The Perfect Sweet Finale Every Time Hula Hut is hands-down one of the standout gems on Avila Beach's Front Street, and we make it a ritual to end every evening here during our stays at Avila Village Inn. It's not just ice cream--it's the ideal punctuation to a day of trail walking, hot tubs, beach lounging, and good meals. The hand-scooped ice cream from Doc Burnstein's is exceptional: creamy, dense, and packed with real flavor without being overly sweet. Their seasonal and local-inspired options (think fresh strawberry when in season, or the rich chocolate peanut butter that feels indulgent yet balanced) never disappoint. We've tried classics like vanilla bean and mint chip, and they're executed with precision--perfect texture, generous scoops, and cones that hold up without crumbling. What elevates it to five stars is the whole experience: the cheerful, unpretentious service (quick even on busy summer evenings), the outdoor benches with direct ocean views, and the way it fits so naturally into the rhythm of Avila. After pizza at Mission or seafood at Custom House, walking the short distance for a double scoop under the string lights feels effortless and rewarding. Portions are satisfying without being overwhelming, prices are fair for the quality, and they offer non-dairy options that actually taste great. We've hit Hula Hut multiple times per trip--once after the Bob Jones Trail soak, again post-beach--and it never fails to deliver that quiet moment of pure contentment as the waves roll in and the day winds down. If you're in Avila Beach and appreciate a dessert that feels thoughtful rather than gimmicky, this is the spot. We'll keep returning, and it's earned its permanent place on our itinerary. Highly recommended--make it your evening closer. You won't regret it. read more

Hula Hut - view - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

I always love stopping in the Hula Hut when I'm visiting in town. They have the best flavored iced lattes and avocado toast! I bought a cozy sweatshirt here too while I waited for my order. They have the best beach vibes going on here and I love seeing all the gifts inside when I'm looking around for souvenirs. read more

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Hula hut has everything - knickknacks, candy, coffee, fudge, food, and etc. We ordered a couple coffees to go. I tried the cinnfully Carmelious and my husband ordered the cappuccino. My cinnfully carmelious , I thought was going to be sweeter than it was to be honest. It needed a little more sugar or Carmel . There are chairs and table in the corner, if you would like to sit down. The lady working the fudge counter and who made our drinks was very friendly . read more

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Came for some ice cream after dinner. They had Tillamook brand ice cream, got waffle cone flavor and it was good. The staff were really nice and helped give our kids samples. They have a lot of different treats and snacks, but we just grabbed ice cream this time. Lots of seating inside and outside! We tried to come back the next day, but it was 8:05pm, and I think they closed at 8! read more

Second time visiting. Good service, nice gifts and delish sweets! It's a definite stop each time we visit Avila beach. read more

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I really like this place, BUT the just stopped giving ice cream samples and I don't think I'll keep coming back! I've lived here for 18 years and they've always done samples. They said it's because college students took advantage, but why don't they then just limit it to two per customer? Getting creative so we can decide would be helpful. Service was also not great, I've cream person acted like we were an inconvenience as my daughters decided. read more

I got the caramel cinnamon latte and it was not good. The coffee was bitter and had no flavor. read more

Hula Hut - I got the caramel cinnamon latte and it was not good. It tasted bitter. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

order 2 coffees and both came out wrong. when i asked the older man that made the coffees if he can remake them he got mad immediately and asked me what was wrong with them and when i tried to explain he just cut me off and said he wasn't going to get into it with me management needs to retrain staff on how to treat customers never going back again read more

Old bald man who served me was an ass. No help, hostile, should not be working in customer service. Came here yesterday, coffee was great was looking forward to it today but after the way the old man treated us I dont think I'll be returning. After reading other reviews it looks like he doesnt take accountability to mistakes or making bad coffee. Retire. read more

The service was friendly and the lady behind the register was very patient while we determined what we wanted to buy. They sell goodies and fun little trinkets, but mostly they serve actual food (not touristy, sugary junk). This was our second time at the Hula Hut, and my children, husband, and I agree that it'll be our regular sandwich shop any time we are in Avila Beach! They were fresh and decently portioned. There was something going on the day we went, though, because there were about 5 hornets hanging out by the windows in the dining area! It made for a very cautious eating experience. Hopefully, that's been taken care of. :-) read more

I order chai tea lattes everywhere we go. The vanilla chai tea latte from here was the best I have ever tasted!

What a wonderful coffee and pastries stop, which is now a destination to me. Right across from the beach, with a comfy outdoor seating area. Their coffee is delicious and try the Almond Pastries! An awesome selection of gifts many by local artists. And to top it off...Jim, the owner, Leann and all staff are wonderful people and cater to all with empathy and human kindness! read more

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Now my Avila go to instead of second favorite place to go for dessert, ice cream or lunches (We use to go to Custom House until the owners destroyed our go to spot with an ill thought out remake). The good news is Hula Hut in response has increased their menu options , and tripled their seating capacity. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is they now serve cheaper supermarket available ice cream (Tillimook) over what I think was SLO Maid before. If they had to change ice cream venders wish they would have gone with a higher quality option, otherwise 5 star beach front experience with always friendly service, fun choices, and fun beach vibe shopping souvenirs, t-shirts, and trinkets. Has been a Avila beach favorite for my family for a couple of decades, changed keep it relevant and relaxing. read more

