Fayetteville: Here’s Where To Get Authentic Shave Ice

There is certainly no shortage of spots to score cold treats around the area. However, shave ice in Fayetteville might be one of the more underrated dessert or snack options of them all.

What exactly is shave ice and how is it different than a snow cone? I first had shave ice on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. It was also the first time I was introduced to such a thing or had even heard of it. There's a reason why it is so common and popular in Hawaii. It's also important to note, the proper term is "shave" ice, not "shaved" ice.

In fact, Hawaiian Airlines has a detailed overview of the origins of this cool treat and how it dates back to the 1800's. "To cool off, Japanese immigrants in Hawaii used their tools to shave flakes off large blocks of ice, and then coated it with sugar or fruit juice," they explain.

Kitchen Aid makes products that allow you to make shave ice in your own home. They also have more common snow cone makers. They are two different products because although the shave ice and snow cones are similar and use the same ingredients, they have significantly different attributes.

"The primary difference between Hawaiian shave ice and snow cones is the texture of the ice," Kitchen Aid said. It's more common to use a spoon with shave ice. That is because "Hawaiian shaved ice is made by ice that has been shaved into a fine, powdery consistency." A snow cone is packed in tight with more of a crunch in a way that a popsicle has, where it can be sucked.

Shave ice not only gives parlor owners a unique product to offer, it also inspires some of the most creative shop names. Let's go through some of the places that you need to know about. Of course, all of them serve authentic shave ice, and a few of them have very clever names as well.

Starting with Pelican's Snoballs. They explain this is actually inspired by a New Orleans tradition "of combining smooth, fluffy snow with bold flavors." You can see the full menu of 100 flavors like cola or pink champagne here. Although Pelican's is a popular franchise with over 200 locations, there is only one in Fayetteville. It is located at 4621 Yadkin Road.

Then Jazzy Jax's shave ice is a mobile service. They describe themselves as a "business that operates through private events, birthday parties, and a mobile food trailer bringing shave ice out of this world to the Raeford/Fayetteville area." They offer ten different flavors but also allow you to add toppings like nerds or sour spray. Furthermore, their "Cosmic Creations" are unique blends. For example, the "Big Bang Butter Beer," which is butter beer ice with vanilla ice cream in the middle. It's then topped with whipped cream, sweet cream, and caramel.

Ben and Jerry's new flavors couldn't be more different from each other. The popular New England based ice cream brand has added three options to their creative family so far this year, and here I will rank them all.

Coincidentally, I tried each of these in one sitting. This was an unplanned taste test. With a house full of young kids, a visiting friend recently stopped by and knew the way to quickly win over the youngsters. Pints of ice cream.

Before I get into explaining which was best, I should note I am not an ice cream (or dessert) enthusiast by any means. Dare I say, I hardly seek out ice cream, even in the summer months. However, if it is put in front of me, I will eat it if it's one of my favorite varieties.

If I'm going for ice cream, though, Ben and Jerry's is easily my brand of choice. Being a New Englander, I have toured their Vermont location a handful of times. Their half-baked in a cone is my go-to choice.

If you are not familiar, these are the Ben and Jerry's new flavors that have rolled out in 2024. Impretzively Fudged, PB S'More, and Marshmallow Sky. Now, it's important to note that Marshmallow Sky is new just to pints. Meaning, it was available in their scoop shops only.

Another flavor entitled Strawberry Cheezecake was also unveiled earlier this year. This did not qualify here as a new flavor ranking because it had been an ice cream flavor (branded "cheesecake). The new "cheeze" version is a vegan dairy-free dessert.

Upon seeing these at my house, I realized they were new. So, instead of selecting one pint to scoop, I took one for the team and realized I needed one proper scoop of each.

My process was to try one at a time and not have all three in the same bowl. Blending flavors might compromise the intended taste.

As a result, there was a flavor where one bite was enough. Another where I couldn't get enough, and the third was somewhere in between.

Here is my official ice cream ranking of Ben and Jerry's new flavors.

It's chocolate ice cream with fudge covered pretzel pieces and pretzel swirl. The problem here is that I do not like chocolate covered pretzels. Oddly enough, I love pretzels alone. Dip them in sugar and ice cream and it either compromises the flavor or classifies as "too much." So, this was my least favorite.

Here we have toasted marshmallow ice cream with peanut butter cups, graham cracker pieces, and marshmallow swirl. The graham crackers are the star of this show. They pair better with the ice cream and chocolate than the typical marshmallow of a S'More. This was certainly a tasty delight, but I feel if the marshmallow swirl did not need to be invited to the party.

Admittedly, I was a little cautious about the blue ice cream color thinking it could suffer from cotton candy syndrome (where too much equals upset stomach city). That is not the case here. It's marshmallow ice cream with swirls, and then chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. The latter of the cookie dough bites just brings this to another level. Some sweets get forced together and some just belong together and make each other better. That's the case here. It's no wonder Ben and Jerry's decided to promote this flavor. It tastes as cheerful as it looks.