The Local Hawaii

Tips: This is located INSIDE a clothing store, that is right next to Nalu and Uahi Island Grille.
Parking: Street parking and you can park at target or whole foods and walk on down
Ambiance: Interesting in the sense that its in a clothing store like island snow. It is histper and clean
Service: Always friendly and relatively fast for one person working the counter.
I have never been a huge fan of islandsnow I think its greatest appeal is that President Obama loves it but I think that there quality of shaved ice in correlation to its price is a little steep and overhyped. So… I was extremely excited when my brother found out that they were opening a new shaved ice place right by Whole Foods/Boots&Kimo and Crepes Na Ka Oi
The Local prides itself on homemade syrups and a very friendly staff. Each time I have been to local I have tried a combo of different flavors since they are all seasonal. I have not been disappointed by any flavor I have picked! Each of the syrups has their own unique taste and is packed full of flavor I love that it doesn’t have a strange chemical aftertaste that many shaved ice places have. If I am ever craving shaved ice in Kailua, this is the place I go!

Okay flavors, bad service. Maybe it was a one time thing, maybe he was having an off day but that was my experience. The worker seemed like he didn’t want to be there and didn’t answer a question my sister had asked even though she was right in front of him with no music on while he was shaving the ice.

This turned out to be my favorite shave ice place on Oahu. I had been asked by a former local to choose between Waiola’s or Matsumoto and, to her disappointment, The Local won by far. The syrups they use have bolder and simply better flavors. The clothing shoppe inside had some neat stuff as well. I got one of the The Local shirts because it had a cute shave ice on the front pocket. I miss this place everyday now that I’m back on the mainland but I can’t wait to go back.

I don’t remember who recommended The Local, but I can now wipe it off the Bookmarks. Finding this place was a real pain. I ended up parking in the Pali Lanes parking lot. I walked across the street to find it. The signage was not very prominent. I couldn’t see the little billboard and I think it was catering more to foot traffic. Ok not sure what it was but Kailua people were scary drivers. You also need to look out for pedestrians.
When I got inside I ordered a lychee shave ice. Only one size available and not many flavors. I don’t think I saw any menu for toppings. When I paid I took a card and the help asked if I wanted a stamp. I accepted not knowing at the time that I wouldn’t be coming back.
I grabbed my shave ice and headed back to the car where my cramping fiancé was trying to rest. I gave her some and started the car. She said aren’t you going to eat now? I said, No you can feed me while I drive. WRONG ANSWER. So I pulled into another parking g stall. The syrup was like straight up sugar water. The menu boasts flavors born of local ingredients, but it didn’t seem like it. For me the deal breaker was the ice tasted funky. It was if they used tap water that had that funky taste like when the ice cubes melt and the water is blah. So I littered the parking lot with my uneaten shave ice next to the weekend auto detailers. I drove off to head home.
Thanks for the recommendation. I can still stick to my rating that Waialae is number one in my book.

Came here because the clothing shop looked cute. Then realized there was a shaved ice place inside (and to the left)! Score!
Great shaved ice spot. Solid, bold flavors. They don’t skimp on the flavors, which I love. (Who hates it when you are half way done eating your shaved ice and you realize the center is just ice because they missed a spot?) We got coconut, mango, and pineapple. Bomb!
If you are in the area, we would highly recommend stopping by!
Plus, service is friendly!

I really wanted to fall in love with this place. I’ve been following them on IG since they opened.
I give Wyatt 5 stars, for his patience and ice packing skills. Apparently there’s an art to this shave ice thing and I felt like he did a great job considering I was asking him 400 questions about the flavors while he was working on this masterpiece.
Liliko’i is a seasonal flavor and not available. But I can go to Country Shave Ice or Matsumoto’s and get it so??? It’s not like you can’t freeze lilikoi and utilize it throughout the year right? (I don’t know can you?) I know their claim to fame is that the syrups are made fresh but this really is a bummer.
So I got mango, star fruit and lime.
The star fruit tasted like nothing– kind of like a real star fruit I guess.
Mango was good.
Lime was nails. Yuck. Ruined the whole flavor profile. The lime syrup is made by a local Popsicle maker. I think the Local should stick with making all their own syrup flavors!
Overall, I just wasn’t impressed. Sorry. I’ll take my $ 6 for a sweet treat elsewhere.

Awesome! it is located inside a clothing store right across from the bowling alley. The girl working was super sweet and helpful. We chatted with her for several minutes.
The shave ice. OH the shave ice. The flavors are so amazing. The vanilla was so creamy and delicious; it tasted like vanilla ice cream, but about 100 times better. We also got coconut and mango, both were incredibly delicious. These are NOT the cheap sugary syrups you can find at some of the local shave ice places; they are delicious, natural syrups.
If you are in Kailua and looking for some shave ice, this is the place!

