Sweet Treats: Where to Find Hawai‘i’s Only Snowthies
Milky Way Hawai‘i Ice’s mashups of Taiwanese-style snow ice and smoothies are worth hunting down on a hot day.
Sweet Treats is a new Frolic series featuring our favorite pick-me-ups.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Smoothies are widespread, snow ice a little harder to find in the Islands. But there is a place where you can get both: Milky Way Hawai‘i Ice combines Taiwanese snow ice with fruit juices in a sweet, thirst-quenching mashup known as the Snowthie.
The idea is the brainchild of Andy Gao, who wanted a dessert reminiscent of his native Taiwan. He launched Milky Way as a Snowthie truck five years ago with an eye-catching paint job of vibrant, smiley blobs by World Wide Walls co-founder Jasper Wong. Parked at Mother Waldron Park, the truck fit right in with the surrounding Kaka‘ako murals. Customers liked the fresh fruit juices and home-cooked azuki beans and taro enough that Gao went on to open a storefront in Kalihi.
Photo: Andrea Lee
That was three years ago. Having only been to the truck, I headed to Kalihi on a recent hot day to check out the Milky Way Café. The menu has more teas, Snowthie flavors and snow ice, plus air conditioning and a seating area. I order the two most popular Snowthies.
SEE ALSO: Honolulu’s Most Over-the-Top, Caffeinated Korean Shaved Ice Is Back
Gao fills the cups partway with papery layers of snow ice. To the Strawberry Man Snowthie ($6.50 for a medium), he adds juice. To the Snow Milk Snowthie ($6 for M), he adds milk. Both are finished off with a mound of snow, and the Snow Milk gets an additional base of grass jelly, a topping of boba and a drizzle of brown sugar syrup.
Strawberry Man is short for strawberry mango, and with its brilliant pinks and yellows, it’s a winner for Instagram. It’s also good for your tastebuds since the tartness of the fresh fruit juice shines through the creamy snow ice. The Snow Milk Snowthie is like a jacked-up brown sugar boba tea, though not overpoweringly sweet. Even amid the velvety milk taste, the house-made grass jelly stands out with a hint of herbal bitterness that almost tricks me into thinking this could be a bit healthy.
Gao’s favorite is the Taro Snowthie, which he says often takes people by surprise. It’s white, not purple, since it’s made with fresh taro and no artificial coloring.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Milky Way Hawai‘i Ice shares a parking lot with other businesses. According to Gao, stalls marked for certain businesses are free for all patrons to use.
Tips:
- Stir your Snowthie to soften it up for slurping.
- If a drink or snow ice at the store has a topping on the menu, you can swap out for two toppings of your choice for free.
- If you’re lactose-intolerant, bring Lactaid: There are no milk substitutes. Or get a non-dairy tea.
- You can order from the Kalihi shop by phone or online via Uber Eats or Clover.
- You can get free delivery within 2 miles of the Kalihi store for orders of 10 drinks or more.
- You can book the Milky Way truck for private events like weddings, birthday parties and corporate gatherings.
What: Snowthie
Cost: $6 to $6.50 for M, $7 to $7.50 for L
Where:
- Milky Way Hawai‘i Ice, 2130 N. King St. #9
- Check Instagram for the truck’s locations. When in Kaka‘ako, it parks on the Pohukaina Street side of Mother Waldron Park.
When: Shop open Sunday to Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check Instagram for the truck’s schedule.
Payment: Cash or card
Contact: (808) 200-1448 for the Kalihi shop, (808) 463-8110 for the truck
Follow: @milky_way_hawaii on Instagram
