept what we ordered even though it was not what we wanted. Again, overall desserts were good, but service was pretty bad. It would be beneficial to have a manager on site. read more

I've been hearing the hype of this place recently and decided to give it a go when I finally went to Kona. This review is mainly on their drinks vs. the ice cream. It's located in Lanihau Center at the end of the center. There's a bright white sign that cannot be missed. Ample parking spaces that won't ever be a problem. I was on the fence between the classic milk tea and lilikoi tea. I asked the cashier for his recommendation between the two and got the lilikoi tea with half sweetness. The tea looked really promising when it came out until I took a sip. It was REALLY watered down as if I was just drinking flavored water. My friends tried their green milk tea with half sweet (more watery than mine; friend could not take more than 3 sips before tossing), honeydew milk tea (watery but okay), and the brown sugar with boba (prob the best especially the boba which was sweet and chewy but drink was still a bit watery). The boba here is definitely not a favorite of ours here. BUT the service was great. The workers informed us that they had to wait for hot water to boil (red flags already there) but they gave us 10% off coupons for the wait. SO NICE! Another friend got their shortcake ice cream. The ice cream was big! We watched one of the workers put the ice cream through this machine to make it soft serve kind. I think this was the best dessert experience we had here aside from the customer service. Highly recommend getting the ice cream (though a bit on the pricier side)! I feel like I would like to try their milkshake the next time. If you want to try the boba, be warned that it is more on the watery side. read more

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I've been here twice and they just opened! First time I got iced taro bubble tea and the second one I got the bubble waffle with Nutella and whipped cream. The shop is clean, good vibe, the menu outside while you wait is very detailed so you know what you want by the time you get into the shop (social distancing only a few people allowed inside at a time). The boba was great consistency! Loved the tea, looking forward to when they start offering the blended ice option. They do however offer less sugar options. The bubble waffle was also delicious, big enough to share. I think next time I would get less Nutella and more whipped cream but all in all love this spot. So happy they decided to come to our town!! Highly recommend!! read more

Swirl Tea - Bubble waffle with Nutella and whipped cream - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Always a good place to get your ice cream or boba or slushes! They specialize in ice creams with cereal toppings. A great twist to an age old breakfast anytime concept. But if you are not into ice cream, then the boba here is authentic to its Taiwanese roots. This is the go to spot for a quick cold drink fix. The only reason for the four stars and not five is because you will be paying about $7 plus tax for these - which is kinda' steep for a drink... read more

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I visited Swirl Tea to order the Kona Coffee Milkshake. The milkshake was tasty, creamy, and flavorful. The only thing was that it was expensive ($15). I usually never pay this much for a blended drink, but it was somewhat worth it. read more

Swirl Tea - Kona Coffee Milkshake - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

On a hot day this place it the place to for some of the most exotic soft serves. Located in a strip mall, this dessert shop has some interesting flavors. Ube Ice cream and soft serve are available. Thai tea soft serve too. There are various sundaes on the menu. I decided on an Ube soft serve and it was delicious! The ube was noticeable and it wasn't too sweet. The service was friendly and were willing to answer any questions you and about the exotic items. This is definitely worth going to! read more

Extremely pricey for a small ice cream. Purchased one ice cream and a Boba drink costed $26 Very pricey for a small portion of ice cream. read more

Swirl Tea - Ube - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

They were out of bubble waffles and I wouldn't say the workers were friendly- but the coconut slush was delicious and the banana cream pie was insanely good. read more

Swirl Tea - Banana cream pie - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Fast, friendly service, and the fruit slushes we had really hit the spot! Whatever you feel like having...they've got you covered!

This place is definitely nothing special but had good drinks! I got the mango fruit tea and my friend got the brown sugar milk tea and both drinks had boba. My mango fruit tea was delicious, however my friend complained that the brown sugar milk tea consisted of mostly milk. My brothers also got the taro milk tea and the jasmine milk tea and the jasmine milk tea was definitely the winner out of all of them. The boba was a little hard but nothing too bad. This place didn't wow me but it is a good stop for some boba! read more

Swirl Tea - mango fruit tea + brown sugar milk tea - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

24 oz boba for $5 - good price and good boba. But this isn't even what they are known for! They have some fancy ice cream dishes that are topped with cereal read more

This was delicious! My kids went with MIL to grab shaved ice and I wanted something different and seeing as it's in the same shopping complex I decided to give it a try! Decided to get the Bubble Waffle base, with Ube ice cream, Pocky stick topping and Strawberry Drizzle for $8.32. It was delicious! My kids were jealous and practically abandoned their shaved ice and ate mine The Bubble Waffle is the Hong Kong mini cakes I grew up with and who doesn't love Japanese Pocky sticks?! Ube ice cream is my fave when I come to Hawaii. The staff members were nice and fast. I got my order soon after I paid. Only complaint would be her long hair touched my Waffle as she was reaching in to scoop the ice cream. Give them a try read more

