Sweet As - Deep Research Report

Overview

Sweet As is a small dessert stop at Ala Moana Center on Oʻahu that focuses on real-fruit ice cream in a New Zealand style. For a traveler, the appeal is straightforward: it is a quick, mall-based treat that feels a little more distinctive than standard soft serve or a generic scoop shop.

The Google Places listing, the official website, and multiple recent references all point to the same business at 1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Center Court Level 3, with the same phone number and website, and the place is currently shown as operational. That makes the identity fairly stable, with only minor variation in how sources describe the setup: kiosk, shop, or ice creamery. (sweetasicecream.com)

Cuisine & Specialties

Sweet As serves real-fruit ice cream built around a choose-your-base-and-fruit formula. The core idea is simple: pick an ice cream base, frozen yogurt, or coconut-based option, then have fruit blended in to make a soft-serve-like treat. The result is more of a fruit-forward dessert than a heavy, premium ice cream shop. (staradvertiser.com)

Overall menu style: quick-service dessert kiosk/ice creamery with customizable fruit-and-ice-cream combinations. (staradvertiser.com)
Notable specialties: real-fruit blends; coconut base; dairy-free coconut option; frozen yogurt option; mango, strawberry, mixed berry, pineapple, raspberry, and similar fruit pairings. (staradvertiser.com)
Serving formats: single “keiki” size, double “nui” size, cup, or freshly made waffle cone. The official site lists $7 for keiki, $9 for nui, and a $1 waffle-cone upgrade. (sweetasicecream.com)
Price range / spend expectations: budget-friendly to low-mid range for a mall dessert stop, with most visitors likely spending around one small dessert per person rather than a full meal. That estimate is an inference from the published menu prices. (sweetasicecream.com)
Dietary usefulness: the dairy-free coconut option is a meaningful plus for travelers avoiding dairy. The menu is otherwise narrow and dessert-focused, so it is not a broad-fit option for savory dietary needs. (staradvertiser.com)
Commonly mentioned flavors/items: raspberry with coconut ice cream, mango, strawberry-banana, mixed berries, and lilikoi appear in recent review snippets and secondary coverage. (wanderlog.com)

Notable Features & Ambiance

This is a compact, mall-embedded treat stop rather than a linger-long restaurant. The setting is on Ala Moana Center’s third level, and secondary descriptions call it a kiosk with nearby communal/open-air seating; in practice, it reads like a quick dessert stop that fits a shopping break more than a sit-down outing. (wanderlog.com)

Service model and seating style: counter/kiosk ordering with made-to-order assembly; seating is limited and appears to rely on mall/common-area seating rather than a dedicated dining room. (wanderlog.com)
Atmosphere and decor: straightforward, casual, and more functional than atmospheric; the draw is the product and the novelty of the fruit-blended format, not a decorated interior. This is an inference from the kiosk descriptions and photos rather than a directly stated feature. (wanderlog.com)
Amenities / practical features: centrally located inside one of Honolulu’s busiest shopping centers, which makes it easy to pair with errands, retail, or a mall visit. (wanderlog.com)
Best fit: a quick dessert stop, a hot-day cool-down, or a family-friendly snack break. (staradvertiser.com)
Weaker fit: travelers looking for a full café experience, a long sit-down dessert lounge, or a broad menu with many non-dessert options. This is an editorial inference based on the service style and menu scope. (sweetasicecream.com)

History & Background

There is not much public backstory in the sources reviewed. What is clear is that Sweet As brands itself around “New Zealand style real fruit ice cream” and says the product is handmade in Hawaii, with multiple Oʻahu locations mentioned in recent press coverage. That suggests a small island-local business rather than a national chain, but the deeper ownership story was not well documented in the sources gathered here. (sweetasicecream.com)

Review Sentiment Snapshot

What People Love

Recent review snippets and coverage consistently praise the customization and the fruit-forward concept. People like being able to choose the base, fruit, and format, and several reviewers specifically mention that the result feels refreshing and not overly sweet. Friendly, helpful service is another recurring positive. (wanderlog.com)

Common Gripes

The main recurring downside is mildness or texture preference: some reviewers find certain flavor combinations a little subdued, and at least one reviewer preferred the bowl over the cone. Those complaints are present, but they read as relatively light and mixed rather than a major red flag. (wanderlog.com)

Practical Visitor Tips

Hours posture: Google Places lists daily hours of 10:00 AM–8:00 PM. A secondary listing shows a different pattern on some days, so treat mall-hours ambiguity as a small but real drift risk. (wanderlog.com)
Best time to go: off-peak shopping hours are likely the easiest, especially if you want quicker service and more time to browse flavor options. That advice is supported by review-pattern guidance on lighter crowds. (wanderlog.com)
Ordering tip: if you want the fruit and ice cream to stand out, a cup may be better than a cone; several reviewers also suggest trying the coconut base or dairy-free coconut option. (wanderlog.com)
Crowding / timing: because it sits inside Ala Moana Center, it is best thought of as a high-traffic mall dessert stop rather than a destination with guaranteed quiet seating. (alamoanacenter.com)
Visit style: good for a quick stop before or after shopping, not ideal if you want a full meal or a long sit-down dessert experience. (wanderlog.com)

Verification Notes

Official identity is consistent across sources: Sweet As, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Center Court Level 3, Honolulu, HI 96814, (808) 953-8202, sweetasicecream.com. (sweetasicecream.com)
Google Places shows the business as OPERATIONAL and the address aligns with the candidate record. (staradvertiser.com)
Minor hours drift exists between sources: Google Places lists 10:00 AM–8:00 PM daily, while Wanderlog shows 10:00 AM–9:00 PM on most days and 10:00 AM–8:00 PM Sunday. (staradvertiser.com)
No major verification issues found. (staradvertiser.com)

Sources

Sweet As official website — http://www.sweetasicecream.com/ — Retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for the brand’s self-described style, official menu structure, and published prices.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “We scream for ice cream” — https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/07/16/food/we-scream-for-ice-cream/ — Retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for concise independent confirmation of the concept, flavor options, local-dairy mention, and multi-location context.
Wanderlog place page for Sweet As — https://wanderlog.com/place/details/9516871/%E3%82%B9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%82%A2%E3%82%BA — Retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for review-pattern signals, hours cross-checking, and descriptive details about the kiosk setting. Some wording here is interpretive, so the ambiance notes above treat it as supporting evidence rather than hard fact.
MapQuest listing for Sweet As Ice Cream — https://www.mapquest.com/us/hawaii/sweet-as-ice-cream-668030500 — Retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for confirming the kiosk-style setup and recent user comments about customization and order flow.