From this stationary food truck in Hanalei, find organic syrups and artificial ones, along with fresh fruit and honey toppings. Try the recommended combinations, such as Tropical Bliss — a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream buried under ice soaked with liliko‘i and coconut syrups and topped with papaya chunks and coconut flakes.

Is there such thing as a shave ice chef? Before returning home to open this retro-style red trailer with high school friend Joshua Tamaoka, Brandon Baptiste, a local Kaua‘i boy (his father was the late mayor Bryan Baptiste), attended the Culinary Institute of America and worked as a line cook at Per Se. His sophisticated sense of texture and flavor is reflected in combinations like the Lava Flow, topped with a pillowy coconut foam, and the Lilikoi Cream, with fresh liliko‘i and a vanilla bean milk. Some flavors are seasonal, all are natural, and they tend toward the lighter, less sweet side, with the ice often doused with fruit juices instead of syrups.

The Fresh Shave, run out of an adorable 1960s Lil Loafer chrome trailer, is one of the new wave of shave ice spots on Kaua‘i (the other two are listed below) where there are no mixing and matching of flavors. Instead, there are only preset menu combinations, named after mustache styles, ranging from the healthyish to decadent. For something light, try The Chevron, a coconut and lime concoction topped with coconut chia-seed cream. For maximum hedonism, order The Dirt McGirt off the secret menu, made with Kauai coffee cold brew, chocolate, and coconut cream, crowned with chocolate cookie crumbles.

One of Hawai‘i’s oldest shave ice shops still in existence (open since 1940), Waiola offers the quintessential shave ice experience: a highlighter-bright rainbow of colors poured over super soft, fluffy snow, served through the window of a worn neighborhood convenience store. The ice practically evaporates on the tongue, leaving behind just the cool, sweet syrup that may taste artificial in flavor but will conjure the childhood you had, or wished you had, in Hawai‘i.

Cap your ice with the deceptively named liliko‘i (passionfruit) cream, which is more like a thick syrup the consistency of honey, studded with liliko‘i seeds.

Two locations:
2135 Waiola St., (808) 949-2269
3113 Mokihana St., (808) 735-8886

This is luxe shave ice, available in two of the island’s poshest open-air shopping centers. Come here for intensely flavored syrups, a touch sweeter than at other all-natural shave ice spots. Order their concoction called Heavenly Lilikoi, and dig through ice saturated in passionfruit and strawberry syrup to the layer of frozen yogurt, creating spoonfuls of creamy and icy, tart and sweet in every bite. Fresh, chewy mochi and popping boba add even more delightful textures.

When on Maui, a stop at Ululani’s is a must. There are five locations, all of them extremely popular. The ice is shaved so fine it’s practically velvety, and with almost 50 flavors, Ululani’s satisfies those who want all-natural fruit syrups as well as those for whom shave ice isn’t shave ice unless there’s blue raspberry and pink bubblegum.

Tiffany and Luke Golden opened Kula Shave Ice in Hilo, where they only use house-made syrups sans artificial flavors. Find tropical flavors including guava and soursop, as well as combinations such as Lilikoi Dreamsicle — ice saturated with the eponymous tart fruit, mounded over vanilla ice cream, and topped with condensed milk. Add-ons to your bowl include mochi and even poi. You can also find Kula Shave Ice in Haleiwa, on the north shore of Oahu.