Makani’s Magic Pineapple Shack

I read about this place recommended a lot so we decided to visit in the afternoon for refreshments. We got the acai bowl and magic smoothie. Both the items were delicious and mildly sweetened. The fruits were fresh and the smoothie tasted natural. It was a good spot - full of people from all age groups, bustling with cheer on a sunny day.

The rave reviews are spot on - this was delicious! A must stop while in Hilo. The Cookie Monster açaí bowl was fresh and flavorful.

It's an experience. We had the Unicorn and a scoop of mango ice cream in a cone. Both were delicious. The unicorn 🦄 was served in a pineapple bowl and finished off with sprinkles. It tasted as delicious as it looked. The price was up there, but the experience was commiserate. They have several options including non-dairy. This is an island experience NOT baskin-robbins (no offense meant to B-R). A must try for sure. ❤️

I got the unicorn ice cream in a cup. It is a mixture of their UBE ice cream and their dragonfruit “ice cream”. The UBE is delicious I am not a sherbet fan so the dragonfruit was okay compared to UBE. It was listed as non dairy so that is my fault. But for sherbet, very good. My wife got the Aloha Bowl. She said it was very good.

Substantially lower quality of açaí bowl compared to menu photos. Specifically asked before ordering if we will get what's shown on the photo.first photo is what we ordered (literally showed the person the photo) and got what's in 2nd photo.

The açaí base has a great flavor and the honey on top ties it all together! Great atmosphere to sit and enjoy a treat.

A Reddit comment brought me here for the unicorn soft serve and man was it amazing! Both the ube and dragonfruit were more sorbet-ey though the ube was a bit creamier, perfect for a hot day. The dragonfruit was a bit tart which complemented the ube perfectly. And sprinkles and color changing spoons!!

Ordered the Hawaiian Heaven Smoothie. For 12.57 probably the most expensive non alcoholic smoothie i've bought. It tasted tropical, not to mention refreshing while I walked around sunny Hilo.

Generous size Dole whips in a fresh waffle cone. Clean with friendly service. I will be back.

Absolutely loved the absence of dairy in so many menu items, although the carb count must be through the roof! I ordered an aloha bowl loaded with fruit, sprinkled with coconut, and decorated with a cute, little umbrella. A bit more sugar than I would normally consume, but definitely delicious. This is a wonderful, relaxing place for a cool treat on a humid Hilo day (pretty much every day)! The inside is decorated local-style, with tribal tattoo and kapa patterns, and murals with bright colors. There is seating both inside and out, although outdoor seating is very limited, and it rains! Service was pretty good - there were only two people working, so a 5-10 minute wait for our bowls wasn't a problem. We managed to get there when there wasn't a line (midafternoon). Pricier than ordering at Jamba, but supporting local independents is worth the trade off.

Yummy, cold and refreshing treats in downtown Hilo. We easily found free street parking in front however there is also a for fee parking lot directly across the street. Reason for 4 stars is the service. A group of 4 was waiting ahead of us to order. The two employees were talking to each other clearly about something that was not business related. We all waited so long that the group of 4 became impatient and left.

Super instagrammable spot whose frozen treat lives up to the hype! I love the unicorn combination of soft serve. It swirls both the ube and dragon fruit flavours. Dragon fruit isn't the most bold natural flavour, but in this sorbet, it is bright and tart. The ube itself has enough flavour and a creamier texture. The contrast between the two makes it an unlikely pairing, but fun to eat The kid size is way generous and more than enough for an adult There was only one lady working there, and in between taking our orders, making them, and answering the phone, it was a little chaotic and slow. She wasn't sure whether all the toppings were available and had to run back and forth multiple times to check on it

Açai Bowl in Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii... Between meals, sometimes you just want a snack or something to drink. My friend and I searched for a cute place on our Yelp apps and found Makani's Magic Pineapple Shack. Yes, the decor was colorful and kawaii! We found easy, free street parking on a Monday afternoon and walked into the cozy shop. It was a bit warm since the doors were left open. We did appreciate the convenient restroom! I got a small açai bowl, and my friend got the most popular smoothie: Hawaiian Heaven, which had added ginger and turmeric for $1 more. She really wanted me to taste it, but it was a definite pass for me. Those are not my favorite flavors! She seemed to like it... LOL! My Aloha Bowl açai bowl was just right! I wasn't stuffed, and it wasn't hungry anymore. It felt healthy with the fresh fruits! I'd return if I was in the area again!

