Brian’s Shave Ice

This prego mama is not happy! Drove all the way from the South Bay specifically for the Mac nut ice cream I’m craving and they were closed for renovations :(
Expected to reopen in January…

Brian’s shaved Ice is almost as good as the product in Hawaii– still a solid choice for dessert in Sawtelle. You can choose ²⁄₃ syrup flavors to add to your ice cone and even add dole whip or ice cream in the middle! The small is actually a good portion and sometimes even sharable amongst two if you just want a small bite.
The ice here is pretty fine with a few coarse bits. They have a huge amount of flavors to choose from and give a good amount of syrup– I’m sure you can also ask for extra. The condensed milk is always a delicious addition and they don’t skimp. The dole whip is refreshing and I like the vanilla ice cream too. This is as close to Hawaiian shaved ice as you can get in West LA!

Brian’s shaved ice is now my go-​to dessert place on sawtelle. And that says a lot, with all the competition in the area including blockheads shaved snow, beard papas, cocos and more. Even in the winter time, when it’s freezing outside, I still love coming here for a refreshing and delicious dessert. Usually I come here after dinner with friends and we (about three people) share the large size ($ 5) with plenty to spare. I love how i can check in on Unilocal and get a free filling. Omg– get the macadamia nut ice cream. It is soooo good!!! I can eat that by itself, but it goes great with the shaved ice. For my flavors, I’ve only tried green tea, POG (passion fruit orange guava??) and orange creamsicle. I always worry that the fruity flavors would be too artificial tasting, but it actually isn’t here. That’s kind of why I tried the green tea, which tastes like tea and sorta bland compared to the other stronger flavors, but by itself and with the condensed milk drizzle we got, it tasted great– just like green tea ice cream (but perhaps lighter and less creamy). I love the consistency and texture of the ice– it’s not very icy and instead fine and powder like. This place is just as good as the Hawaiian shaved ice spots I’ve been to in Maui and Oahu. Definitely recommend if you’re in the area, especially on a hot summer day!
The wait can get kind of long, especially when there’s only one guy working. Oh yeah you can also get your shaved ice to go– that’s what we usually do:)

I had Brian’s shaved ice on a 50 degree day in LA (do those exist?), after stuffing myself with way too much food before hand. Overall, the worse time to review a frozen dessert shop.
I grew up eating shaved ice and I thought I knew what to expect, but Brian’s shaved ice is nothing like any shaved ice I had before. I guess based on other reviews its Hawaiian shaved ice. I’ve never been to Hawaii so it was completely foreign to me. It looked very weird, like a multicolored face-​hugger egg from the Alien movies. Inside however you don’t find a xenomorph spawning horror show, but rather a delicious Dolewhip filling. And unlike traditional shaved ice I’ve had before, the flavors are seemingly infused into the ice rather than poured on top.
Overall I’d say it’s more like a solidified multi flavored ICEE drink with a soft serve filling in the middle shaped like an alien egg, rather than a traditional shaved ice desert. I also have to admit that this Hawaiian take on shaved ice is frankly a lot more delicious than the traditional shaved ice I grew up with. This place is the BEST (and apparently only) Hawaiian shaved ice place I have been to, and for that I give it 5 stars.
Check-​in to get a free filling!

I was missing the islands and tried to recreate my favorite combo: macadamia nut ice cream, coconut and root beer with a snow cap (condensed milk).
Mac nut ice cream is always a good idea. but they forgot it! Once i made it to the middle of my shave ice i found only more ice. They apologized and added a scoop to my already half eaten bowl. I was also disappointed by the consistency. It’s pretty good but it isn’t as melt in your mouth as Matsumoto’s or Ululani’s. The syrup tasted more artificial as well — root beer tastes similar everywhere but the coconut was a bummer.

