Da Hawaiian Brain Freeze Shave Ice & Ice Cream — Restaurant in Hawaii

I am a Shave Ice and Ice Cream connoisseur. I’ve been to all the best places on all the islands. Matsumotos on Oahu, JoJos and Skinny Mikes on Kauai, and Scandi’s in Kona but Brain Freeze stands alone now!

The shave ice is as big as your head (no exaggeration). Reasonably priced but a little high on the snow cap and ice cream option. Lots of flavors and a perfect pour so that it’s not soupy or puddles at the bottom.

They also feature lots different flavors with the mudslide and banana macadamia nut being the popular flavors in our group and my wife saying it was now her new favorite all time flavor. There’s also a couple cultural options if you wanna try something new.

Brain Freeze without a doubt will be a MUST visit when coming g to Hilo or worth the drive when...

Incredible. This was easily the best shaved ice we've had in Hawaii. The portion sizes are HUGE! A small shave ice is only three dollars, and it TOWERS over the cup! There is an enormous selection of ice cream flavors, from basic chocolate and vanilla to local favorites like Kona coffee and lilikoi. I had two scoops in a waffle cone, the macadamia nut and ube. Both were delicious! My family all got shave ice with an assortment of flavors, and the staff was very accommodating, even when my brother dropped his shave ice onto the floor. The owner was very friendly, and the atmosphere clean and fun. We will definitely be back!

Tl;dr Delicious shave ice and ice cream, and awesome staff....

I haven't had any bad ice cream in Hilo yet. The selection at this place is large. And the flavors range from traditional to tropical. It has a very local vibe to it, and the clientele seemed to back that up. Didn't interact much with the staff as Hawaii is still in pandemic mode, so they were handing the ice cream they a tiny window, but they seemed nice enough given how busy the place was.

Everything was on point. I had the blueberry freckle, and my wife had the lilokoi cheesecake ice cream. Really good stuff. Creamy, no ice chunks or uneven textures even with the bits of real fruit throughout. Made for a very satisfying treat on a hot muggy afternoon. I...