Kay’s Crackseed

SO happy this place is still around! Used to come here after school as a kid to grab icee & sour candies.
The Aunty that runs it gave us a million samples & we chatted for a long time. She said she’s the only place that makes their type of sauce for their wet li hing plum!

They have icee, shave ice also a lot of snack and seed there are so many flavors you can pick’ it’s a fantasy store!

Every time I come here, the staff is very friendly and always makes conversation with me.
They sell everything from ICEES, shave ice, li hing mui candies and more. I always get a large strawberry ICEE with li hing powder. This usually costs a little over $ 3. It’s so refreshing on a hot day! I’ve tried the li hing ICEE at the small snack shop by Macy’s in pearlridge and it’s horrible. Way too strong of a li hing taste so, Kay’s Crackseed is my «go to» place for a nice li hing ICEE.

Kay is a stingy old woman. Here’s a true story that happened at 11am this morning. My 3 girls, ages 9, 10, and 12 go and buy a large ICEE to share amongst themselves with the leftover allowance they had. They buy the ICEE and ask for 2 extra straws so the 3 of them would have their own. Kay refuses and says she can only give 1. When I confront her, Kay says she has to watch cost… apparently giving an extra straw out to these 3 girls really affects her bottom line. Give me a break! Shame on you Kay… these are kids! I hope you feel empowered. Straws only cost about 2 pennies… stingy! Kay is a business owner getting great negative marketing from me, my family, my friends, associates, my kids, and Unilocal readers. It only cost her 2 cents.

Not sure who «Kay» is, but I do know I love preserved fruit, seeds, and other salty & sweet goodies in large glass jars! Oh, there’s a place that fills my cravings called…
KAY’S CRACKSEED!
Located at Manoa Market Place for well over 3 decades, it has survived the invasion of slurpees, box-​stores, and shave ice spots… Well, «Kay» or is it her daughter «May» is a wise business entrepreneur by adapting to what’s the latest trend. In fact, «Kay» (or is it May) now carries Icee slurpees and shave ice, too! Pretty groovy, huh?
Yet, the majority of customers still gravitate to those giant glass jars towards the back of the store! No worries… It’s not illegal! I guess it’s like the Asian version of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, but filled with crackseed instead! Hence, the name…
KAY’S CRACKSEED!
On my last visit here I tried the «Kay’s version» of Waiola Shave Ice — I pass this store a couple times a week and noted the sign of «Now Featuring Waiola Shave Ice», I guess the signs been there for months now, but I’m usually headed for lunch or an errand, so simply just keep walking on by. Finally, after lunch with my niece in tow, we decided to stop by for some goodies… Or, I should say «I did» since my niece was more interested in the bubble gum machines and her Hello Kitty trinkets! Oh well, after perusing the shave ice menu (much smaller than the actual Waiola Shave Ice stores), I decide on a small for $ 3.25 and add mini mochi (since my first choice of azuki beans were sold out — what?) for .50 cents more. I decide on Li Hing Mui and Haupia as my flavors! It was delicious and all, but…
I noticed that it was «less generous» versus the actual Waiola Shave Ice places. The syrup also did not fully soak to the bottom like it should. The mochi (my second choice) was quite frankly meeeh at best! Sure… I would still have shave ice here again and it’s mainly because it’s in my neighborhood, but next time I’ll remind «Kay», «May» or «Jay» on how to pour the syrup correctly! Stop being so cheap, yo!
KAY’S CRACKSEED!
So, even with my average shave ice experience I’m still giving this place a great rating! Why? It’s because I know that the signature crackseed will always be salty & sweet heaven and that’s mainly why you come in here! Oh, and I’m a sucker for small business and history…
Kay’s has been in business for well over 30 years. Although a small company, Kay’s has always maintained the same quality with the same traditional recipes.
Crackseed is a healthy, every-​day snack in the eye of the Chinese, and many locals, too! For example, Li hing mui and olive can increase appetite and Lime ball and Lemon can sooth throat problems and reduce cold symptoms, too! Did you know that Ginger can keep your body warm and also prevent car/​ocean/​plane sickness! The crackseed is made in accordance with the health department, and a great snack alternative for the very health conscious folk knowing the calories are low and the value is of high quality! I definitely recommend…
KAY’S CRACKSEED!
A classic Hawaiian «buy local» small business! It has survived the trendy sweet & dessert shops popping up everywhere! It has survived the box-​store invasion! It has survived the test of time! Wow! Over 3 decades of selling seed! So, if in Manoa drop on by and kill that craving…
Aw c’mon… You know you want something salty!
OVERALL GRADE: 4.0-STARS! (SOLID!)
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #430

