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| Exterior of Kaliki's © Aaron Everly |
If you blink, you’re likely to miss
it. If you judge it by its location,
you’re likely to miss out on something special.
Kaliki’s Hawaiian Shave Ice is located on the tail end of Lake Stevens
Shopping Center, behind a Jack in the Box.
Their shop is small, but the product is huge. It is the only Hawaiian shave ice shop in
Snohomish county, according to Google Maps.
Upon
entrance, you will notice the inviting, niche atmosphere. Everything is obviously Hawaiian, even the
temperature, a solid 80° year round. The
staff and usually the owner are there happily working and looking to welcome
you.
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| Entrance at Kaliki's © Aaron Everly |
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| Kaliki's atmosphere @ Aaron Everly |
There are
two types of menus to peruse. At the
entrance there are the order forms and flavor menus. The main items menu and price chart is
located above the ice shavers. When I
first visited, I found this process to be confusing, still do, but there is
usually someone willing to help during this process.
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| Order form © Aaron Everly |
You have
the option to try their shaved ice alone, or you can order shaved ice combined
with ice cream. Both are great and
fulfilling. If you’re not certain about
the flavors, just request a taste test.
I recommend the flavor “hot lava” because it tastes great with any
flavor. After the order form is filled, you
walk it to the end of the counter and pay.
Take note, they are a popular Lake
Stevens shop. People are always stopping
by, so don’t let the crowds scare you away.
Staff in here work hard to deliver a quality experience, but if you are
in a rush, they do have some premade items in the freezer for your
convenience.
The shaved
ice is extremely soft and generously packed on a plastic cone. I would say that the regular cone could be
shared, they don’t skim on portion sizes here.
The product and atmosphere are definitely worth the money and time
customers spend.
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| Kaliki's Hawaiian Shave Ice © Aaron Everly |
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| Kaliki's Hawaiian Shave Ice © Aaron Everly |
The shop offers a variety of other items like mochi and mocha for example. Its a safe place to visit. They have great music and energy pumping throughout. Parking is usually tight, but people are respectful. There is one bathroom in the
back and it is clean.