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.
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!
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.
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
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.
