Snowflakes Shaved Ice

We stopped by for a treat after dinner and got a berry acai bowl and coffee shaved ice. They were both delicious!
The berry acai bowl was a large bowl of healthy goodness! The fruit was fresh and topped with crunchy granola for $ 7. Probably one of the best acai bowls we’ve tried! The coffee shaved ice had great coffee flavor for $ 4. It’s nice that you get to add your own toppings.
The store is brightly lit and has a nice seating area to sit down and enjoy your treat! I imagine this is a popular stop to cool down from the heat and after a workout.
Unilocalers don’t forget to check in and get 10% off your purchase from their FIT menu.

I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE!
One of my favorite travel destinations is Hawai’i. Back before I got heavy into hiking, I traveled to Hawai’i quite often. Yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve been back. Oh, how I miss the island weather and life. There is nothing I don’t like about the Hawai’i, well, except that it’s several thousand miles across the ocean. Love the people, places, and things to do, not to mention, every eatery I went to was off the charts fantastic. Whether a hoity toity restaurant with linens on the tables, or a hole in the wall, or even the multitude of food trucks scattered around the island. Neither I, nor my tummy, was ever disappointed.
After pigging out on sushi nearby, cohort and I came here for dessert. Situated in a strip mall, parking was a piece of cake, not like our dessert, which was a pile of colorful tasty Hawaiian shave ice.
The interior is bright white, pendent lights hanging from the ceiling, white plastic tables and chairs, and various accent colors that gives it a fresh clean look and feel. Menu boards are high above for all to see while standing in line to place and pay for their order. Acai & Pitaya, Drizzle ice cream, various versions of hot cocoa and espressos, shakes, smoothies, and shave ice, definitely sets Snowflakes apart from all other dessert spots.
ORDERS:
To choose a regular size or large size, to select something off their signature menu, or to create our own. Decisions, decisions, decisions. We both opted for a medium size shave ice, which was considerably large.
A little nervous, being my first time and all, island boy behind the register was kind and patient with me. At last, took the plunge and created my own. Macadamia Nut ice cream, orange dreamsicle, strawberry, and banana… a few of my favorite things.
Cohort dived right in, Macadamia Nut ice cream, Blue Hawaii, Guava, Pineapple, and Condensed Milk. Hmm… was I actually with cohort??? No mango???
We took a spot in the back and waited a few minutes for our heap of shave ice to be, well, shaved and flavored. Unlike a snow cone, that is constructed with crushed ice and is heavy and crunchy, which cause syrups to go down to the underside of its container, shave ice, is finely textured to allow for better absorption of add-​on flavors. It is light and fluffy, like powdered snow.
Although the outside temp was still warm the evening of our visit, the inside temp was burr chilly and only got colder as we dug our way through our snowflakes. I understand the temp needs to be kept on the cool side for the ice, but I was very cold and uncomfortable. This feeling of uncomfortableness might have hindered my experience. Perhaps next time I’ll wear my down jacket, or eat it in the car with the heater on.
FACTOID: Several sources claim it’s «shave» ice, not «shaved». Google much???
One of the many times I traveled to Hawai’i, a colleague told me I had to get shave ice from a particular truck. It was a must. It wasn’t till I arrived to the island, did I realize, I forgot to pack my memory. I have to confess, I couldn’t remember where she told me to go. To avoid losing my shave ice virginity to the wrong truck, I didn’t take the chance to go to the first, last, or anywhere in between trucks, I saw. I guess I gotta go now. Oh, shucks!

SHAVED SNOW
I should have looked through Unilocal before we came here, since the Hawaiian shaved ice seems to be the big hit here, but we wanted a light dessert and decided on a large shaved snow to share between 3 people.
We mixed taro and green tea as the base, and the toppings bar is DIY as much as you can fill! This is a good idea in theory until you realize that when you try to add toppings they fall off since the snow is so soft and doesn’t hold much. Once we started eating the toppings, we realized everything was stale or old. We were not able to chew the mochi because it was so hard, the oreos and cookies were very stale, and the fruit did not look fresh at all. Overall it was very unsatisfying to eat the shaved snow. I would’ve enjoyed it much better as snow without any toppings at all.
So if you want to try dessert here, the popular items seem to be the acai bowls and Hawaiian shaved ice. They should change their name

Competition among frozen dessert establishments is on the rise and a new contender in the shaved ice craze is Snowflakes! When you think of snowflakes in the winter time, you envision fluffiness falling gently from the sky! Well just imagine all of that fluffiness combined into a snowball and doused in your favorite flavored syrups. That’s what you’ll discover at Snowflakes along with a few other treats.
Initially, when we browsed through the menu, we felt a bit overwhelmed. I was concerned as to whether the syrup would be completely absorbed into the entire surface of the snowball/​ice ball. Some shaved ice businesses cover the surface with the syrup and when you get to the center or near the bottom of the snowball, you’ll notice that the flavor isn’t that strong anymore. This was not the case at Snowflakes!
My niece and I decided to order Hawaiian Ice. We both included a scoop of vanilla ice cream to be placed in the center while still surrounded by shaved ice! As soon as our orders were ready, our eyes widened up. These were the most beautiful snowballs with colors as bright as a rainbow after a steady rain. We were amazed with the generous serving for both the kids size and regular size shaved ice. I have to say that you get your money’s worth when you purchase even the smallest serving. Comparing the regular and kids size portions with the size of a small child was pretty interesting. The kids serving is actually large enough for two small children to consume as a lot of parents tend to limit their child’s sugar intake.
It’s quite interesting to watch them create your frozen treat. They bring out a large block of ice and insert it into the ice shaver. As the machine works its magic, ice falls effortlessly into the cup in which your dessert will be served. It’s reminiscent of snow flurries on a winter’s morning! Soon after, they shape ice into a nice round mound and move over to the flavored syrups. The flavors that you select are generously poured on top of the ice so that it will absorbed thoroughly. The syrup is not too thick but it is very sweet! You might even appreciate the syrup working its way toward the bottom of the cup so that you can use your spoon to reapply it to the ice if needed. I made sure that my vanilla ice cream that was in the center of the snowball was swimming in the syrup because I have a serious sweet tooth!
The one thing that I liked about Snowflakes is that they offered more of a variety of shaved ice. Not only do that have the Hawaiian style shaved ice but they also offer ice cream that is similar to light snow when it’s shaved down in the ice shaver. So you have the option of shaved ice that is already evenly flavored like ice cream or you can get creative with the syrups and indulge in a large snowball that will soak up the flavor of the syrups.
We really were glad to discover Snowflakes because it’s so close to home and we have another local hangout that really has a lot to offer. The staff are friendly and patient. The store is alway spotless and has a reasonable amount of seating. Finally, the products that they sell are amazing! If you want to indulge in something cold and sweet on these sweltering hot So Cal days, stop by Snowflakes to cool down and enjoy something delicious!