Shimazu Shave Ice

Came here for the 1st time. I normally go to the original location on School Street, but I recently found out they closed down. I bought a small sized Rainbow flavored shaved ice with ice cream at the bottom and condensed milk at the top. This is my absolute favorite. It’s basic, but the best. The serving size is huge. The kids size is the same size as other business small size and the small that I order is like a large size. Staff is fast. There’s a few tables to sit at. The parking lot is limited.

Went there on Sunday about 215p. There's a small parking lot and street parking. The workers were really nice. There's different sizes... it's bigger than you think. I got the kiddie size with mochi balls and ice cream. Flavors were banana creme, tamarind & li hing mui. The ice was shaved fine. The mochi balls didn't have any flavor, but it was chewy. The rest of it was really tasty... especially the banana creme. I would definitely go here again

This is a great place to stop for shaved ice. The ice is shaved right after you order, and they have a ton of flavor options. You get up to 3 flavors with your order. I got a small and it was plenty for me. The flavors I got (mango, pineapple, and melon bar creme) were all very good and didn’t taste syrup-y.

Excellent shaved ice with unique flavours! Please try their Ube crème and red velvet crème and you won’t be disappointed! Small sized is huge!!

Love this place. The shave ice portions are huge. We all bought kids sized shave ice as the small was as big as my daughter's head, and she's still in elementary school. The service was great. The guy behind the counter was super helpful and patient as my daughter didn't pick her flavors till after her shave ice bowl was complete.

This shave ice was AMAZING!!!! The best I’ve had in all of Hawaii!!!! The ice was super thin which I loved, and there are TONS of flavors to chose from!!!!

Honestly have no idea how some could have a kid size to themselves as they are generous with the sizing already. Pretty decent texture and also generous with the flavoring. Think we’d avoid berry flavors because it does become like medicine after awhile so I think I’d go for more ‘milky’ flavors next time.

Don’t miss this place tucked away behind the Rainbow Drive In lunch plate place….super yummy the tropical one is great with bean paste in the bowl and coconut drizzle on top mmmmmm huge portions too

Shimazu Shimazu Shimazu! Absolute best shave ice on Oahu, believe me, I've tried them. This place is hands down the clear favorite, for me anyway. Stopped in today for my 3rd and final visit on this trip before heading to the airport to fly home. The ice here is shaved about as thin as you could possibly shave a block of ice. Today I went with tropical flavor, a large, which is truly huge. The flavors were divine, the shave - epic and the overall experience, once again, a true delight. I cannot rave enough about this shave ice business, they truly are the best on the island.

Shimazus is another one of my favorites! I'm bummed they've moved out of the old iconic Liliha location, but :") The ice is super fine and soft, the portions are generous (two people could share either the keiki size or small size for sure), and I don't think I've ever had a bad syrup flavor here. Sometimes you go to a shave ice spot and most flavors are great, but some are just so-so - I don't think I've ever had a shimazus syrup that was just so-so. Some of my favorite flavors of theirs are ube cream, matcha cream, guava, lilikoi, and li hing mango. They have a nice strong flavor but no artificial taste and not crazy sweet. i really like their haupia sauce topping too - it's like a different version of the classic condensed milk. The mochi balls are the perfect chewy texture, too. There's free parking in front of the store, but not too many stalls.

Service was good- the two guys there were definitely not in the mood, but still nice enough for where we were. This place shares a spot with another local joint- tucked on the left side. The place has tables and chairs to eat and the line isn't usually long here. The shaved ice itself is solid. It's got more of the artificially flavored syrups, but the portions here are HUGE. The ice is super fine and they don't skimp on the syrup! The Keiki size is good enough for an adult and the small is good for two! This is a perfect way to end a meal!

Portions are huge, large selection of flavors. Texture isn't bad. I just prefer shaved ice that tastes less artificial and more like sugar and fruit. Lots of dyes and pre-made mixes here. Standard shaved ice, nothing fancy.

