By Sean Rinn

On paper, a diverse city like San Francisco that boasts a superb reputation as a foodie’s paradise should be the perfect place to find food from any culture.

While most cultures are richly represented in the restaurant scene, Hawaiian food has never seemed to stick, which is surprising since Asian and Pacific Islander flavors thrive in the Bay Area. 

For years, I have wondered how a city that consistently nails Asian flavors fails to accurately represent how special Hawaiian food truly is. Before opening Little Aloha in the Sunset District this past March, owner Brian Lew wondered as well.

“I don’t know why it hasn’t been present,” Lew said. “I haven’t been able to figure out why Hawaiian food has been lacking in such a full food culture in San Francisco, and that was kind of the whole motivation of, let’s try and create something that can represent the cool flavors of Hawaii.” 

Lew honed his craft executing Asian-inspired meals by helping cater the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown. 

“We’ve been doing that for over 10 years. We would run the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown on a yearly basis, and kind of think of creative food ideas and sell there, so that was my culinary experience and getting my feet wet there,” Lew said. 

Lew grew up in San Francisco, but when his family wanted to escape for vacation, they hopped over to the islands of Hawaii for years. Whenever Lew would return home from vacation, he’d get an itch that couldn’t be scratched – his cravings for shaved ice went ignored because nobody did it right. 

“It’d be nice to have shaved ice and garlic shrimp here. It’s kind of like a staple,” he said. “When I go (to Hawaii), my friends go and my family goes, ‘Why don’t we have something like that here?’ That’s sort of what propelled this kind of business going forward.”

The more he thought about his hankering for shaved ice and fondness for Hawaiian food, the more it made sense for him to be the change he wanted in San Francisco’s culinary world. 

“In a foggy city like San Francisco, if people can sell ice cream, why not shaved ice?” Lew said. 

Cracking the code on making shaved ice that met Lew’s high standards was one of the most challenging aspects of opening for Lew. A dessert that seems so simple in appearance is quite difficult to perfect, it turns out. 

“That was probably the hardest thing for us to figure out here,” he said.

Before arriving at the finished product, Lew studied the shaved ice he enjoyed in Hawaii trying to learn as much as he could through the machines that were used, how ice should be stored and maintained, how thin or thick the ice should be, what cups it should come in and if the different water here in San Francisco compared to Hawaii would create different consistencies.

Eventually Lew figured out his recipe, and the dish that was the catalyst for the restaurant opening was complete. You can get shaved ice at Little Aloha in classic flavors like lilikoi, lychee, watermelon, pineapple, lime, coconut, strawberry, cherry, peach and mango.

They also have some of their own creative flavor blends like “Blue Hawaii” (coconut and vanilla), POG (passionfruit, orange and guava), and “Tigers Blood” (watermelon, strawberry and coconut). Each shaved ice can be filled with either the classic ice cream (vanilla, ube, macadamia nut), or adzuki beans. Li hing powder and condensed milk are available as toppings. 

If shaved ice was the catalyst for the conceptualization of the restaurant, their garlic shrimp elevated them to the next level. The dish demands that Hawaiian food earns a spot among San Francisco’s vast array of cultural representation through respected restaurants. 

Little Aloha offers its main entrees over rice, including their take on garlic shrimp, “Hurricane” shrimp, which is sweet and seasoned by furikake, moco loco, tofu poke and sweet pineapple sausage. Their side menu is headlined by spam musubi and their purple potato salad, including “Hurricane” tots and tofu poke. They even offer a marketplace section in the restaurant that offers a range of Hawaiian snacks and drinks. 

Perfecting the recipe for shaved ice was difficult but figuring out whom to target as their customer base was even more challenging considering Hawaiian food traditionally hasn’t flourished in San Francisco. 

“I think it’s trying to figure out where you fit, I guess, who your audience is, I think that is the biggest obstacle you have to overcome,” Lew said.

Initially, Lew realized that Little Aloha’s proximity to Lincoln High School opened opportunities to bring in teenage customers during lunch periods. Their teenage audience inspired the idea for half servings that are half priced.

Affordability became a point of emphasis, but Lew knew Little Aloha couldn’t solely rely on their younger demographic. He realized there are people like him who have pegged Hawaii as their main vacation destination and look forward to going back when their trip ends. 

Lew decided to offer people who are longing to re-experience their vacation paradise an opportunity to island hop from other classic restaurants in San Francisco to Little Aloha for a little slice of Hawaii.  

In his first year running Little Aloha, Lew has been able to create an homage to Hawaiian cuisine while putting his own flair on the dishes that make them his own, deservedly putting Hawaiian food on the map in a city spoiled with diverse cuisine. 

Following a familiar trend in newer San Francisco restaurants, Little Aloha puts more emphasis on the flavor of the food than providing space for customers to eat their meal. Currently the restaurant is takeout only.

If you want to experience a tropical delight through a classic sweet treat, or you’re just looking for a good meal to share with your Ohana, check out Little Aloha which packs a big punch on your taste buds. 

Little Aloha is located at 1115 Taraval St. in the Sunset District.