Hukilau Hut

The kids love to come here for shaved ice. The owners are nice people, always happily accepting requests for Rainbow Ice as well as the loved clown cup.

We stopped by today and were excited to finally find a place in Sarasota that offers flavors such as Lulo (naranjilla), Mora (the most delicious andean berry), and much more. The shaved ice was amazing. American flavors such as bubble gum are available, but I highly recommend trying something new and all natural. The syrups are made by the owner using natural ingredients. I had the Mora and it was amazing! The store has authentic Ecuadorian balsa wood items and so much more. I felt like I was stepping into a friendly, family run shop in South America. A definite treasure in Sarasota… just wish there was one closer to north Sarasota.

We are previous residents of Hawaii and can vouch for it !!
The shave ice is the real deal and the home roasted coffees are delicious !
Ya gotta come in and check out the décor. They also serve McClain’s ice cream and any flavor soda drink you can think of since they make their own syrups!
Oh — and the the fresh baked sweet bread that Juan makes every morning has become our go to favorite !! YUM!!!

I read the review in the local paper way back when. All I can say is this: Anthony Bourdain is completely right about professional food critics. That’s why I love Unilocal.Democracy at it’s finest. I’m not a fan of the watered down restaurant reviews often found in local papers. On that review I felt there was a huge disconnect between what was written on paper and the reality.
I like Hukilau Hut. I wish it was better. I want it to be better because I love supporting local restaurants. The reality is my Cuban sandwich was not that great. The bread was very good, but the sandwich as a whole fell short. I was very disappointed in the lack of cleanliness of the restaurant, that was a huge turn off. The service was friendly and this place has potential. The interior needs a serious renovation and a real commercial grade kitchen.
I think this place is a great candidate for the Food Network Chef Robert Irvine’s show «Restaurant: Impossible». It has the potential to make great sandwiches with that hawaiian bread recipe…