Came here for the 1st time. I normally go to the original location on School Street, but I recently found out they closed down. I bought a small sized Rainbow flavored shaved ice with ice cream at the bottom and condensed milk at the top. This is my absolute favorite. It's basic, but the best. The serving size is huge. The kids size is the same size as other business small size and the small that I order is like a large size. Staff is fast. There's a few tables to sit at. The parking lot is limited.

@fortunefoodfinds: "What an ICE surprise! A keiki size Rainbow Creme Shave Ice (strawberry creme, vanilla creme, banana creme) with vanilla ice cream + mochi balls added on the bottom n' sweet condensed milk on top from SHIMAZU SHAVE ICE located inside Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens. After all these years of visiting their old store in Liliha I never knew they had this location!" Staff: friendly Interior: shared space with HanaPa'a 2, around 5-6 separate tables including seating Exterior: right behind Rainbow Drive-In Wait time: 5 mins Parking: street or front lot Overall comments: large portions that's why kids size is all we need! Offer many flavors to choose from. Classic shave ice with that old school feel. We used to go to their Liliha location that was the closest to us for not only their shave ice but halo halo. After they relocated to Kapolei we weren't sure when we'd make a trip out to the west side. Then the other week we walked into Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens n' realized they had another location!

Eh, i was not impressed to say the least lol. the only thing that was impressive was their huge portion size considering we got the kid's size (for two people to share) and we didn't even finish because there was so much. their flavoring was okay nothing too memorable but they charged extra for condensed milk and ice cream (which i don't have a problem with) if it was worth it. their ice cream wasn't soft at all--hard actually so by the time we got to it, we were already too full. maybe because i prefer soft serve with my shaved ice but i don't think the vanilla ice cream was worth it at all. this place has a lot of potential, it just didn't meet my expectations!

A one-man business with his ice blocks, syrups, machine, and side merch. This place is very generous with its portions. There are about 3-4 tables if you want to sit down to eat after your purchase. Parking: They have their parking lot, and there are about 6-7 spots available. However, it's hard to find the parking entrance because there's a diner next door that also has a parking lot. I would probably circle the block twice to enter. There's also an option for side street parking, but it's very limited. Shaved Ice (Medium): Yes their medium size looks large. It's pretty funny because they have a printed picture of how big each size looks like. Mochi balls are boiled plain rice balls, there are no extra flavors/ syrups drizzled inside or outside. Ube (purple): Strong Ube flavor, tastes milky. Lychee (pink): light compared to the passionfruit. Passionfruit (yellow/orange): strong tropical fruity flavor. I would recommend ordering this if you want to order a common but uncommon fruity flavor.

Huge portions, lots of flavor choices, and reasonable prices. Probably my favorite shave ice place ever. I love Shimazu and come every time I'm in the area!

Conveniently located next to the rainbow drive inn and with its own parking lot, is shimazu shaved ice! You honestly can't go wrong with Hawaiian shaved ice. It's shaved so fine, with the billion of flavors. Okay maybe not a billion but there's plenty to choose from. I didn't realize how big the shaved ice was for a small, and that's probably the only thing I regret. I couldn't finish it all. But it was so delicious especially on a hot day. The one man worker, was so patient and kind. He got to work so fast and did his magic. They accept credit card payment. There's a few tables you can sit and enjoy your shaved ice as well.

One person makes the shaved ice and one person does the cashier + syrups. The syrups don't taste good here and the ice is mid. Ample seating though. Frozen mochi smh so they gave it to me on the side for my shaved ice since it took a lil bit to thaw.

I'm so glad, this was recommended by the hotel employee at the Hilton in Waikiki Beach. We were not disappointed! I know that I will definitely be back here when I come and visit again. They had a lot of flavors to choose from. I couldn't even make a decision lol! I totally recommend this place for a great flavorful shaved ice if you're in Hawaii!

This is the first time coming to this Shimazu Shave Ice location. We are used to going to Shimazu Store on School Street. This location is inside of Hawaii's Favorite Kitchen. They offer inside seating and A/C. A very tiny parking lot. But street parking available? He's a one-man show, so be patient with the service because the place is popular. My wife and I shared a small shave ice. It was huge! Tropical: Lilikoi-Passionfruit, Guava, & Mango. Added icecream. So soft, and pillowy.

