Ice Garden - Aiea

When I was younger, my tutu and older brother would come here to get the taro shave ice. At the time, I thought the idea of taro on shave ice sounded absolutely weird, since I only associated taro with poi which I don't like becuase I'm a bad Hawaiian. So I never really tried shave ice from here and to this day, I usually prefer my shave ice plain no toppings or ice cream. As my palate has changed a little bit since I was young, I decided it was time to go back and give it a try. I had been seeing photos on social media about Ice Garden, and it appealed to me much more now. After a day of being a tourist, we stopped and tried the 30. Oatmeal(! , mochi ball, ice cream, chocolate, shave ice plus we added the custard. This was sooooo good. I think that the different textures made it really interesting. We were really surprised by the oatmeal, which gave it this mushy, slimy texture (but not unpleasantly so against the soft ice and chewy mochi balls. It was so refreshing on a warm day.

Miss the sweet ladies who used to work there. You won't be met with a smile now, but at least the shaved ice is the same. Prices have gone way up tho. Hoping by now they show the prices on the menu/poster, because they only listed the prices of the toppings. Although pricey, #7 always hits the spot!

So ono! Lil hole in da wall at Aiea Shopping Center on the second floor...err...more like a Window on the wall. No storefront, just a Window for ordering and pick up only...they were prepared for the pandemic ages ago! lol Most definitely a local spot... Not much reason to come through if you are a tourist. This place has been here forever! Ono diabetes: No. 7. Pudding. Milk Shave Ice with Mochi Ball 5/5 Just DELISH! everything was BRILLIANT!! Sooo ONO!!! The Mochi was soft and chewy. The Shaved Ice was powdery, soft and smooth. The Milk Pudding was perfect...text book model of what a Pudding should be; supple thick creamy consistency...deliciousness! Beware...CASH ONLY! hence the missing Almost always an issue for me...I might have about $10 on me at all times... This place is so underrated.

Been going here for years! Two sweet ladies used to run the place, and we'd sit inside and there would always be a crowd. It's our first time back since before COVID, and it looks like one of their sons took over. There's no inside service now, just through the window, but the shave ice is as good as ever. Parking can get a little iffy, especially with the McDonald's drive thru right there, but still worth it!

You can't go wrong with anything on their menu. I highly recommend trying any flavor with the oatmeal topping, as well as the taro milk shave ice.