Wahine Kai Shave Ice

Michael has been the dedicated owner of this wonderful establishment in scripps ranch for as long as I can remember. He goes above and beyond to make sure his customers are always happy and bellies are full! My kids love the kahuna sized shaved ice with a scoop of ice cream. You can also get sugar free if you prefer. My husband and I absolutely love the Rainbow and Pipeline combos. If you're looking for a caffeine pick up, Michael also has a fantastic Vietnamese coffee (which i get 90% of the time), and milk teas with or without boba. This place is phenomenal!

1. This is the best shave ice I've had anywhere on the mainland. 2. The gentleman who I believe owns and runs it is so incredibly sweet and thoughtful, particularly if you give him basic kindness. It breaks my heart that he feels the need to post a sign reminding people to be patient. Shave ice is time consuming and made to order, which is why it's so good. 3. The portions are very generous! I don't always have full use of one had, so he is consistently thoughtful on how best to serve it to me, which means a lot. This photo shows what's now my favorite way to get it! I order a small with light ice (yes, this is small and light ice!) in a bowl. 4. If you go, please embody the aloha spirit while there, particularity on hot and busy days. Besides it being the right thing to do, it will pay off in spades.

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.

Patbing Su shaved snow was great with green tea ice cream. Sweet, but not too sweet. Green tea and red beans is a classic combo. The condensed milk compliments the red beans. High value for good quality, it felt like more than three pounds for $8.50.

Visiting from out of town and our friends took me, my wife, and our daughter to this fantastic shave ice place; and we had an amazing experience! They each got a shaved ice, and we shared a mango bingsu that was absolutely delicious. The desserts were massive and packed with flavor. The owner was working and he was incredibly friendly, making us feel right at home. Highly recommend this spot for anyone looking for a tasty treat and great service!

Loved it! Mango bingsoo shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk, coconut pineapple ice cream, mochi, rainbow jelly, and fresh mango. MASSIVE size perfect for two mango lovers to share!

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

Totally amazing! Great price for a lot of Shave Ice. Large selection of favors and combinations.

My son loves this place and always enjoys his dessert.

+2

This place is amazing! So much variety to choose from, the owner is incredibly nice and you get a huge snow cone for the price. Hands down the best shaved ice place in San Diego!

Great desert! Menues are a bit confusing to read at first, since there so many options/combinations. However, friendly customer service and very generous portions.

Patbingsu with green tea ice cream and fruit toppings is delicious! The owner is very kind and thoughtful.

A very unique experience! I've never tried shaved ice treats before. And the flavors are so unique and adventurous. Portions are huge! HUGE I mean shareable between 3 ppl huge 😅 lots of fun though! I had a pineapple shaved ice accompanied with coconut ice cream & sprinkled with what seemed to be chili powder. IT WAS OUTSTANDING. I CRAVE IT DAILY! Very fun very refreshing will be back. Because they have an extensive menu! Check it out🍧🍦

Your stop ends here, if you're living for legit Hawaii Shave Ice. This place is amazing. 12oz shave ice is $6.50 or 16oz for $8 and that includes one flavor. Extra flavors are only $0.60. They also offer combo flavors with ice cream starting with 12oz at $8.50 and 16oz at $10.50. They have coffee and boba. The best stop for a summer time treat.

The owner is a true dessert artist. Amazing shaved ice, snow, and boba teas. My kids have loved it since they were tiny and now come as teenagers.

We just got back from Kauai and I was craving Hawaiian shaved ice so bad! So happy I found this place, it was delicious! Felt like I was back in Hawaii for a minute. The shaved ice was so soft and packed with flavor. So much coconut, mango and condensed milk! Loved it!! Highly highly recommend! The service was so nice too.

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!

Super cute place! Owner / Employee was very kind and attentive. Great prices and serving sizes!

Felt like I was transported to Hawaii itself this shaved ice was so good! We got the Kahuna Bird of Paradise, mango and pineapple shaved ice over pineapple coconut ice cream, and it was da kine. Exceptional! Loved the texture of the ice, it wasn't a snow cone which you have to crunch, it was dense, like real snow, and melted in your mouth. The flavors were also incredibly intense, bright, and so refreshing. We're from out of town and I kind of hope we find time to come back here again this same trip. Haha

The mango and strawberry shaved ice with mango bursting boba was sooo refreshing—perfect treat after hiking Potato Chip Rock. Definitely worth stopping by if you’re in the area!

As close as you can get to Hawaiian shaved ice outside of Hawaii. Fantastic assortment of flavors- tigers blood is especially good!

First time trying this place. It was delicious, perfect on this hot day. I would recommend it 100%.

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!

I got 4 Kahuna’s (8 oz.) and 1 Halo Halo and it came out to about $19 which is a decent price for the amount of shaved ice you get. The flavors are really concentrated and they apply a lot of flavor so that you’re never eating just straight ice.