The adventure of finding shaved ice brought us here. Plenty of flavors to choose from, but we opted for simplicity. THE FOOD. - Vanilla Shaved Ice | Ordered the small size and got the biggest small size I've ever seen! The vanilla flavor was sweetly creamy; an excellent option to try out if the other flavors seem too exotic. - Passion Shaved Ice | Citrusy with notes of cantaloupe. The perfect tropical flavor. THE VIBE. It's a small shop located left of the entrance (it shares space with another eatery). Tables are available inside, but I do feel shaved ice is best consumed out under the sun. THE PARKING AFFAIR. There's a small parking lot in front of the shop, but we just parked at the Rainbow Drive-In, ate lunch, and then walked over for shaved ice after. COMING BACK? Yes, I'd come back to try out other flavors.

The shave ice bowls are refreshing. The bowls are huge. I ordered a kid's size and still couldn't finish.

This Shimazu location had its own parking lot, inside dining with tables and served up huge portions of its shaved ice. This was our third and final shave ice stop. We watched the entire prep process that started with pulling out a block of ice, the shaving and forming into that gravity defying mound that dwarfed the paper bowl and pouring of the syrup. As we ate the ice held its shape as we scooped out each mouthful. Not as messy as thought or we were just hungry and extra careful? Straws were provided to suck up the melted ice. Again great powdery soft ice but our flavor selections could've been better as the lychee, haupia and peaches and cream flavors were too subtle and similar.

As always, my favorite place to get shave ice. My go to order is the same, size small vanilla and strawberry with ice cream, mochi, and condensed milk. The small is large enough for two people to share. Staff is always super nice. Just be patient since sometimes it's only one person working.

Best shaved ice in Oahu! Beats all the crazy touristy locations. This place is great. All the flavors are delicious and they are so generous with their servings. We tried watermelon, mango and guava! Guava was the winner for me! We've been twice and will go back again before we leave. We tried other places but this is the best one by far!

I think this is my favorite shave ice on the island. It's a super lowkey spot right behind Rainbow Drive Inn with GENEROUSSS portions (read: smallest size could easily be a medium/large anywhere else). Syrups here have strong flavors: the ube actually tasted like ube (the ube at other places errs on the side of being mild in flavor). Lychee and haupia were also stellar. Owner was super nice. This was the perfect sweet treat after a long hike!

Japanese + refreshing after a long day hiking - kinda labor intensive (they were solo that day) so be prepared to wait... however, that gives you ample time to consider all the flavors they have to offer - went for the Ube/lilikoi with vanilla ice cream then they shave fresh ice and cover the ice cream then douse it with the chosen flavored syrup and then finish it off with condensed milk - all over it... delishhhh... btw, while waiting upon entering it's almost a bit strip mallish - there is a very good poke place inside that shares the same bldg that served very fresh poke- just saying as i didn't get their name

While parking can be limited and tight, Shimazu shave ice is very reasonably priced and huge! Inside Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens, Shimazu's is tucked in the corner and might have a line stretching from the counter. The staff is efficient so the line can go quickly. There is some seating inside but it is pretty limited so it can be good to have somewhere else in mind to go sit after picking up your shave ice. There are many different flavors to choose from and we chose the green river, strawberry, and mango flavors. They were all good! We did not get any toppings but there are toppings available. The shave ice we got was keiki sized and we could barely finish it, and it was about $5. This is an awesome shave ice spot on the island for those looking to try an affordable staple!

I like that this spot is close to the beach if people need to cool off, and they had their own little parking lot if people were just driving in for ice and leaving. We grabbed a large shaved ice with guava, pineapple, and mango syrup. The ice was huge! We shared it amongst 6 of us, so we did finish it. They gave a generous amount of syrup, so I wasn't left with a pile of ice at the end. I also liked that the syrups were very strong in flavor and didn't taste diluted. Definitely a great spot with good prices!

