Sweet as - Deep Research Report

Overview

Sweet as is a real-fruit ice cream shop in Lāʻie on Oʻahu’s North Shore, at Hukilau Marketplace near the Polynesian Cultural Center. The current Google record says it is operational at 55-370 Kamehameha Hwy Bldg 5 with the listed phone number and website, and the shop’s own site and marketplace page point to the same location. (sweetasicecream.com)

For a traveler, the draw is a dessert stop that feels local rather than generic: the menu is built around New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream, with a few base options and fruit mix-ins that make it easy to customize. It is best understood as a sweet stop before or after exploring Lāʻie, not as a full meal destination. (hukilaumarketplace.com)

Cuisine & Specialties

Sweet as focuses on real fruit ice cream with a soft-serve style format. The core idea is simple: choose a base, choose fruit, and get it blended fresh to order. The official menu and marketplace page show a lane centered on vanilla, coconut, dairy-free coconut, and frozen yogurt bases, with fruit flavors such as mango, strawberry, pineapple, banana, mixed berry, blueberry, raspberry, and lilikoi. (sweetasicecream.com)

Overall menu style: dessert-only, built around customizable real fruit ice cream rather than a broad ice cream parlor menu. (sweetasicecream.com)
Notable specialties: mango, strawberry, pineapple, banana, mixed berry, blueberry, raspberry, and lilikoi combinations; coconut and dairy-free coconut bases; frozen yogurt base; homemade waffle cone. (sweetasicecream.com)
Traveler-friendly spend expectations: the 2024 Star-Advertiser listing put single scoops at $7, double scoops at $9, and waffle cone upgrade at $1 more. That is a useful current benchmark, though prices may have changed since then. (staradvertiser.com)
Dietary usefulness: the menu explicitly includes a dairy-free coconut base, so this is a relatively useful stop for travelers avoiding dairy; there is not enough evidence here to infer broader allergy-friendly or vegan certainty beyond that base option. (sweetasicecream.com)

Notable Features & Ambiance

This is a compact dessert stop in a shopping/marketplace setting, so the experience is more about a quick custom treat than lingering over a long sit-down meal. The marketplace page says each order is made to order and served in a cup or homemade waffle cone, and it notes that the shop stays open after the HĀ show, which makes it especially relevant for evening visitors leaving the area. (hukilaumarketplace.com)

Service model and seating style: counter-service, made-to-order dessert shop; seating details are not clearly documented in the sources reviewed. (hukilaumarketplace.com)
Atmosphere and decor: the setting appears casual and tourist-friendly, with the marketplace page positioning it as an easy stop in Hukilau Marketplace rather than a formal café. Secondary review snippets emphasize a fun night atmosphere in the marketplace, but that is more about the location than a fully documented interior design. (hukilaumarketplace.com)
Amenities or practical features: homemade waffle cones; made-to-order assembly; evening hours that extend beyond the HĀ show. (hukilaumarketplace.com)
Best fit: a post-dinner dessert stop, an afternoon treat, or a North Shore/Lāʻie pit stop for travelers who want something distinct from standard ice cream. (hukilaumarketplace.com)
Weaker fit: anyone wanting a full meal, a long sit-down experience, or a broad savory menu. The evidence points to a focused dessert concept, not a general restaurant. (sweetasicecream.com)

History & Background

The clearest background available is conceptual rather than biographical: Sweet as brands itself as New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream, and the Star-Advertiser described it in 2024 as a multi-location business with locations in Ala Moana Center, Lāʻie, and Haleʻiwa. That suggests it has grown into more than a single neighborhood stand, but I did not find a stronger founder story or detailed origin narrative in the sources reviewed. (staradvertiser.com)

Review Sentiment Snapshot

What People Love

Review patterns are strongly positive. The most repeated praise is for the fresh fruit-and-ice-cream combination, the ability to customize the base and fruit, and the fact that the texture tastes creamy without feeling overly heavy. The homemade waffle cones also come up as a standout. Secondary review summaries repeatedly mention mango, raspberry, coconut, lilikoi, and mixed-berry combinations as favorites. (hukilaumarketplace.com)

Common Gripes

There is not much sustained negative feedback in the sources found. The main practical downside is that this is a small, made-to-order dessert stop, so waits can happen when it is busy; one review summary mentions long lines but quick movement, and another notes that the shop can get crowded. That complaint appears real, but it is lightly supported rather than a dominant pattern. (restaurantji.com)

Practical Visitor Tips

Google’s current hours show Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM, with Wednesday and Sunday closed. The Hukilau Marketplace page shows a different older hours listing, so I would trust the newer Google-hours signal more cautiously, while still treating it as worth checking before you go. (waze.com)
The shop appears to be walk-in only from the evidence reviewed; I did not find reservation or table-booking information. (hukilaumarketplace.com)
It is inside Hukilau Marketplace in Lāʻie, which makes it a convenient dessert stop for people already visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center area. (hukilaumarketplace.com)
If you want the shortest wait, going outside peak evening traffic is a sensible inference from the made-to-order setup and repeated comments about busier periods. (hukilaumarketplace.com)
If you need dairy-free options, this is one of the stronger dessert stops in the area because the menu explicitly offers a dairy-free coconut base. (sweetasicecream.com)

Verification Notes

Official name/address/phone/website: Google Places, the official site, and the Hukilau Marketplace page all align on Sweet as / Sweet As Real Fruit Ice Cream at 55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Lāʻie, HI 96762, with phone (808) 762-0644 and website sweetasicecream.com. (sweetasicecream.com)
Operational status: Google lists the business as OPERATIONAL. (waze.com)
Hours drift / stale signal: the marketplace page’s hours differ from Google’s current hours, so hours should be treated as somewhat dynamic. (waze.com)
No major identity conflict found: the place appears consistently tied to the Lāʻie Hukilau Marketplace location, and I did not find evidence of a relocation or a different business using this exact identity. (sweetasicecream.com)

Sources

Google Places record for Sweet as — https://maps.google.com/?cid=10635237591175172053 — retrieved 2026-04-02 — useful for the baseline identity anchor, address, phone, ratings, business status, and current hours.
Sweet As Real Fruit Ice Cream menu page — https://www.sweetasicecream.com/our-menu/ — retrieved 2026-04-02 — most useful for the core menu structure, bases, fruit options, and dairy-free option.
Sweet As at Hukilau Marketplace page — https://hukilaumarketplace.com/sweet-as-real-fruit-ice-cream/ — retrieved 2026-04-02 — useful for the “New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream” framing, made-to-order description, waffle cone note, address, and older hours signal.
Sweet As contact page — https://sweetasicecream.com/contact-us/ — retrieved 2026-04-02 — useful for confirming the Lāʻie Hukilau Marketplace location on the official site.
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 — useful for price benchmarks and confirmation that Sweet As operates in multiple Oʻahu locations.
Wanderlog place summary for Sweet as — source page surfaced in search results — useful for aggregated review themes such as customizable bases, fruit combinations, and general traveler sentiment. Exact canonical URL not provided in the crawl summary.
Restaurantji summary for Sweet As, Haleʻiwa — https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/haleiwa/sweet-as-/ — retrieved 2026-04-02 — useful only as a secondary review-pattern signal about lines and service pace, though it refers to the Haleʻiwa location rather than Lāʻie.