Matsumoto's Shaved Ice in Oahu Hawaii

In our travels, we have gotten pretty good (and lucky) at timing our travels out.  We try to beat rush hour, and to make it to crowded places when the crowds aren't around.

Well, we lucked out majorly when we visited Matsumoto's Shaved Ice in Hawaii.  By all accounts, this place ALWAYS has a line.  They even had a roped off area for people getting shaved ice, and for people just getting something in their store.  We went early on a very rainy day and we did not have to wait in line at all!  As we left though, we did notice others starting to swarm the place.

I had some pineapple flavored ice (for some reason it was colored blue) and man was it great!  AND, for $3 I thought it was an absolute bargain for what I got.  This is tasty.  Our friend Renee, who made her third trip to the island with us said that this is the place to get shaved ice.  Others are good, but this is the best.

For a small local place, Matsumoto's has really done well with their logo and branding.  In their gift shop, I saw tons of Matsumoto's items.  I was most impressed with a basketball jersey.  Prices were good in the gift shop too.  For about $11, I walked out with a cool patch and several stickers.