Definitely shareable! We ordered the small and was shocked when it came out because it was massive! We tried the popular combo Rainbow Crème which was a mix of strawberry, vanilla, and banana creme flavor. The flavor was very concentrated and delicious. I liked how every inch of ice was covered with the flavoring including the bottom. We also paid extra to have ice cream underneath. The ice cream was delicious and had such a soft and melty texture. Unfortunately, they gave us such a tiny serving of ice cream that it hardly felt like two spoonfuls.

Stumbled upon this place after going to rainbow drive in. I agree with the reviews here. Shimazu has great flavors and the depth of each one is pretty amazing. It's true when they say not all shaved ice are made the same. This one is shaved thinly. The Mochi balls were very chewy and soft. I didn't realize how much mochi pairs with shaved ice. Personal opinion, I prefer Shimazu over the other local popular shaved ice places that are nearby. It is probably my #1 rated for shaved ice in/near the Waikiki area. Definitely worth the stop. It's nearby the famous tonkatsu place as well, walking distance.

Stopped by here for dessert since I was grabbing food next door. You get your moneys worth with this shaved ice!! It is HUGE!!! This is a small and could easily feed 2-3 people. He makes it on the spot so it's fresh. The ice is so light it's like a cloud.

I gotta give 5 stars because I keep going back! Especially after some exercise around Kapiolani Park, there's nothing better than cooling off with some shave ice in a nicely air-conditioned room lol. Shimazu Shave Ice is reliable. Once you go the first time, you know what to expect every time, which is a lot of tasty shave ice and good service. And they don't skimp on the syrup! My favorite flavors are li hing mui and lilikoi, but there are so many to choose from. You can also add toppings on the bottom under your shave ice like ice cream and mochi, and on the top like condensed milk. There are some tables inside and a small parking lot just outside.

Love this shave ice. It's the best... you can see the love and taste the care they put into everything and it's just a chill cool local feel ....love the ambience

We had lunch at Rainbow Drive-In and found this place right around the corner. It took us probably 2 minutes to walk over, super close by. You can choose up to 3 flavors for any size, and there are a ton of flavors and toppings to choose from. It took us a good minute to decide. The servings are huge, perfect for sharing! The three of us shared a small size, and it was more than enough. We ordered passion fruit, strawberry colada, and pineapple shave ice with coconut cream. So refreshing and delicious!

By far the best shave ice on the island! Been coming back for years. Can't recommend it enough, flavors sizes, and price are all fantastic! Honestly don't miss it. Would come back to Oahu just for this stuff

Kid size is good for two people! I ordered the Lychee, Lilikoi passion and Orange crème with condensed milk and it was so smooth and tasty! They have sooo many choices to choose from! I liked the variety and the service was quick. Only downside was that they didn't really put much condensed milk. Upside: Parking was free and seating was available inside. Ambiance is casual and chill

I dream about the creme brûlée shave ice here! This local shop has been running for over 70 years and has been ranked as one of the top best shave ice in the world! The shave ice has incredible texture that's so light and delicate. The portions are ginormous - a regular is perfect for two people to share. Open every day except Wednesdays!

This is truly the best shave ice on the island!!! They never disappoint!!! We have been coming for years and it truly only gets better with time!!! The small is enough for 3 and the large is for the adventurous!!!

The flavors were extremely artificial tasting. If this is the best shaved ice Oahu has to offer, I must not be a shaved ice person. They have a lot of flavors and their portions are generous, but my first bite had me feeling instant regret. I will not be returning.

Hadn't been here for decades (I think the last time I've been here they still let you in the store, but my memory is really hazy). One thing I did remember was that I always thought that the syrups here were really good. I have no idea if they make them themselves or if they are simply the same syrups that everyone has, but they definitely taste better to me. The portions are good and there are a lot of flavors and additions to choose from. Still my favorite shave ice place to come to when I'm in Honolulu.

Really good and prices are great! Small size is perfect! Make sure you take a look at the sizes because the large is GINORMOUS! One worker so by the time we ordered, the line was soooo long. This was the only downfall if we were even 5 minutes later.

