Top pick1
Dave's Ice Cream At The Ilikai
Food Store
Specialty shop serving imaginative ice cream & sherbet flavors like kona coffee & lychee.
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Honolulu's dessert scene is one of the most exciting on Oahu, spanning everything from classic Hawaiian shave ice to Italian-style gelato, Korean bingsu, and tropical soft-serve. I pulled together the best 56 spots worth knowing — starting with my own verified picks, then rounding out the list with the area's highest-rated options.
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At the top of the list is Dave's Ice Cream At The Ilikai, a specialty shop our editors personally recommend and one that earns the NateEatsHawaii badge on this page. Known for imaginative flavors like kona coffee and lychee, it's a quintessential Honolulu ice cream experience. Beyond that, spots like Boba Bing in Ala Moana — home of the OnoWaffie and authentic Korean bingsu — and 7Gradi Gelato round out a list that has something for every kind of sweet tooth.
Spots our editors have personally visited are marked with the NateEatsHawaii badge on the page, so you can always tell which places come with his first-hand stamp of approval. Whether you're after a beachside shave ice in Waikiki or a late-night gelato run in Kapahulu, this guide has you covered.
FAQ
our editors' top pick is Dave's Ice Cream At The Ilikai, a specialty shop celebrated for creative flavors like kona coffee and lychee — it carries the NateEatsHawaii verified badge on this page. The broader list of 56 spots also includes highly rated options for gelato, bingsu, shave ice, and more.
Honolulu has plenty of wallet-friendly sweet options — shave ice shops like Aloha Icelabs in Waikiki and Gecko Girlz Shave Ice are popular choices for a light, affordable treat. Soft-serve and ice cream spots like Banan in Kaimuki and Waikiki are also well-regarded for casual, reasonably priced desserts.
This is a curated BEST guide — our editors' personally verified picks appear first, followed by the top-rated dessert spots in Honolulu drawn from the NateEatsHawaii catalog of roughly 1,900 Oahu restaurants. The list is reviewed and refreshed regularly to reflect new openings and updated ratings.
Desserts
Honolulu
The experiences I actually send visitors on.
Free cancellationHonolulu tasting walk
If you like eating your way through a neighborhood, this off-the-beaten-path Honolulu tasting walk hits spots you'd never find solo. Come hungry.
Free cancellationOahu luau night
The eating doesn't stop at dinner — a real luau is the one Waikiki night out worth booking ahead. Kalua pig, fire knife, the whole thing.
Editor's Pick Free cancellationWaikiki sunset sail
After happy hour, get on the water. A sunset cocktail sail off Waikiki is the move — drinks aboard, Diamond Head glowing behind you.
Editor's Pick Free cancellationCircle the island
Best single day on Oahu if you've got wheels-envy: turtles, the North Shore shrimp trucks, the lookouts — all in one guided loop.
Editor's Pick Free cancellationDiamond Head + breakfast
Earn the breakfast plate: hike Diamond Head first, then eat. Shuttle + reservation ticket included, so the morning's sorted before you refuel in Waikiki.