I'm so glad that we made time to stop by Makani's when we briefly visited Hilo. I loved my dairyfree dragonfruit ice cream. Refreshing and flavorful. And very eye-catching, too! Service was friendly and patient. Seating: They have a few tables and stools along the wall facing out to the street. There are also a few tables on the sidewalk. I think this business has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives before. Any media coverage is well deserved. Quality offerings and pleasant staff are a winning combo.

On our search for the best açaí bowl in Hilo, we stopped in to Makani's Magic Pineapple Shack. We got both the acai soft serve and an acai bowl. The soft serve is creamy, which takes away a little from the tang of the berries, but a nice twist on the basic acai bowl. It was a little disappointing, however, that the actual acai bowl tasted exactly the same as the soft serve -- the only difference is that it was topped with fruits. We were expecting two different things that we could share, but ended up with essentially two of the same things. It is also more expensive than other places around, so I'm not entirely sure it was worth it.

Açaí bowl comes from a soft serve machine so it's creamy. The fruit that it was topped with was ripe and sweet. Granola was good and just the perfect amount. Just a heads up, the pineapple bowls are frozen solid and aren't edible. One star removed because it's in the sketchiest area. Parking is street parking, but there was plenty when I went on a Saturday afternoon.

Shoutout to the only girl working when my group of 20+ people came in to order! She was super friendly and working hard to get our orders made quickly. I love Makani's magic, and the unicorn flavor in a kids cup was the perfect refreshing treat for a hot Hilo day. The ube flavor is pretty strong, but I like how it uses a pineapple base. There's not many places to sit inside, but I love the very local pineapple shack vibes the place gives.

I visited Makani's during vacation on Big Island. I was primarily drawn in by online photos from customers of the delicious smoothie bowls. As soon as I entered, the beautiful wall art and decor immediately caught my attention. I was immediately greeted and offered help by the owner. The selection of items is listed very clearly on the wall next to the ordering register. The menu offers a great variety of smoothies, açaí bowls, soft serve, and cold brew. I originally planned on an açaí bowl, but the Ube Soft Serve had me sold. The owner informed me that any of the açaí bowls could have the bases changed to soft serve or pitaya. I opted in for the Aloha Açaí Bowl, but subbed the açaí for the ube soft serve. I really enjoyed the ube soft serve base more than I had anticipated. The toppings added nice texture contrast and complemented the ube flavor very well. Each element of the dessert was clearly fresh and very high quality. Makani's is an excellent choice for a sweet treat in Hilo; my only regret is not being able to try more of the menu.

I guess you can say from my the different times I went in there my experience has always been different. Saturday was something else though! There was a girl FaceTiming outside on one of the tables and when I walked in there was no one to help me. The girl FaceTiming came in, never once stopped her FaceTime & begrudgingly asked me what I wanted. She told whoever she was FaceTiming with that she just had to make a coffee. She walked out before I was even done paying. Back to the table outside and back to her FaceTime. Idk why I tipped her. That was a horrible experience. The coffee was not even worth it and the floors were so dirty!

I got an aloha bowl and the presentation was really cute. I know it's Hawaii but it had a little too much pineapple that my mouth was weird. It was good overall though.

What a cute little gem we stumbled upon as we explored downtown Hilo. For first timers trying to escape the humidity, all we wanted was a nice pineapple dole whip and that's when we saw this pineapple shack, so we had to stop by! They just opened their doors so everything was still starting up and things were still prepping, so we waited quite a bit for our pineapple soft serve. I was sad that the unicorn flavor wasn't working so I opted for the açaí! Definitely hit the spot, a little more icy than what I am use too. It could have been an off day, but as always... I will be back haha :)

"Ice Ice Baby" - song by Vanilla Ice We were here 3 years ago. I wanted to skip this place but my son INSISTED. We walked through the deserted Hilo town on Friday the 13th around 11 AM from the Farmer's Market area to Makani's to make the short trek, which was not totally uneventful, except for the fact there was a shady man eyeing my purse and started to pursue me and my son, presumably looking to rob us. We sped up our pace and so did he. We got so spooked we walked into a Japanese fabric shop to drop the guy, which we did. The shop owner did not greet us, he must be used to tourists like us doing this all the time to dodge would-be robbers. We made it to Makani's. The guy inside didn't greet us either, kind of waited on us to order but it was OK because he was pretty nice. I was here 3 years ago and the girl on the phone hung up on me after I said "thank you" but remember, you are here for the FOOD, not the SERVICE. UNICORN "Keiki" Cone: $6.00 I asked for a small keiki, or child's cone because I didn't think I could eat a large one, I was right for the wrong reasons. The cone was sour, not sweet and creamy, more like a sorbet than an ice cream. I was actually glad because I'd rather do sour than too sweet. COOKIE MONSTER ACAI BOWL: $14.00 I was rather large, glad we got the small size. My son couldn't finish it because it was a lot, but we did just get here after eating at Ken's House of Pancakes for breakfast. RETURN FACTOR: Not if we have to dodge shady people to get here. Maybe we will drive up directly in front next time.

