What are the opening hours?

Monday 11am - 10pm Tuesday 11am - 10pm Wednesday 11am - 10pm Thursday 11am - 10pm Friday 11am - 11pm Saturday 11am - 11pm Sunday 11am - 10pm

Via Gelato

Name: Via Gelato
Address: 1142 12th Avenue, Honolulu, HI, 96816, US
Telephone: +18087322800
Price range: $

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Local restaurant serving small-batches of handmade ice cream in Hawaii daily, serving up locally inspired flavors and decadent classics.

Making paradise even sweeter since 2011. Vegan and keto friendly options made for you in the ice cream shop too! Via Gelato began as a food truck serving artisanal quality gelato with unique flavors inspired by local Hawaiian tastes. One year later, Via Gelato opened a store in Kaimuki with even more flavors and a brightly-lit, family-friendly ambiance. Each day the gelato makers make sixteen to twenty flavors that typically sell out. A board in the store lets customers pin up their ideas ranging from bubble gum to bacon. Not all of the suggestions make the cut, but everyday Via Gelato makes something special that speaks to our fondest childhood memories.

10/31/2026

Butter

I didn't really realize how much of a difference butter can make. I just started travelling in France. I've never been here before and I'm starting in the north a few minutes away from Belgium where most restaurants will serve you an entire plate of french fries for lunch whether you are looking for that or not. That seems to be the norm here. I'm travelling the countrysides because I love to be in rural areas and I am here to explore ingredients and food.

So about that butter - I picked up one of these butters from a regular grocery store. They have a lot to choose from. I already used up the whole package to make the crust of this galette so I am looking forward to trying the other butter brands to see which ones I like.

And the butter made this simple apple galette into a pastry masterpiece. It may not look like much; bad lighting, and I wasn't really focused on taking aesthetic photos. But the crust is so delicious and flaky and super crunchy. So my takeaway is the French do butter really well 😯and honestly that might be the one thing that makes all the difference.

The Menu

Signature + Unique Flavors
Almond Cookie
Black Sesame
Chai
Houjicha
Matcha

Classic + Nostalgic Flavors:
Haupia (v)
Coffee
Cookies and Cream
Fierce Chocolate
Frosted Flakes
Vanilla Bean
Pumpkin Crunch
Rum Raisin

Last call for Rum Raisin! If you enjoy this nostalgic classic adult flavor as much as I do, time to make some time to come by this weekend to grab this before it's gone.

Refreshing Flavors:
Lilikoi (v)
Strawberry (v)
Guava (v)

Specialties
Affogato
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Brownie Sundae
S'mores Ice Cream Sandwich
Soba Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich

Gelato Cakes
Strawberry Shortcake
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Oreo and Chocolate
Tiramisu

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

10/16/2026

Added to the Autumn Line Up
RUM RAISIN

So let's get into that question: Why? Why do people love this flavor?

Its appeal is almost the opposite of what makes flavors like chocolate, caramel, or cookies and cream popular. It's not particularly indulgent in the conventional sense. It's more about aroma, complexity, and contrast. It's indulgent in an adult complex way and it's very well balanced.

If you're thinking yuck - I don't like rum or alcohol I get it. Alone alcohol can taste overpowering and burning. But the rum made from sugarcane and dark with natural flavors of vanilla is what transforms the raisins. Raisins by themselves can be leathery, sticky, and intensely sweet. But when soaked in rum, they become plump, tender, and aromatic. The rum contributes notes of molasses, vanilla, oak, and caramel - friendly popular flavors combined with the richness and depth of other flavors too. That's what gives it the complexity and balance.

Also, the texture is distinctive. Properly prepared rum raisins soaked in rum remain soft and chewy in frozen ice cream. That contrast between cold, creamy custard and juicy, slightly chewy fruit is a major part of the experience.

And let's not forget the power of nostalgia. Rum raisin is a traditional ice cream flavor in many countries, including Japan, where ラムレーズン is well established. For some people, it evokes old-fashioned desserts or a slightly luxurious adult treat. And that's why I'm featuring it for fall. For that complex flavor and nostalgia factor. I think it pairs beautifully with straightforward pumpkin crunch or even classic vanilla. I'd even be interested in seeing what it would be like as an affogato...

The Menu

Unique + Signature Flavors:
Almond Cookie
Black Sesame
Houjicha
Kinako Chocolate Waffle
Matcha

Classic & Nostalgic Flavors:
Coffee
Cookies and Cream
Fierce Chocolate
Frosted Flakes
Rum Raisin
Vanilla Bean
Haupia Sorbetto (v)
Pumpkin Crunch

It's by no accident that all these flavors pair well together. You could literally just point to 2 or 3 on this list and it would be a lovely order.

