Tropical Grindz

Thanks, Kyle H., for the directions. Tropical Grindz has new, super nice owners who treat you like ohana. My three-​year-​old said, «I love this shave ice!» (He had the rainbow.)
Love,
The family visiting from Cali who doesn’t go to tourist traps :)

Been coming here for awhile now and I love it! We saw it while driving on Kam Hwy and decided to check it out. It is definitely a place to try. The owner is friendly, the prices are good and the shave ice is awesome! The food on his menu is pretty good too! The salmon was super tasty, unfortunately its not on the menu everyday. We tried the saimin and chili frank, they too aren’t bad. Its worth checking out!

Tropical Grindz redefines the term «hole in the wall.» Not only is this place small, but it is hard to find and I live in Kaneohe. Thanks to Kyle H., I was able to locate them on my first drive by and did not have to drive in circles on Kamehameha Highway.
What makes Tropical Grindz unique is their collection of sugar free Agave syrups. What is agave? Agave is the same plant that is used to produce a wonderful product that many of us enjoy, tequilla. Since I had never tried agave syrup before, the owner was kind enough to let me sample the strawberry agave syrup. Being that you can get up to 3 flavors, I went with the passion fruit, honeydew, and banana syrups which were all pretty good.
All in all, I am glad that I have another place to satisfy my shave ice fix since there are so few in Kaneohe.

To my delight, Honolulu Magazine has introduced me to another great hole-​in-​the-​wall find I would have never discovered otherwise. There was a small blurb about Tropical Grindz with the description, «Healthy Shave Ice» located in none other than my beloved Kaneohe! We had a BEEyotch of a time finding them, other than the mention in the mag and one lonely hit on an obscure website that popped up in google, their address can’t even be pinpointed on gmaps. wth. This will alleviate some frustration… they are in the tiny row of businesses right before Yamashiro on Kam as you head toward the Pali. They’re sandwiched between the florist and Megumi Okazuya.
Anwhoo… what makes their shave ice healthy you ask? They offer four flavors (strawberry, honeydew, passionfruit and banana) made with agave rather than sugar. In addition, they also offer your standard syrup flavors along with bubble drinks and a couple of savory menu items… chili? sandwich? …honestly, I forget.
The agave syrup was a great alternative for those who are looking for a sugar-​free dessert. I tried the strawberry, passionfruit and honeydew flavors, all really good and no strange aftertaste. Since there are so few shave ice places in the area to begin with, I’m happy to have another option to satisfy my sweet tooth, virtually guilt-​free!