Shimazu Shave Ice Kapahulu is still a favorite whenever we have visiting family and friends. The texture of the ice is consistently smooth and I enjoy the size of their mochi topping and the addition of ice cream. I particularly like this location because of indoor seating and a parking lot. Sometimes, this Shimazu is a one-person show but they crank out tasty shave ice that's worth the wait!

Awesome shave ice place! The texture is so light and fluffy. I also got the mochi which was chewy and so good! The portion is also quite large even for a small size, so it's great for sharing! I ordered a shave ice with the ube creme flavor and it was so delicious. The ube flavor was strong and it was sweet and delicious. One of the best shave ice places I've tried so far! It's a bit of an unassuming space, you wouldn't really notice it if you weren't looking for it, but it's definitely not a place to pass up! There's a small parking lot in front, but you can also find street parking around. We walked to it from the beach, so we didn't experience what the parking situation was like firsthand.

I grew up eating the big M shave ice on the north shore. Fast forward a few years (decades maybe) and I am now a certified townie. If you just finished a day at the beach in town and are looking for a frozen H2O snack, Shimazu is for you. This place, like a lot of women I know, is complicated. There are 3 sizes. Kids and small are almost the same price, so its worth it to get the small. The large is big enough to feed a medium size Polynesian family, so probably don't get this unless you are sharing. Also, the workers will warn against it if it seems like you are planning to eat it alone. The picture of the kids size shows a paper cone, but it is served in a bowl. Yes, I know, women. They have all the usual flavors, toppings, and bottom additions. The ice is good, not too dust-like, not too crunchy and the workers are good about putting enough syrup to make sure you are not left dry in the center (like some of my jokes before I've had a few beers). Town-folk, be thankful that we get this sweet ice treat just outside of metropolitan Honolulu.

I was thoroughly impressed with this place, in my opinion I thought it was much better than Matsumoto in the north shore and also better than Waiola. The flavors here were amazing. I had the strawberry cream, mango. and the Lilikoi with condensed milk and ice cream. The mango was definitely my favorite but all of them were so delicious. It can get very busy as it's just one man taking orders and making them, but definitely worth the wait. Highly recommend!

I highly recommend Shimazu shave ice Be patient as this is a one man show. The portions are very generous and there is some seating offered. I have been trying shave ice around island and this is one of my favourite places--definitely a great place to support especially if you are vacationing in Waikiki (it might even be within walking distance)! There are so many flavours to choose from and you simply cannot go wrong getting shave ice from here!

Service was fast, efficient, and friendly!! Ambiance - quiet place with quick moving staff, no places to sit to eat, preferred method of payment is cash but does accept card The shaved ice was HUGE! The small is the one in the picture. Recommend getting kid size for first timers or if you're looking to try it! The flavors were pretty artificial tasting.

Came here after a quick lunch at Rainbow Drive-In. It's super close by and inside an air-conditioned building that houses other small eateries with shared seating. To me, the highlight about this place is the sheer VOLUME of shaved ice that you get with your order. It stacks up really high and can easily be shared with 2-3 people even with just the small size which is what we got. With that said, I think the quality of the shaved ice is pretty subpar. The flavors taste like artificial flavors and the ice isn't really "silky smooth" but regular shaved ice that you would get from a snow-cone. It's not bad in any means but isn't really quality shaved ice in any sense of the word. After going to Ululani's Hawaiian Shaved Ice, I highly prefer that instead as that is seriously some good shaved ice. Definitely worth trying out both places as they are so near each other.

My third shaved ice in three days since coming into the island--to be honest, I have definitely underestimated how important shaved ice is on Oahu. That being said, despite me being overwhelmed with shaved ice at this point, Shimazu continues to shine above expectations. Based on my (limited) experience with shaved ice, the one thing shimazu does better than other stores is the depth of flavor with their syrups. On this trip with friends, we got a mix of fruity flavors (strawberry, mango, lychee, strawberry crème, ube creme, coconut crème, soursop) and non-fruity flavors (pistachio). All of these were great, aside from the strawberry, which to me tasted closer to a really sharp cherry flavor. If you're in the area (or eating at the nearby rainbow drive in), I could definitely see why shimazu is so popular.

