Tropical Shave Ice – Kalani’s

My friend and I tried this truck for the first time at the Cypress Home Depot Food Truck meet up. Hands down this is one of the best shave ice trucks around. I used to spend summers in Hawaii and this totally took me back. The ice is light, fluffy and the syrups weren’t too sweet. I asked the lady at the counter if they were from Hawaii and she said the owner was from Maui. No wonder why this was authentic shave ice. I highly recommend trying this truck. I ordered Melona and Lilikoi with Ice Cream. That hit the spot. This truck deserves5 stars for sure.

If you love roaches you’ll love this truck. I was at paramount high school one night they were there, and the health department shut them down. Found out it was do to a roach infestation, YUMM! Also they had no running water to wash their hands, even better. All I wanted was a shave ice… sadness. Never will I ever eat at this place.

We hired Kalani’s for my daughters birthday party and we couldn’t be happier with the service. Rick was very professional and the girls loved the shaved ice. I would definitely recommend Kalani’s to anyone who wants to bring a special touch to their party.

Awesome authentic Hawaiian shaved ice! My daughter and I had the Guava and Lilikoi. Mahalo Rick! So happy they were here to save us on this hot day!

SCAM ARTIST! HE WILL NOT SHOW UP! This shaved ice may be a hit at a party IF he decides to show up! Read the other reviews about him being a no show because it is TRUE! I read the reviews and hoped those were isolated incidents and I booked him anyway because he assured me «this was not his first rodeo.» Well that was a complete LIE because he was a no show to my party too! I was completely embarrassed because I had raved to 100+ guests about the awesome shaved ice that was coming and everyone was let down when this joke of a company didn’t even show. We called him over and over and he just kept putting us to voicemail. Don’t let his nice guy talk fool you like he fooled me! They have yet to return my phone call, return the deposit, or even call to apologize. Hiring this company is like a crap shoot… they may or may not show up! Most likely NOT! … So many other shaved iced companies out there… don’t waste your money on hoping this one will show up!

So this truck was supposed to be a surprise at a birthday party I went to Saturday and the truck broke down from their previous event 15 minutes away so they show up and they forget a part so they can’t even do anything. They left to get the part, couldn’t find it and nothing. Well we tried calling the owner and no answer. When he did answer he said he’d call back in 15 and we’re still waiting. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL! If you want them for a private event don’t even think about it. It won’t happen! So disappointing they were the surprise for the party and it was a joke.

Today was very humid… you know the kind of day. Feels like a sauna… luckily for me I found an oasis called Tropical Shaved Ice. As soon as the cherry ice hit my mouth, I was back in track feeling cool and refreshed
Thanks for saving the day

Thank u Rick the best!!! Definitely a hit at our party! Everyone loved it!!! Will be giving a call to Rick for our next party!!! Thank you Rick u were a life saver!

I’ve never dealt with a more unprofessional business. I booked this truck for an event at my office and they no-​showed. Rick’s phone went straight to voicemail all 4 times I called. Very disappointed that our guests missed out on their shave ice treats. Will never do business again. We put money, time, and effort into marketing the event and they didn’t even have the courtesy to pick up the phone. Terrible.

Rick is THE MAN when it comes to shave ice!!! I couldn’t think of any other dessert GFT to ask to do my father’s 80^th birthday party last year. Rick was professional and on time for the event. I am glad he was the person I went to for services such as this… my father lived in an assisted living home I had Tropical Shave Ice come out for his bday and offered it to all the people living there… Rick was very helpful and made sure that diabetic clients were able to try his truck also. He was very accommodating and I am super glad I had his services for that day!
Also, Rick is super friendly… his staff is the same way. If I get a chance to see him at any lots he is featured at, I always make sure to get some dessert from Tropical Shave Ice and his staff is always very friendly and helpful. They are never rude!
If your ever in the OC area, look up Tropical Shave Ice and you will be glad you did! It’s authentic to the Hawaiian style of shave ice… GUARANTEED!!!

It’s summer season and I am definitely up for some cold desserts! The shaved ice here is delicious! You can order up to 3 flavors. I was able to try the lemon & lime, lychee, and guava flavor. The treat is very delicious and sweet. Perfect for hot weather! Highly recommend. :)

I’m so late to the shave ice party. I expected it to be like a snow cone, and I think snow cones are crap. The snow cones I had as a kid were usually a hunk of ice with a little flavor on top. This is not even remotely like a snow cone.
Instead, you choose up to three flavors to be poured over fluffy, nearly sorbet consistency ice, with your choice of toppings and fillings. Unlike my despised snow cones, the flavor is rich and distributed throughout the ice. Unlike the pathetic, leaky paper cups in which snow cones are served, this is served in a little flower shaped plastic cup. After you finish all the ice on top, at the bottom of the cup you find that the rest of it has melted into a slushy-​like mixture. That’s right, people – shave ice and slushy all in one flower shaped cup.
I didn’t know what all the flavors were. (Tiger blood? I hope it doesn’t taste like Charlie Sheen.) I went with orange and vanilla with sweetened condensed milk. The vanilla was… well, not really vanilla-​ish, but it was good. I had a small, which was plenty for me.
Now that I’m a shave ice addict, I’ll be on the lookout for this truck!

