Ko’olau Snack Shop

Super sweet owners! Love coming here, especially on hot days. If you’re lucky you’ll get a Shaveice, recently the «no shave ice» sign has been up. Icee and bubble drinks are also delicious. One of my favorite shave ice spots on the island. Always soft and tasty! Must try the lihing mui and melon flavor

We needed something cool to combat the unrelenting heat. Tucked in a corner in the shopping center across the Valley of the Temples, we found this gem of a shop. The shave ice there is really as good as it gets. The ice was so finely shaved, and the portions were huge. They are served in sixteen ounce foam cups, which holds the temperature so you get shave ice to the very end, rather than cold syrup. I tried the strawberry (I always have strawberry the first time I try a new place. It is the the litmus test for me.) The syrup was exquisite. It actually tasted like fresh ripe strawberries.

Always a great stop for yummy bubble tea drinks. All sorts of seeds to satisfy that li hing mui craving! Lots of snacks, icees, & shave ice for the kiddies too.

Ko’olau Snack Shop is located right next to the Ko’olau DMV and Longs. It’s a little more out of the way for most people, and I honestly wouldn’t come here unless I was coming here to go to the DMV (there isn’t much more in the little shopping center it is located in.
I went in to grab some snacks while my boyfriend went to the dmv. I noticed a lot of their crack seed comes from thailand or malaysia. I’m guessing they buy wholesale from many other asian countries and repackage the crack seed at their store. It’s good that they label which ones come from which places though. I don’t really trust crack seed from places like thailand (I’ve been to thailand, I’ve seen some things I can’t unsee), so I opted for some crack seed that was said to be from SIngapore and another from Hong Kong. Both my selections were yummy. I liked the selection of other li hing mui and mango, etc. so I’ll probably be back to search the racks for more items from singapore or hong kong, maybe even taiwan.
They have other packaged snacks in addition to shave ice and boba. It didn’t seem like a very popular place, and it’s kind of sad that little businesses like this are becoming few and far between. I mean, I know Longs sells crack seed too, so I guess they added the shave ice and boba to differentiate themselves. I’d still rather come to places like this to get crack seed than Longs. :)

No more shaved ice… and that makes me a sad panda :-(
On the other hand, they have awesome crackseed and li hi mui candy selections! My boyfriend was excited to find li hi mui strawbery puffs (his favorite). Sadly, most places don’t carry them anymore. Prices here aren’t that bad so if you’re having a sugar craving, make sure to stop by here :-)
With that being said, it can be a little difficult to find. Their sign is hidden behind another business’s… but it’s in the first corner on the right after passing Times Supermarket.
If I’m back in area, I’ll stop by again to pick up candy :-)

I’m glad they re-​expended another snack shop here! So many childhood memories me, my siblings and friends have made here! Always a treat for the kids after school. The owners are very friendly and welcoming! The shop is full of every local confection and more! The bubble teas are bomb here! And they have the most Ono musubis ever!

Went to the Snack Shop because of the 5 star rating. Unfortunately, my experience was not pleasant. The owner is grouchy and has an angry/​impatient tone of voice. I ordered the shaved ice and it was overly sweet & expensive. $ 4. I had better and cheaper elsewhere. I witnessed a guy asking the owner for a tissue for his 3 month child (spit up or barf) and he was declined. I overheard the guy begged, «please even a tiny piece of paper towel» and was declined! So, I gave him my own package of tissue. Bad karma, selfish owner!

Mr. And Mrs. Lee of the former Lee’s BBQ continue their top notch customer service at the Koolau Snack Shop. They are the kindest Asian business owners I’ve ever met! Not just great business people but also after getting to know them the many times I’ve visited, I can honestly say I don’t think there’s anyone whose stepped in their shop and not had a good experience. I love seeing the happy little kids that go there with their parents after school for their treat and on numerous occasions the Lee’s are so kind that they «hook up» =p their little customers. One time I saw a mom and her little girl come in for a soda and the little girl was sad asking her mom if she could get an icee and the mom said no because she didn’t have enough money with her and I guess Mr and Mrs Lee knew them so Mr Lee have her a cute kid sized icee! The little girl was so happy!
The Good– Always fast and friendly customer service!
The Better– They suggested different bubble drink flavors every time I visited, depending on what mood I was in for the day, eventually finding my perfect flavor– Honeydew and Taro mixed bubble drink!
The Best– After tasting every bubble drink that has received good reviews on the Windward side, Koolau Snack shop is #1 for me and almost every person I refer!

