Shave Ice Paradise

We have been here twice in the past two days. We love the people that work here they are so kind and adorable with my children! Icecream is yummy as is the shave ice.

This shave ice was very disappointing. To begin, the service wasn’t very friendly. The crunchy, watery ice rather than the light fluffy kind made it more like a snow cone. And the fake, processed syrups tasted like straight sugar. However, the macadamia nut ice cream we added to the bottom was really delicious.

Soft fluffy ice very generous on the syrup, almost too much, but not complaining. It’s been years since we’ve been back to Kauai and the ice cream along the bottom was a nice new touch. Would come again if I’m nearby.

Not your typical snow cone, let alone milkshake.
Another one of our regular stops on Kauai. My wife loves the shaved ice and I the Macadamia Nut milkshake.
I am going to comment on the Mac Nut. Get it. Drink it. Savor every sip. Relish every sensation it awakens. Could be the best milkshake you will ever have. Guaranteed you will be back.
Need I say more???

It was a SUPER hot day in paradise, we just got done with our Napali coast tour and now were wondering around in town looking for something to eat /​drink.
Our tour guide recommended us to check us this spot, so we did.
We ordered the Bali Hai bowl for two. Maybe it would have been better if you enjoy sweet shaved ice. Because it was super sweet.
The shaved ice itself was just okay, not super fluffy, but it’ll quench your need for some coldness.

We went to 3 places for shaved ice during the week in Kauai. This was the best one. The size was perfect and the syrup was tasty. A definite must go.

We’ve had a lot of shaved ice on this vacation. This was average. We got the ice cream on the bottom and the portion seemed small — one small scoop. Prices seemed high compared to other places we’ve been. $ 4 shave ice + $ 2 ice cream on the bottom + $ 0.75 snow cap adds up quickly.

My boys had a few different shaved ice around the island and they both voted this one as they’re favorite. They both said they’ll be back for more.

I ordered the Bali Hai on macadamia ice cream and it was delicious!!! However, I could’ve done without the ice cream– they only served a small amount of it, and it just wasn’t worth the extra money. LONGGGGG wait time, but who cares? You’re on vacation! Def recommend.

This place was pretty good. We didn’t get to try all the spots on the island though. Got the watermelon, lime, and ling hing flavor. Hit the spot!

As advertised. Perfect snack for a hot summer day. Now located next to Hanalei Coffee Roasters on the south side of the street.

Wonderful place with great flavors. If you are on the east side of the island, stop here! Just tell them to go easy on the syrup

I’ve been here a few times in the past week, and got the Macadamia Nut milkshake both times. They have amazing milkshakes, each made with 4 scoops of homemade ice cream. While they were extremely overpriced ($ 7.75 each), they were amazing. Definitely recommend coming here at least once while visiting Kauai!

Service was slow but the shaved ice was good. The junior size is plenty for me!
Make sure to add some ice cream to it! Delicious.

Hands down BEST macnut shake on the island! The only thing my family comes for here. I’m sure their shaved ice is great too.

It was an okay shave ice, but didn’t wow me.
Want to give the staff only 0 – 1 star though. When we walked up to the counter a friend of the 2 girls working stood at the counter the whole time dancing and singing to the hip-​hop music they were playing behind the counter. One of the girls behind the counter had to clear out the ice chunk in the machine as it was too small to properly produce ice and she proceeded to take a bite out of the corner of it before tossing it. SERIOUSLY?! Who does that in front of customers? This same worker also came to the front to pet a dog that had wandered up, and thankfully washed her hands before using the ice machine.
I’ll be trying some other places on the island.

So according to digital calendar its been a week since I’ve been to this shave ice hut. I’ve been all over the Hawaiian islands getting a shave ice. One might say I’m a connoisseur at this point. With that said I think its safe to say this is the worst service we’ve ever experienced. Oh and with such a large Asian population of tourists and local residents, the menu is lacking. No condensed milk, or azuki bean option. These are standards in Maui, Kona and Oahu.
Now to be fair we arrived just before closing. While it wasnt closing time yet it was close. It was obvious that they lady cleaning the outside, just waiting to close the shutter front of the store was the manager. The staff working were all teenagers. Two smart ass girls and one boy. The boy was quiet and actually working to make the shave ice. While the girls did nothing but giggle, make smart remarks and were generally annoying in every way. They even got a simple task of change wrong. How you ask? Because they asked me how I wanted my change when I handed them the exact amount.
The only reason this is two and not one, or a fat zero, is the shave ice was made well despite the lack in menu choices. If this review was solely on service it would be negative if possible.
Save yourself a headache and a lot of annoying giggling. Walk directly across the street and get a better service experience, equal quality shave ice for the same price.
And, dear Ms. Manager take this review as a hint. Fire the stupid girls, promote the boy and wait to clean until after you’re actually closed.

Summary: tasty to try, but didn’t convince me that shave ice is better than ice cream or gelato. The Macadamia Nut ice cream at the bottom of our shave ice was my favorite part of our order: P
When in Hawaii, try shave ice. So I’ve been told. But I still like ice cream and Taiwanese/​Korean shaved ice better. It was refreshing and cold after hiking at the Kalalau Trail, but as for tasty? Meh.
The artificial fruit syrups are a bit saccharine for me, and SUPER unappetizing by the time they all melt together into a black puddle at the bottom of your styrofoam cup. At least the Macadamia Nut ice cream was tasty. No regrets, since this was on our Island Bucket List.
But next time… I’m not getting Shave Ice at THIS place. I want to try some legit stuff to see what the hype is all about. And skip the pricey «snow cap» if you’re not a huge fan of condensed milk. It’s already super sweet as is from the syrups.

Whoever came up with the business model of filling a styrafoam cup full of shaved ice and throwing a couple of syrup flavors onto it, then charging $ 6.00/cup for confused and heat-​exhausted tourists who think one USD is equivalent to a Japanese Yen in Hawaii should be highly commended, because this is always one of the busiest vendors in the little complex we visited.
The way that sugar is viewed at Shave Ice Paradise is a little scary. If you find that the sweetness of the multitude of syrup flavors is not enough (you get 4 flavors in your shaved ice treat), you can opt to douse your concoction with condensed milk, or have a scoop of vanilla or macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom. There are also specialty ice cream float drinks or island-​themed shave ice. If that’s not enough, chugging a bag of sugar topped with chocolate syrup may be the only alternative.
For a refreshing pit stop on the island or a massive sugar high for your kiddies, Paradise is ok, but as far as shaved ice goes I’ve had better.

Passion fruit, guava, strawberry with vanilla ice cream and condensed was one of the highlights of my trip to Kauai!
A great way to cool yourself down and satisfy your sweet tooth. Don’t hesitate and don’t debate whether you should or shouldn’t take that extra sugar, just do it and you won’t regret it!