Da Hawaiian Brain Freeze Shave Ice & Ice Cream

After a long day hiking at the volcano park, a cold treat was exactly what I wanted. I followed the employee’s recommendation and got the sweet cream and ice cream added to my order. I ordered a small, which towered above the cup. It was delicious, better than I was expecting. They were very busy, so seating was limited.

Friendly. Good selection of ice cream, and options, including sweet potato shake! Tropical dream ice cream available, but u have to ask about it. The décor was a little haphazard, a little like they went to some hard sale to decorate. But we can let that pass for some good ice cream.

We’ve tried several shave ice places on the island and this is by far the best. All of the shave ice sizes are enormous. The portions are enormous and enough for two to share. The flavorings are intense and generous. The place is extremely clean and the staff are friendly. It’s located in s strip mall so you’ll need to keep your eyes open to find the location. They also have other option for dessert. (Ice cream and smoothies).

We tired several Hawaiian ice places during our vacation and none compare to this! Hands down the best Hawaiian ice we have ever had! The flavors are the perfect balance of sweet and fruity and the small was more than enough for me and my husband to share. We got ours snow capped and loved the Ube ice cream in the middle.

Very icey shave ice. Very nice workers, but crazy slow. While I waited behind 5 people for my shave ice. Two people left after after 20 minutes. It took over 30 min to get a simple unimpressive shave ice. Limited flavor choices, hard ice, long wait-​Skip this place & go somewhere else!

Being a self-​confessed ice cream addict and in need of a fix and finding myself in Hilo I looked up ice cream parlours and saw DHBF’s great ratings I decided that this place was worth checking out. We were not disappointed. Massive selection of flavours (and serving options); the staff were super friendly; and very patient, which considering the range would be a prerequisite. I went with the 3 scoop (the Ube was really good) serving which was ridiculously big (I didn’t need dinner afterwards) which took me 25 mins to finish… hey, it’s not called «Brain Freeze» for nothing.
Anyway, being from London, England I’m not sure when I’ll be back again, but I took one of their loyalty cards anyway, as I know I will be.

I expect this business will be packed with families as we approach the warmer summer months. This locally owned business is located on the south end of Hilo Shopping Center closer to Lanky’s Pastries. This shop has an extensive menu with original ice cream flavors significant to Island living. Prices are very affordable and fall out of the tourist realm. The shaved ice orders are much bigger at this location than any other in Hilo. They also have hot dog combos now, which make this place the perfect after school stop with the kids. Try the Ube-​Pai Shake!

This place is amazing! So many different flavor to choose from and a very cheery atmosphere to enjoy your shaved ice. Must visit on your next trip to Hawaii. I tried the pina colado and pineapple shaved ice with snow cap (cream) and vanilla ice cream. It was heaven

They have tons of Hawaiian flavors and share samples delightfully. Everything was so delicious!

Shaved Ice is a must while in Hawaii! I made sure I’d be trying as much Shaved Ice as possible while on the Big Island. When searching for Shaved Ice places, I was mainly looking for more local and obscure flavors one wouldn’t find on the mainland as easily. I was happy to see through many Unilocal reviews that this place had Ube Ice Cream.
Naturally, we went with an Ube Ice Cream base for a small Shaved Ice. I find the need to mention to other Unilocalers to be prepared: small means you’ll still get a very large amount of Shaved Ice! Big seems to be the theme on the Big Island and you definitely get more than you might expect!
We chose Blue Vanilla and Haupia as our flavorings and added mochi balls with a snowcap (sweet condensed milk) to our order. It took two of us to go through the mountain of snow ice we received. Definitely would recommend this place to others for the interesting local flavors this place has to offer. The mochi balls were nicely soft and delicate to boot!

Came in to grab a great shaved ice and started off a little rough. She wasn’t in the store. Had to wait a few minutes for her return which was not a big deal to me.
I order my two flavors and she’s out of them. No cherry and blue raspberry (Are you serious?!).
So I choose lime and mango.
Still not a huge deal to me.
What was a big deal was the insanely poor distribution of flavor. Only flavored in the very outside of the ice. Once I took one bite, the rest was ice. Absolutely disappointing. Threw away ¾ of my shaved ice because it was all ice…

Can’t wait to go back to Hilo so I can eat her again. However, having said that, they do need to improve their customer service experience, although knowing the local culture that is not likely to happen. The product is wonderful, and although we did not have shave ice, we talked to several people who did and it is both huge and delicious. Our ice cream was geat once we got it, there were several employees milling around and after we got to the front of the line, we waited another 5 minutes or so for anyone to help us. My guess is that if they improved their processes, they would make more money, but again, not likely to happen so expect a wait and possibly bad customer service.

Came here with the family. They have high grade shave ice machines, so the ice is shaved really fine and soft. The halo halo was really good and it was a good portion. The ube ice cream is delicious Good price and the portions are huge.

Visited this place twice both times the service has been horrible. the employees watch you walk in and say nothing, no greeting no Aloha nothing… than when they finally get around to taking your order they treat with zero appreciation that you’re there supporting their business. This place needs to work better towards providing better customer service. also the shave ice was soft but a little crunchy. halo halo was good but missing the flan…

You want a shaved ice as big as your head? Then this the place. So many different flavors you have to try them all! Friendly staff. Excellent service.

Best shave ice in Hilo! Went in, the service was good, the place was clean and bright. Went several times, only to find out the 3^rd time that Jana was one of my Elementary School Friends from Kane’ohe. That’s the best… when the service is great and then finding out you know them. Love it and always go when in Hilo! Love you Jana and Ohana… and thanks for all you do!!!

Very fun and cute ice cream shop. The HaloHalo was a little different than last time. A little weird ordering system but other than this it is nice to have a variety of choices to cool down the summer heat.

The Hubs and I had to go back one more time before leaving Hilo. This time we had a triple of ginger, Kona mud pie, and ube. So good! Friendly service, awesome and high-​quality ice cream – what more could you want?

This place rules!!! Such a cute, family friendly shop. My number one recommendation would be the ube-​pia shake and my favz consist of the guri guri shaved ice, lychee cream ice cream, coconut cream, pauwela sunrise, mac nut crunch, blueberry freckle, ube and haupia ice creams! I still have a lot to try but if the rest of the menu is as good as what I’ve tried so far, then I’m sure I’ll have a blast tasting the entirety of the menu.

The best ice cream I had while on Big Island.
Kona coffee, toasted coconut, and hapula (sp?) are so creamy and just. just. I need more! Haha. The owners are really sweet too. Large scoops and all.