JoJo’s Shave Ice

After a nice Motorcycle ride to Waimea Canyon me and my girlfriend decided to stop at Jojos Shaved Ice for a treat. The establishment was clean and very neat. The service was good and the shaved ice was pleasant. the Macadamia Nut ice cream at the bottom is a nice touch. Not the best shaved ice I ever had but definitely would return.

We’ve been here before and enjoy their ice and their customer service. We’re way spoiled over Uncle Clay’s (on Oahu) so really not going to rate any other shave ice place very well. That ain’t fair and i don’t care.

Best shave ice ever! The macadamia ice cream on the bottom of the sweet ice is so refreshing. Would recommend the #2 but really you can’t go wrong with anything there.

Yummy shave ice and they’re HUGE. Friendly service. Little bit of a wait, but worth it on a hot day.

I haven’t had shave ice since I was a kid so I was really looking forward to it… and it did not disappoint. I got the coconut one with the Mac nut ice cream. What a treat! I got the Jr size which was more than enough. And I ate the whole thing because it was so tasty. I’d go back again in a heartbeat and try other flavors too. Yummy!

I came here the other day and ordered a #2 Tropical Rainbow. This was listed as one of JoJo’s most popular menu items so I figured I’d give it a try. The Tropical Rainbow comes with Guava, Lilikoi, and Mango shave ice flavors with a scoop of Mac Nut ice cream.
Overall, I was really unimpressed with the Tropical Rainbow. I’ve been eating shave ice every other day for the past two weeks, and have never had such a hard time figuring out what the flavors I’m eating are. The Guava, Lilikoi and Mango flavorings did not taste like what they were supposed to taste like. The mango tasted like orange, the lilikoi tasted like lemon, and guava tasted like a mystery… raspberry maybe?
Also, I don’t know if I was just spoiled by One Aloha on Big Island (highly recommend for the best homemade shave ice btw!), but I’m used to getting to the scoop of ice cream in the middle, not at the bottom after I’ve finished all my shave ice. It just doesn’t make sense to me! Isn’t the whole point of ordering ice cream with your shave ice to eat both of them together? The mac nut ice cream was simple – chunks of mac nut in vanilla ice cream. It was pretty yummy!
I probably won’t be coming back, but I do respect how JoJo’s donates their profits so an extra star for that!

Although this place is well known and popular, it certainly was not my favorite at all. I expected the shave ice to be just like what I had before but alas, it was an epic disappointment. In the mainland, we have Rita’s and this does not even come close. If you take crushed ice and add food coloring, that’s what you will get here. It’s just flavoring, folks not the real deal! Skip this and check out Wailua Shave Ice — you won’t be disappointed!

Most popular shave ice on the island I would say!
They have a ton of flavors to choose from & they are HUGE. My sister and I came back twice and both times were delicious! Very syrup-​y but I like syrup so. it fit right up our alley. But I would say get this one first — before any other shave ice (that’s fresh fruit) because it tastes way different. After trying a bunch of other places, we actually prefer the fresh ones.
After awhile the syrup just gets to be too much — but the true winner here is the MAC NUT ICE CREAM on the bottom of most of their shave ice options. Omg tastes like heaven in your mouth — must try!

I had the opposite experience of some others on here. Finding JoJo’s right after a long hike through Waimea Canyon, my girlfriend and I loved our #4 (Guava, Lilikoi, Mango
with Mac Nut Ice Cream & Haupia Cream). I remember the shop as extremely clean and the two employees were amazingly friendly. No other shave ice we tried on the Island was as good in terms of the syrups and the cream on top. However, we did find that Ono Ono shave ice in Kapaa was much easier to eat without making a mess (but for JoJo’s, I would gladly make a mess any day). Also, if you get a combination, it is literally big enough to share with a family of four (or share between two hungry people).

Everyone’s particular about their shaved ice, so some people people love this place, some hate it. For me, it’s one of my two favorites. They make their own syrup, so it’s not too sweet, and you get a macadamia but ice cream for an extra treat, if you order the tropical #2.
The shack is vibrant red and makes for a great postcard photo.

Whoo Hoo! JoJo’s 300^th review.
Wifey and I stopped in for some shave ice and it was pretty good. They have a good selection of flavors. We stopped in and the gal working the register admitted it was her first day. That’s totally ok she got through it taking our order with no problem. They have a list of popular mixes which is nice. We each got one and then went outside to eat it on the covered benches. That was a nice time. The ice cream in the bottom of the cup was really nice.
Will I be back? Sure, it’s a good treat.

The worst shave ice we had on the island.
The most expensive shave ice on the island.
I have been here many times over the years.
I noticed something was ‘different’ during my last visit in March and then again last week!
It is NOT the same as it once was.
How can a place that smells so strongly of bleach and chemicals also be so dirty?!
Take a look at the front door… it is black from dirt and grime.
Gross.
The rest of it isn’t any better… horrible location and setting. Sticky, stinky and dirty outside… nowhere I ever want to sit again and try to enjoy my ‘sub-​par’ shave ice.
Is this the original JoJo’s? Other reviewers talk about it having new owners.
All I know is it is not the same as it use to be… and now it sucks.
I would stay away from this place and go to one of the many other shave ice stands on the island!!!