Refreshing Flavors:
Strawberry (v)
Guava (v)
Lilikoi (v)

Signature Specialties:
Affogato
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Brownie Sundae
Soba Cookie Gelato Sandwich
S'mores Gelato Sandwich

Gelato Cakes:
Oreo & Chocolate
Tiramisu
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Strawberry Shortcake

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

10/11/2026

PUMPKIN CRUNCH SEASON

Pumpkin Crunch Season has officially arrived!

Pumpkin Crunch is one of our gelato team member's favorite desserts. And she FULLY approves this flavor because it is very tasty and reminiscent of the dessert. She would know as she lives close to Aiea Bowl all her life and is a super fan of this dessert.

For those that don't know - Pumpkin Crunch seems to be a "Hawaii Thing". It's something that is purely comforting - pumpkin pie custard sandwiched between layers of whipped cream and a base layer of a "crunch" which is basically like a shortbread made from butter and cake mix. The result is pumpkin spices, of course real pumpkin (do you really even need to ask?) and the buttery coziness of the crunch.

The Menu

Classic & Nostalgic Flavors:
Coffee
Cookies and Cream
Fierce Chocolate
Frosted Flakes
Vanilla Bean
Haupia (v)
Pumpkin Crunch

Unique & Signature Flavors:
Almond Cookie
Black Sesame
Figs and W**e
Roasted Cacao Honey Crunch
Houjicha
Matcha

It's by no accident that all of the Unique Seasonal flavors that I'm featuring go well together. It's so lovely to eat Fall because in my opinion it's the season that has so many yummy comforting flavors. Time to try Fig and W**e or Roasted Cacao Honey Crunch before they are gone!

Refreshing Flavors:
Guava (v)
Lilikoi (v)
Strawberry (v)

Specialties:
Affogato
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Brownie Sundae
Soba Cookie Gelato Sandwich
S'mores Gelato Sandwich

Gelato Cakes:
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Strawberry Shortcake
Oreo & Chocolate
Tiramisu

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

10/04/2026

Kinako Chocolate Waffle

It's back! Kinako Chocolate Waffle is our version of PB Chocolate in all the right ways. I love the nostalgic flavor of Kinako and perfectly complementing the smooth nutty flavor is the Chocolate Waffe. It's crunchy bits that we make by hand and coating in rich dark chocolate scattering it generously throughout. You won't have to dig to find the bits because there are so many. It's our answer to October and the call for Halloween🍂🎃

Unique & Signature Flavors
Almond Cookie
Black Sesame
Houjicha
Matcha
Roasted Cacao Honey Crunch
Kinako Chocolate Waffle
Figs and W**e

What a deluxe flavor - Figs and W**e. It's a juicy w**e bringing all those berry notes and I've mulled it with autumn spices like cinnamon, cloves and a touch of cardamom - the queen of spices. The figs are cooked in this mulled w**e so it sucks up all those fruity flavors to complement it's sweet flavor and the best part, I think, are the little hollow seeds. It brings that classic fig texture to this whole sophisticated flavor.

Classic + Nostalgic Flavors
Coffee
Cookies and Cream
Frosted Flakes
Vanilla Bean
Haupia Sorbetto (v)
Fierce Chocolate

Refreshing Flavors
Strawberry (v)
Lilikoi (v)
Guava (v)

Specialties
Affogato
Houjicha Affogato
Matcha-gato
Brownie Sundae
Soba Cookie Gelato Sandwich
S'mores Gelato Sandwich

Gelato Cakes
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Tiramisu
Strawberry Shortcake
Oreo + Chocolate

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

09/28/2026

A Different Kind of Chocolate
ROASTED CACAO

Would you believe me if I told you this is the true form of chocolate?

And would you believe me if I told you this is our new chocolate flavor?

Don't worry, Fierce Chocolate is still on the menu. What you're looking at is Roasted Cacao Honey Crunch. And what I posted on top was a picture of Cacao Nibs from Manoa Chocolate. Cacao Nibs are what makes chocolate - it's ground with stones until it becomes a smooth paste combined with cocoa butter and sugar. Which is the sort of chocolate we use for Fierce Chocolate. It's the chocolate you're used to - it's dark brown, rich, decadent.

But this is another side of chocolate that I think you'll be extremely glad you met.

