We had heard a lot about a scoop of Hawaiian culinary history made at Tasaka Guri-Guri, a small, family-owned shop located in Kahului, in the heart of Maui. Their speciality is a beguilingly simple treat known as guri-guri. For $1.20 you get two scoops of icy goodness, which is a cross between sherbet and ice cream. It is typically made with a mixture of guava juice, any type of lime soda and condensed milk. The family that runs Tasaka Guri-Guri is very protective of their recipe and has managed to keep it a family secret.
In essence, the shop is a tiny grocery store with no seating area, so you savour it as you stroll through the outdoor Maui Mall. There are only two flavors – strawberry and pineapple – and you actually don’t need more. This tiny shop has been serving locals with guri guri for decades and locals remember it fondly from their childhood days.
It’s not too sweet, you can taste the fruit and and the consistency is surprisingly creamy. This is different than any ice cream you have had before, far from gelato, something like frozen yoghurt but more fruity, it’s surely worth going out of your way to try the stuff.
And now for some awesome facts:
Jokichi Tasaka made the first guri-guri in 1900 in Japan which was later imported by his son to the United States. They have been serving the stuff in Maui for over 100 years and Jokichi’s grandkids still run the place. His idea has stood the test of time to become an inspiring success story.
Be part of Maui history and lick away my friends.
Verdict: These delicious scoops of pineapple and strawberry are a fantastic refresher on a hot Maui day. No wonder this entrepreneurial sensation’s genre of frozen dessert has survived over a century.
Tasaka Guri Guri
No Website, Facebook or any other social media.
In the Maui Mall 70 E Kaahumanu AveSte C13
Kahului, HI 96732
+1-808-871-4513
