KAUAI TODAYThere are a lot of places to get shave ice on Kauaʻi. Wailua Shave Ice is the one that makes its own syrup.
That sounds like a small thing. It isn't. Most shave ice anywhere in the islands is built on commercial syrup — corn syrup, water, food dye, artificial flavor. Wailua's syrups are made from fresh fruit, local when they can get it, and organic cane sugar. No high-fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, no preservatives. The color in the cup is the color the fruit actually is, which is why their ice looks less like a highlighter and more like food.
The red wagon
It started in February 2015 as a bright red food wagon parked at the corner of Kuhio Highway and Nui Street. Josh Tamaoka and Brandon Baptiste — both born and raised here — founded it along with Cory Arashiro. The craft came from an uncle near Big Save who had been making shave ice since they were kids.
It worked. Wailua has since landed on Hawaii Magazine's best-shave-ice list in both 2017 and 2024, made Eater's 2021 roundup of the most refreshing shave ice in Hawaiʻi, and expanded to San Diego and Portland.
The wagon is gone. The Kauaʻi shop is now a permanent spot in Kauaʻi Village Shopping Center in Kapaʻa, next to Safeway and Starbucks.
And yes — it is called Wailua Shave Ice and it is in Kapaʻa. The two towns run together along that stretch, and the original wagon sat closer to the Wailua end.
What to order
Haupia foam. This is the signature and the reason to come. It is whipped coconut milk poured over the top, and it turns a cup of shave ice into something closer to dessert. If it is your first time, get it. Lilikoʻi cream is the other house topping if you want tart instead of creamy.
Beyond that, combinations are the point here rather than single flavors. House combinations have included:
- Coconut x Coconut x Coconut — coconut syrup, coconut milk, thick coconut sauce, roasted coconut flakes
- Ginger Aid — lemon and lime with chunks of candied ginger
- Kauai Dream — orange, vanilla, and ginger
- Pineapple Pickers — pineapple and vanilla bean
- Banana Horchata — horchata, banana, cinnamon
- "Small Kine" Mocha — Small Kine Coffee beans, coconut foam, cacao powder
Check the board when you get there. The lineup moves with what fruit is good.
Good to know
- Where: 4-831 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaʻa — in Kauaʻi Village Shopping Center, next to Safeway and Starbucks
- Hours: every day, 12:00pm–9:00pm
- Phone: (808) 634-7183
The 9pm close is worth knowing. Most shave ice on this island shuts down mid-afternoon, so Wailua is one of the few places you can get it after dinner — a legitimate end-to-the-day move rather than only a beach stop.
Parking is the shopping center lot, which is usually fine. The tight part is Kuhio Highway itself through Kapaʻa in the late afternoon. If you are coming down from the north shore between 3 and 5, budget for it.
Hours and flavors current as of August 2026 — check with the shop before you drive out.