Om nom nom. With so many dessert options in Sawtelle, sometimes you forget about Brian’s. Then you regret that you forgot about Brian’s because it is easily one of the best options, if not the best option.
With authentic dole whip and dole floats that some of us can’t get anywhere else besides Disneyland (shout out to Brian’s for non Disneyland prices too), Brian’s saves you the $ 100 ticket price with a convenient trip to Sawtelle. The shaved ice is excellent– you can choose up to three flavors and put a filling inside of, yum. Add the snowcap atop (condensed milk) and you will live happily ever after.
Check in on Unilocal and get a free filling. Service is quick, the space has a decent amount of room and outdoor seating.

Best place to come on a hot day! I recommend the Rainbow combo, really good. It can get a little packed but you get your order pretty fast. They do have inside seating which is always taken but they also provide chairs outside. Ice isn’t to soft or to hard, just right.
Can’t beat the price!.. love this place.

Dole Whip at a fraction of the cost of what Disneyland sells it for at their theme park? Sign me up!
For $ 3 can’t really complain. They seem to be using a legit Dole machine too so should be authentic. It wasn’t as tart as the one I had at Disneyland which was a warm welcome to my taste buds. I can’t comment on their shaved ice but they do look good. I’ll try it the next time when I’m in the area or maybe I’ll just stick to the Dole Whip!

I was just thinking about my Maui vacay last year that I decided to type «Hawaiian shave ice» in my Unilocal app. Brian’s Shave Ice was the top of the list and was a great pick especially after my beach day.
I followed the steps and this is what I ordered:
Step 1: Size — Regular ($ 4 with 3 flavors and 1 topping)
Step 2: Filling — Dole Whip (1 filling free with Unilocal check-​in)
Step 3: Flavors — Lychee, Coconut, Tiger’s Blood (Strawberry Colada)
Step 4: Topping — Snowcap (condensed milk drizzle)
I loved it and felt close to my experience in Maui’s since it was served in the signature flower cup. The soft ice just melted in my mouth better than any snow cone. The dole whip was a nice tart additional to the sweet flavors. The snow cap is a must. Although it’s still not as good as Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice, it’s nice to know that there’s a good local spot to satisfy my craving with no plane ticket required.

Yum! We had a Groupon to try shaved ice and after hecking out theYelp reviews, decided to go for it.
They have so many options, but we played it safe and tried fruity toppings, like strawberry, tiger blood (wait, that doesn’t sound traditional, but upon recommendation was fruity), pineapple, and mango. We also tried the Dole Pineapple base.
As others have mentioned, the ice is smooth, like fresh snow, nothing like the snowcones where you suck the ice ball to get the flavor out!
They also validate parking in the building — it’s not long, but when we went it wasn’t very busy so we were in and out within the time.
We will definitely return!

Hawaiian shaved ice! So refreshing after a hike to the Hollywood sign
They have dole whip and fosselmans ice cream! I’m glad I got the kiddie size because it was perfect for one person
—POG, Tigers blood, and blue Hawaii shaved ice over macadamia nut ice cream with a snow cap (condensed milk): yummy! The ice cream and condensed milk add a nice creaminess
SCORE: free filling ($ 1.00 for the first) with Unilocal check in or four square check in

DOLE WHIP! DOLE WHIP! DOLE WHIP!
Brian’s has a huge selection of shaved ice and other sweets. I only came because my friend told me they have Dole Whip floats. Now, I don’t have to go to Disneyland to get one AND it’s cheaper than the floats in the park.
They’re portions are pretty big. Service was quick. Inside was clean. Limited indoor seating.

Yum! A great treat for a hot day! Also, check in on Unilocal because you get a free topping! I got the peach passionfruit guava flavors, with dole whip and sweet condensed milk on top. It wasn’t too sweet and had the perfect amount of flavoring so each bite was delicious!

Can’t believe I came here 12 times thus far yet I haven’t made a review for this place. Sometimes I just don’t feel like getting boba after my meal so I just come here instead! Other times I would just have random mad cravings for some shaved ice. This place never gets tiring especially when you’re craving disneylands dole whip but you can’t get it because it is too far.
The portions are pretty huge. I usually just get a kid size – a regular size if I’m starving and or mad craving their shaved ice. I can never really explore other flavors because I’m just so in love with Melona (melon flavor), POG (passion orange and guava), and guava. I think I’ve tried to switch up the flavors before but honestly those three flavors are solid. Put this with dole whip and condensed milk and you got yourself an amazing sensation of fruitiness, coolness, and sweetness.