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This morning stopped in for breakfast. I was craving toast, eggs, and avocado. The service was great I loved my breakfast, coffee was delicious as well. I definitely want to return for some decorations for the home The ambience was warm and inviting. Thank you for a wonderful experience! read more

Order your food at the counter, then find a seat inside or out. I had the breakfast burrito with country potatoes. Served with mild salsa, I asked for Cholula, and they obliged. Delicious! I ate half before I thought to make this review. It is also a shop with many cute touristy items. I'll definitely come back. read more

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Do yourself a favor and grab a hot chocolate WITH whip cream at Hula Hut today! Beautiful outside for a treat. Tip the servers. EXHALE! read more

Hula Hut - The view. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

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Bill and his staff are very friendly. Baked goods and ice cream are the best. We always make it a point to stop there when in the area.

Awful service and terrible milk tea today. There was no friendly service, but the own was especially rude. I politely explained that our drinks did not taste like milk tea and asked if maybe there was something bad as the drink was curdled. The color of the drink was also very strange, which was my first clue. We were met with hostile service, and I am so disappointed that my children had to experience that. The ice cream was fine, but will never be back after that awful experience. read more

I went in today and had high hopes for their sandwiches because i've been here for ice cream and snacks before but extremely disappointed. The staff was super nice and friendly and there was no problem there but when i got the sandwich i was actually stunned that i paid for $16 for this sandwich. There was more lettuce and condiments than meat as shown in the pictures below. I'm not one to complain but this establishment should not be selling sandwiches that are $16 if they are not going to provide with an adequate proportion. My dorito chips were better than the sandwich, very disappointing and will not be coming back to this place. read more

Hula Hut - Italian Sub - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

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Delicious ice cream and a perfect amount for a single scoop!! Flavors posted are frosted cupcake and olalliebery. Olalliebery is my favorite and not overly sweet. It's just a mix of berries!! read more

Hula Hut - Flavors posted are frosted cupcake and olalliebery. Olalliebery is my favorite and not overly sweet. It's just a mix of berries!! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

This is shop is so diverse. Coffee shop, chocolates and candy, snacks and lunch/dinner options. The store has indoor seating areas, boutique items for sale plus the candy and snacks selection is pretty massive. We ordered lunch to go; a clam chowder bread bowl and a chile verde burrito. Now, this is not a Mexican restaurant and the majority of the menu is Hawaiian themed ( which I can appreciate); the burrito was decent but kind of what you expect if you were going to order a burrito at a convenience store. The majority of the burrito was beans and rice and 1/3 chile verde. But they had some really delicious sounding items on the menu. Our order was ready in about 10 minutes. We took our order to go and sat outside along the sidewalk that has lots of outdoor seating available. The price was okay, $25 for the 2 entrees and one bottle of water. read more

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The service is amazing! I had the chilaquiles special and the portion was huge! Had a little spice and tons of flavor! The avocado was fresh and the potatoes on the side were great! read more

Ummm, not sure what these ratings are about for Hula Hut. 3.5 stars isn't right at all!!! Had dinner in Avila Beach last night and was looking for something sweet to finish the night. We walked into Hula Hut and spent over $100! Son got a brownie, daughter and o got ice cream, wife got a white mocha, we ordered some cookies, truffles as well. All was delicious! We spoke to the owner a bit and confirmed all the goodies were locally made which is always nice since I know we're supporting locally owned business rather than big box retailers. My wife found a hoodie she liked and my daughter got a bracelet as well. They have handmade soaps so I bought a couple of those as well. Very friendly business owner, parking was easy as we had a spot right on the street, and the treats were delicious! read more

The service here was great. Many people were coming in to get ice cream but the service was very fast. There is candy for sale along with housing decorations. The Hula Hut is very clean. There is ample seating in front of the restaurant where you can look at the ocean while eating your ice cream. read more

Hula Hut - Menu - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

I see why they have a low rating... waited 20 minutes for a hot dog and then they said the kitchen was closed... completely missed my order Asked for a refund Cashier had no idea how to refund me and I had to wait longer Horrible experience read more

We love the ice cream and shop but the boba tea is absolutely horrible and undrinkable. I took one sip and just threw it away. I should have read the reviews about the boba. They should just stop selling that - it's ruining their rating. read more

Omelet was good, not the Waffle or potatoes. In fact the Waffle was blan. Potatoes were terrible in fact they were cold and precooked and the coloring suggested old, and tough, and the fruit was just some apple slices and orange slices, that was your choice country potatoes or fruit. English muffin was fine. Service was good and friendly. Atmosphere is good. read more

Our beloved Mermaid Market has shortened days and hours due to COVID restrictions, so we scoped out a different ice cream place in Avila Beach. The Hula Hut had a hard to miss ICE CREAM sign outside, so I darted in for a fast scoop of ice cream. They have cute decor for sale in the front of the market, and a nice ice cream selection at a freezer counter. The very friendly and helpful salesperson directed me to their selection of flavors. I debated between the Merlot with raspberry and the Caramel Explosion flavors and the Caramel with chips won out. I got a trim small cup for $5 and took it outside to eat while enjoying the sea view. We enjoyed every pop of flavor and will return here on our ice cream missions! read more

