Ice cream hits different after a day in the sun.
Salt on your skin, sand in your slippers, a cold scoop melting faster than you can eat it. That is a good Oʻahu afternoon.
Oʻahu has a deep bench of scoop shops. Kaimuki gelato counters, a banana soft serve truck near Diamond Head, and grocery freezers stocked with island mochi.
Local makers lean into island flavors here: ube, haupia, lychee, and lilikoʻi. We wrote down the spots we send our own friends and family to.
Prices and hours move around, so call ahead before a special trip.
Some spots make everything from scratch. Others swirl real fruit to order or press mochi around a creamy center. We cover the full range below, town to country.
Related: Best Açaí Bowls on Oʻahu, Best Desserts in Hawaiʻi, and Best Boba on Oʻahu.
How we chose these spots
We looked for shops making their own ice cream or soft serve, using real ingredients, and open to the public year-round. Grocery-freezer brands earned a place too, because that is how a lot of us eat ice cream at home.
We skipped shave ice on purpose. That treat is its own island institution, and it deserves its own guide.
Island flavors worth trying
New to island ice cream? A few flavors show up again and again, and they reward a taste.
Ube is purple yam, nutty and a little floral. Haupia is coconut pudding, silky and light. Lilikoʻi is passion fruit, tart and bright.
Taro turns a scoop pale lavender with an earthy sweetness. Kona coffee brings a deep roast from Big Island beans. Li hing dusts fruit sorbets with a salty-sweet tang.
Kūlolo, a dense taro and coconut treat, sometimes gets folded into ice cream. When it does, order it.
You will also spot POG sorbet, guava, and mango on many boards. These lean bright and refreshing, a nice counter to the richer cream flavors.
Ice cream and island life
Ice cream has a long history in the islands. Dairy ranches once dotted Oʻahu and the neighbor islands, and a cold treat became a plantation-town reward after a hot day in the fields.
That heritage still shows in the flavors. Coconut, taro, coffee, and tropical fruit came from island kitchens long before they hit a menu board.
Today the scene runs from old-school scoop counters to dairy-free soft serve and Italian gelato. There is a cold treat for every craving and every diet.
Dave’s Ice Cream: island flavors since 1982
Dave Leong opened his first shop in Waiʻanae in 1982. Dave’s now scoops across several Oʻahu locations.
This is our pick for a taste of home in a cone. The board runs local and bold: ube, haupia, taro, kona coffee, lychee sherbet, and Hawaiian mud pie.
The Aiea flagship keeps 32 flavors going every day. If you have never had ube, start there. Purple, nutty, and gone by closing on busy nights.
The shop feels like a neighborhood counter, not a chain, even with the extra locations. Keiki gravitate to the mud pie; we go straight for ube or taro.
Cones or cups both work, though the tropical sherbets can drip fast in the heat. A cup with a spoon keeps things tidy on a warm afternoon.
Dave’s Ice Cream, 98-820 Moanalua Rd, Aiea. Other counters sit at the Ilikai (1777 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu) and in Waipahu.
Aiea hours run Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sun 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. A single scoop lands around $5. Parking at the center is free.
Via Gelato: Kaimuki’s flavor lab
Via Gelato makes almost everything in house. The flavor board rotates through more than 100 options over a year.
Black sesame, guava, li hing, Frosted Flakes, and haupia all take a turn. The gelato is dense, the sorbets are bright, and dairy-free choices show up most days.
Waffle cones come off the press warm. Get a two-flavor cup so you can chase a classic with something wild.
The line moves fast, and the staff will hand you a taster spoon if you cannot decide. Seating is tight, so plenty of folks grab a cone and stroll 12th Avenue.
Flavors change often, so the board you see today may look different next week. That keeps regulars coming back to check.
Via Gelato, 1142 12th Ave, Honolulu. Hours run Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Prices sit a little above a standard scoop shop, and the quality earns it. Street parking on 12th and Waiʻalae takes patience on weekend nights.
IL Gelato Hawaiʻi: Italian gelato at Kahala
IL Gelato has handcrafted Italian-style gelato and non-fat sorbetto since 2010. The Kahala Mall counter is an easy add-on to a mall run or a Waiʻalae drive.
Textures are silky and portions are generous. The mango and lilikoʻi sorbetto taste like the fruit, with nothing fake riding along.
It is a solid family stop, with mild flavors for keiki and richer ones like pistachio and stracciatella for the grown-ups. Samples come easy here.
IL Gelato Hawaiʻi, Kahala Mall Center Court, 4211 Waiʻalae Ave, Honolulu. Mall parking is free, and the hours track the mall, so aim for midday to early evening.
Banán: dairy-free banana soft serve
Banán freezes Hawaiian apple bananas into a soft serve with no dairy and no added sugar. It began as a truck by Diamond Head and grew from there.
The menu stays short: banana, acai, a greens blend, and a rotating seasonal flavor. The Pineapple Yacht, soft serve packed into a half pineapple with fresh fruit and honey, is the photo everyone takes.
Everything is plant-based, which makes it an easy call for dairy-free crews and post-beach cravings. The Monsarrat truck pairs perfectly with a Diamond Head morning.
The soft serve melts quickly in the sun, so enjoy it near the shade of a palm. A cup travels better than a cone down to the sand.
Banán Waikiki Beach Shack, 2301 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu. The original food truck parks at 3212 Monsarrat Ave, near Kapiʻolani Park and the KCC Farmers Market.
The Waikiki shack runs 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. A small cup starts around $4, and loaded bowls climb toward $19. The Monsarrat truck sits about a 10-minute walk (0.8 km) from Waikiki’s east end.
