Shave ice is everywhere in Hawaii, but not every place delivers such large servings with as many flavors with house-made toppings as JoJo’s Shave Ice. The Kapaa location in the Coconut Marketplace may be the most recent JoJo’s to open, in 2018, but it maintains the same caliber as the other sites. Since its opening, it has garnered a loyal following of its own and numerous happy customers.
At JoJo’s Shave Ice, you can create your customized dessert by choosing up to four out of the 34 house-made syrups the stand provides. All syrups use pure sugar and no corn syrup in their ingredients. Plus, you can select from multiple handmade toppings to create a shave ice to perfectly suit your tastebuds.
High-quality ingredients and careful preparation are only some of the elements that set this shave ice stand above other locations. It also donates all its profits to providing free camp opportunities for Hawaiian youth. So, your shave ice purchase goes toward a charitable cause.
The menu includes a wide range of options. You can choose a premade concoction of various syrups with macadamia nut or vanilla ice cream or create your epic dessert. Some of the syrup flavors you can choose from include banana colada, chocolate, root beer, butterscotch, and boysenberry. Additionally, when creating your shave ice, you can choose up to four of these flavors, which is more than most other places allow.
Can’t decide what to order? Make up your combination or choose one of the following recommendations from previous visitors:
Locals North Shore
The Locals North Shore treat starts with a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream at the base. Fluffy shave ice tops the ice cream. A trio of fruity syrups coats the ice – pineapple, lychee, and melona. Lastly, your shave ice dessert has a creamy topping of house-made haupia (coconut) cream. The resulting treat is creamy and fruity at once. Regulars mention this as one of their go-to flavors. The combination of these fruity flavors is an ideal selection for anyone who wants something different from single-flavor shave ice.
Li Hing Mui
Fans of dried plums must try the Li Hing Mui shave ice at JoJo’s Shave Ice. This dessert comes with vanilla ice cream at the bottom and li hing mui syrup covering it all. The vanilla ice cream at the bottom balances the sweet and tart li hing mui syrup. You may want to substitute macadamia nut ice cream for the vanilla to provide a more flavorful, nutty partner to the fruity syrup.
Tropical Breeze
Sample a triple tropical treat with the Tropical Breeze shave ice. The base of the cup comes with macadamia nut ice cream. Syrups over the ice are mango, guava, and lilikoi (passion fruit). Haupia cream made in-house tops the dessert. For many, this is their number one shave ice flavor.
Locals South Shore
The Locals South Shore combines pineapple and coconut syrups on top of ice covering a base of macadamia nut ice cream. Haupia cream enhances the total creaminess of the dessert from start to finish. This is a great treat for those who like the fruity flavors of pina coladas.
Satisfy your need for a chilly dessert to cool off from the tropical Hawaiian heat at JoJo’s Shave Ice in the Coconut Marketplace. You’ll get a great treat and help kids in the community go to camp. Where else can you help a charitable organization and enjoy some of the best shave ice on Kauai?
Insider Tips:
-Parking is easy in the Coconut Marketplace lot, which has plenty of spots.
-You will find lots of outdoor seating around the marketplace but none inside because JoJo’s in Kapaa is a stand and not a full restaurant.
-Check the menu board on the side of the stand when making your decision to reduce time when ordering.
-Pack your patience. This highly popular shave ice spot where each dessert is freshly prepared can have long lines and waits. But every visitor reports the wait to be worthwhile once they get their desserts.