X-Way

Prices increased? Quality is good, but for the same good quality fresh drinks you can get waaay less all over chinatown. Prices are now similar to their location in Shirokiya so it doesn’t make sense to me considering their location. Too bad :(

Alright, the azuki/​black jelly/​ice cream dessert only merits 4 stars, but we happened to be hosted by the owner himself as he was about to close up shop (almost 6:00pm). And then i saw a weekly special for the Soursop smoothie, which i wanted to try, as fresh soursop is not native to California. Summer (yes, that’s his name) said that even if he’s about to close the store, don’t worry to rush eating our dessert because he will still be there until we finish eating. Then he sat at the other table while patiently finishing his tea and watching a chinese movie on the solitary TV in the store. We started chatting, not in a forceful «where are you guys from, what do you think of honolulu-​kinda conversation» and ended up staying a good almost 45 minutes after closing. After he made the soursop smoothie, he even said «let me know if you don’t like it because you are the first to order it». Of course it was good. 5 stars for the experience, as he did not oversell us either of what else to order (he even initially said that the azuki bowl is good for two people, and that made me appreciate him more).

Really nice place with free wifi cheap drinks only $ 3.50 and that would be like a size small but it looks big definitely would recommend

Parking: street parking or paid lots, its china town!
Ambiance: bright, clean and open. Strange for a place surrounded by places who are the exact opposite.
Service: Fast and friendly!
What we ordered: Melon Boba and an avocado shake
What you should order: While this isn’t the best boba in the world, on a hot hawaiian day in chinatown where you are surrounded by fried foods, MSG and strange creatures, this hit the spot. The melon was sweet but not overwhelming, the boba was regular boba with no option of different flavors. The avocado was slightly sweet and blended perfectly, not sure if it was real avocado, but it was good.
If i’m ever in china town and need something completely different I wouldn’t hesitate to stop back in, but if you are looking for OMGPLEASEDRIVEHERENOW boba, look else where :)

X-​Way
Here is an anomaly here in Chinatown. A clean, modern, upbeat, well painted, unbroken furniture and no rats running around. Take a moment and think, where did I put my car because I don’t think I am in Chinatown anymore. No really, is this out of place? Yes– the X-​Way
is so new that it hasn’t had any of the bad things happen to it through osmosis.
Other than what they have done to their own signs. If you own the restaurant, you can call your dish anything you want. Plane Ice Cream can be a something. If you like flying and you want to call ice cream Air Plane flavored– go ahead. If you really did mean plain like no flavor, then change it correctly. Don’t take a magic marker and cross it out– unless it was graffiti and not you, then they should not have done that that it is you AirPlane wish, and «please don’t call me Shirley.»
The boba is great in mixed smoothie type drinks– I know there is a better name but those on the mainland reading this needed to understand too what it is I’m referring to so that they know too. The drinks are just fine. Handmade but not down to a science like Jamba Juice that has to the number of blueberries how many to add. It tastes slightly different based on who makes the drink what it will be like– not so different that you wouldn’t recognize it. But different from day to day if you notice then it just shows how hand made it is. Just mentioning, it is not bad just notice it every now and then.
I’m boring and go for lilikoi or strawberry, something sweet and cold to quench a thirst.
They have the thai/​vietnamese/​french sandwiches. They are freshly made and tasty if you like that kind of different vegs on a hard french roll bread. Good and reasonably priced. Not bad at all for a boba smoothie and sandwich.
There are smaller snacks like american chips and mushibi. Something for everyone.
So back to the first off joke– there are clean tables and a modern tv screen to watch korean or japanese shows. The atmosphere is so clean and friendly. The hostesses are so nice and welcoming– it is a welcome change from what we are used to in Chinatown. Lovely to see a nice clean store/​restaurant.

Cute, spotless bubble tea place next to Mauna Kea Marketplace. Lots of tables. All drinks are only $ 3.50 for a 22oz. I had a delicious lychee and coconut bubble tea. They blend their bubble tea like smoothies which I love. While pretty creamy, I would’ve liked it a bit more thick (more ice perhaps). The bubbles were perfectly chewy, soft, and sweet.

From the couple of places I’ve tried drinks with boba, this has the best I’ve tasted. Some places boba are either too soggy or too hard, or tastes weird. But all I order from here is any flavor with boba. My fav! Nice clean place too with a good atmosphere.

