Niu Soft Serve

Niu Soft Serve is a dairy-free ice cream shop located in Mo'ili'ili across from Old Stadium Park. They offer 4 different flavors of soft serve and 2 of the flavors change weekly. The coconut and ube are always available. Some of their weekly flavors consisted of pineapple, orange, strawberry, and chocolate malt. My favorite flavor so far has been the pineapple because it tastes like Dole Whip. Yes, there is a bit of a coconut after taste to all their flavors but it still really good. The soft serve is priced between $6.50 - $7.50 and topping are extra charge. If you're visiting for the first time, I recommend the hot kulolo sundae. If soft serve is not your thing, they also sell shakes, cookies, and pie slices. 

They have tables and chairs inside so you can stay there to enjoy your soft serve. For parking, you can park in front of the store. The parking lot is shared with all the businesses inside Old Stadium Square. 

For more information about Niu Soft Serve, visit niusoftserve.com or follow them on instagram, @niusoftserve. 

Old Stadium Square
2320 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 436-3739

Pineapple

Orange with strawberry li-hing sauce &
mochi balls

Strawberry & Chocolate Malt

Somisomi - CLOSED

Somisomi is here in Hawaii! They are known for their taiyaki soft serve which is a fish shaped waffle cone with ice cream inside. You can find them at Ala Moana Center on level 1 near the Makai Market Food Court; next to Curry House.

I've never had one of these desserts before but it tasted amazing. My favorite so far is the oreo ah-boong with custard filling. They are still new so be prepared to stand in line and wait for 10-20 minutes. The ah-boong is $6 but if you just want a small order of soft serve it's $4. If ice cream is not your thing, you can get the taiyaki which is the fish shaped waffle with sweet or savory filling inside. You'll want to eat that when it's fresh though, so the waffle is still crispy.

For more information about Somisomi, visit somisomi.com.

1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 206-8997

Milk & Matcha Ah-Boong

Ube & Oreo Ah-Boong

Oreo Ah-Boong

Taiyaki

Matcha Love - CLOSED

Matcha Love is a soft serve shop that offers flavors like matcha, hojicha, black sesame and vanilla. They also have mango but it's only available in the late summer. When the mango flavor is in season, they don't offer vanilla so you wouldn't be able to swirl the two flavors like how you can for matcha and black sesame. The shop has a variety of green teas in the fridge next to the register and they make shakes with the same flavors noted above. They are located inside Mitsuwa Marketplace on the 2nd level of the International Marketplace.

Most people prefer the matcha soft serve here because it's sweet and creamy. You still get some of the bitter aftertaste but it's not as strong as other places. My favorite flavor is mango but when it's not available, I enjoy the black sesame. If you have a few people with you, I recommend trying the waffle bowl. You get to choose 3 flavors to put into the bowl. The small cup/cone is under $5 and it's a good size for 1 person. If you make a purchase over $10 inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, you can get parking validation. They also offer kama'aina discount so make sure you show your local ID.

Mitsuwa Marketplace
2330 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 664-0563

Hojicha

Vanilla

Mango (seasonal)

Black Sesame

Nana's Green Tea

Nana's Green Tea is known for their green tea soft serve. They have a big menu with a lot of options, but I recommend the standard green tea ice cream inside a cone. The parfaits look amazing but it was hard to eat, and I thought it needed to be sweeter. It's layered with coffee jelly, corn flakes, mochi balls, azuki paste, and soft serve. The desserts go from $6 to $11 and the drinks are from $5 to $7. The parfaits are big enough to share with 2 people. 

They are located in the Waikiki Yokocho Gourmet Alley which is on the basement level of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza. They do offer parking but I'm not sure where the parking garage is. Whenever I'm in Waikiki, I either park at Royal Hawaiian Center or International Marketplace because I get validation from making a purchase from one of those businesses.

Waikiki Shopping Plaza
2250 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 777-3550

Matcha Vanilla Swirl Ice cream

Hoji Shiratama Parfait

Soft Cream Anmitsu

Rita's Italian Ice Hawaii - CLOSED

You can cool off this summer with Italian ice and frozen custard from Rita's. They are located inside Tiki's Family Fun Center next to the Regal Theaters in Dole Cannery. This is a mainland franchise and their first Hawaii location.

You need to get the vanilla frozen custard because it's delicious. If you want to step it up a bit, get the gelati; which is a combination of Italian ice and frozen custard. The regular size will cost you less than $5 and you won't be disappointed. You can park in the Dole Cannery parking structure and they'll give you validation. Depending on what time of day you go, there may be a lot of kids inside Tiki's but Rita's is in the back so you can go in get your frozen treats and get out. If you don't mind the noise, you can stay inside to eat because they have some tables and chairs.

