The pinnacle of Hawaiian shave ice is Waiola Shave Ice, a small neighborhood corner store a mile…read moreinland of the Waikiki coast. During the three times I've visited Hawaii the number of times I went there for shave ice numbered in the double digits. I was excited to read about North Shore importing all of their equipment and syrups from Hawaii, thinking that the secret to great shave ice is authenticity. I've visited North Shore many times this summer, and what I've come to realize is that the secret to a great shave ice is in the technique, not the tools: specifically, the way the mountain of shaved ice is put into the cup. Watching videos of Waiola online, you can see they use their hands to guide the ice into the cup and lightly shape the top, but don't compress or pack it into the cup. I think this is the key to ensuring a fluffy texture to the ice. The amount of syrup used plays a part, too - you don't want a pool of syrup at the bottom of the cup, because it turns the last quarter of your shave ice into soup. The ice I've had at North Shore runs the gamut between fluffy and a little soupy or icy, depending on the kid doing the preparation. It can be spotty. I get that the North Shore is just a family business, operated by teenagers trying to do something productive over the summer and not focused on authenticity or losers like me who've spent more time than I care to admit researching what makes a good Hawaiian shave ice. When it's good, it's close enough to remind me of Waiola. I'm glad I can get sweetened condensed milk, too, though offering other traditional toppings like adzuki beans and lilikoi jelly would be going above and beyond (and probably wasteful, considering how few people around here knows what they are and are likely to order them). I come back to the North Shore whenever I'm on the north side, and I'd recommend going out of your way to do the same, if only to try something a little different. There's one more aspect to Hawaiian shave ice that North Shore can never duplicate - the fact that you're eating it in an island paradise - but at least a sugar high can help you feel better for a little while.

This is the best shave ice in town. He always has sugar free flavors for me and shark attack for my…read morelittle one. Yelp says he's closed but he's a good truck. He's open every summer and posts his hours and location on facebook.

Great place to get delicious snow ones , piña colada with cream is my favorite! This place reminds…read moreus of home (Texas) . Very friendly service. We did had to wait roughly 10 minutes because the line was sooo long but worth the wait.

We discovered this place right before they closed for the season in 2018. This year we have made a…read morepoint to stop by once a week as long as we are in town. So worth it. Best. Snow cones. Ever. Wouldn't go anywhere else after trying theirs! Definitely would let them cater my parties or weddings if they did that. Like who wouldn't love snow cones atone events?! Any way, best snow cones 10/10 recommend. Do it. You won't regret it.

Funky Monkeys is always my go to for a sno cone! It just seems like they just aren't putting…read moreenough syrup in it this season, and they forgot the ice cream scoop in my daughter's sno cone. They have a nice variety of flavors and they do fill the ice to the top.

Staff were friendly, great environment, lots of good choices in flavors and customization. Decent…read morepricing, definitely going back!

First time here!!! The line was long but it was worth the wait! The girls are very nice. They close…read moreat 8 but it was a little past 8 when we got to the window and they still took our order. We ordered the 12 oz strawberry blast and omg it was delicious!! Lots of flavor and very refreshing!

These ice snow cones don't taste just like any other regular snow cones. They have so much flavors…read moreto choose from. They add enough "sauce/syrup" that you get the complete taste and doesn't feel like you're just eating ice. I ordered the cupcake and it was good!! (a little on the sweeter side but of course I knew that but I was craving for something sweet at the moment) my daughter ordered the cookie dough and it literally tastes just like cookie dough! My son ordered the cotton candy and it was TOO SWEET, a lot sweeter than the cupcake I ordered. My son has a major sweet tooth but he couldn't finish it because he said it was too sweet. Will definitely be back to try different flavors though! And on the plus side, they have a drive thru on one side! Even better!

Joy Tea is a bit far away for this Westsider, but it's always worth it. They have an excellent…read moretopping and foam menu that lets you build and customize your drink with more options than most in town, although beginners should probably start with one of the drinks listed because it can get overwhelming. You can request sweetness level, which I always do, because I find most milk teas a bit too sweet. They also appear to serve bubble waffles in various forms and a few other dessert options, but we haven't tried them yet, although I'm looking forward to it. The service has always been professional, if a bit hands-off. The shop is a cheery, clean, yellow and white-painted space with big windows, the hipster neon sign that comes standard in boba places for selfies, plants and modern chairs, couches and standard tables for hanging out with friends. A tv was on in the corner, but it was on mute. I've been to most, if not all of the boba places in town, and Joy tea is very high on my list. If I'm ever way the heck out east for some reason, I'll always hit it up, and you should too!