Best place for Shave Ice! You definitely get your money's worth!

WORLDS BEST SHAVED ICE!!! From the moment you walk in you immediately feel the love and passion from the owner! He has an amazing product you will LOVE and uses ancient techniques to create quality shaved ice with that tradition condensed milk taste (if you desire). He incorporates amazing business values while uplifting his community arround him! By far our favorite place to go and we drive up from El Cajon to enjoy this phenomenal shaved ice! So do yourself a favor and come to this establishment and support your local businesses while enjoying the best shaved ice you have EVER HAD! 🐦 of Paradise🏖️ is the Shaved ice I ordered!

A.A

A very unique experience! I've never tried shaved ice treats before. And the flavors are so unique and adventurous. Portions are huge! HUGE I mean shareable between 3 ppl huge 😅 lots of fun though! I had a pineapple shaved ice accompanied with coconut ice cream & sprinkled with what seemed to be chili powder. IT WAS OUTSTANDING. I CRAVE IT DAILY! Very fun very refreshing will be back. Because they have an extensive menu! Check it out🍧🍦

Ryan Bauman

Your stop ends here, if you're living for legit Hawaii Shave Ice. This place is amazing. 12oz shave ice is $6.50 or 16oz for $8 and that includes one flavor. Extra flavors are only $0.60. They also offer combo flavors with ice cream starting with 12oz at $8.50 and 16oz at $10.50. They have coffee and boba. The best stop for a summer time treat.

Neil Hattangadi

The owner is a true dessert artist. Amazing shaved ice, snow, and boba teas. My kids have loved it since they were tiny and now come as teenagers.

Molly Em

We just got back from Kauai and I was craving Hawaiian shaved ice so bad! So happy I found this place, it was delicious! Felt like I was back in Hawaii for a minute. The shaved ice was so soft and packed with flavor. So much coconut, mango and condensed milk! Loved it!! Highly highly recommend! The service was so nice too.

Mr. Adam

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!

Amelia Blaschke

Super cute place! Owner / Employee was very kind and attentive. Great prices and serving sizes!

Christopher Schoppet-Panzarini

Felt like I was transported to Hawaii itself this shaved ice was so good! We got the Kahuna Bird of Paradise, mango and pineapple shaved ice over pineapple coconut ice cream, and it was da kine. Exceptional! Loved the texture of the ice, it wasn't a snow cone which you have to crunch, it was dense, like real snow, and melted in your mouth. The flavors were also incredibly intense, bright, and so refreshing. We're from out of town and I kind of hope we find time to come back here again this same trip. Haha

Jenbala Ya

The mango and strawberry shaved ice with mango bursting boba was sooo refreshing—perfect treat after hiking Potato Chip Rock. Definitely worth stopping by if you’re in the area!

Rebecca Kaufman

As close as you can get to Hawaiian shaved ice outside of Hawaii. Fantastic assortment of flavors- tigers blood is especially good!

Brenda Vivar

First time trying this place. It was delicious, perfect on this hot day. I would recommend it 100%.

Allie

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!

Katherine Bernal Vigil

I got 4 Kahuna’s (8 oz.) and 1 Halo Halo and it came out to about $19 which is a decent price for the amount of shaved ice you get. The flavors are really concentrated and they apply a lot of flavor so that you’re never eating just straight ice.

Double Scoopnecks

Best place for Shave Ice! You definitely get your money's worth!

Andrew Carrillo

WORLDS BEST SHAVED ICE!!! From the moment you walk in you immediately feel the love and passion from the owner! He has an amazing product you will LOVE and uses ancient techniques to create quality shaved ice with that tradition condensed milk taste (if you desire). He incorporates amazing business values while uplifting his community arround him! By far our favorite place to go and we drive up from El Cajon to enjoy this phenomenal shaved ice! So do yourself a favor and come to this establishment and support your local businesses while enjoying the best shaved ice you have EVER HAD! 🐦 of Paradise🏖️ is the Shaved ice I ordered!

Visiting SD and this is the best shaved ice we’ve ever had!! Melts in your mouth delicious! Flavors are great! Family owned kind people! Love it!!! Wish we had them in NC!

Elena P

Visiting SD and this is the best shaved ice we’ve ever had!! Melts in your mouth delicious! Flavors are great! Family owned kind people! Love it!!! Wish we had them in NC!

karen broderick

Michael has been the dedicated owner of this wonderful establishment in scripps ranch for as long as I can remember. He goes above and beyond to make sure his customers are always happy and bellies are full! My kids love the kahuna sized shaved ice with a scoop of ice cream. You can also get sugar free if you prefer. My husband and I absolutely love the Rainbow and Pipeline combos. If you're looking for a caffeine pick up, Michael also has a fantastic Vietnamese coffee (which i get 90% of the time), and milk teas with or without boba. This place is phenomenal!