For more information about Rita's visit, ritasfranchises.com.

Tiki's Family Fun Center
735 Iwilei Rd
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 206-9143

Mango Gelati

Strawberry Gelati

Frozen Custard Swirl

Sweet Creams

Sweet Creams specializes in rolled ice cream. They are located across Ala Moana Center next to Manichi Ramen. Their ice cream rolls are the best compared to the other ones I've tried. The ice cream is always smooth no matter who makes it. I recommend the berry tasty rainbow and the cookies n' cream. The keiki size gives you 5 rolls and it hits the spot especially if you've already eaten a meal before coming. If you want to go all out, get the large but make sure you eat it quick so the rolls don't melt.

The price range is $6-$8. If you don't like their flavors, there is an option to create your own. The best times to go are between 12:30-1:30pm and 6pm-7pm. If you are going after 7pm, be prepared to wait. They accept cash and credit. There is a shared parking lot with the other businesses but it's a hit or miss depending on how many people are waiting in line.

For more information about Sweet Creams, visit sweetcreamshawaii.com.

1430 Kona St. #102
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 260-4725

Cookies 'n Cream

Frozen Hot Cocoa

Berry Tasty Rainbow

8 Half Desserts - CLOSED

8 Half Desserts is an ice cream shop in the Kaimuki area. They are located on Waialae Ave between 8th and 9th Ave. If you can spot Hung Won Restaurant while you walk or drive down Waialae Ave, you'll be able to find this place because they share the same parking lot. The inside of the shop is small but the owner is friendly and he lets you sample all the flavors available. What makes this ice cream shop different is the unique flavor combinations and ice cream pies. A lot of the ice creams are made with local fruits. My favorites were the mango shoyu and mountain apple. Their watermelon ice cream pie slices used to be sold at Kaimuki Grill but now you can get it here by the slice ($6) or whole ($45). The pre-packed flavors are $3 each, the cone is $4 and the bowl is $5.50. I recommend trying this place now before the word gets out. They accept cash and credit.

3434 Waialae Ave - CLOSED
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 630-0184

Windward Mall
46-056 Kamehameha Hwy #236
Kaneohe, HI 96744
(808) 630-0184

Mango Shoyu

Pineapple Mui

Mountain Apple Sorbet

Watermelon Ice Cream Pie

Wing Shave Ice & Ice Cream

They are an ice cream parlor in Chinatown that makes unique flavors. Their entrance is on N Pauahi Street across from Summer Frappe, not Maunakea Street. When you walk into the shop, you'll see a chalk board on the back wall. What you see on the chalk board is the menu . The homemade ice cream flavors are usually in the middle of the board. I haven't had any flavors that tasted bad yet. The owner makes the ice cream in small batches so they sell out pretty fast. There's always new flavors so this is one place you want to visit often. A single scoop is a little over $3. They accept credit cards so you can bring the whole family after your dim sum brunch.

They are in the heart of Chinatown so street parking is your best option. You can park in the paid lot on Maunakea Street which is around the corner but that payment machine doesn't give change so don't pay with large bills.

1145 Maunakea St
Ste 4
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 536-4929

Hurricane Popcorn

Li Hing Mango

Avocado

Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream - San Francisco

I know it's cold in SF but that doesn't mean you can't eat ice cream. This is a gelato shop with a Chinese name that got translated into English. They have a lot of different flavors of gelato here. If you want to be daring, get the durian gelato. My friend got one of the flavors that was in the same freezer as the durian and I swear, it smelled like she was having the durian gelato. They have tables and chairs inside and the noise level is low so you can hang out in there. If you're in the neighborhood, you should definitely stop by for a treat.

1447 Taraval St
(between 24th Ave & 25th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 731-2833

Red Bean & Green Tea

Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts - CLOSED

If you're a townie and you haven't had ice cream at Bubbies, you're missing out. Their frozen creations have the most outrageous names but all of them are good. If you love mochi ice cream, you'll find yourself wanting one of each flavor. Some of the mochi ice cream flavors are seasonal. The best one I've had so far was the li hing mango. It was mango flavored mochi sprinkled with li hing powder and mango ice cream in the center.

They get very busy and the line comes out the door but as long as you have a group of friends to keep you company, it won't be too bad. If you don't want to stand in line, I recommend coming on a weekday around 10pm but if it's a warm night, no guarantees.

For more information about Bubbies, please visit http://www.bubbiesicecream.com.

1010 University Ave - CLOSED
Honolulu, HI 96826

Koko Marina Center
7192 Kalanianaole Hwy
Ste D103
Honolulu, HI 96825

Multiple Orgasm

Green Tea

Oreo

Assorted Mochi Ice Cream