Kay’s Crackseed does the trick! Fun snacks, great variety, and good service.
I was in the Manoa Marketplace shopping at a grocery store, when I saw some kids walking around with Icees. Nostalgic. I asked where I could get the Icee and I was pointed to Kay’s Crackseed. It’s located in the back parking lot area of the Manoa Marketplace. Cute little shop.
Kay’s has about 50+ variety of crack seed, ice creams, candies, and a whole lotta fun. I got what I came here for — Icees in Cola and Strawberry. The mother and daughter team that were working while I was in the shop were vry friendly. I’ll be back!
Food Grade: A!
Service Grade: B
Worth the Money Grade: B+
Overall Impression Grade: B+

Kay’s is a little gem! I was desperate to find honey lemon chunks when Enjoy snacks changed their recipe for some unknown reason, and they have it at Kay’s, even better too! Courteous, friendly, and eagerly answer questions about their products. The Icee is a bonus. I’m not supposed to eat that stuff but I simply can’t resist. SO ONO! Saw some bad reviews from folks who are impatient and not used to the laid back way of 1^st and 2^nd generation folks. Go slow, and enjoy the sights, smells and tastes… ^^

These people are so rude. The lady can’t remember your order and you have to order everything one at a time. Not hospitable, she was rolling our eyes at us the more we ordered. Don’t come to this place

My mouth waters just thinking about crack seed. The friendly staff will give you samples to taste.
I live on the mainland but Kay’s is on my list of «must visit» places when I’m in town.

This was my favorite candy store when I was little. Kay’s got me hooked on icees with li hing syrup inside… I still think about them all the time.
You don’t really need to go anywhere else for crack seed; they get plenty.
Pretty much the same as it used to be. I was worried when Wholesale Unlimited moved into Manoa Marketplace that Kay’s wouldn’t be able to survive but I am happy to say my worry was unfounded.
They even still have the toy machines outside, though the toys have changed since the 90’s…

I’ve grown up with this place. They are reliable for sweet and salty snacks. Ownership has changed over time, but the new owner is trying something different. Waiolas Shave Ice!!! They buy the ice and syrup from waiolas and it is just as good, but without the parking hassle.

Their shave ice is really good and also have all different kinds of flavors. Their shave ice is similar to Waiola so it’s good since I don’t have to drive a long way to get my shave ice

Not being from Hawaii, the concept of a «crackseed» store was completely foreign to me. With that said, it is probably no surprise that I don’t quite share my wife’s enthusiasm for glass jars filled with random pickled, salted and dried items. Although she assures me they’re all quite tasty, I’ll just have to take her word on most of it. However, even if you’re like me and don’t share in the nostalgia that the store evokes for locals, there is still a lot to like here in the way of sweets, snacks and drinks. It’s a nice place to stop by for a treat for the kids.

Kay’s crack seed is more than just another 7 – 11. This place is legit! Sporting a nice hole in the wall feel and the old school recipes and local treats to back it up! From your classic home made dried and wet mangoes, to li-​hing powdered soar belts and gummy bears. The most memorable to me were their Icee and shave ice. This place gives you a shave ice as soft as Waiola’s and better than Matsumoto’s, with your classic flavors, condensed milk, ice cream and azuki bean fixes.

Kay’s Crackseed is a nice hole in the wall of deliciousness located in the backside of Manoa Market Place. This place is cute and the people who work here are incredibly friendly.
Although they sell all different kinds of crackseed from your standard li hing mui, different types of gummy candies, to kakimochi, etc. they have it all. They also serve Icees as well as other candies. But what brought me here was their shave ice as it is delicious and seriously the perfect treat on a hot humid day.
My favorites here is the strawberries and cream shave ice (be sure to ask for it with vanilla ice cream). I know there are some of you who do not like the beans but for me it is a must as well as getting some condensed milk on top give it a nice sweetness that is just so good together. Dang my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
So if you are in the area, stop by for some snacks and don’t forget to try their shave ice to cool you off on a hot day.

Classic crack seed and icee place — I loved it when i was a kid and now my kids will love it!
Great variety for locals and adventurous newcomers :)

For nostalgia purposes Kay’s gets 5 stars. During my junior high/​high school days this shopping center seemed like the business district for all teens waiting to get picked up after school, after practice or to just socialize.
The focus of all the activity usually centered around Kays and her snacks which were always affordably priced. Mysterious haw flakes, peach rings, icee’s, li-​hing anything, ring pops and other popular sweets is what helped us power through summer practices or after school boredom.
With all new stores in Manoa Shopping Center, its nice to see Kays is still open after all these years. On the few times I am able to stop by, I buy her li-​hing mango because to me its still the best. I reminisce back to when we would be there with our skateboards, bikes, baseball/​fooball gear or just sitting doing homework. I hope Kay’s is still the central hub I rememebr it to be. Simpler times, fond memories and li-​hing mango will always keep me loyal to this mom and pop shop no matter how much time has passed.

Ice cream with coke icee… yummo

Awesome for such a small store! :) I really like the selection: now granted I don’t even like crack seed but if I did, I don’t think I would be able to pick just one. There are so many fruits and candies, all in little jars nicely lined on the shelves. There’s also quite a variety of other candies/​gum as well.
By far the best treat is the shave ice and icee. Great choices of shave ice flavors made it hard to pick. Now, on this occasion I was so full I couldn’t have eaten anything but my cousin got a regular shave ice with azuki beans, which is served in a bowl. Damn, there was quite a pile of shave ice for the «smaller» size. Less than $ 4. Ugh, I wish I was hungry enough to have a bite! But alas my tummy was so full I wanted to pop already so I’m figuring next time we will stop here first!
#Yelp 365 Challenge — ¹⁰⁶⁄₃₆₅

CRACK SEED!!! For all my haole Unilocalsters– Crack Seed is made with a variety of fruits (plum, mango, apricot, lemon, orange, coconut, etc.) and other items that are salted, sugared, or pickled into a snack or candy choice. Brought over from China, when refrigeration was non-​existent. the fruit was preserved for later consumption and for traveling. Yick Lung Company was one of the 1^st companies to popularize the delicious snack of many local children who grew up in the Hawaiian Islands.
Kay’s Crackseed is tucked into a corner of Manoa Market place. They usually have those .50 cent toy vending machines in front of the store and a huge Icee picture on the window. For locals in the know, this is a gem of a place. The store is small but rows of 5 (?) gallon glass jars filled with various crack seed are lined up on both sides of the store. When I walk in the smell always gets me salivating and ADD takes over… I mean I want everything!!! But, in the end I always seem to order my go to favorites– wet lemon li hing mui, rock salt plum, and regular li hing mui. I remember playing in a basketball league up at Manoa Gym and either before or after (sometimes both) we would head to Kays for my favorites, hing mui and a fruit punch ICEE. I would grab a few li hing muis and shove them into my ICEE and fish them out in the end for a treat. It was a play on the sweet and salty flavors that was delicious and just thinking about it is making my mouth water! If you have friends from the islands then you probably have tasted something that was dusted with the li hing mui powder. They now sell the reddish pink powder for the daring few who use it in their baking or just to jazz up the taste of fruits. For parties we cut up pineapple into chunks and then dust them with the powder and serve them for a sweet treat. Other times we would put a handful of li hing mui or li hing mui powder into a Tequila bottle and chill it for delicious li hing mui flavored tequila shots.
Enough of that, they also have other snacks like Kakimochi, candies, shave ice, gummy bears, drinks, etc. Take your kids to Kays on the weekend for a treat and then head up to Manoa School playground, they will love you for it. Plus they can go crazy and run around after the sugar rush!
Aloha