This place is a vibe! They play super nice and chill music, like Steve Lacy or Frank Ocean. The…read moreinterior design is so pretty. Comfortable couches and seats or high top seats. Super clean place as well. Super good place to study and do homework or just hang out. The strawberry shaved ice was recommended by the friendly cashier who gave us really good recommendations on the desserts and drinks here. She gave us a raffle ticket to enter into their raffle for a boba plushie or two free drinks. She said they draw every week for a prize! How amazing! The drinks were very good, you can still taste the tea and it's wasn't super sweet either to mask the tea. It was perfect ratio of tea and strawberry and pineapple. Do yourself a favor a come here!

I live in an Asian shaved ice desert. Perhaps that's why I'm already super enthusiastic when I…read moretravel and find some. Simply the gratitude of it being present in middle America sets me up to have a good experience. Someone complained in a review about the "false advertisement" of having shaved ice as most Americans know it. It's hilarious to be that they assumed it to be what they know as shaved ice. If they had tried the Asian shaved ice, I guarantee they'd enjoy it and wouldn't have complained. If you know about other culture's shaved ice, you're open to try new things and let yourself be surprised. I digress. The shaved ice found here is the Korean version, Bingsu. It's very similar to other styles, but this one is mostly milk based. The menu is pretty extensive, including smoothies, yogurt, juice, coffee, boba tea, and of course shaved ice cream. We came for the shaved ice cream, so we tried the strawberry & mango first. It mixed the two, which surprised me since I had assumed it would be half and half separated. The combination worked beautifully. There was whipped cream, strawberry and mango syrup on top and we asked for mango popping boba. It was so delicious! The best way I can describe it is a feathery texture that melts in your mouth. We also tried the coconut one which came with condensed milk and coconut shavings. We also added strawberry popping boba. Highly recommend either/bob. Since the consistency is light and fluffy, even though the portions are generous, you don't feel stuffed afterwards. The place is spacious and has tall ceiling, making it very open. There's seating available on both floors. I enjoyed the Korean music playing and the tv translating the lyrics. The volume was just right (as opposed to some reviews out there complaining it was too loud). I probably wouldn't try to make calls inside though. The guy at the counter was super nice. He kept smiling really big the whole time he talked to us. Made me smile too. He also told us about the Korean cheesecake they have for sale. It looked delicious and fluffy so I got the coffee one. It was more of a sponge cake than cheesecake but it was delicious. Highly recommend.

They gave me the right ice cream and the drink! They did a real good job! They served some boba tea…read morewith my favorite flavors in it!

Every summer, the Heavenly Sno truck rolls into the Home Depot parking lot. On hot days, there's a…read moreline of people and cars (they accept both walk-up and drive-thru business, though the preponderance of patrons at any given time dictates it one way or the other). It seems so simple - shaved ice and syrup - but there is definitely an art to it. As I found out the first time I put Diet Mountain Dew in my ice cream maker, there's a magical chemical reaction that occurs when sugar meets water. In the case of this ice, too little syrup results in the ice melting and clumping together, making for a definitively un-heavenly experience. The right amount saturates the ice, making it soft and flavorful, but you have to have the right technique for it, too - fill the cup to the brim with ice, generously apply the syrup, then cap the cup with more ice, finishing it with another application of syrup. The difference is made by the person working the machine, and it varies from high school kids to folks that have been out of school for quite some time, though it doesn't seem to be any indication of their syrup-pouring techniques. The lazy summer days that drive their business also reflect in their practices - you never know the skill of the scooper until the cup's in your hand, and they're not too concerned about keeping to posted hours. Even a bathroom break can leave you waiting for longer than you might like, given the trailer's lack of facilities. But it doesn't really seem to matter, because sno is such a frivolous product, so cheap and so light that any time is a good time for it, and the desire just passes through the id when you remember the trailer's out there, waiting for you. They've tried expanding their product line - an ill-conceived addition of hot dogs hasn't seemed to work out for them, though I do like their new offerings of sweetened condensed milk and ice cream to add your sno - but when it comes down to it, the only options you really need to worry about is which flavored syrup(s) you want. When there's several dozen from which to choose, this is no easy feat.