Wailua Shave Ice Kauai

We stopped here on the way to the airport. We had shave ice at JoJos a few days before that was amazing so our expectations were high. This shave ice was spectacular, too! The fresh fruit on top was beautiful and the flavoring tasted like natural fruit juice. The outside seating area was comfy, too. I will definitely be back!

Loved the shaved ice! We got lava flow and coconut x3 and it was amazing. Cute little truck and great service! Awesome experience for our very first shave ice in Hawaii!

Not your usual shave ice spot. There isn’t a usual menu listing 50 different artificial flavors. It’s finely shave ice and a preset menu of combinations of flavors. Good for those like myself who occasionally choose a strange set of flavors and have to eat around ones i don’t like as much! Another plus, I appreciate the real and local ingredients Wailua Shave Ice uses like pineapples and li hing.
Coconut x Coconut x Coconut: luxurious coconut milk, haupia «foam» replacing a typical snow cap and roasted coconut flakes for some crunch. This is one of the best sweet treats i’ve ever had. Look no further if you LOVE coconut as much as i do.
SO happy they’ve opened up in PDX. Still not home but a little closer than Kauai :) Please come to SF

Best shaved ice on the garden island! just sayin :-) my favorite is Love Potion No.9! It’s vanilla bean flavored and has strawberries on top! I’m getting one tomorrow now.

There is literally no other place you should go for shave ice on Kauai… or the planet. My wife and I went to Kauai for our honeymoon and discovered Wailua while walking down the main street in Kapaa. We were immediately hooked and got a shave ice from Wailua every day for the entire week that we were there.
They do not use any artificial colors or flavors, the coconut milk is really refreshing, the flavor combos are intriguing and always good. The haupia foam is like eating a cloud made of heaven. The staff was always very chill and welcoming. They hand stamp every single wooden spoon with care and they recycle (which is not always a given on the mainland). We recommend getting it to stay and sit at one of the little picnic tables next to the little red cart. You can enjoy the best shave ice in town while doing some intense people watching.
My wife left the island with a Wailua t-​shirt and we both left with an eternal craving for Wailua shave ice. We live in North Carolina so it is really rather devastating when we want to just walk somewhere and get a shave ice fix… but it is half way round the world.

This shave ice is where it’s at on Kaua’i. Dudes are supah cool too. I’ve come to the realization that some of the best things come out of mom and pop shops, or a small trailer parked in between building on an empty lot. Their shave ice was natural with no artificial b.s. If you’re here visiting as a tourist or a local, go by this place nest to the Uke shop and serendipity. It’s good stuff.

While we were skeptical that Wailua’s Shave Ice would outdo our southern spot at JoJo’s, we were shocked when we concluded that Wailua’s version of shave ice has the leg up on JoJo’s. My sister went with the Almond Joy, which was a Nutella-​topped shave ice with almonds, shredded coconut, and coconut milk. I went with their Coconut x Coconut x Coconut with coconut milk, haupia foam, and roasted coconut flakes, and wasn’t disappointed. It may be fair to say that going forward, we may end up here instead.

Went to Wailua Shave Ice with five of my girlfriends after bike riding on a hot day. Not only were we dying for some shave ice because it was so hot, but it was in a perfect location! Two buildings down from where we rented bikes so it was just a minute walk away.
I ordered the Love Potion #9 (strawberry, vanilla bean, and milk) and it was absolutely delicious! It’s definitely different and a little more pricey compared to the regular local shave ice you find on Oahu, but that’s because its all organic and made with fresh, home grown fruit so I didn’t mind paying a little extra. Taste and quality were excellent, and would love to come back the next time I visit Kauai. It was a perfect way to end our little girls trip.

This shave ice truck is so cute! It’s located right in the heart of Kapaa near the shops and restaurants. I love how they use natural flavors and that it’s not overly sweet. The Love Potion #9 is yummy! It’s the strawberry and cream shave ice with sliced strawberries on it. Perfect treat on a sunny day or even a rainy day here in Kauai!

Like most mainlanders, I had no clue about shave ice. I called it shaved ice and equated it with a snow cone. Which always runs out of syrup and you’re left with a pile of unflavored ice.
What I learned about shave ice before coming on-​island is that shaving the ice creates a better consistency for absorbing flavored syrups than crushing the ice for a snow cone. Therefore, you get the flavor of the ice throughout rather than ending up with a pool of flavor at the bottom that then requires a straw to drink.
Wailua Shave Ice, a bright red food truck operating from an empty lot on the Kuhio Highway through Kapa’a, offers excellent shave ice. All made with homemade syrups, unlike many other places with prices cheaper than Wailua Shave Ice’s $ 6.50 that use canned products.
I ordered a Wailua Surprise, orange and pineapples juices with a fresh fruit topping. It was fresh and flavorful and the juices were perfectly absorbed by the ice shave by a Fujimarca-​brand machine. Perfect afternoon treat on a warm day.
Wailua Shave Ice is opening a second location in Portland, Ore., in June. They will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood at 23^rd and Alberta, just down the street from the excellent Pine State Biscuits, Bollywood Theater and the Salt and Straw ice cream shop.

Shave ice ice baby~ After seeing the countless pictures and hearing the boyfriend rave about their shave ice, we decided to check this place out after a long hike. It’s a bright red food truck with benches and tables in the back. There’s also a lot of grass for visitors to park in as well.
This isn’t your typical shave ice place. It’s a work of art! Shave ice is $ 6.50 each but you can either take out in the plastic flower containers or eat it there in a bowl. It’s more expensive than your normal shave ice but you’re paying for something different and homemade. We ordered the coconut x3 and the lava flow. Disclaimer: I do not like haupia what so ever. But the haupia foam is literally amazing with the lava flow. I’ve never had anything like it so I would suggest you just try it. Don’t second guess yourself. The consistency of the ice is fine like a fluffy cloud as well. My boyfriend thought the coconut x3 was great and not too overpowering. His favorite is the sweet potato but unfortunately was not being offered that day.
Overall it was amazing and we’re def coming back when we’re on island! You need to check it out if you haven’t yet. Yes, it’s not your typical shave ice but it’s a good change. If only they were opened on Oahu… However there are opening in Oregon soon.