I saw this place on TikTok and decided to go here. My boyfriend and I, we ordered the house-made soft serve ice cream with unicorn flavor and in a pineapple bowl. The pineapple bowl was just for decoration, unless you want to scrap the freeze pineapple at the bottom. So, I do not think it's worth adding the $3. However, it was really good! The ube part was so good! We got it with the fruits topping. Fruits were so fresh. The service was quick and she was nice. The inside was so vibey. We came when it was almost close, everything was so clean. I would totally come back here if I went back.

A simple shop in town, with smoothies and açaí bowls. Repeatedly, this trip taught me that: 1. Non-English white people do not tip, and are extremely rude. 2. Cruise ship passengers expect the world to revolve around them. Seriously, how are you going to rush food orders? If you don't have time, don't make the order. The dude was plenty fast for us, cranking out a smoothie and my açaí bowl. It was delicious, and just what my cranky ass needed.

Hubby discovered this fun, brightly colored shop on our most recent trip to the Big Island. We're suckers for the novelty of things served in a pineapple. So...when we saw the Unicorn Dole Whip, we knew that was for us. I think it is dragon fruit & ube swirl with sprinkles & multicolored mochi. It was very tasty and colorful. The only thing that bummed me a little was that it was swirled in such a way that there was a hollow spot in the middle.

Acai is rubbah, rather buy the bucket from costco. Alright place tho. I was craving acai so bad and then when i get it i never wanna eat acai again , worst experience ever hate it , but music was fine.

Had a chance to swing by Makani's after we tried once and it was closed. I'm glad we came back the 2nd time around cause it was super satisfying. The unicorn soft serve was a perfect combo of açaí and Ube. The lightness of the acai and denseness of the Ube were perfect compliments. The acai bowl was a good portion size and very fresh. Overall would highly recommend!

I got lured in by the photos, and I wasn't disappointed. We street parked across from it, and quickly ran in. The long line went pretty quickly. We ordered the unicone, which is ube and dragonfruit softserve swirl in a waffle cone with sprinkles on top. The ube flavor is delicious, but it was easily overpowered by the dragonfruit soft serve. At first glance, I was expecting it to be really sweet, especially with all the sprinkles. Surprisingly, the dragonfruit was very tart, so I loved it, but I could hardly taste the ube. I think the ube alone would have been delicious too.

We had driven to the Magic Pineapple Shack 15 mins before close. Unfortunately they had closed for the day because their ice cream machine broke. We drove back to Kona that day and decided to try again the next. After 1.5 hours of driving, we finally got to taste the unicorn mix with Ube and Dragonfruit in a pineapple bowl. Experience was truely magical and worth the 4.5 hours of driving back and forth. Really enjoyed the service and decor

Fun place in Hilo! so many options and all great flavors. prices were good and service was very friendly

Absolutely delicious smoothies & friendly service. Next time I visit, I will get a pineapple bowl, no doubt!

My unicorn cone tasted pretty good and I really liked the presentation. But that's about it. Customer service was just alright. Nothing special.

My favorite place on the island! Must stop in for a smoothie, acai bowl or ice cream. Small but great vibes

We got the unicorn ice cream in a pineapple bowl and Cookie Monster bowl to help beat the heat. We really liked the unicorn one, which was a swirl with ube and dragonfruit ice cream. I feel like the pineapple bowl wasn't really worth it because you can't eat most of the fruit, but it is pretty! I wouldn't recommend the Cookie Monster bowl because it was overly sweet with all the Nutella and I feel like the cookie dough didn't go well with the açaí.

To say disappointing is an understatement. Instagram account is nothing like in person. Bowl had nothing to it. The Açaí was hollow so very little product same as the ice cream cone. Worker told me they didn't have Mac nuts or any other local fruit. Worker just stated oh well we don't make them like Instagram anymore. But also maybe change ingredients on menu since the product does not reflect what you get. Wish I would have just got my money back. Do not recommend due to product and service.

Don't eat here. The girls who makes your food is dirty. She lifted her bra and wiped her boob sweat and then rubbed her nose several times while talking to us. She kept rubbing and touching her face and never once washed her hands. If you ask me that's totally nasty and dirty. Do you really want all that in your food?

