In addition to eating our weight in garlicky shrimp while on Oahu’s North Shore, The Astronomer, Luscious, and I also dug into two sweets and an additional savory: shave ice at Matsumoto, cream pie at Ted’s Bakery, and local-style rotisserie chicken at Ray’s. All three are highly recommended if you ever find yourself in these here beautiful parts.
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When Mamoru Matsumoto first opened M. Matsumoto Grocery Store back in 1951, he peddled wares on a bicycle, while his wife Helen managed the store. It wasn’t until sometime in the 1960s that the Matsumotos began operating a shave ice stand within the store. Today, the couple’s son Stanley and his wife, Noriko, own and operate the business.
On sunny days, the store sells up to 1,000 shave ice, according to Matsumoto’s website. With over 40 homemade syrups, as well as ice cream and azuki beans to complement it all, the combinations here are sticky, sugary, and seemingly endless.
