Who knew there was an “original?” I didn’t. I only knew of the one on Kapahulu Avenue – always busy with tourists and more than a few locals, too. It wasn’t until we were driving along the backstreets of McCully did we discover the original Waiola Shave Ice on Waiola Avenue. — DF
We figured the original Waiola had to have something on the “new” Waiola. If anything, fewer tourists and maybe a special something that only locals got to experience. For starters, there’s parking, and a bit more elbow room. There’s the requisite bench, and an ordering window – and it all seems a bit more orderly than the line that snakes out the door at the “new” Waiola.
The portions are small. Very small, and expensive. A large cup here is smaller than a Shimazu small, or even the keiki-size from Ewa Seed on Geiger at Fort Weaver Road. The small sizes, though, are made up in taste. The syrups are first rate and cover an extensive menu of the usual local flavors. There are also an abundance of toppings, such as mochi balls, condensed milk, ice cream and azuki. The toppings are a matter of taste, but for this Shave Ice Snob (SIS), they take away from the purity of our local shave ice. Azuki is a Japanese thing, for example, and ice cream? Who the heck started that?
The first bite is like eating a cloud. We had the ever-popular strawberry cream and banana, which, unfortunately, had a bright yellow residue that looked toxic. Taste good, look bad. They even sell bottles of their syrup, and it’s good (we tried it at home, but that’s another story). The ice is fine and not icy, and the whole thing is a picture of perfection. Great things indeed can come in small packages.
Rating: 3 cones
Waiola Shave Ice 2135 Waiola AvenueHonolulu, HI 96805 (808) 949-2269