Seriously, of all the shave ice I had in Hawaii, this place had the best. Another Unilocaler described their ice as «buttery» and that is a good description. Added azuki beans and mac nut ice cream and I was in heaven. This guy is doing it right.

The man and lady who own the shop are always so sweet. I’ve only been there a few times and they remember me! This is a great place for shave ice and snacks!

Soft, buttery shave ice with plenty of flavor– now that’s what I’m talking about!
Park at the grocery store and it is literally in the corner. They have a window to order shave ice at so you don’t even have to go inside. They have several topping flavors: your usual condensed milk but also chocolate and caramel. I was tempted to go with something different, but settled on my usual snow cap. Flavors are pretty standard, although there was a sign for ling hing mui flavor, we didn’t try it.
The shave ice is literally bursting with flavor. They go over it several times so you will never get that rough patch of ice like you might get elsewhere. Portions were a good size, and it was the perfect treat.
Not a lot of places to sit, my husband and I ended up walking around the shopping center which was fine for us but might be hard if you have a little one. All in all, I will definitely remember this place when we are on the windward side.

Hard to find. On the left of the supermarket — you can’t see it from your car. Shave ice is amazing.

This is a great hole-​in-​the-​wall shop to get a shave ice and fulfill your local-​snack cravings.
On our way back from Kualoa Ranch we were craving shave ice, especially after a accident caused huge traffic and a power outage on our way back. Their shave ice is really sweet! They make sure every piece of ice gets drenched. This is both good and bad. Good: Sweet and no «just-​ice» spots Bad: More calories. Regardless, the experience with the guy (Mr.Lee) and the shave ice were good, Highly recommended if you need a quick fix.

First time stopping by, got lured in by the little bags of malt balls. 4oz bags of coffee&crème and mint cookie malt balls for $ 2.69 each. Then the damn chocolate covered gummy bears called out to me! So I gave in, $ 4.29 for a 4oz bag I think that’s kinda high but oh so good.
Lots of different seeds and snacks including shave ice and icee.
I will definitely be back.

Ko’olau Snack Shop took the place where Goodie Corner used to be during the time I was growing up. I missed those daily shave ice/​candy/​icee trips with my Grandpa!
Good thing Mr. and Mrs. Lee — formerly of Lee’s BBQ glory — decided to revive this old candy store.
Right next to Ko’olau Theatre in Temple Valley, this place satisfies your afternoon snack/​candy cravings or pre-​movie bargain purchasing (I HATE buying my BF $ 5 1OZ packages of Sour Patch Kids)! Mrs. Lee also makes mochi, pumkin mochi, and the pickled mango (w/​li hing) on ice and ready to grab and go.
Buy local, buy cheap, buy yummy! Let’s go ppl!

Great lil stop for the ideal bottle of soda and chips right in the lil heart of kahaluu!

This place has everything to satisfy your cravings… shave ice, bubble tea, candy, chips, crack seed, energy drinks and so much more. My only request would be to add mochi balls as an option for their shave ice. Very inexpensive and the portions are generous!

Come to Ko’olau Snack Shop (right next to Times Supermarket in the Ko’olau Shopping Center, across from Temple Valley) for the BEST shaved ice and bubble tea.
The shaved ice is super-​finely ground, with lots of yummy syrup.
You can add azuki, condensed milk, li hing mui or ice cream.
The store also has your traditional local snacks like fresh li hing mango, spam musubi, and butter mochi.
Going to the movie? Grab a hot dog to go, or a fresh bag of hurricane popcorn made on the spot.
Need something extra for dinner? Ko’olau snacks even sells Korean side dishes like kim chee and seaweed.
It’s a mom & pop shop, so if you go just a couple of times, Mr and Mrs. Lee will definitely recognize you and welcome you in!