Who knew little ice pieces topped with some fillings and covered with flavored syrups can be so tasty? It’s awesome how one can pick up to three flavors, and getting more is pretty affordable as well. For the topping, the condensed milk is a classic for all ice and snow desserts, but we went with the li hing mui powder, which seemed to be harder to find. The dried plum taste was very Asian and not as sweet as condensed milk, which actually went great with the ice flavors. A delicious and simple dessert overall.

Ugh I absolutely adore this dessert spot! Everytime my friends come from out of town, we take them here because it is an all-​around good dessert. Their most popular item is the dole whip. I think the only only two places get dole whip in LA is here and Disneyland (where it’s a rip-​off).
Personally, I like getting the macadamia nut ice cream as a filling instead of the dole whip. The texture with the shaved ice is so creamy and delicious. I have also tried their acai bowls which I REALLY love! Every time I come here I am always so tempted to get the acai bowl but I end up getting shaved ice.
Lastly, I always get the kiddie size, which comes in a bowl and is easily handled, and also just enough for me. The regular size is like a huge mountain of ice! A lot of it ends up on the floor. All in all, I love this spot and so do all my friends!

Aloooooha!
If you’re looking for a place that will remind you of the islands, this is it. Legit shave ice served just like it is in Hawaii.
Location: Across the street from Daiso on the first floor facing Olympic. I drove by it the first time and missed it! Next to honeymee.
Shave Ice: Choose your size, filling (azuki bean, ice cream, mochi), 3 syrup flavors (they have a TON of syrup flavors to choose from), and a topping (I always go with condensed milk).
The ice is soft and not crunchy, reminded me a lot of Waiolas in Hawaii.
DOLE WHIP: They have it here! You can choose it as one of your «fillings». It’s not as creamy as the stuff you get at the Dole Plantation or Disneyland, but the flavor is there and if you’re craving pineapple soft serve, this will pass.
FREE FILLING with Unilocal check in!
Service: Five stars! It was my first visit to the shop and Randale and Jonny were helpful and patient while I took the time to read through the menu. I appreciated their help!
I like this place overall and will be back very soon!

Amazing selection of Shave Ice, with one of the few places to also offer many types of ice cream along with it! Coming from Hawaii, I have standards when it comes to Shave Ice, and this place met them. Good local flavors (Mac nut, haupia, green tea ice cream) Along with the good shave ice flavors like Li hing Mui!
Definitely a nice gem in West LA. Now I just wish this were closer to my home a bit more east. Will stop by here for sure whenever I take a drive this way.

Great quality shave ice. The first thing you want is fine shave ice… no clumps, this isn’t a snocone (yuck)! The second thing you want is a wide variety of flavors that don’t taste artificial. Third thing is your filling or ice cream. And finally, the toppings! Brian’s has all the components of great shave ice.
Ice quality is smooth and melts in your mouth. No ice clumps here. There is a wide variety of syrups for you to choose. I wish there were some homemade syrups like Ululani’s in Maui, but we aren’t in Hawaii so I can’t complain. I like that they have Fosselman’s ice cream and Dole whip here. Perfect options to maximize your shave ice experience. They also have red beans too. For toppings I usually just get condensed milk but you can add li hing mui and mochi on it too. The combinations are endless and that is what makes Brian’s so much fun.
Be sure to check in before you order so that you can get a free filling!!!

Great place to get Dole Whip if you are on the westside, far away from Disneyland or the sandy beaches of Hawaii
/​/​LOCATION /​/​On Sawtelle next to Coco Teahouse and part of the same plaza as the Olympic Collection.
/​/​PARKING /​/​Meter and residential
/​/​FOOD /​/​
+ Dole Whip: Tart, creamy, and refreshing. Just as good as the Dole Plantation in Hawaii or the Tiki Room at Disneyland!
*Tip: King’s Hawaiian in Torrance has Dole Whip now too!