Shave Ice and Fudge Upstairs at the Mill

After a long morning hike; my kids were insistent on finding shaved ice so we stopped here having spotted it on a previous visit to Hawi.
It’s worth noting beforehand that this is a cash only business, but it is worth seeking out! The kids enjoyed generously sized shaved ice which was set apart by the fact gat the syrup was made on site using fresh fruit. It is not as sweet as traditional shaved ice but unique and far better for you!
We also enjoyed home made chocolate macadamia fudge which was delicious but the best thing by far was the on tap kombucha which using local flavored was out of this world !
The gentleman that ran the place (sorry I forgot your name) made excellent company, sharing his story and I would certainly seem this place out again when returning to Hawi.

The passionfruit shave ice was delicious and made with actual passionfruit. Somebody complained that the ice was shaved too large, but it was shaved very fine by a hand-​turned wheel when I was there.

Huge disappointment! My siblings and I used to come here every weekend when we spent the summer in Hawi 5 years ago, and we LOVED it! Since then, the owner has stopped offering the tons of delicious flavors that were available– when we went today, only 4 flavors were available. To make matters worse, all the syrups were made from real fruit. Now normally, for practically ANY OTHER dessert, I would want real fruit instead of artificial flavoring, but when you are pouring it over ice (and when it soaks through the ice really quickly, as happens when you eat shave ice) real fruit simply isn’t sweet enough. It was like expecting lemonade and getting water with a lemon slice in it. The owner said she changed it to make it healthier, but from my perspective, if you want healthy, why are you eating shave ice to begin with? That, and the fudge is still very sweet and exactly the same (DELICIOUS!) so I have a feeling it had more to do with the artificial coloring than flavoring. And if that’s the case, someone please invent some yummy natural shave ice syrup so it doesn’t ruin this hawaiian treat! One star for friendly service and one star for yummy fudge, but definitely DO NOT come here for the shave ice.

We liked this place. I liked the funky vibe, and the two types of fudge we picked were very good. We were glad we stopped!

We always stop here for fudge while in Hawi. It’s about $ 8 for a half lb. but they have a special if you buy a pound you get another half pound for free. That’s A LOT of fudge!!! My favorite flavor today was peanutbutter with Oreos. They offer about 8 flavors or so. Every time we go there they are different. Service is not very friendly and they only accept cash.

After a yummy lunch at the Lighthouse Deli, we split up for dessert. Hubby wanted ice cream and I was sure I saw a sign that said «fudge», so wandered down the street. Sure enough, this small place was up a set of outdoor stairs, under shady trees at the top of the building. Well worth the short climb. There were several Hawaii-​themed flavors, such as the macadamia nut chocolate fudge, covered with caramel. It was loaded with mac nuts and the chocolate was smooth and creamy.
My favorite was the passion fruit layered with chocolate. Such a nice blend of a mandarin citrus type taste and the sweet chocolate. Bought enough to share, but couldn’t put it down. ..

When I walked through the door I noticed this cool. Beetles Yellow Submarine piece of art hanging on the wall. There was an older gentleman behind the counter gazing out beyond me. I thought maybe if I chose to wear my Beetles shirt today rather than yesterday I would get some service. I stood there for a few moments not wanting to bother him because he seemed as he was deep in thought. A young lady finally came to help me with my order. I learned they only take cash so thank goodness I had some money in my wallet. I really wanted a shave ice! We also ordered some fudge to go because they had a wide variety of flavors.
I was disappointed with the shave ice because the ice chips were too big. I’ve had better in Vegas via the Snow Ono truck. I thought the quality would at least match since we were in Hawaii. We sat quietly eating our cold treats listening to conversations of trees that cured cancer and art. We left and ate the fudge in our hotel room which was okay but I couldn’t finish it because it was too sweet.

fudge is one of her favorites. i cant remember going somewhere with out trying fudge. we walked away with six flavors, which is too many to list. lets just say that the fudge is good but we have had better.

After an afternoon of wandering through the streets of Hawi… my cousin and I really wanted something to just cool off. Well, we finally stumbled upon this nice little shop and decided to try their shave ice.
It was pretty good, considering that they had only been open that day for all of a few minutes. We both ate our shaved ices out on the deck while we soaked in the sun… soooo relaxing.
Inside, the smells of all types of fudge almost made me cry! I regret not getting a piece… which means I’ll have to go back there again! The walls were adorned with hand drawn pictures of places around town. It was pretty funny because I could recognize all of the places because we had been to each one before we came.
Our trip to Hawi was very fun, and each shop treated us like we were locals! From going to the farmers market to the old tobacco shop, coming to the Mill was a very nice way to end our day.

Located in sleepy downtown Hawi, Shaved Ice and Fudge Upstairs at the Mill is a delicious treat. The folks here make their fudge on site and produce it in a variety of delectable flavors ranging from mint to passion fruit. It is pricey but, it is worth it!
The place also offers shaved ice servings the size of your head and an assortment of other goodies. Also offered on site, computer access and a pleasant little deck area where you can connect your laptop and hang out.
The staff is nice, the atmosphere is laid back (it is Hawaii after all) and the treats are FABULOUS! Don’t be concerned that I didn’t list a complete street address — downtown Hawi, located on the Big Island, is one small street full of fun businesses you’ll want to wander in and out of, you’ll find the place!