The most iconic treat to cool you off on a hot Hawaiian day is undeniably Shave Ice.
Many blogs are written on this topic. But in our household, ice cream rules. There’s something about the creamy, sweet goodness, coupled with the unique Hawaiian flavors which make it our go-to special treat.
Since our journeys to Waikiki regularly end in an indulging dessert at some point, we’ll start there. Dylan’s Candy Bar at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa is a candy lover’s destination in itself. But tucked away in the back, you’ll find an ice cream bar featuring Dave’s Hawaiian Ice Cream. The ice cream is made on O’ahu daily and features a wide selection of flavors. On rotation, you can find local flavors such as Azuki Bean, Kulolo, Ube, Poha Berry, and many more! Try one of these unique, ‘Only in Hawaii’ flavors while you’re there! Our son isn’t quite so adventurous and on this recent trip went with classic Mint Chocolate Chip.
Next up on our journey through Waikiki is Il Gelato Hawaii located at Duke’s Lane on Kuhio next to the International Marketplace. First off, you can taste the quality of ingredients and care that is used in creating these sweet treats. This super rich gelato is made the authentic traditional way using the best ingredients and working from scratch with their own recipes and original Italian gelato equipment. They make their gelatos by hand daily, and extract flavors through cold and hot fusion processes. Each flavor becomes its own masterpiece. We love stopping by and sampling their delicious Italian sweets with an island twist. On the occasion pictured below, Dragonfruit Sorbetto was the flavor of choice. Our son says, “Broke da mouth!”
Moving on to Ala Moana Shopping Center as the location of our new favorite spot, Somisomi. Somisomi serves a special Korean dessert known as “Ah-Boong(아붕)” which is a fish-shaped waffle cone infused with a filling of your choice and topped with creamy soft serve. There are a variety of fillings such as Custard, Nutella and Red Bean. Soft serve flavors include some unique options like Black Sesame, Matcha, and Ube. Toppings are also offered and to the delight of my son, and include some of his favorites like Oreo crumbs, Fruity Pebbles, and rainbow sprinkles.
The soft serve is so exceptionally creamy and with the choice of flavors and toppings, it has quickly become our go-to spot for a special treat. My son’s creation pictured below is an Ube flavored soft serve with Oreo crumbs and rainbow sprinkles (no fish-shaped waffle cone this time!)
