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    Wailua Shave Ice

    4.7 (1.7k reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 8:30 PM

    Wailua Shave Ice Photos

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    Dallas S.

    Wailua Shave Ice was exactly what we needed after spending the day in the Kauaʻi heat. There was a small line when we arrived, but the three employees worked through it quickly while staying friendly and upbeat the entire time. The cashier even noticed we were kamaʻāina and gave us a discount, which was a nice surprise and definitely always appreciated. I ordered the root beer float with vanilla ice cream, and it completely lived up to my expectations. The portion was generous, the shave ice had the perfect texture, and they definitely did not skimp on the syrup or the scoop of ice cream at the bottom. By the time we left, the line had grown quite a bit, but after trying it myself, I can honestly say it is worth the wait. Be patient with the staff because they're working hard, and the end result is absolutely worth it.

    Inside
    Arcadia W.

    I can see why they were voted best Hawaiian ice 5 years in a row! Simply THE BEST. I think what makes their shaved ice stand out are the toppings and the quality of their flavors. These aren't regular dyed syrups anyone can buy from a grocery store. House made, fresh ingredients is what sets this place a part. Service is quick with a kiosk or you can place your order with a worker in the front. Clean and spacious shop that offers free parking and restrooms. The taste will blue you away and I wish this place had another location in California because I'll be dreaming about it until I go back! Mahalo!!!

    The ube shaved ice
    Sarah M.

    Wow! Wow wow! This was one of my favorite shaved ice places ever. The fact that they have a vegan foam for the ube iced was awesome. So many times I have to skip out of the foam or the whipped cream because it's dairy. Back in the mainland and I'm already missing this place. Everyone there was wonderful and helpful in answering my questions. It's nice and cool in the shop. There are a few tables and a couple of benches. I wish I would have gone to this place in the beginning of my trip so I could have returned multiple times. But now I know for my next visit.

    Da ube one
    Gab G.

    Da ube one was simply incredible. Some of the best shave ice I've had on any of the islands!!

    Inside
    Nancy R.

    This establishment is located in a large shopping center with plenty of parking out front. This shave ice was DELICIOUS, I ordered the lava flow, so soft and flavorful, I would absolutely return. During the weekdays it was relatively empty and service was very fast. During the weekend however it was packed with a line out the door, so I'd definitely aim for a weekday if possible.

    Strawberry mango with mochi
    Trisha L.

    I'm not a shave ice person and even the places that people rave about are not my thing. We happened to be at this plaza and my son and I got ice cream a few doors down but my husband wanted to get shave ice. I tried some of what he got and I was surprised how much I liked it. My husband got the strawberry mango and added some mochi. The syrup wasn't too sweet but was flavorful. The ice was fine and light and the flavoring was spot on. The toppings made a difference for me and I ended up liking it a lot. Most of the shave ice places I've tried only had the syrup. We've been trying a couple of shave ice places and this one has been my favorite so far. I'll probably be back to try their other flavors before we leave this area.

    Strawberry Mango
    Robert C.

    Arrived 5:30pm after a day on the north side of the island. Plenty of parking. The place has a welcoming atmosphere and an open feeling. It was fairly busy with a steady flow of customers. We ordered the Triple Coconut and the Strawberry Mango. We paid at the counter and shortly thereafter my name was called. The shave ice had a wonderful texture. The natural ingredients deliver a healthy and satisfying treat. The Strawberry Mango was fantastic with mango juice, strawberry purée and mango chunks. The Triple Coconut was flavor and texture delight with coconut milk and flakes. We look forward to returning! Highly recommended!

    Mango
    Noreen M.

    This shaved ice definitely exceeded my expectations. This location was recommended to me by a friend as a must try, and I'm so glad I did. The flavors are both very refreshing and not overly the top sweet. The shaved ice itself is fluffy and melts in your mouth. I was a bit overwhelmed on which option to chose as there's quite a few combo mixes to chose from. There was quite a bit of a line when we arrived, but it seemed to move quick, and our orders also came out pretty quick. Definitely a must try if you're in the area.

    Ube
    April S.

    Hands down best shave we have ever had!!!! Planning to go back again. We are staying 30 minutes away but it's worth the drive. Nothing artificial tasting and huge portions. It is literally one of the best things we have ever had! We got the Ube, root beer float, and the Lava flow. All of them were insanely delicious. If you want authentic shave ice with amazing quality ingredients and fresh fruit, it's worth the drive!!!!!

    Lava Flow
    Emma S.

    Everyone told us to go to JoJo's- sorry JoJo- THIS place is the sh%#! Please walk, run, waddle your way HERE! Set in a little strip mall, so lots of parking! Friendly staff. Nice air conditioning inside. They also sell merch. We shared the Almond Joy and the Lava Flow. Both delicious! The Almond Joy had great texture with the almonds and toasted coconut. And the Lava Flow was juice and perfectly sweet. No high fructose corn syrup here!

    Lava flow
    Lindsay C.

    First of all, the staff here are so friendly and willing to help with recommendations for flavors. The shave ice itself is delicious and the flavors are so fresh. I appreciate how they're honest about how there are artificial flavors in the rainbow shave ice, but trust me I'm not eating shave ice for health benefits LOL. Mochi comes with the rainbow shave ice and was the perfect addition. Not all of the flavors come with mochi, but it's definitely worth paying extra for it. I think it's only a few dollars. Lava flow comes with haupia (coconut) foam. Light and airy. I wish we came more than once so I could've tried more flavors. There's also indoor seating and air conditioning!

    Love Potion 9
    Katie E.

    The best shaved ice I ever had! Highly recommend the Love Potion#9 or the Strawberry Mango. Very refreshing. Will come Back to try other flavors

    Love Potion #9
    Anastacia R.

    If I could eat shaved ice every day this is where I would do it. We ordered the Ube, Cookies and Cream and Love Potion#9 and they were ALLL so delicious. If you love ube anything ... you'll love this! It wasn't too sweet and the foam was yummy--I'll definitely be craving it. Light, fluffy, and full of flavor! My daughter loved the fresh strawberries on the Love Potion #9; perfectly blend. My husband who never eats dessert loved the Cookies and Cream. Highly recommend this place!! Super cute spot with very few seats though...would expect more places to sit especially since it's so crowded! Service was great...staff was super helpful. Self-serve kiosks for ordering made for fast ordering as well.

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    4 years ago

    First time trying a shaved ice in Hawaii. Was told I had to while I was here and I'm glad I did. I tried the Dragons Blood. Loved it

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    3 years ago

    My favorite shave ice place ever! I order the lava flow every time I go here. Sooooo good!

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    4 years ago

    Delectable shave ice. Best I've ever had in fact. Workers are kind. Place is clean. 10/10 creamy delicious ice

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Nice local food truck with cool seating surrounding the area.They are soooo good and refreshing! I'm going to definitely come back again!!!

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    3 years ago

    Literally THE BEST on the island!!! Loved the fact that it's not overly sweet. Would come here everyday if I could.

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    4 years ago

    Absolutely freaking amazing! We will be going back again and again. So far, the best shaved ice on the island.

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    5 years ago

    Amazing! Try the coconut one! Line moves fast! It's in a shopping center near Safeway

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    10 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great service and delicious shave ice. I had strawberry guava and will be going back before we leave.

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    8 years ago

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    Page 22 of 43

    Ask the Community - Wailua Shave Ice

    Hello! Do you have sugar free/low carb options?

    I didn't see any of those options

    View All 2 Questions

    Java Kai Kauai

    Java Kai Kauai

    4.3
    (2.4k reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    After going ourselves, we can see why Java Kai is such a staple. Located right in the heart of…read moreKapa'a, this is the island-cafe aesthetic you're looking for. Bright colors, outdoor seating, and tropical inspiration added to the menu. Their coffee was SO GOOD. And the dishes we tried were delicious as well. The ambiance really makes this place great and this staff is well trained and great at their jobs. There was a line when we got there and a line when we left, so I would assume that's pretty typical. Expect a rush but enjoy the wait because it's worth it.

    First day in Kauai, and I'd been looking forward to a decent pour-over. I passed on Positive to…read morecome here. Mistake number one. No xbloom pour-overs being served, so I settled for pre-made drip. The barista was friendly enough but couldn't tell me anything about the coffees on her own menu -- origin, roast, process, nothing. She recommended a mac nut latte for my partner, which felt less like a recommendation and more like the only thing she was sure of. The drip came out fast and hot. That's the last nice thing I have to say. The latte comes from a second window, where a different employee was actively hostile. Busy morning, so I asked if the drink was mine. She snapped that my name was written on the cup. It was -- facing her. I was apparently supposed to read it through the cup. Here's the real problem: someone clearly put thought into the roasting side of this business, and then handed the entire customer-facing operation to people who received no training whatsoever. Not in the coffee, not in basic hospitality. You can teach someone to smile. You can teach them to answer a question without contempt. Nobody bothered. Average coffee, worse service, priced for people who won't be back anyway -- and given the volume of visitors, that model probably works fine for them. It won't work for me. Kauai has cafés run by people who are genuinely obsessed with what they're doing. Go find one of those. Serious coffee drinkers should walk right past this place.

    Photos
    Java Kai Kauai
    Java Kai Kauai
    Went back for seconds of course!