The only thing I get here is milk bubble tea. $ 3.50+tax; cash only. I tell them to make it «not too sweet» and it normally comes out to my liking. No complaints here.
Tea brewed and dispensed from a container and tapioca balls which are sweetened a bit. I never paid attention to whether the sweetner/​cream is syrup or granulated — but I don’t mind what it is, as long as my tastebuds are happy.
3 stars for now because I haven’t tried anything else, so it’ll be a fair review simply based on the milk tea. I’ve had better, but decent since it’s near my workplace.
They also offer free WiFi and ample seating.

First of all, what does X-​Way even mean to you? This place is fairly new and I work around the area so I decided to give this place a shot. The pro’s of this place is that it’s quite clean and simple — nothing flashy, just a colorful menu that displayed all they had to offer. But my experience was quite disappointing!
As I walked in to X-​Way, all I could hear was their workers complaining about how the tv wasn’t working. Such a great way to welcome your customers.
Anyways, let’s get to the bottom line here.
I ordered the strawberry kiwi with boba and it was the worst $ 4 I spent ever. Why?!
As I took a sip of it, it tasted like pure syrup! The girl who made my drink put 4 pieces of frozen strawberries & 2 pieces of frozen kiwis. + 2 huge cups of syrup! The drink was super sweet but superbly watery at the same time! I can barely even taste any fruits, only the syrup/​sugar or whatever you call it. Honestly, all they had to do was add a tablespoon of condensed milk and it’ll be bad boy!
On top of the 2000 gram of sugar drink, the boba tasted YUCK. By far the worst boba I had ever. The texture was gross — so slimy and mushy. It literally tasted like 10 days old! I really wanted to like this place because all their reviews were quite good.

X-​way across from Nam Fong on Maunakea Street in Chinatown. It’s a cute little place. The lady who made my milk tea was very nice. She used Oolong tea to make my milk tea. It was on the dark color and stronger milk tea. It tasted ok. They only have one type of milk tea. This joint is more of Vietnamese tasting than Taiwanese. They also have many smoothies and ice cream.

New place with a great selection of bubble drinks (even if it’s not on the menu you can ask the worker for an odd combo and they will most likely make it for you). A very nice and polite lady took my order and made my drink. She even took out some money from her own pocket to help an elderly woman pay for her order because the woman didn’t seem to have enough. The place was also very clean and right in the middle of all my favorite shopping places in Chinatown. I will be back for sure.