Unfriendly. Syrups we soso. No restroom I would pass on going back. Was just c- Lots of options for shave ice.

Most generous portions I've seen on the island, there's a parking lot, it's not usually that busy when I've gone. The shaved iced it well constructed, the syrup mostly flavors all the way through. Their flavor are a little artificial tasting.

Stopped by Shimazu Shave Ice in Kapahulu, and it was a solid spot! We grabbed the Rainbow and Tropical flavors. Both were good, but once the ice melted, they got a little too sweet for my taste--Tropical was definitely the winner between the two. Service was awesome though! Uncle was super nice and quick with our order. The place was clean, and there were plenty of seats to chill and enjoy your shave ice. Portions are huge for the price, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!

Like many, we came to Shimazu Shave Ice after having a meal next door at a locally famous drive-in. The sign on the marquee of the building said "Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens." This dessert spot was one of the vendors who shared the space. A sign was posted on the door that said 'Closed on Friday and Saturday', but it turned out that was for one of the other businesses. We were initially fooled since our group arrived at noon on a Friday, saw the sign, and assumed Shimazu Shave Ice was closed so we departed when in fact they were open. The inside had only a few tables for seating, yet they turned over fairly quickly. The bigger issue was the slow moving line. This was my first experience in dealing with "island time" as there was only one worker at the service counter who handled everything. He made each custom shave ice order and then removed his gloves to handle the payment. It made for a painfully long wait at a non-peak hour. Note that credit cards are now accepted when they used to be cash only. The caveat was that the Apple/Google Pay reader wasn't functioning so you had to use an actual card. On to the good stuff... the social media photos of the serving bowls did not do justice. These were humungous sizes with four choices listed on the menu. Interestingly, The Larry (i.e. X-Large) was unavailable, but I would love to have seen one of those prepared just to take a picture. Even though there was only a $0.50 difference between the kids size and a small bowl, the latter could easily be split between two people. There were 50+ regular flavors and another 15 creme flavors that contained milk. You can choose up to three flavors in an order. I picked a kids size with Strawberry Colada and Lilikoi Passion. The ice was not only finely shaved but very fluffy. The syrups were made of 100% pure cane sugar and were highly potent. Between the spoon and straw, it took me a while to consume the frozen treat. The value was excellent so if they can add another worker to process payments while the other one makes the shave ice, then this would have been a five star experience.

Location: This can easily be missed. Located right next parking lot of rainbow drive-in. Inside the store, there's a small section selling food, poke, and snacks. Walk to your left and you will find Shimazu shave ice. Employees are super friendly. Cute wall decor with some tables to hangout. We ordered a small size to share but damn, it was like a mountain size! We got passion fruit, guava, and mango I think. It was a good amount of syrup all around and shave ice was very smooth. I will have to come back again.

I don't know if this was ALWAYS next door? to rainbow drive inn but I'm glad we looked it up. I was craving shave ice so badly because of this heat & plus my pregnancy. Parking: parking isn't so big but it does that a small parking infront if you can't find parking at rainbow drive inn. You can park either sides. Just try not to go during a busy time. Service: I thought when I walked in it would be the whole shop but it a cute area in the corner. They also do serve food plates on this side too if you can't wait on the other side where it's always busy. They don't have the whole menu on this side but basically the popular plates atleast. The guys working that day were very friendly & nice. I got the kid size & I would recommend that side, anything bigger is BIG!! I also added mochi balls. They do put the mochi balls on the bottom before the shave ice but I don't think that's a good idea. I had to dig for it, if not by the time I get to it , it would be frozen. I got condensed milk all over with my one & only flavor I choose.....VANILLA. The portion side here is ALOT. Would I come back here? DEFINITELY when we're in this side & getting out rainbow drive inn fix on lol