Instead of chocolate nibs ground, this is milk and cream steeped in roasted cacao nibs. The result is a different version of chocolate, that tastes wonderfully complex. It still tastes like chocolate, but in a very special way. People who have tried it tell me it tastes more "pure". That's because chocolate is a fruit, and when we steep it you get all those tropical fruity notes. Think bananas, meet rum, meet something vaguely ripe ulu, meets chocolate. I've paired it with friendly honeycomb and you might just find that this is your new favorite form of chocolate!

THE MENU

UNIQUE & SIGNATURE FLAVORS:
Houjicha
Almond Cookie
Matcha
Black Sesame
Figs & W**e
Bridgerton Earl Grey Creme Brulee

If you're a fan of Bridgerton or a fan of this flavor - this is the last week to get it! Beautifully balanced tea tannins with burnt carmelized sugar and the top notes of Italian Bergamot.

CLASSIC & NOSTALGIC:
Vanilla Bean
Haupia (v)
Frosted Flakes
Cookies and Cream
Coffee
Fierce Chocolate

REFRESHING:
Guava (v)
Lilikoi (v)
Strawberry (v)

SPECIALTIES:
Brownie Sundae
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Affogato
Soba Cookie Vanilla Sea Salt Gelato Sandwich
S'mores Gelato Sandwich

GELATO CAKES:
Strawberry Shortcake
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Oreo and Chocolate
Tiramisu

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

09/13/2026

Last Call For Summer:

Mango Float

One of my new kitchen team members brought in mangoes from her tree and we think it's a Pirie Mapulehu hybrid. They are deliciously juicy and sweet and have vanilla notes. I've turned the mango into Summer's last flavor: Mango Float. Don't sleep on this one; it's the end of the mango season.

We got a lot of requests for this one and so even though it takes a ton of work to make, we're enjoying this flavor as Summer's last hurrah. It's mango cream packed with tons of mango pureed mixed with baked graham cracker crunch for that buttery, homey cozy flavor. Little chunks of fresh pirie mangoes also mixed inside for an extra bonus.

The Menu

Signature & Unique Flavors
Mango Float
Matcha
Black Sesame
Almond Cookie
Pistachio Baklava
Fig and W**e
Bridgerton: Earl Grey Creme Brulee

I'm transitioning to the fall menu flavors and brought back Bridgerton Earl Grey Creme Brulee. Dear Reader, if you've been waiting impatiently for this flavor's return, it's back!

I learned something new from a team member who is a tea sommelier. She told me that Earl Grey is a copy cat flavor made by the Earl when he got back home from travelling and enjoying a tea in China. He was served a tea in China that was perhaps flavored with longan. When he returned home, he couldn't source longan, so he tried to recreate the flavor with what he could access. Bergamot is a fragrant citrus that grows in Italy which is closer to England than China... so he flavored the tea with that and Earl Grey tea was born.

Classic & Nostalgic Flavors
Vanilla Bean
Fierce Chocolate
Frosted Flakes
Haupia (v)
Coffee

Refreshing Flavors
Strawberry (v)
Lilikoi (v)
Guava (v)

Specialties
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Affogato
Brownie Sundae
Soba Cookie Vanilla Sea Salt Ice Cream Sandwich
Milkshakes

Gelato Cakes
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Strawberry Shortcake
Tiramisu
Oreo Chocolate

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

08/29/2026

RIZ AU LAIT
Tomorrow | Saturday 10 - 11am

Award winning Boston Chef Hana Quon is partnering with me to create this delicious collaboration pastry tomorrow morning!

Riz (Rice) au Lait is the French version of rice pudding. We've really explored our love for rice; the texture, flavor and its many faces. We all know and love rice, but this Hokkaido top shelf nanatsuboshi (7 stars) rice has been fully loaded with fragrant Tahitian vanilla ice cream.

You get to experience the texture of the rice frozen in the ice cream, the fresh Riz au Lait that Hana Quon is making to stack on the top as well as crispy carmelized puffed rice. It's definitely a lot going on - but it's all very reflective of each other, amplifying the flavor as you taste everything mirroring each other.

You've got the buttery croissant that you can instantly smell as you bring it close to your mouth letting you know what you're in for. Then you get buttery crispy carmelized puffed rice and then as you let the gelato fill your mouth - think soft and smooth like custard - you get that European butter reflected again in the caramel.

It's textural, classic flavors, buttery, aromatic, rich and light at the same time (ALL THE FEELS!) and we're only doing it tomorrow at 10 - 11am. Hana Quon is FAMOUS for selling out, so you should pre-order yours right now because if you snooze you lose!

The Menu

Signature + Unique Flavors
Almond Cookie
Matcha
Black Sesame
Houjicha
Soba Honey Crunch

Fair warning, I think I'm going to sell out of Soba Honey Crunch soon. It's roasted Soba gelato (tastes like roasted buckwheat cereal) with pockets of melted honey crunch and bits of buttery baked buckwheat soba cookies.

