‘Chill’ out with Kaimukī’s newest shave ice option

Just in time for summer, Chillest Shave Ice just opened a permanent storefront next to The Curb Kaimukī. If you’re entering from Waiʻalae Avenue, the shave ice spot is in the former Color Lounge space. If you’re entering from the parking lot behind the shop, look for the green door (the business’s sign isn’t up yet).

Chillest Shave Ice entrance — Chillest Shave Ice just opened next to The Curb in Kaimukī. If you’re entering from the parking lot, look for the green door. Photo by Kelli Shiroma Braiotta (Aloha State Daily Staff)

The biz used to pop up at Kakaʻako’s fishcake on Saturdays and at ISLAND-BOY in Kaimukī on Sundays, but now customers can enjoy its mountain-like shave ice treats every day starting from this Saturday, May 17. The business will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

POG shave ice — Chillest is known for its light, fluffy shave ice, using syrups made with real fruits. Photo by Kelli Shiroma Braiotta (Aloha State Daily Staff)

The biz is known for its light, fluffy shave ice, using syrups made with real fruits. Shave ice treats come in one size ($6-$8), but they’re easily shareable and you can choose up to three flavors. Now, with more flavors available at the storefront, decision-making will be more challenging.

Shave ice with vanilla cream flavor — Shave ice with vanilla cream, banana cream and not hot chocolate ($7). Photo by Kelli Shiroma Braiotta (Aloha State Daily Staff)

Classic flavors ($6) include options like strawberry, vanilla, banana, pineapple, root beer, orange cream, melona and Japanese grape. Japanese grape is reminiscent of a Japanese grape candy, and vanilla cream is probably one of my new favorite flavors. As its name implies, it has a sweeter, creamier flavor than standard vanilla.

House flavors ($7) include options like strawberry milk — the business’s signature flavor — coffee, POG, calpico, haupia, papaya and not hot chocolate. The latter was a seasonal flavor and includes real cacao powder, according to business owner Aaron Wong.

“We would only bring it out in the winter,” he says. "We would do Not Hot Chocolate with whipped cream.

“One (flavor) that people haven’t seen is the papaya, because we don’t take it to the pop-ups,” he adds.

Other unique house flavors ($8) include matcha, hojicha, mandarin orange and lilikoʻi. With more flavors come even more possible combos.

“The standard (combo) was matcha and strawberry milk,” Wong says. “Strawberry milk, haupia and Not Hot Chocolate is popular. If you do strawberry milk with mochi and azuki beans, it’s like a Daifuku. Hojicha and lilikoʻi are actually really good together; the root beer with ice cream and condensed milk is really good, too. It’s like a root beer float.”