The shaved ice was delicious! I have two qualms with this place - 1) the hours. I’ve gone there so many times to try it out within the hours they say they’re open and even have the open sign blinking just to have it be closed. 2) only one person working which means a really long wait if there is anyone in front of you. I also really wish they had some outdoor seating. The inside is super tiny and not well kept. If you have plenty of spare time and you catch them open, definitely try it. The taste will not disappoint.

Was pleasantly surprised by their shaved ice. It had great texture, lots of flavors and huge serving for a reasonable price. Only problem shop smelled really bad that day maybe some food got burnt because it was hard to sit inside. Hopefully it was a one time thing. Lots of other drinks and desserts on the menu that look tempting.

Lychee syrup was delicious! Added ube ice cream and red beans, with condensed milk drizzled on top. The man running the place is very nice. Would go back again!

This place was overall very good but the vibe was just dark and the place was messy but food was delightful and people where very kind

+3

They have a large selection of bubble tea, shaved ice, and more. It’s a good place to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Wife and I have been here on a family emergency visit. We’ve now stopped by 2X, she loves it because of the lee-chi shaved ice she gets (the Lee-chi flavoring is made by the owner), which reminds her of the same she’s had during visits to Asia. I had a mint-chip milkshake one day and a peach-pineapple smoothie another, both delicious. You also feel like you are in a Hawaiian shop while inside, due to the decorations. Plenty of free parking as it is in a small strip mall. A really good sushi place next door.

They were busy and there was only one employee. So as you can imagine it took a really long time to get our order. Besides that it was good and the employee also gave us a free sample of another type of dessert. So all-in-all, good spot just don't go if you're in a hurry.

Davis D. Janowski

Wife and I have been here on a family emergency visit. We’ve now stopped by 2X, she loves it because of the lee-chi shaved ice she gets (the Lee-chi flavoring is made by the owner), which reminds her of the same she’s had during visits to Asia. I had a mint-chip milkshake one day and a peach-pineapple smoothie another, both delicious. You also feel like you are in a Hawaiian shop while inside, due to the decorations. Plenty of free parking as it is in a small strip mall. A really good sushi place next door.

Timothy Trudeau

They were busy and there was only one employee. So as you can imagine it took a really long time to get our order. Besides that it was good and the employee also gave us a free sample of another type of dessert. So all-in-all, good spot just don't go if you're in a hurry.

Great all around. Shaved Ice was yum and the ice cream is good! Just needs to get rid of the stickyness off some of the tables. Low staff (one guy) during the hours we were there (around 4:30pm).

For me it's way too sweet and way too much. I drove almost a hour to experience this. I could barely eat it it was so sweet. It felt like it was 5% ice. I'd give it a lower review but I know I'm sensitive to sweet and big portions aren't something to complain about. This was definitely my cue to take a break from sugar.

Cute lowkey place. The shaved ice was great, nice and soft. However, I added a scoop of ice cream which was not good and bc they put it on the bottom you actually get half the shaved ice plus ice cream which was not worth the price. The shaved ice is usually a really big portion and very good so would recommend just getting that.

Emily Gardner

Cute lowkey place. The shaved ice was great, nice and soft. However, I added a scoop of ice cream which was not good and bc they put it on the bottom you actually get half the shaved ice plus ice cream which was not worth the price. The shaved ice is usually a really big portion and very good so would recommend just getting that.

I ordered the Kona Luau shave ice (chocolate ice cream, topped with shave ice, vanilla syrup, and condensed milk). It was good, average. However, the shop is untidy and dirty. The windows and the glass counters don’t look like they’ve been cleaned in a year and the whole place has a grimy feel to it. After reading the review about the ice bag being dragged on the floor and then placed and emptied into an ice chest, I probably won’t return. Yuck.

T Lewis

I ordered the Kona Luau shave ice (chocolate ice cream, topped with shave ice, vanilla syrup, and condensed milk). It was good, average. However, the shop is untidy and dirty. The windows and the glass counters don’t look like they’ve been cleaned in a year and the whole place has a grimy feel to it. After reading the review about the ice bag being dragged on the floor and then placed and emptied into an ice chest, I probably won’t return. Yuck.

I wish I could say I had a great experience but I came at their expected opening hours, 12pm, on a Thursday and it was still closed. I waited for about 10 minutes and the shop was still closed. I was really excited to try this as I’ve been craving this during my pregnancy but unfortunately it didn’t seem like anyone was coming

Quality of product is below average. Owner was there and I brought up I was overcharged on everything. He was rude and says the register is right. I told him he can't charge me more than he's advertising on the menu. He refused to give me a refund and later went up and posted stickers over the prices reflecting a higher price after I had already paid. That is fraud and the owners being dishonest. I will never go there again