Pretty Yummy!
The shave ice itself was AOK. It was a little on the crunchy side. They have pretty good syrups and you can add ice cream, condensed milk, Ling Hing powder, and mochi.
Overall, I am a fan. A perfect treat for summer!

Amazing shave ice truck.
$ 3.50 for regular, $ 4.50 for large. They give you a lot ice in an awesome cup!
We got the cherry, blueberry, grape, and orange combination. So good and refreshing. I don’t think you can go wrong with any combination here. When these four flavors were mixed together on the bottom, it still tasted great.
What makes this shaved ice truck stand out is that the ice just melts in your mouth, and it is sweet throughout. They use fresh ingredients and products straight from Hawaii. Their syrups are made with cane sugar and natural flavors. There are so many ways to customize it as well (add Vanilla Ice Cream, Azuki Beans, Mochi Balls, Lychee Jelly!!!)
Don’t know a good combination? Here are some ideas straight from their website: (
)
RAINBOW: Banana, Strawberry, Vanilla
THE 808: Vanilla, Melona, Tigers Blood
DA KINE: Pineapple, Guava, Coconut
P.O.G.: Lilikoi, Orange, Guava
KAINOA: Root Beer, Vanilla, Banana
KEANU: Cotton Candy, Bubble Gum
LA SUNSET: Strawberry, Mango, Peach
OC LAVA: Coconut, Lilikoi, Strawberry
Next time here I’m definitely gonna try one with icecream and/​or condensed milk.

Typical snaved ice like the ones you’ll find in Hawai’i or New Orleans. Yeah New Orleans (SNOWBALLS).
Friendly and cute staff. Big orders of shaved ice. Good stuff!
Loved the cotton candy (tried it the first time wth NOLA Snow). Guava was a bit sour and Lilikoi was pretty good. I would go with the full cotton candy the next time!!!

I have to admit, this shave ice truck wasn’t only just sugared crushed ice.
It’s $ 3.50 for a regular, and $ 4.50 for a large. I ordered the large shave ice with watermelon, mango, and peach flavors with vanilla ice cream. The vanilla ice cream was an extra $.50, so it came out to be a total of $ 5.
When I got my shave ice, I thought that the guy didn’t add ice cream to it, but it was waaaaay down on the bottom.
The flavors I got were pretty tasty, but the mango and peach kind of blended its flavors together and I couldn’t really tell which one was which. I really loved the way the shave ice just melted in my mouth and I didn’t have to chew on it like other places I go.

I love me some shaved ice on a hot ass day in December. Hell, I even like it on a cold ass night in December!
I’m totally behind on my reviews as I have tried Tropical Shave 3 times now.
Two sizes available small ($ 3) or large ($ 4) and with only a dollar difference in price I usually go for the large size. They have set creations or you can make your own (choose 3 flavors).
I usually create my own depending on the mood and top it with mochi balls from time to time. My new favorite flavor has to be Tiger’s Blood which is a strawberry coconut combination. It’s pretty tasty and I love how it’s two flavors in one so it makes for easy deciding especially when you can’t decide. If you get Vanilla it’s blue so don’t get worried that they gave you a blue raspberry instead.
I usually pass on the ice cream but their ube ice cream is a delicious surprise at the bottom. Gotta try the condensed milk on top next time since Michelle T says its the way to go. There are endless yummy shaved ice creations on this truck. Will continue to return no matter what the weather.

All I have to say is that the melona flavor and the 808 are heaven sent!
Good texture, yummmy flavors, served with aloha = a happy camper!
not to mention the free ice cap =]

Shaved Ice in this cold weather while I’m freezing my you know what off are you kidding me? Guess what? Despite the name, they do serve other desserts and my friend Kimi recommended I try the pineapple upside down cake. In fact, she was very enthusiast about it. Describing how it was the best thing ever, how moist it was, and «OMG Suki YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!»
OK! I’m sold. Dinner first, then dessert. :)
For a $ 1.50, you get a pretty decent slice of cake and guess what Kimi? It was everything me you told me it would be. If you’re shying away from the Tropical Shave Ice truck because of the weather, do yourself a favor and at least get the cake. During warmer weather, I hope to try the shaved ice. :)

WOW!
something different about this shave ice that I cant find the words to describe it. EXCEPT it was delicate, fluffy ice! hahaha
Wish I had tried the crazy flavors, but we were so stuffed. I couldnt even walk properly and the heat didnt help much. Got peach, guava and cherry! I didnt enjoy it that much because the cherry completely took over and I DESPISE CHERRY FLAVORED anything. It was the manfriend’s choice! I had to give him ¹⁄₃ flavors! The real fruit is 24 024 093 times better! I was a bit sad, but theres always next time!
3 bucks for a regular! The lady taking the order was really, really nice and she seemed geniune-​ly happy!
MUST try, definitely worth it!