There is something very revolutionary happening in Chinatown and most people don’t have the vision to see what I see.
A place called «X-​Way» opened on Maunakea Street; on the makai side of Cindy’s Lei and Flower and across the street from the famous roast duck and roast pork place Nam Fong.
X-​Way is a new boba and dessert restaurant located in the old part of Chinatown.
Like many Chinese places, the doors at the entrance are painted red. To Chinese red is a sacred color. It is the color of good luck, opportunity and abundance.
The inside of the store is painted bright pastel orange. In Feng Shui red and bright colors bring positive energy (chi) to a store.
On the outside of the store is a bright yellow sign meant to bring customers and chi energy to X-​Way.
On the sign written in Chinese characters is «Gui Ling Gao». There is no English translation and unless you can read Chinese, you have to look at four pictures with the following descriptions and try to figure what «Gui Ling Gao» is:
«Plane»
“with Ice Cream”
«with Azuki Bean»
«with Ice Cream and Azuki Bean»
If you do some research you will find that the English translation of «Gui Ling Gao» is «tortoise (turtle) jelly».
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese herbalist make potions with «Gui Ling Gao» by boiling the plastron of a tortoise in water and other herbs. It is a concoction that has been used for medicinal purposes, for thousands of years.
«Gui Ling Gao» is a Chinese dessert eaten after meals and is believed to have properties that provide relief for convulsion, headache, vertigo, deafness, leg weakness, night sweats, heart palpitations and disorders of the liver and kidney. It is said to be good for the skin and complexion and is a typical herbal mixture used to treat acne.
I think this «Gui Ling Gao» dessert is a trail blazing idea. X-​Way is definitely on to something. Think of it: Eat a dessert and prevent, treat or cure your health problems. This is something Johnson and Johnson and Dairy Queen should look into. Combine medicinal herbs with ice cream, blizzards and sundaes… we are talking about somebody making millions!
I ordered the «Gui Ling Gao» with azuki beans and ice cream for $ 3.45.
I scrape off the azuki beans to expose the «Gui Ling Gao». It’s a dark brown jelly that wiggles and jiggles like Jell-​O.
I eat a couple of the «Gui Ling Gao» by itself and find the taste to be slightly bitter. The adding of sweet azuki beans and ice cream is genius. It hides the bitterness of the jelly and overall; this is a pleasant and refreshing dessert to eat.
This might just be my imagination but I felt happy! I felt healthy! And my skin felt so smooth after eating my «Gui Ling Gao».
I think X-​Way may be the beginning of something extraordinary and far reaching. I believe that in nature, you can find herbal remedies to treat health problems. I think this as the integration of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine into desserts. It is the beginning of the use of a yummy dessert with plants, insects, fungi and certain animal parts; for medicinal purposes. The «Gui Ling Gao» at X-​Way may be the beginning of the pioneering idea of Chinese herbal medicine dessert.
Imagine these new dessert treats:
«Lingyu Yang Dia Gao» — Chinese Black Ant and Dai Gao Root Jelly
Health benefits: Wonderful dessert that strengthen Zang organs. Used for the treatment of anxiety, depression and mental disorders.
«Plain»
“with Ice Cream”
«with Azuki Bean»
«with Ice Cream, Azuki Bean and Party Whistle» …Yum!
«Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin Huo Guodong» — Ancient Chinese Herb Formula Jelly
Health benefits: Effective headache relief dessert. Good for blurred vision, dizziness and high blood pressure.
«Plain»
“with Ice Cream”
«with Azuki Bean»
«with Ice Cream, Azuki Bean and Metallica, For Whom the Bell Tolls CD» …Safer than Tylenol!
«Hai Ma Yin Yang Huo Gudòng» — Seahorse and Horny Goat Weed Jelly
Health benefits: Dessert eaten to strengthen ones Yang-​energy; strengthens the tendons and bones; increases a man’s sexual potency; makes you very horny; excellent herbal aphrodisiac.
«Plain»
“with Ice Cream”
«with Azuki Bean»
«with Ice Cream, Azuki Bean and Free Condom» …I can’t wait!
I think «X-​Way should be called «Rx-​Way.» Their «Gui Ling Gao» opens the door to what can be a one stop boba, dessert and Chinese herb shop.
Sometimes you have to think outside the box. A dessert with health benefits make perfect sense. I predict the «Hai Ma Yin Yang Huo Gudòng» will be a best seller. X-​Way …Start working on it!

If you’re looking for a clean cool place to duck into for a break from Chinatown shopping, then this is the place to be. The key word here is clean and it’s nice and cool too. They got bubble drinks. shaved snow and even turtle jelly! Bubble drinks are $ 3.50. Shaved snow is $ 3.50 and up depending what you want to add to it, and turtle jelly starts at $ 1.95. Bubble drinks were pretty good. And yes they do use real fruit in them. Not just the powdered crap some other places use. If they weren’t cash only they would’ve gotten 5 stars!

Hellllllllo, GUILINGGAO! Care for some turtle jelly? It’s good for ya!
WHAT THE???: Ok, no, it probably doesn’t have much turtle shell (box or otherwise) in it for around $ 3, and it is the softer pre-​prepared type that is more easily eaten without a lot of sugar. But if you love it and miss it and don’t wanna make some from scratch at 2 p.m. because you’re, you know, going back to work, this is a great spot to pick some up.
If you’ve never tried it, it’s a dessert that is a health food, too. Traditionally made of boiled turtle shell mixed with other herbs and gelled, it is a cooling dessert that your elders tell you will clear up your pocky skin, clean your blood, and help your metabolism, among other things. It is a little bitter and frequently eaten with sugar or honey as a dessert. Kinda like freaky black-​brown jello. But called turtle jelly.
Here they serve it plain, with azuki beans, with ice cream, or the works for just $ 3.45 with azuki beans and a couple scoops of ice cream. They give you a 16oz. cup of it, and will even lid it for you if you’re taking it to go. They give you a good amount of azuki bean and jelly for the money, I think, given that not many other shops are selling it like this. The sign outside does not describe it very well, but if you go in and ask for turtle jelly they know what you’re saying.
The works seem very sweet as a combo, but if you’re trying it for the first time, this is probably going to appeal to the most people. I don’t know about the dairy of it all, but it’s interesting. And you can pick out the squares of jelly if you want to try it more bitter. Or just schlep a plain one back to the office and bust out the breakroom honey bear.
WHAT ELSE?: Their bobas are decent – good amount of relatively firm pearls, not super sweet, and a value at $ 3.50 for 22oz. They package them up for you with a sealed lid tied in a bag, convenient if you’re slugging loads back to the office.
WHERE?: On right side of Maunakea, closer to Nimitz. Drive down past the police station and look on your right for the blue Municipal parking lot sign. X-​way is right next to it. On street is tougher here, safer to just drop off or park in the muni lot. Also, there is an open pay lot on the left a bit more before it, and the stalls are bigger than the other pay lot higher up Maunakea.
PAYING?: Cash only.
5 stars for offering guilinggao along with decent bobas at a very fair price, in a clean shop with good customer service. Will definitely be back. Mmmmm… turtle jelly…

Coconut bubble tea is huge & soooo yummy!!! I usually hate coconut!

With so many bubble drink shops popping up here and there, it was no surprise seeing X-​Way on Maunakea St. of Chinatown, next to the entrance of the Municipal parking lot.
They sell bubble drinks, shave ice, as well as a couple of musubi snacks. Opened for only about three months, but X-​Way might have to be my favourite for a nearby bubble drink spot with awesome customer service!
I was greeted by one of the workers named Summer. He was extremely friendly, and the wait was very short.
I had the lychee bubble drink. What’s great is that it’s made with fresh fruit! Not too sweet, which is what I like.
Their shave ice isn’t the regular pour-​syrup-​onto-​ice «shaved ice».
It’s LEGIT shaved ice.
They freeze a blend of fruit and juice/​water together in a big block, place it on a machine that shaves smooth layers of ice from the block into your cup! So no worrying about reaching the centre of the shave ice that’s just pure ice and no flavour! The ice itself is the flavour.
I’ll definitely be back for more if I get lucky at parking.

I went here today and ordered one of their Jelly with azuki beans. It was okay but I’m not sure about the slight bitter taste of it. It was really cheap. Less than $ 3.00 I think. There seemed to be only one person working and it took a while for him to handle each order but he was friendly. It seems like a lot of people come here for their bubble tea so that’s what I will have to try this time. The place looked freshly painted so this place doesn’t look like some dump in Chinatown. I do wish that there was more variety in music. It was IZ — somewhere over the rainbow over and over again.

This place just opened recently on Maunakea Street between King Street and Hotel Street. It’s a small place that seats around 16 to 18 or so.
At first glance, I thought it was just another place where milk tea and fruity concoctions with bubble, boba, pearl, tapioca balls were sold. However, I was wrong until I saw a picture of the black jelly!
This black jelly is called Guilinggao, or Turtle Jelly. Yes, that turtle, like Leonardo and Donatello. It’s a Chinese herbal dessert made with turtle shell powder, and it’s supposed to be very good for you. Though, I have my reservations on there being actual turtle shell powder in there at only $ 1.90 each bowl. You can order with red azuki beans or ice cream at $ 2.70, or both at $ 3.45.
It tastes similar to the pre-​made straight-​from-​the-​can Guilinggao where it’s not as bitter like the make-​your-​own in the powder form ones that you can buy from the stores in Chinatown. For me, I prefer it plain because the red azuki beans are too sweet, and the ice cream doesn’t feel like the right combo (and it’s too sweet too). It’s a good price, and you get a good amount. I recommend everyone to try it!
Turtle Jelly.
YES! YES! YES!

Walking through Chinatown, I noticed that this place just opened. I was originally going to go to Thang to get a bubble drink, but I walked in here not knowing what to expect and saw that they had bubble drinks too.
Likes: Prices are right for Chinatown. You can also get fruit combinations which would make it cheaper here. I like the plastic seal on the drinks so it doesn’t spill as easily.
Dislikes: My avocado drink didn’t have enough «avocado» flavor. It was not bad, but I’ve had much better.
Might try their other offerings next time I’m in Chinatown, but for an avocado bubble drink, I’d definitely go to Thang instead.

New shop on Maunakea Street where a really small bank used to be. Ok I understand that they just opened but they are so all over the place.
I asked what the black jelly dish is that they have pictured on a sign outside of the shop and no one could explain it to be BECAUSE NO ONE UNDERSTOOD MY ENGLISH.
Because I wasnt getting anywhere with the black jelly dish, I then ordered the roast pork sushi. It is what it is.
Maybe I’ll try them again another time.