Lappert’s Hawaiʻi: super-premium scoops in Waikiki
Lappert’s has churned rich, high-butterfat ice cream with island ingredients for decades, with roots on Kauaʻi. The Waikiki counter tucks into the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Look for Kauaʻi Pie: kona coffee, coconut, macadamia nuts, and fudge in one scoop. It is a lot, in the best way.
Portions run large, so a single often does the job. The early hours make it a rare morning ice cream option in Waikiki.
Lappert’s Hawaiʻi, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Rainbow Bazaar, 2005 Kalia Rd, Honolulu. Open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, so it works as an early coffee-and-scoop stop.
Validate parking at the resort, or just walk over from the Waikiki strip.
Grab a seat near the lagoon if you can, and let the resort bustle roll by. It makes a pleasant pause in a busy stretch of Waikiki.
Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery: a Kaimuki two-for-one
Pipeline is a Kaimuki bakery with housemade ice cream and a malasada people line up for. Come for a scoop, leave with a box of cake bombs too.
The ice cream leans classic and creamy, a nice partner to the sweeter pastries. Go earlier in the day for the full case.
The corner spot is small and beloved, so weekend mornings fill quickly. Bring patience and a little cash.
Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery, 3632 Waiʻalae Ave, Honolulu. Hours are tighter here: Wed-Thu 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri-Sun 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Sweet As Real Fruit Ice Cream: North Shore fruit swirls
Up in Haleʻiwa, Sweet As blends New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream to order. They fold fresh or frozen fruit into a soft base right in front of you.
Pick a base of vanilla, coconut, dairy-free coconut, or frozen yogurt. Then choose a fruit like mango, strawberry, blueberry, or mixed berry. The handmade waffle cones are worth the small upcharge.
The fruit-forward style feels lighter than a heavy cream scoop, which is welcome after a hot North Shore afternoon. Keiki love watching the fruit swirl in.
The line can build on a busy North Shore Saturday, but it moves. Watching them press the fruit into the base is half the fun.
Sweet As, 62-620 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleʻiwa. A second shop sits in Lāʻie. Both open daily 12 p.m.-8 p.m.
Haleʻiwa is about 33 miles (53 km) from Waikiki, roughly an hour by car, so fold it into a North Shore day. Our North Shore guide maps out the rest of the loop.
The grocery-freezer locals: Bubbies and Uncle’s
Two island names live in freezer cases instead of storefronts, and both earn a place in your beach cooler.
Bubbies started in Honolulu in the 1980s and put mochi ice cream on the map, little dough pillows wrapped around ice cream. The scoop shops have closed, so look for Bubbies mochi at Foodland and most groceries.
Uncle’s Ice Cream Sandwiches press island-flavor ice cream between cookies. You will find them at ABC Stores, Whole Foods, and neighborhood markets. Grab a few for the drive.
Keep a sleeve of each in the freezer for guests. They travel well to a beach park or a backyard barbecue.
Both are a smart move for a party or a long beach day, when a scoop shop sits out of the way. Keep them frozen until you are ready.
Parking and getting around
Kaimuki is the trickiest for parking. Via Gelato and Pipeline sit on busy Waiʻalae and 12th, where street stalls fill up after dinner. Circle once, then take the first legal spot you see.
Waikiki spots lean on resort or paid garages, so build a few dollars into the plan. Banán’s Monsarrat truck has metered street parking near Kapiʻolani Park.
The Aiea and Kahala stops are the easy ones, with free lots at the shopping centers. Those make good family stops when you do not want to hunt for a space.
Quick picks by craving
Short on time? Here is where we point people, depending on the day.
Most local flavor: Dave’s for ube and haupia. Best dairy-free: Banán or Sweet As. Most flavors to choose from: Via Gelato.
Best morning scoop: Lappert’s, open at 6 a.m. Best with a pastry: Pipeline. Easiest family stop: IL Gelato at Kahala Mall.
Best North Shore add-on: Sweet As in Haleʻiwa. Best cooler stash: Bubbies mochi and Uncle’s sandwiches.
Tips for a good scoop run
Weekends and after-dinner hours get busy in Kaimuki and Waikiki, so we aim for mid-afternoon when we can. Parking is the real puzzle in Kaimuki, so budget a few minutes to circle the block.
Need dairy-free? Banán, Sweet As, and Via Gelato all have options. Ask about the day’s vegan sorbets.
Bring a little cash as backup. Small counters and trucks move faster with it, even where cards work fine.
Chasing more sweets? Our roundups on acai bowls and island desserts pair well with any of these stops.
When to go
Summer afternoons are prime, but a cone works year-round here. Trade winds keep most evenings warm enough for ice cream in January.
For a full food day, string two or three of these together with lunch in Kaimuki or a slow Waikiki stroll. Bring napkins, and eat fast before the sun wins.
Common questions
What is the most local flavor to try?
Ube and haupia top our list, with taro and kona coffee close behind. Dave’s and Via Gelato are good places to find them.
Where can we go dairy-free?
Banán is fully plant-based, Sweet As offers a dairy-free coconut base, and Via Gelato keeps vegan sorbets on rotation. Ask the counter for the day’s options.
Is there ice cream on the North Shore?
Yes. Sweet As in Haleʻiwa blends real fruit ice cream to order, and it pairs well with a beach day. Pack it into your North Shore loop.
How much does a scoop cost on Oʻahu?
Plan on roughly $5 to $8 for a single at most shops, with soft serve cups starting near $4. Specialty bowls run higher, so check the board.
Which shops are good for kids?
IL Gelato at Kahala Mall and Dave’s in Aiea are our easy family picks, with free parking and mild flavors. Sweet As lets keiki watch the fruit swirl into the base.
More from Wanderlustyle
- North Shore Oʻahu Guide
- Best Places to Eat in Waikiki
- Best Food on Oʻahu
- Best Late Night Eats on Oʻahu
- Oʻahu Circle Island Drive
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