Just a short drive or slightly longer walk northeast from Honolulu's little gay epicenter around Kapahulu and Kalakaua avenues, you'll find a slew of inexpensive, funky eateries that form something of an offbeat Restaurant Row along Kapahulu, with Waiola Shave Ice <3113 Mokihana St., just off of Kapahulu Ave., 808-735-8886) one of this area's definitive must-tastes. The bare-bones bakery and ice-cream shop is most famous for doling out some of the city's best shave-ice treats.
These icy, sweet confections are cousins to the sno-balls of New Orleans and Italian Ices of New England, but they have their own distinctive flavor in these parts. You can get a fairly basic one with any number of sweet syrups, but more interesting are the treats that locals tend to favor, such as the one topped with condensed milk, mochi, and red azuki beans (an employee of Waiola, pictured here, spoons azuki beans onto my soon-to-be-devoured Azuki Bowl).
The store's original location is at 2135 Waiola Street (808-949-2269) and is every bit as popular.