Hula Hut - Hula Hut for ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

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Avila Beach only has a handful of businesses along the mainstrip and thank goodness there is an ice cream shop! What could be more refreshing than an ice cream with your feet are in the sand? One of the perks of living in wine country is the creative ways businesses incorporate wine into different recipes. I simply cannot resist Hula Hut's Merlot Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream. The tang of the wine mixed with the chunks of chocolate never disappoints. Never settle for one scoop, put it in a waffle cone and I am one happy beach bum! read more

Terrible customer service. A friend and I ordered ice cream and when I paid the screen was glitching so it automatically pressed on the highest tip amount without my knowledge. I kindly addressed it with the young brown haired girl at the register and she was extremely rude to me. I told her I didn't press anything and that the screen was constantly glitching (while I physically pointed at the glitching screen) and she insisted that I did and proceeded to be sarcastic to both my friend and I. It's crazy that she gets paid for doing what she did and felt that she deserved that tip. She ended up not helping me fix it and gave us the most condescending "Yea whatever, have a great day". We will never be coming back here. read more

On a long journey north to Paso Robles, a stretch of the legs, some fresh ocean air and a delicious coffee and ice cream refreshment is just the ticket. Hula Hut has a great selection of ice cream flavors and is perfectly located right on Front Street to take your treats and go sit and enjoy. Parking We parked in the Avila Public Parking lot on First Street. Street parking is available but an open spot is always hard to find and this lot always has spaces. Its not free, or cheap, but worth it to skip the hassle of driving around for ages trying to find an open space elsewhere. read more

The staff is very happy and greet you with a warm welcome. The food was great and so is the coffee. I definitely would come again. read more

Hula Hut - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

This is a really cute place. Lots of collectable items to shop through, sweets, and food. We had breakfast here. It was fun being right across from the ocean. Employees were incredible nice and pleasant. Food and coffee was good. The atmosphere was the best part. Everyone was happy you could just tell the employees love their jobs, the business and people in general. If I had more time I would have shopped for some cute items, I will have to save that for next time. Thanks for being so good to us and "goatie"! read more

Hula Hut - Bacon and fruit for the girl, lettuce for the goat! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

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Stopped by in July. Nice little spot. Place could seem a bit cramped at the entrance with lines honestly which doesn't feed well into current conditions. Everyone wore masks and gloves and there was a bottle of sanitizer for patrons to use. We had gotten breakfast here to set up the day. I got a breakfast burrito with avocado on the side and some fruit. Pretty good, needed spices. After some S+P, it was pretty clean though honestly it won't wow you or anything. We definitely needed it to soak up some drinks for later haha. Coffee and some staple foods. As with a lot of beach commerce, it is largely convenience. I think next time I stop in I'll try out the fudge since that looked delectable but fudge for breakfast was not in the cards. read more

Hula Hut - Breakfast burrito - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

I cannot believe I've never rated this place as I've been going here forever. I usually have some kind of coffee drink and maybe a pastry. They have lots to choose from when I first started going here. Some of the girls ordered full breakfast and they said it was very good.Bill and Lynda. The owner among other shops are fantastic. There's so many gifts I bought over the years. They have cards and right now they have lots of cute ornaments for Christmas. I highly recommend you stopping in here. read more

On a casual stroll around the promenade we noticed a group of bicyclists sitting on the patio. We wandered in to check it out, and were immediately greeted by 2 smiling ladies. It smelled good inside, so we ordered lunch. BLT with chips and water for me, it was simple and delicious. Afterwards we wandered around the rest of the store. They had an eclectic mix of souvenirs, artisanal kitchen items, and seasonal decor. It was a lovely casual lunch on the beach and we felt very welcome there. read more

Great place to get a gift or memorabilia from your Avila Beach trip. Huge selection and many different price points. They also serve food and have the best ice cream! Very friendly staff, casual environment. read more

We've gotten ice cream here for years. I don't know what happened but all four of us with different flavors all said the same thing the ice cream had no flavor and didn't taste good. We didn't even finish it. The worst ice cream I have ever had!! Will not be back. Sad. Used to be Doc Bursteins ice cream not sure who they are using now but you should really consider changing the ice cream. read more

You can try anything before you get there and let me tell you that it's not creamy sweet ice cream. It's over the sugar ice cream and they don't let you exchange it or try anything else terrible service don't go there. Especially for how crowded and packed it is trying to sell you knickknacks the ambience is just over, cluttered filled with sweet treats that aren't worth it and overpriced. And I try to cupcake favor and the boat, but just doesn't match any type of standards while living in the San Francisco Bay area I threw away the ice cream before I took a picture. read more

Hula Hut - Supposedly Boba without Boba - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Avila Beach, California

Really friendly employees, we shared a club sandwich and both enjoyed it. Bought a gift and they gift wrapped it for us. They carry the cutest little things to shop for. I always love dropping by when we're there. read more