Coconut cubed is awesome! A masterpiece! Very light. Melts in your mouth. Can definitely taste the real fruit. Awesome! Love the whipped cream on top.
And the orange dream.
And the almond joy!

A great little shave ice truck with natural, homemade syrups. The lava flow was delicious with pineapple syrup, drizzles of strawberry purée and capped off with coconut cream and slices pineapple and strawberries. The hubby enjoyed his with pineapple and orange. The flavors were great and not cloyingly sweet like the typical shave ice syrups. Not too many flavor options, but I appreciate that they make everything from scratch. There are a couple of picnic tables right next to their truck for you sit and enjoy your shave ice.

I was happy to walk by the Wailua Shave Ice truck on a blazing hot day in Kapaa with my family. We shared the Wailua Sunrise and the Uala Niu. The latter definitely stole the show; I loved the toasted coconut topping. The portions are large and prices are reasonable, although the containers seem a bit unwieldy. One of our shave ices tipped over while they were making it, so they remade the entire thing for us, which I appreciated. I even bought a tank as a memento. :)

I’ve been hearing rave reviews for a while now and I finally stopped by on a blazing hot day. Perfect for shave ice. I tried the UALA NIU, coconut + okinawan sweet potato with toasted coconut. It was amazing! Kind of like sweet potato haupia pie, but in shave ice form. I inhaled it so fast, brain freeze was inevitable. I was kind of bummed that I didn’t see the special of the day (Almond Joy), but so happy with the UALA NIU, it was all good.
Friendly, quick service. Good sized portion, decent price. Will be back and will spread the word on amazing shave ice. Yum!!!

When on Kauai, Wailua Shave Ice MUST be on your to-​do list. Visit this little red truck and never look back! We loved it so much that we went back 3 times during our trip. A few reasons that we loved it:
— Fresh flavors — their amazing all natural syrups are made fresh each morning (info from owner Josh!)
— Fun combinations — their menu has creative names for their delicious concoctions (Love Potion #9, Lava Flow, Almond Joy)
— Friendly service with aloha
— Plenty of bar and bench seating and a big grass covered lot for the kiddos to run in
— Parking in the back lot, just drive right up and get your shave ice on!
— 10% off for Unilocal check-​ins to get the kama’aina discount
— Get one of their stamp cards and buy 10 shave ices to get one free!
— Pono Market is right next door! Get your lunch, then order some shave ice and you’ll be HAPPY and FULL!
My personal favorite was the Lava Flow and the Kauai Orange Dream, which was like a dreamy orange creamsicle — light, sweet and just creamy enough! Super fine shave ice drenched in lovely fruit syrup. I love that the syrup wasn’t cloying like a traditional shave ice (nothing wrong with those, just different!) and the syrup goes all the way to the bottom. Topped with floaty light haupia (coconut) cream and bits of fresh fruit. They get extra points for the little details — they have a perfectly cut straw for drinking your melty leftovers, hand stamped wooden spoons, and their use of reusable Corelle cereal bowls is eco-​friendly and pretty ingenious.
Here’s much love for Wailua Shave Ice … be sure to get some fresh aloha in a bowl now!

The only shaved ice you should try on Kauai. Absolutely brilliant in every sense of the word.
Syrups are made nightly out of seasonal ingredients.
The ice is shaved in a way that is unmatched. It is like a tongue full of snowflakes with every bite. It just melts effortlessly in your mouth.
Possibly most importantly they make a haupia cream to top the ice. Thats right, instead of condensed milk they make a fresh whipped cream out of coconuts. It is mind-​blowingly good.
Staff is amazing, the owners are a lot of fun. They stay open in bad weather out of loyalty to the fans. I was really blown away by Wailua Shave Ice.
From what I understand they have friends that will open one seasonally in Portland in the near future which is really exciting.
Best shaved ice I’ve had in my life by a significant margin.

The best shaved ice ever! Not much to say. Just go there and get some shaved ice!
They use all natural and local ingredients. Usually we don’t buy sweets at all, but here … you just have to!
My favorite flavor is coconut ;)

Shave ice is a must when visiting Kauai. I live on Oahu and have tried some delicious shave ice. On Kauai this is one of the more popular shave ice spots. They serve it out of a cute little food truck off of the main highway in downtown Kapaa. We tried the wailua sunrise, pineapple and orange. This one has the least sugar, it is mostly the sugar from the fruit juices. We sat at the high top chairs one of the windows on the truck. One of the girl was kind enough to ask if we wanted to try their famous coconut concentrate that they serve on their shave ice. Unfortunately the one we ordered didn’t come with it so it was a kind gesture that she asked.
Very reasonable prices and 10% off you order when you check in for all you regular Unilocalers!

Next level shave ice. Located in Kapa’a Town in an empty lot next to an antique store. Wailua Shave Ice is a food truck with counter seating and picnic tables.
Tried the Love Potion, Coconut ³, and Orange Dream. All were amazing! There are layers of flavors, topped with fresh fruit. The ice is shaved to a unique and snowy texture.
The bowl of shave ice is huge, but it’s very light and refreshing. Perfect on a warm afternoon. There’s even a water cooler to wash your hands.
Good people. This place is a must if you’re ever on Kaua’i.