Reviews Wahine Kai Shave Ice

Love this place!!! They use real fruit for their mango smoothie. I love their strong Kona coffee. I would recommend that when you order your smoothie, ask what real fruits they have available for the smoothie, usually it's the mango or strawberry. I usually order non-dairy smoothies, since I'm lactose intolerant, LOL! My other favorite is their hot jasmine green tea with honey, best hot tea I've ever had! Mike (owner) uses real tea leaves, not powder. If you want extra condensed milk on your shaved iced, you can always ask for more. I try to stay away from anything with condensed milk, it's my kryptonite, LOL! �

YASS.. the sandy Jewel is the best thing I've EVER tasted! Great service, great menu!!

Love everything here! The boba is awesome and so is the shaved ice!!

If you know what kakigōri is then Wahine Kai is as close as you can get in San Diego without traveling to Tokyo or Hawaii. What makes it special is the ice and with the shavers that Wahine Kai uses, ice is perfected. The shaved ice is light, fluffy and almost as if you are eating fresh snow like I did as a kid in Lake Tahoe. We’ve been here a few times and have had Pipeline, Lava Flow, Sunset Beach and other ones I can’t remember. All were delicious. What’s new is Halo-Halo. Now I have literally been to all the spots in San Diego and Poway and hands down, Wahine Kai’s Halo-Halo is the best! Again, the shaved ice is a major factor especially with Halo-Halo. I don’t want to name the other independently owned shops but I’m sure you know who they are if you’ve been to the ones I’m talking about in San Diego and Poway. This also includes Red Ribbon and Chow King. One of these spots tasted like they used crushed ice from a home refrigerator, but this review is not about them. Wahine Kai’s Halo-Halo is filled with “all” of the sahog you can think of with a special guest, boba! Traditionally, there is no boba in Halo-Halo but it adds quite the experience in a good way. Of course you can request it without but try it and see if you like it. Everything else is in there, well almost, there’s no pinipig. But ube ice cream (your choice), flan and the rest of the crew from macapuno, langka, etc. makes an appearance. They used to have unlimited condensed milk refills but on our last visit they no longer offer. This is for the shaved ice part of the review. As far as the shop itself and service-wise… Location is excellent, right off of Scripps Poway Pkwy near Chase Bank. Inside is a bit dated and I have plenty of suggestions to bring the place up to par but then I would need to be paid a consulting fee. Service is so-so, depends who’s working but for the most part, excellent! Keep in mind that you may not receive the red carpet by the owner, remember that he owns the place meaning he works hard to keep the place open for the community so obviously there is some tiredness there. But he is very nice and welcoming, just don’t expect the small talk, he’s busy. There you have it! Stop by if you haven’t been, continue to support local business and cool off with some awesome shaved ice, Wahine Kai is the best this side of the Mississippi!

This shaved ice is so delicious!! The flavors are amazing and there are so many to choose from! You can choose from the menu of recommended flavor combinations or create your own. So far I’ve tried making my own combinations of Green Apple ice over vanilla ice cream, Lychee ice over vanilla ice cream, and Cherry and Wedding Cake ice over chocolate ice cream. They’re all so good! I already have quite a list going of the next flavors I want to try!

Great place! Amazing portions for the price. Big menu . A slice of Hawaiian paradise :)

It was almost like being in Hawaii without being in Hawaii. Kids loved it and their bowls were MASSIVE. Definitely shareable between 2 adults and one kid. We had the strawberry banana vanilla bowl and it was delicious. They also were very accommodating and gave us some large lid/plates so we could eat in the car. Definitely will go back for a delicious treat.

GREEN APPLE with vanilla ice cream inside was incredible. It wasn't overly sweet, just full of flavor. I loved the LYCHEE. I had it twice. Once with condensed milk on top and my favorite was with a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside. It was soft, fluffy and so delicious! The lychee is one of the flavors he makes himself. I like that it has no color, but there are so many other choices if you want a pop of color. I can't wait to try more. It was fantastic.