Came in on 8/1 some time after 3pm. Insanely loud music where you can't have a conversation. The sole outside table was used up by the staff and their friend. Service was super super slow, staff unfriendly and disinterested, and after a long wait for our stuff, they were out of Acai. I recommend going one block over to Kula Shave Ice for a much better experience, service, food, and outdoor seating.

This place is not what I expected...the saddest acia bowl, soft serve and smoothie place in all of Hawaii...sorry it's not worth the money nor the time. Spent $14 on the "aloha bowl" with whiling adding Peanut Butter for an additional $1...this bowl was not so "Aloha" it was more of a let down...trying to support local Hawaiian business and this is a sad sad let down! I would have rather have gone to a franchise and spent a few more dollars then go here! Besides serving the saddest "aloha bowl" The place is dirty, unkept, walls have old writing on them covered up by extra large photos of items you think you're ordering, flooring looks like it hasn't been mopped with disinfectant since opening...gross! Now look at my pictures and look at the ones on the wall...owners need to do some revamping and cleanup

Nice and refreshing especially on a hot day! Texture is similar to a sorbet. Great to grab a sweet treat and walk around Hilo

Been coming here for years. They don't miss. Mahalo pia to the beautiful staff for always taking care of my ohan and I. Fruit is always fresh, they got the best honey, and always playing irie music. Always gotta visit when we come home. Oka I Ka Wai

Extremely magical place! The ambiance is relaxed Hawaiian with the opportunity for small groups. Could use some updates but it gives well still. Plenty of options on the menu. Went with the Ube Swirl plus Boba - just amazing. Couldn't eat it fast enough with all the flavor bursts and complementary sweetness! Very fun desserts - great for kids or smoothie stop post exercise!

I was making a point to stop by this restaurant as I have heard great things. I walked in and they have a small menu which is good because you don't have to spend 30 minutes deciding what you want. The restaurant, is small and nice and my best and favorite ice cream is the unicorn ice cream. If you are near by and you want some good ice cream, you need to make it a point to visit this spot.

As a big fan of Ube and Pineapple, Makani's Magic Pineapple Shack caught my attention. I had to stop by and I do not regret it at all. My taste buds were blessed with the perfect Ube Soft Serve (Lactose free). At the end of the treat, I scraped some of the frozen pineapple and it was DELICIOUS. This place is a MUST TRY for anyone visiting Hilo.

Stepping into The Magic Pineapple Shack, you're immediately transported to a whimsical world where the decor is as vibrant as the flavors they promise. This place has amassed a trove of rave reviews, setting expectations sky-high. I tried their famed Unicorn Soft Serve, a mesmerizing swirl of ube and passion fruit. Each lick was a delightful dance of tropical flavors. Alongside, I indulged in the Passion Bomb Smoothie, a concoction so visually stunning it could double as art. Yet, here lies the crux of my experience. While everything looked like a dream, the taste, albeit fantastic, didn't quite catapult me to the culinary heavens as I had anticipated. Perhaps it's the burden of immense expectations, but I found myself searching for that extra 'wow' factor that was promised in every glowing review I had read. In conclusion, The Magic Pineapple Shack is incredible, a feast for the eyes and a delight for the taste buds. However, it just slightly missed the mark of perfection. It's a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me - an enchanting experience that was just a whisper away from being the greatest ever.

Cute ice cream, smoothie, and açaí bowl shack. Appears to be locally owned per the written info I saw in the store. They offer pineapples to put your ice cream in which is neat. However, I think they should offer more sweet toppings for the ice cream. The sprinkles are an extra $1 and as you can see from my photo, there isn't much. I asked the guy if I could buy some chocolate chip cookie dough to put on my ice cream since this comes with the açaí bowls, but he said I'd have to buy an entire bowl which ranges from $14-19. No thanks. I'd rather have more options for toppings. My friends got the açaí bowls- both flavors. They seemed decently stacked with toppings. Unsure if the pricing is appropriate because I don't know the competitors pricing for the same bowl. There is a decent amount of seating, as well as street parking. However, this seems to be a busy road so prepare to possibly make a few circles to park. Also, they have a bathroom. Overall cleanliness 3/5, flavors 4/5, customer service 3/5.

The unicorn cone was so light and refreshing and was the perfect treat walking around! The dragonfruit overpowered the Ube flavor so I may just get the Ube the next time but overall it was delicious. The service was quick since it's a soft serve. The shop is casual and seems you can lounge around and get a smoothie too!

