Written By: Kaitlyn Chan

Hong Kong has been getting hotter and hotter, with temperatures this year reaching record highs—making it incredibly hard to go through the day without something cold. So: instead of staying at home dwelling in the basement, maybe you too can make an effort to go out to explore the city to try new food, and maybe (finally) meet your favourite go-to dessert!

Kakigori (かき氷), well-known Japanese desserts made out of fluffy ice, condensed milk, and syrup, have completely drained Hong Kongers’ wallets over the past few years, becoming nothing short of a cultural sensation. Though mainly found in the Central and Western Districts, there are a wide variety of kakigori stores throughout the city. With this astounding rise in popularity of the dessert, let’s take a look at some of the top-rated kakigori restaurants around Hong Kong!

Store #1: After You

In Causeway Bay near Times Square, a newly opened restaurant has collected a crowd of customers for its interesting flavours and presentation. After You is a Thai dessert shop that serves ice cream-based pastries, honey toasts, drinks, and – of course, shaved ice. After You’s shaved ice has flavours such as Mango Sticky Rice ($148), Thai Tea ($138), Strawberry Cheesecake ($138), and Milo Volcano ($128), with the mango sticky rice and Thai tea flavours being their bestsellers. I recommend the strawberry cheesecake and mango sticky rice flavours! Surprisingly, the shop was successfully able to replicate the taste of both and wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. Whilst the syrups and toppings play a significant part in the product’s taste, the most distinctive feature is the ice; the density of the store’s ice makes each product all the more appealing and flavourful. Although the store is rather cramped due to the popularity of their products, the waiting time to enter the venue is completely worth it once you get to indulge in the sweet desserts! Despite its price, After You has become one of Hong Kong’s most beloved shaved ice restaurants.

Store #2: SHARI SHARI Kakigori House

Around Central and Causeway Bay is where SHARI SHARI Kakigori House resides. The shop is the most popular kakigori restaurant branch in Hong Kong, with more than a thousand reviews on OpenRice combined. Shari Shari is most known for its wide variety of kakigori flavours, with flavours specific to the shop’s area. Central’s Shari Shari has two store-specific flavours, Mixed Berries Yogurt ($95) and Guava & Coconut ($90);  Causeway Bay’s has Lemon & Cream Cheese ($98). Other than the mentioned flavours, there are options including the Matcha Cream Special, Black White Angel (oreo flavoured, $90), and Hojicha & Kinako Cream ($95). Furthermore, Shari Shari has special and limited-time flavours depending on the season or holidays, such as Hokkaido Pumpkin being a Halloween special in the previous year, and Sakura being a limited-time special during cherry blossom season. I highly suggest trying the Matcha Cream Special and Mixed Berries Yogurt Kakigori since both options are neither too sweet nor too bland, making them the perfect flavours for any time of the year. Moreover, you will always be finding a hidden topping in the middle of their kakigori, which makes the experience of eating it more exhilarating and suspenseful!

One downside to the store, however, is the sizes of its products and the price. For its price, the kakigori is smaller than expected but some of the cheaper options, such as the mango and matcha ones, are totally worth it. Shari Shari’s kakigori is a must-try when it comes to eating shaved ice. With its wide variety of flavours and diverse locations, it’s hard not to give Shari Shari’s kakigori a try!

Store #3: Auntie Sweet Dessert

Although not as popular as its competitors, Auntie Sweet Dessert offers a more unique spin to the often-seen kakigori. With Mrs Hong Kong (peanut butter, $98), PoPo (black sesame, $98), and Puppy Love (strawberry, $98) being their best-selling shaved ice, Auntie Sweet provides a wide variety of uncommon kakigori flavours that could be deemed “odd,” but in any case, are extremely appetising. The size and taste of the kakigori are extremely worth the price, especially with how many extra toppings there are available for each product and its quantity. Although I haven’t tried the majority of their products, my favourite kakigori flavours are PoPo and Chocolate Jungle (not a fan of mint chocolate, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought). Bringing a friend along is highly recommended when going to Auntie Sweet because of how large each kakigori is, but BE CAREFUL! The ice in their kakigori isn’t as dense, leading to it falling apart easily—I’ve experienced this multiple times by accident. However, for someone who may be uninterested in shaved ice, the shop also offers a wide selection of well-known Cantonese desserts such as 豆腐花 (Chinese soybean pudding) and 湯圓 (Chinese glutinous rice balls). Similar to the other stores, Auntie Sweet Dessert can be found in Causeway Bay, as well as in Tin Hau.

Store #4: Meet Fresh

Lastly, I’ve recently been introduced to a dessert restaurant called Meet Fresh. Besides the numerous Taiwanese desserts such as 手工芋圓 (taro balls) and 滑嫩仙草(grass jelly) which make up their most popular desserts, a number of shaved ice products are also on the menu. Their most popular shaved ice product, 芋薯圓Q麻糬牛奶冰 (Taro Balls Q Mochi Milk Ice), is essentially a cluster of Q mochi, milk, taro balls, 冬瓜凍 (Taiwanese winter melon jelly), ice cream, and, obviously, shaved ice. With the price of $58, the shaved ice is definitely worth your time and money. Moreover, Meet Fresh provides a large bowl and spoon that helps prevent your dessert from falling onto the tray. Despite this, the shaved ice is too sweet and too large for a one-person dessert; I would recommend bringing a friend along as well as a large bottle of water with you. Furthermore, the ice that they make isn’t as consistent, making it slightly awkward to consume. Overall, I wouldn’t particularly recommend Meet Fresh as a shaved ice restaurant, but rather as a general Taiwanese dessert shop! Its other products have a wider variety of options to choose from, whilst its shaved ice section is rather small.

In summary, loads of shaved ice restaurants, such as After You, Shari Shari, Auntie Sweet Dessert, and Meet Fresh, are scattered throughout Hong Kong, all of which are perfect for a quick summer treat! The sudden craze for kakigori is no surprise with the summer heat being 30.3°C; who wouldn’t want to cool down with something so sweet and refreshing? Despite each store having different pros and cons, each store has its unique charming points that make them so notable to eat and try, so I highly recommend going around Hong Kong to try them all!