Great post Waimea Canyon treat.
The workers are really sweet and service oriented. The portions are incredible. The junior size is more like a senior size in my book. However, their machine puts out finer powder when it runs slower so be patient, people.
I got the watermelon, tangerine, dreamsicle and lilikoi. I know, a random mix. The red, not green watermelon was good, as was the dreamsicle and lilikoi but I didn’t care for the tangerine, it was a bit tart in my bowl full of sweetness.
There’s plenty street parking and they give a kama’aina discount. They closed a little early the day we went so I suggest arriving earlier than later.

Sounds like this place is the old JoJo’s but under completely different management. Why would JoJo let her reputation take a hit by letting the name stay the same? It’s bad for business JoJo!
Why this sucked:
1) Completely braindead young lady manning the counter. When asked to describe how they make the syrups, she replied «like, you know, the stuff that you make juice with.» Real helpful.
2) Wayyyyy too sweet. No nuance, no semblance or separation of flavors. It was basically simple syrup on top of macadamia nut ice cream with chunky (not shaved) ice on top.
3) How dreary can an ice cream shop get? Terrible.
Don’t go here. Just stay away. Go to the real JoJo’s (which I have not done, but intend to).
Save your business JoJo, and say NoNo to the HoBo’s down the street.

I disagree with the guidebooks that call this the best shave ice on the island. Super friendly service but sadly the ice was not soft, the flavors weren’t enough to flavor the entire cup of ice, and there weren’t any sugar free flavors for those in my party that cannot eat sugar.

I love shave ice, but honestly… I’m a shave ice snob.
On the way to Waimea Canyon, my friend and I saw JoJo Shave Ice on the left side. It was a hot summer day and I could definitely use some shave ice to cool myself down, so we decided to get some! Plus I heard JoJo’s was one of the better shave ice shops on the island of Kauai, so I definitely had to try it out, and I had no idea if we were ever going to drive back down to Waimea again. My friend and I decided to share the #2 combination, the Tropical Breeze. It was guava, lilikoi, and mango shave ice with macadamia nut ice cream and topped with haupia cream. The cashier suggested the junior size would be enough and thank the lord he did because it was just enough to get us going up those hills to the lookouts of Waimea Canyon!
Of the three flavors, my favorite was either the guava or the lilikoi, but I just couldn’t get myself to decide which one I liked better. Their flavors are good… but not the best I’ve had. I would’ve preferred a less dense ice consistency, but the way they do it is okay… I guess. JoJo’s wasnt bad, but I’ve had better. I guess that’s the shave ice snob in me talking though.
The best thing was that their macadamia nut ice cream was frickn awesome! The flavor was good. The consistency was smooth. There were macadamia nuts throughout too! Get your shave ice with the ice cream!
JoJo’s is a great stop on the way to or back from Waimea Canyon!

Yummy shaved ice AND ice cream! Fluffy flavored ice at the top with ice cream at the bottom… yum! Super good and the Jr is super filling. I DO wish they would have included more ice cream, as it was hard to find at the bottom. It did make the shaved ice so yummy and creamy. This is something I crave when not on the island!

Shaved ice packed firmly atop a sterile looking styrofoam cup. I’m used to the colorful plastic holders made especially for shaved ice. The aesthetics of the serving cup is part of the experience and joy of shaved ice. Otherwise I would have maybe given them 5 Stars.
Flavors are pretty consistent among the different vendors. Vanilla ice cream and azuki beans — can’t go wrong. The difference about JoJo’s is their method of packing the ice — the plastic spoon should probably be metal to break the ice. You need a chipping and stabbing motion to get the first few spoonfuls. After you get below the rim of the styrofoam do you feel comfortable going to town on the ice cream portion.
Pro-​tip: sweet condensed milk is key to good shaved ice

Fast and friendly service but I guess I don’t understand why this place is better than any other shaved ice spot on the island. The amount of shaved ice the put on top is so huge that by the time you get close to the ice cream you don’t want it. The topping was way too overdone as well and made the rest of it kind of gross.
The cleanliness of the shop was not so great. I felt an initial stickiness when I walked through the door and napkins were hard to come by. The trash can was tiny and in a weird corner which I didn’t understand since the portions were so huge I figured there should have been a better spot to dump all my left overs.
I did love how they made suggestions on their giant white board to make choices a little less overwhelming.

Very slow service, and not as friendly as a lot of the other places I got to try around Kauai.
THE WAIT: There was no wait on a Thursday around 4:30pm, just a steady trickle of a few people before us and a few after. But we were the only customers actually inside the whole time we were ordering and they made our shaved ices (probably a good 15 minutes). They really took their time packing the ice and then slowly feeding it into the machine to make shaved pieces — it definitely made for a quality dessert, but I can’t imagine how long this takes when there’s an actual line of customers here.
THE COST: $ 12 about for 2 small combos
This huge thing is a small:
#2 Guava Mango Lilikoi Combo w/​Mac Nut Ice Cream and Haupia Cream — 4.5 stars
halfway done:
almost there:
You definitely have to get something with the Haupia Cream! It’s very rich & sweet and adds some texture. The Mac Nut ice cream is VERY rich as well — it’s amazing & has chunks of macadamia nut. But make sure to dig deep below the ice and get to the ice cream — it starts melting well before the ice! My small complaint is that the flavors are a bit artificial and overly sweetened.
#13 Root Beer Combo — 5 stars
(Rating based on my bf loving this. I’m personally not a fan of root beer so I wouldn’t be a fair judge.)
Combo menu: