MoMo & Coco

HK’s Best Shaved Ice, Bingsu and Kakigori

Introduction

One of our most popular NYC dessert reviews is our guide to NYC’s best shaved ice. From ice kacang, to halo-halo, kakigori to bingsu to bingfen, the countless variations of sweet ice were the perfect escape from NYC’s humid summer days. On the other side of the world, summer in Hong Kong is about x1000 worse than NYC in terms of humidity, and as a consequence, we desperately made it our summer mission to track down the best of the best of Hong Kong’s shaved ice. Check out our guide below, and let us know if we have missed any of your favourites. 

*Updated May 2026

 

 

HK’s best traditional and most evocative shaved ice 

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Susantianmi, Causeway Bay.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Moutai Chocolate, Hawthorn Tangerine and Red Bean.
  • ☑ Budget: $$-$$$. 
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: Located just off the main shopping lanes of Causeway Bay, Susantianmi is a rathern evocative dessert space, replete with vintage prints, plum blossom-shaped wood-carve, teak furniture, and red lanterns. It’s both a reminder of old Hong Kong and a symbol of present day Hong Kong. The shaved ice here is densely-packed, more creamy than crystalline, and melds modernity and traditionalism in equal measure, with the likes of newly viral flavours such as “Dubai Pistachio” and “Moutai Chocolate” sitting side-by-side with the likes of flavours from centuries ago, hawthorn, osmanthus, lotus etc. Susantianmi is one of our favourite group dessert spots in HK.
 

HK’s best Japanese shaved ice 

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Shari Shari, various locations in Central, Causeway Bay, TST, Mong Kok.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Matcha, and seasonal specials such as sakura and guava.
  • ☑ Budget: $$ 
  • ☑ Short and sweet story:  With several locations scattered throughout the city, Shari Shari is perhaps the most well-known shaved ice spot in HK. The shaved ice here is very generously scooped, albeit just slightly smaller than the shaved ice at Lab Zero (see further below). Due to its size, Shari Shari’s shaved ice is not suitable for the solo dessert adventurer. Rather, Shari Shari is a group dessert spot. Texture wise, the shaved ice is crystalline and light. The available flavours lean towards Japan, and matcha lovers in particular should not miss the strong earthy tones of Shari Shari’s “Matcha” kakigori. The seasonal flavours make repeat visits to Shari Shari a necessity — the delicate “Sakura” and tangy “Guava” all provided wonderful relief from HK’s intense summer humidity. 
 

HK’s best Taiwanese shaved ice

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Pah Shih, various locations in Central, Causeway Bay, TST.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Any of the grass jelly-based shaved ice.
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: At Pah Shih, the shaved ice is a doable solo-person size. Just very slightly sweet, it sits on a bed of slippery bouncy grass jelly and comes accompanied with a small bowl of taro mochi and red bean paste. Of the more than half a dozen variations available at Pah Shih, we have had the joy of the scaling small mountains of shaved ice covered in a plop of mango and also splattered with matcha and hojicha cream. Pah Shih’s extensive grass jelly-infused drinks menu are well worth the liquid sugar accompaniment as well. 

HK’s best Korean shaved ice

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Nun Dessert Cafe, Mong Kok.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Melon, White Peach.
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: Nun is such a tiny spot in the middle of chaotic Mong Kok — if we hadn’t had our Google map on, we would have totally missed it. Stepping inside, its walls are lined with large portrait photos of various Korean idols and celebrities, and the space itself is as crammed with as many people as there might be at a K-pop concert. The shaved ice here skews towards milky and creamy, rather than icy in texture. Nun’s bingsu is also probably the smallest in size compared to the others on this list. The fruit flavours are the highlights at Nun; we loved the “Melon” and “White Peach.” The “Hojicha Pistachio” will make the ideal proposition for those without a sweet tooth.

HK’s best smaller, fruity shaved ice

  • ☑ Dessert destination: 
    • Lung Tong Fong, TST and Causeway Bay.
    • Joyful Dessert, Mong Kok. 
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Grape (Lung Tong Fong) and Lychee (Joyful Dessert).
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: There are as many tang sui (糖水, sweet soup) shops in Hong Kong as there are perhaps stars in the skies. We find most of them a bit forgettable, but there are two that stand out in our mind because they offer shaved ices. Especially at the height of summer in Hong Kong, don’t miss Lung Tong Fong’s shaved ice bewejelled with slices of green grapes like luminiscent jade, or Joyful’s version studded with lychee balls and opalescent popping white pearls. They both make for most refreshing respites, and are small enough that one person can potentially partake as a solo dessert experience.

HK’s largest shaved ice 

  • ☑ Dessert destination: 
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Mango and Dubai Chocolate (Lab Zero), and Dragon Fruit and Coconut (Auntie Sweet).
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: For the largest balls of shaved ice in Hong Kong, hit up Auntie Sweet for an ultra casual setting, and Lab Zero for something a little more classy. For either, bring 3-4 friends to maximize the dessert adventure. 😛 At Auntie Sweet, the riveting neon-pink “Dragonfruit” shaved ice is our favourite for its revitalizing spirit, closely followed by the curious combination of the “Salty Coconut” and the very creamy “Peanut Butter.”  Shaved ice at Lab Zero differs from Aunti Sweet by being slightly more icy in texture and slightly larger in size.  Otherwise though, Lab Zero follows a similar lightly pan-Asian sensibility, and is similarly unrestrained in terms of flavour punch. We recommend two flavours in particular: (i) the “Mango,” which resembled a sunset-orange volcano, with mango syrup and coconut milk cascading down the giant white ice globe; and (ii) the “Dubai Chocolate,” an unexpectedly not-saccharine shaved ice, where nutty pistachio acted as a counterbalance to the Milo-accented chocolate tones. Expect to wait for a while for seats, even if therer are many empty tables inside.

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