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    Went back for seconds of course!
    Kalalea Juice Hale

    Kalalea Juice Hale

    4.8
    (544 reviews)
    5.8 mi
    $$

    Prepare to be FULL. The turn off is pretty nondescript, but the spot is tucked away across the road…read morefrom the Whalers General Store. The views are spectacular, being surrounded by nature. When I went there even happened to be some live music. It made for a lovely family friendly ambiance I got the "Next Level" bowl with additional soursop - Pros: way more filling than I expected. The peanut butter and coconut chunks definitely added heft. I loved the texture of the coconut chunks that added a chunky bite, whereas the granola added a light crisp. The textures were really fun to eat. The açai base wasn't overly sweet - Cons: aside from banana, any other fruit is additional $2.50, which is pretty pricey. In total, my bowl came to $20. It was unfortunate that the soursop wasn't fruit chunks, but instead a puree In addition to the standard menu, today they had a special bowl with assorted fruit on top, yum. No full service washrooms on site, only porta potty

    We stopped here in our way back to the hotel. It's right off the highway so it's very easy to miss…read moreif you're not looking out for it. The portion sizes are very large and shareable. I got the King Kong and there was a ton of toppings for an acai bowl. We had a large party so it did take some time for the shaved iced but the acai bowls were served quickly. I recommend getting the acai bowls over the shaved iced. There are better shave ice places on the island. There are a ton of benches as well to eat!!

    Photos
    Hibiscus Honey (left) & Cold Brew (right)
    Hibiscus Honey (left) & Cold Brew (right)
    Fresh mango juice
    Fresh mango juice
    Original acai bowl with mango sorbet

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    Original acai bowl with mango sorbet
    Sunrise Coffee

    Sunrise Coffee

    4.3
    (432 reviews)
    5.6 mi
    $$

    Found this gem via Yelp of course! Look how cute this place is - you can even get to say "hi" to…read moresome of the local friends. Oh and they have a resident cat!!! Stopped by for some mid-day caffeine and to my surprise they had something that I never knew I needed in my life - a macadamia nut latte with macadamia nut milk! It was super tasty - just the perfect amount of sweetness. I don't like overly sweet drinks but this was perfect. So many different flavors to choose from! Really you can get anything that you want. They even sell jewelry made locally. I ended up buying some for my nieces and they loved them. The puka shells are from Kauai! Definitely check this place out when you can! You won't be disappointed!

    I was confused as to why Yelp was recommending a place I had already reviewed... but I guess…read moreSunrise Coffee & Sunrise Donuts are separate entities? The place I went to was outside, on the side of the road, not inside a structure, so I guess I posted in the wrong place. Anyway, this was my experience, & it was really disappointing... & I had no time to say anything about it in person, because I was on a time limit & busy running errands that day. Here's the thing... I'd been following them on IG for AWHILE, so the interest was built up enough to want to give them a try, & because I was headed that direction anyway, I figured, "why not?"... However, I don't know if the girl (the light skinned brunette with the big smile that's in a lot of their IG content) was just having a bad day & ready to leave work or what - it was dead when I got there, except for the small family at the table - but this was one of the WORST smoothies I've ever had! Consistency & flavor wise... like when you expect something, because it's in the name & you don't get that at all? Really weird. I don't make a habit of just leaving negative reviews, but my reviews generally ARE very thorough & well rounded - but it doesn't necessarily make me look forward to any future quality from them, if this is what I got from this place; a super watery "smoothie" that didn't taste like strawberry AT. ALL. Considering it's got that pink color, you would expect a certain flavor, right? NOPE... & I literally sat in my car for a minute before driving off, taking a couple sips, just to make SURE I was getting the TASTE right. All I could come to conclusions about flavor-wise, was what tasted strongly of vanilla protein powder - that was the prominent flavor ie obvious "top note" at least - & nut milk... & I've had enough drinks & SMOOTHIES with vanilla protein powder, to know the flavor is consistent among most protein powder brands. Not even a HINT of strawberry flavor. Strange. Bummer. They were already out of donuts before 10AM, so I can't even counter this with, "well, at least the donuts were awesome"... I came for one thing initially - donuts - & what I DID end up getting, didn't even make the mark. Not sure I will be back, but ladies, for future reference; a SMOOTHIE should be a THICK consistency, NOT runny, like water. I'm guessing there was more ice to product ratio, thus the COLD LIQUID DRINK that I got & what I paid for it, was just NOT it.

    Photos
    Santa slay latte
    Santa slay latte
    Iced ube cookie latte
    Iced ube cookie latte
    Area next to donuts

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    Area next to donuts

    Wailua Shave Ice - shavedice - Updated August 2026

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