Classic + Nostalgic Flavors
Vanilla Bean
Fierce Chocolate
Coffee
Haupia (v)
Mint Chip
Frosted Flakes
Cookies and Cream

Refreshing Flavors
Strawberry (v)
Lilikoi (v)
Guava (v)
Strawberry Ume (LAST CALL!)

Specialties
Brownie Sundae
Affogato
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Soba Cookie Sea Salt Vanilla Gelato Sandwich

Gelato Cakes
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Oreo Chocolate
Tiramisu
Strawberry Shortcake

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

08/24/2026

MELON CREAM

Have you tasted the Sugar Kiss melons that they are selling at Times? They are VERY SWEET and incredibly juicy. I feel like they are the melon equivalent of Piried mangos. I bought a bunch of them and turned it into this 1 limited batch of Melon Cream.

Melons are such an important part of the summer fruit season. I feel like eating them makes me feel like summer is truly complete.

The Menu

Signature + Unique Flavors:
Matcha
Black Sesame
Almond Cookie
Melon Cream
Soba Honey Crunch

I also made a roasted Soba ice cream mixed with Soba cookies and Honeycomb crunch - it tastes a little like a roasted honeyed cereal because of the buckwheat.

Nostalgic + Classic Flavors:
Vanilla Bean
Fierce Chocolate
Haupia (v)
Cookies and Cream
Coffee
Frosted Flakes

Refreshing Flavors:
Guava (v)
Lilikoi (v)
Strawberry (v)
Strawberry Ume (v)

Specialties:
Affogato
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Soba Vanilla Sea Salt Ice Cream Sandwich
Brownie Sundae

Gelato Cakes
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Strawberry Shortcake
Oreo Chocolate
Tiramisu

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

08/10/2026

THROWBACK FLAVOR

STRAWBERRY UME

Who doesn't love a good throwback? I was able to get my hands on a bunch of fresh shiso to make it into Strawberry Ume for you this week.

If this isn't a throwback for you and something totally new - it's fruity, salty, sweet, and acidic all at the same time. Basically giving you a taste of all the flavors plus the herbaceous aroma and flavor of shiso.

The Menu

Classic + Nostalgic Flavors:
Coffee
Cookies and Cream
Frosted Flakes
Vanilla Bean
Haupia (v)
Fierce Chocolate

Signature + Unique Flavors:
Strawberry Ume (v)
Almond Cookie
Black Sesame
Houjicha Honey Milk
Mango Sticky Rice
Kinako Chocolate Waffle

Refreshing Flavors
Lilikoi Sorbetto (v)
Strawberry Sorbetto (v)
Guava Sorbetto (v)

Specialties:
Affogato
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Soba Cookie Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich
Brownie Sundae

Gelato Cakes
Strawberry Shortcake
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Tiramisu
Chocolate Oreo

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

08/03/2026

Kinako Chocolate Waffle

I made this flavor because I love the gentle nutty roasted flavor of Kinako. If you're not familiar with Kinako - it's roasted soybean that is ground to a fine powder. Usually we roll mochi in it to gently and naturally flavor mochi. It has an earthy roasted flavor that tastes like peanuts. When I make it into ice cream, it has that same peanut butter adjacent flavor which goes so well with the chocolate covered waffle cone pieces that I've mixed inside.

The Menu

Classic + Nostalgic Flavors

Coffee
Cookies and Cream
Frosted Flakes
Vanilla Bean
Haupia (v)
Fierce Chocolate

Unique + Signature Flavors
Almond Cookie
Black Sesame
Houjicha Honey Milk
Kinako Chocolate Waffle
Mango Sticky Rice
Matcha
Halo Halo

It's your LAST CHANCE for Halo Halo!

Refreshing Flavors
Strawberry (v)
Guava (v)
Lilikoi (v)

Specialties
Affogato
Matcha-gato
Houjicha Affogato
Brownie Sundae
Soba Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
Halo Halo Sundae (last chance!)

Gelato Cakes
Strawberry Shortcake
Chocolate Haupia (v)
Oreo + Chocolate
Tiramisu

Click here for an update from Via Gelato!

Address

1142 12th Avenue
Honolulu, HI
96816

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 10pm
Tuesday	11am - 10pm
Wednesday	11am - 10pm
Thursday	11am - 10pm
Friday	11am - 11pm
Saturday	11am - 11pm
Sunday	11am - 10pm

Telephone

+18087322800

Website

http://www.viagelatohawaii.com/

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