Roll With It: Asato Family Sherbet Truck Hits the Road

O’ahu’s only sherbet truck parks in Waikīkī during the week and roams the island on weekends.

February 23, 2023

Melissa Chang,

Roll With It is a Frolic series about food trucks we’ve seen out and about. We’re tracking them down and trying dishes to bring you the 4-1-1.

Photo: Melissa Chang

If you know, you know: Every Sunday at 10 a.m. when the Asato Family Shop on Pali Highway opens, there’s already a line of people waiting to get that weeks’ new drop of sherbet flavors. Even as I’m writing this, weatherman Guy Hagi is complaining that he’s never tried the sherbet because he can’t get there before they sell out.

Well, now you might have a better chance at snagging a pint: Asato Family recently started taking its sherbet truck on the road. Previously, you may have encountered it at occasional events. Now it’s parked at 2057 Kalākaua Ave. every Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it may even randomly pop up in other spots on Saturdays. This Saturday, for instance, the truck will be on the other side of the island in ‘Ewa Beach.

That’s really good news for people who live outside of town, since many fans in West and Central Oahu have expressed a desire to get a first taste of these hard-to-get sherbets. As for where else the sherbet truck might go, Asato says they’re still feeling out what works best, which is why you need to follow Asato Family’s Instagram or website to find out the latest.

Why is this sherbet so popular? Aside from the obvious answer—Hawai‘i has a unique and longstanding love of this dessert, from old times—shop owner and sherbet master Neale Asato combines a solid culinary background (he had his own Blk/Box food truck and cooked at Vintage Cave) with a combination of old-school favorite flavors and monthly themes that riff on crack seed, soda fountain treats, favorite candies, the list goes on.

The menu

Asato Family Sherbet Truck Owners Pc Melissa Chang

Photo: Melissa Chang

Classic flavors at the Asato Family sherbet truck include strawberry, pineapple, Green River, Mango Orange Bang, li hing lemon, li hing float, and yuzu (non-dairy). Keep an eye out for rotating special flavors. For the last week of February, both the shop and truck will have matcha condensed milk sherbet.

Pints are $8, but the truck also has individual servings—which you can’t buy at the shop—of classic flavors for $5 a cup, scooped to order by Asato or his parents.

You can also get other popular accompaniments like bags of lemon peel gummy bears or bottles of li hing mui sauce.

We recommend:

Honestly, it really depends on you. For those who grew up in Hawai‘i, you’ll probably be like me and gravitate towards small-kid time flavors like Green River and li hing float. I’m all about the li hing flavor, so I recommend getting a drizzle of li hing sauce for an extra $1.