Very cute little shaved ice spot located inside a clothing boutique! It is right across from a bowling alley in a little plaza but it’s in a good location. Only problem is parking if it’s during peak time. But anyway on to the important stuff!
You get a huge cup of shaved ice for a very good prices and their flavors are all pretty good! I tried the Lilikoi, pineapple and apple on my shaved ice and it was bomb bomb bomb! Very flavorful and some flavors even have little tiny pieces of fruit in there. This is perfect for after the beach or a hike which are both just next door to the place. They also have the option to put it into a smoothie version which is also really good if your thirsty! I do say I didn’t like the wooden spoons with the shaved ice but eh I’ll suck it up for this place since it was so good!
I would definitely come back to this place if I was in the area, 5 stars !

Just so happened to be craving shave ice one day while I was in Kailua so I decided to try this place out! I ordered the strawberry li hing and it was one of the best flavors of shave ice I have had here on Oahu. The price ($ 5.50) is pretty average for this type of gourmet shave ice, but I was definitely left with wanting more after I finished it. I will definitely be back again the next time I’m in Kailua.

Snuggled into a little retail shop in Kailua, you will find explosive flavors. Shave ice taken to the next level with flavors that resemble Hawaii. All flavors are made with natural ingredients, none of them are too sweet, but definitely have a full flavor and the prices are not overly priced like some other shave ice shops in the same market.
If you like spice, the chili pepper flavors have a nice kick to them on top of a usual sweet flavor. The tamarind is a perfect mix of sweet and sour. Guava tastes like you picked them from the tree. Can’t say enough good things. The workers are always nice and helpful with pairing of your flavors, which you can get up to 3.

The store is super cute. The clothing inside is hipstery and cool. The shaved ice is good too. They have fresh flavored made with the real ingredients such as strawberries and guava. I wish they had condensed milk though. Overall the shaved ice is good and the clothes are cute.

My foodie friend recommended this place after a nice beach day at Lanikai. It is across the bowling alley settled in-​between Nalu & the twin islands store.
It’s part shave ice shop & part clothing store. It had a very clean look & I was immediately drawn to the menu board! They had a handful of syrups that use local products! First syrup I definitely needed to try was the kula strawberry li hing but it was out of season :(. I decided to get the lilikoi, mango & the kula strawberry ($ 5.50). At first when the guy was making it I thought it was going to be too much, but it was so delicious that I wanted more! It was the perfect way to end my weekend. The flavors were just SO AMAZING! It tasted so real & the texture of the shave ice was not too big & not too small, but just right.
Don’t share with anyone, you’ll definitely regret not getting your own!

I love that there is a good shave ice place in Kailua now! Homemade, natural syrups with local flavors! There is a good selection and so far they have all been delicious!
The shave ice is a tad pricey at over $ 5 for one, but it is well worth it in my opinion.

Hunny was craving shaved ice and it was perfect to get one after a long hike. I UnilocalED of course and found this place. Don’t be misled by the clothing store because this place is half shaved ice joint and half clothing store.
The flavors offered were really good. Their syrups are naturally flavored and not artificially flavored or colored. I ordered the starfruit, watermelon and lilikoi flavors. It was so good and refreshing. Hunny ordered the star apple and 4 limes flavor (kaffir and kalamansi) and peach. He finished all his dessert and I couldn’t finish mine. Anywho it was really good. Try this place if you are in the area.

Very interesting flavors and setup. You can do a little shopping, and get shave ice at the same time. Other flavors that caught my eye were Mountain Apple and Guava Hawaiian Chili Peppa. I got the Ginger and 4 Kine Lime, and liked both. «Bess way I can describe dem is dat dey was like two really good juices ovah da shave ice!» My only thought was that the ice was kinda slushy… not as fine and fluffy as some. But the flavors were good.
Parking is on the street leading into Target, lined with a bunch of good small shops and food places. Definitely recommend this place… goes good with the «I’m so hot, and the vog and humidity are making me sick» kinda days!

