Kimberly Y.
Yelp
Pineapples is finally open again, and now known as Far From Paradise!
I'm so excited about them being open again that I'll round up my 3.5 stars. I live in a nearby, foggier neighborhood and love going to Balboa Park with my dog to get some sunshine. On a warm day, I crave nothing more than some shave ice. (Malasadas were sold out before we got here, but excited to try one in the future.)
The shave ice is still really good, although the prices are much more expensive now (probably catching up to inflation and paying for the beautiful renovations). The menu is also way pared down from before, which is not necessarily a terrible thing since I used to get decision paralysis, but now I find myself missing POG and other flavors. Let it be known that we are anxiously awaiting the return of the dole whip though!
Service still leaves much to be desired, especially for the high prices. They don't have quite enough machines (and maybe staff?) to service all the demand, so the wait can be long. I think we waited probably like 30-40 minutes from stepping into the shop to finally getting our food on this hot summer's day. I had ordered a small Island Breeze, but they told me and the person before me that they were out of guava (my favorite flavor!) and asked me for a substitute... but then they found it again for the next person. :(
With the new renovations, there is more space for the kitchen area and less space for the customers. I think now there are only about 4 bar stools and 1 small bench to sit at inside. Most of us were standing outside, trying to finish our shave ice before it melted!
One last note: I wish they were open longer through the evening since we usually think to get shave ice around like 5-6 PM, but I'm guessing staffing is difficult. Also, the Yelp hours are different from the Google hours, so not sure if they close at 4:30 or 5:30 on the weekends.