Visited this place again a few years since I last was in Hawaii (before the pandemic). Happy to see this place still in business and very popular. It does appear that they have downsized on their menu considerably. It used to be a huge selection of different acai bowl creations, smoothies and drinks, and ice cream sandwiches. But it seems to have been reduced to a few select options of items. They were out of the toppings for the acai bowl (it was 4:00pm) so I got the unicone, and it was amazing like I remembered. The dragonfruit soft serve has real dragonfruit in it (as evidenced by the seeds) and the flavor is fantastic. The ube soft serve was also tasty and paired so well with the dragonfruit. Hope to come back and try the acai bowl sometime!

My wife had been bugging me to go every time we visit Hilo; it seemed it was either closed or too crowded. We happened by here mid afternoon after golfing at the muni and finally got to try it. I had the Legendary UBE, nui shake. Ube is purple yam, and makes desserts pop. And it did - had to resist sucking the whole thing down in a minute. My son, ever the adventurer, got the Nui Cookie Monster - and it was monstrous! And delicious. Wife enjoyed her Passion Bomb Li'Ili'i, it was pretty tart and beautiful. The place is cramped, we were lucky to get to sit at the surfboard table. Cute island decor. Its expensive. After tax/generous tip I was near $50. The drawback - all served in earth-killing plastic. So that loses a star.

Stopped by for a quick soft serve. Service was very friendly, though things do move slowly, and they have a sign near the register that encourages customers to be patient. We got the kid's size ube soft serve which was actually a lot. We shared it amongst 2 people and couldn't finish. We also got to sample the unicorn, which is dragonfruit and ube swirled. We prefered the ube since it's a lot more creamy, but the dragonfruit was tart and refreshing and is dairy-free.

After hiking all day. We wanted something refreshing. Makani's was out of unicorn ice cream. I selected a pineapple bowl with Ube Ice Cream and sprinkles. Ice cream was creamy and not too sweet. I felt magical eating sprinkles with it. It was a little pricey, but that's the cost of living in Hawaii. I would say the bowl was a nice aesthetic for Instagram, but not worth the extra dollars. Grab the cone!! A female staff member seemed a little annoyed and closed the shop 15 minutes early. A family came to the door and were disappointed it closed early. Otherwise, it was a great experience and would come back.

I'm not a big soft serve person, but the flavors here made me want to try theirs. I got a Unicorn Swirl (which is ube and dragonfruit) with Strawberries and Pineapple. This is some of the best soft serve I've had. I love ube, but the dragonfruit was actually my favorite between the two. It's definitely worth stopping by for a treat here!

Such a cute place. My daughter was nagging for a cold snack and this place hit the spot. She immediately said "give them a 5 star review!!"

Cute spot if youre craving something sweet. They have many options to choose from including smoothies, ice cream, coffee, and acai bowls. I got an aloha açaí bowl, but with granola, banana, and peanut butter. It was delicious, but the amount of açaí that you get is definitely not worth $14. The good vibes and the friendly staff make it worth stopping by.

I was looking for a sweet treat after a day of exploring and after reading the reviews, I moseyed on in to Makani's. After much contemplation and internal debating upon whether to order an açaí bowl or ice cream, I went ahead with the unicorn cone, topped with sprinkles, and a side of mochi. (Note: the unicorn corn is a swirl of dragon fruit and ube soft serve) One lick is all it took for my taste buds to twirl and groove; what a DELICIOUS choice I made. Although slightly pricey, the unicorn cone was delectable and hit the spot. Light, refreshing, and left me walking out with a happy belly. Highly recommend to any and all that are in the area and looking for a solid spot for a sweet treat. Note: if you're debating whether to get the açaí bowl or the unicorn ice cream, I highly recommend the ice cream. Your taste buds and inner child will thank you.

Very good but as some reviewers mentions, acai is hollow. Paying a lot (and it's delicious) but expected not to see that!

Cool little spot, great story about the shop. The flavor of the products was tasty and worth the price point but the service lacked, the cashier was lounging in the back taking his time to come and attend us and other customers. When. I asked him about certain flavors he kind of did not answer my question and didn't really know the products/ingredients they sold. Ambience was inviting but if you look at detailing, it needs some tlc. Missing pineapples on wall, very raw photography inside, left over half drank beverages (can't tell if old customers or the employee's) and only one table for people to enjoy their ice cream.

This was such a vibe. We got this after our hike and it was a perfect pick me up. We were able to enjoy it while enjoying the nice chill vibes music along with the delicious ube soft serve on a cone. They added sprinkles to it too. My mom got the heavenly pineapple smoothie and it was just as refreshing. The service matched the ambiance of this place and I would definitely recommend. They had other items too and we would love to come back and try some more.