I’m liking this trend of real fruit flavored shave ice. I’ve tried all the ones in my area, so when I saw The Local pop up on ig, I thought I’d give it a try. I’m all about supporting local businesses, and especially those that use local produce.
You can choose up to 3 flavors per shave ice, so I chose starfruit (seasonal flavor), mountain apple, and guava Hawaiian chili pepper (nioi). The fact that they use nioi really caught my attention since I’m into la’au lapa’au (Hawaiian herbal medicine), and nioi is used quite frequently for its anti-​inflammatory properties and ability to increase blood circulation. My favorite flavor of the three was starfruit. The mountain apple (‘ohi’a ‘ai) flavor did not taste like mountain apple and was overly sweet, as I overheard they mix various fruits to create their syrups. Guava Hawaiian chili pepper was the strangest flavor of all. I was expecting something light and spicy, but the syrup was thick and dark reddish-​brown like old sriracha. I also tried my bf’s Kula strawberry, vanilla, and lime shave ice. Overall, all the flavors were too sweet for me.
I also had ice cream in my shave ice. The scoop was tiny (melon ball scooper size), and the entire scoop melted by the time I got to the bottom of my shave ice. I was a little disappointed that my treasure at the bottom was gone. Not worth the extra buck.
The store sells well-​designed hipster goods, such as fashionable, well-​constructed eco-​bags, wooden frame sunglasses, aloha shirts, tshirts, and tanks. A bit on the pricey side, but quality and uniqueness is definitely there.

Located in the front corner of a retail space, amongst a strip mall in Kailua (Uahi Grill is a couple doors down), I didn’t think the shave ice would be anything to write home (or Unilocal) about…
I was wrong! The ice was soft and fine, my #1 requirement for delicious shave ice. Among their unique flavor offerings (chili pepper, mountain apple, etc.) I chose a few of the most tame, to see what the hype was about their all-​natural syrups. I loved that there weren’t any artificial coloring in the syrups and they were delicious — I had pineapple, vanilla and orange.
They offer just one size for $ 5.50, albeit pricey but worth it for the quality. Another great find in Kailua town. Stop by while boutique shopping or beaching in the area!

Wow! Wow! Wow!!!
This place is THE BEST!!! Where to start?
As you walk in, go to the left. This is the line for shave ice goodness. The place is clean and really cool interior. We were greeted with a smile by the counter girl. The board is huge and has great descriptions of the syrup flavors.
You step up and give your order. You have options for ice cream, syrups, sodas. I went for regular shave ice with 2 flavors — pineapple & lilikoi. I convinced the hubby to go for strawberry & vanilla.
I got my order & already, I can tell something is special about this shave ice. I have teeny chunks in my syrup of lilikoi. What? Let’s just take a bite. OH. MY. GOSH. Enter singing angels with trumpets in the background. The ice is snowy, flakey, not packed in. The syrup is on there just enough so not to melt it. It’s heaven. I am eating and really didn’t want to let hubby have a bite, but I was nice, and I got to try his. The strawberry is sweet, but not too sweet. The vanilla was good, but the strawberry seemed way better. Now back to my pineapple-​lilikoi, I get to the bottom, and there is the melted little part that I can drink. I drink it & (ready?) another WOW! It was just like drinking pineapple-​passion orange! SWEET!!! I get a dessert & a drink, what a DEAL!!!
All kidding aside, just like the other reviews, it is EXCEPTIONAL syrup. You should try it. Really!!!

The humble shave ice taken to a higher level! This is the kind of place that I’d rather not tell people about because it’s just that awesome and I want to keep it all to myself.
It doesn’t look like a place that would have shave ice, but the benches in front are a small hint. Walk into the shop and again it doesn’t look like a shave ice shop, but a cool clothing boutique. The shop is split in two with The Local on the left, and Shoots on the right. They are also called The Aloha Sunday Supply Company, the clothing line?
The clothing and accessories are cute, but I’m here for the shave ice, and the shave ice is special! The syrup is made by Ono Pops. All natural with local flavors. The ice cream is homemade. Tthe shave ice is light and can almost be described as a snow cone, but it’s not a snow cone cause we’re in Hawaii! The girl making the shave ice is friendly and helpful. Extra points for putting it in a cup instead of a cone!
You can have 3 flavors for $ 5.50. Ice cream, dulce de leche, and li hing mui is extra. I had strawberry/​orange with ice cream. It was amazing. My goal is to work my way through all their flavorsI I can’t wait to go there again!

WOW! I am in love with this spot for yummy and delicious «traditional» shave ice. The kicker is that all the flavors are made with locally grown fruits and other delights (Kona coffee, ginger and more) — which means über delicious and fresh tasting treats!
From the outside it looks like a hipster clothing store with some great gear too. But make no mistake it’s about the shave ice!!!
Today I had kula strawberry li hing and Kona orange. YUM! As we locals know, it’s all about the nice soft fluffy ice which this place has snow fluffy light and lovely! Perfection!
Can’t wait to come back soon!