"For decades, Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha was known as Doe Fang, the neighborhood’s candy store. Jars of crack seed (salty and sweet preserved fruit) lined its shelves, and an Icee machine churned blue and red slush. It struggled along until owner Clayton Chang and his nephew Bronson had the then-novel idea to reopen as an all-natural shave ice shop in 2011. The new model still attracts the old crowd — afternoons are packed with construction workers, Korean War veterans, and young chatting families. They gather over real-fruit syrups in tropical flavors like guava, pineapple, and liliko‘i that imbue the fine ice with soft pastels." - Martha Cheng