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Drinks: I came here to crave my late night sweet tooth and ordered a brown sugar milk tea with cheese foam, no boba. It was delicious! The sweet and salty combination is always a winner and the barista was sure to remind me to make sure I mixed it well. Atmosphere: Very cute and clean shop. Loved the cereal wall. All of their toppings were fully on display and stocked accordingly. Service: Amazing! Very friendly staff and even though they were close to closing they were welcoming and attentive to my order. read more

Swirl Tea - Cute Cap - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Only giving 2 stars because the ice cream itself was decent- my husband and i were so disappointed & let down leaving here Not only did the employee not tell us we had to order at the register while we stood at the ice cream area while 2 people ordered ahead of us even though he knew we had been standing there, once we got our ice cream we paid $8 each for, we had the same portion if not less than we saw the children in front of us get in their 4.99$ kids sized cup- wont be going back read more

Ordered a Jasmine Milk Tea w/ boba last night and was very disappointed. I'm not sure if they forgot the sweetener or if that's how their Jasmine is made, but it was just straight bitter/flavorless. No sweetener and watery, and I did not ask for any adjusted sugar levels. Boba was also just mushy, like it was overcooked. read more

Bubble tea in Kona. Mmmmm. I am a bubble tea lover. We ordered the strawberry with honey boba and milk tea with honey boba. Happy customers here. The perfect sweetness and yummy flavor. Swirl tea has fancy bubble waffle cones and lots of toppings to choose if ice cream is your jam! read more

Swirl Tea - Strawberry with honey boba, milk tea with honey boba. - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Delicious and refreshing on a hot day!! Staff was friendly and very helpful giving samples- strawberry cheesecake, chocolate brownie and mango sorbet- Mango hit the spot ! read more

Swirl Tea - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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This place is meh. Bubble tea wasn't fresh. Don't think I'll be back. It wasn't great. I've had better.

I come to this spot occasionally mainly because they allow me to use my glass boba jar with lid instead of their plastic disposable cups. However, I would come here ALL the time if they did away with plastic altogether!! I can't imagine how many of these cups fill up our landfills :( I'm hoping they switch over to having more (or at least ANY) reusable options soon! read more

I found Swirl Tea randomly on my maps one day and just from the pictures I NEEDED to try it! We went and got the S'mores Bubble Waffle! I loved the little graham crackers mixed in with the ice cream, the marshmallows, and teddy grams and sauce... but the actual bubble waffle was just ok. It was really plain and really thick. We ended up eating the ice cream and throwing out the rest. We shared one between the three of us girls and were really full. Not sure if it's worth the $10 bucks, I might go back and just get the regular ice cream. We also got the Brown Sugar Boba, that was super sweet and yummy! Loved the atmosphere and idea of this place! read more

Swirl Tea - S'mores Bubble Waffle - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Ice cream stop if your in the need to cool down. I tried their mango sorbet and it was ok. They have menu items where you can mix in cereal into your ice cream and Create your own. I did try their brown sugar milk tea and it was really good but my cup was fully loaded with ice which took away the portions of my drink itself. read more

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Just two words - - the best. Their quick and their milk tea is the absolute best. They have a wide variety of flavors and offer everything from ice cream to slush to milk tea. This is my definitely my most recommended place for milk tea. read more

Swirl Tea - Matcha milk tea without boba -- left Classic milk tea with boba -- middle Lemonade slush -- right - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

This boba was so good!!!!! it was super fast and the taro smoothie was super good. It was super clean on the inside and the service was nice. They had fun music playing, and they had a wide variety on the menu from ice cream to Boba to slushy's. Will definitely be going back. read more

My girlfriend and I were looking for a dessert place to end cap our night when we stumbled upon Swirl Tea. From the outside it didn't look like much, we almost turned around and left but decided to go in after all. We ordered a specialty ice cream cone and boba tea. We could not get enough of our treats! We are definitely coming back before we leave the island. The service was pleasant, stop by for yourself! read more

Swirl Tea - Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream cone with captain crunch topping! - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Mmm I love my honey dew milk tea with boba and I added rainbow jelly. I've never had the choice of how much sweetness (born and raised in SF, lived in Oregon for 4 years and recently moved to the Big Island), so I asked for 25 percent. It hit the spot and it was just right! ~Mahalo read more

Good customer service. The ice cream was really good and creamy. I got the regular scoop with with bubbly waffle but got the waffle on the side. I do recommend getting on the side so you can dip it read more

Swirl Tea - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii