Kiyoraka Kakigori
In Irvine, a shaky Japanese shaved ice shop has slashed its sky-high prices and added fruity yogurt
When Kiyoraka Kakigori opened in May 2025, the whiff of compensated social media hype was so strong in the air that we felt obliged to see what all the fuss was about, but unexpectedly left the place without getting anything. At the time, the small Irvine cafe near Poki Bowl (later joined by the resurrected Super Irvine supermarket) was serving only five to six shaved ice flavors for a staggering $16 to $17 each – claiming that it was importing ice directly from Japan – yet somehow was unable to maintain either its posted hours or enough ingredients to make half of its desserts. Though complaints about the pricing, item availability, and hours continued to stack up for a year, we stopped in again when we were in the area and discovered some changes.
As of July 2026, the previously insane prices have dropped to $8.32, $9.32, or $10.52 per cup of shaved ice, with single fruit and ice cups at the lower end and slightly more complicated options in the middle and upper tiers. Fresh fruit and yogurt combinations have been added at $8 to $19 price points, with “LA Fruit Kingdom” menus offering either yogurt fruit drinks or bowls. Ordering largely takes place through an oversized tablet at the counter, and service remains somewhat cold; Kiyoraka had only one person working in front, and shaved ice was handed off wordlessly after being assembled behind the counter.
To be super clear about this point, the bar has been set so low for tablet-based drink and dessert business customer service these days that literally none of the current issues would be fatal if its shaved ice was great. For $8.30 or so per dessert – around half Kiyoraka’s prior prices – most people wouldn’t care whether or not the ice was coming from Japan, whether the service was friendly, or whether the place actually stayed open through its posted hours.
But neither of the shaved ices we ordered was great – we’d struggle to even call them “good.” Both the tiramisu ($9.32) and strawberry & pistachio ($10.52) consisted of a medium-sized cup of flaky, delicate shaved ice packed around a single cube of clear jelly, lightly coated in flavored syrup, and augmented with scant additional ingredients. Dark chocolate shavings and cream in the tiramisu vaguely approximated the classic Italian dessert; small berry pieces and cream in the strawberry & pistachio were kind of, sort of Dubai treat-like, minus the chocolate. Neither of these items had enough syrupy flavor to reach the core, leaving plenty of plain ice in the center – if they’d been $15 or $16, we would have been actively upset rather than just disappointed.
When we first stopped into Kiyoraka, the restaurant’s left side placed multiple two- to three-person tables next to an intriguing starfield-style wall, but on our 2026 visit, the tables were gone, replaced by an odd display of gourds, melons, and potato sticks, an open mop bucket, and a cautionary sign. On the right side, one of the remaining counter-side chairs had a pool of dried liquid in the center when we went to sit down. All of this is to say that whatever shine this place may have actually had or conjured up through social media has basically disappeared at this point; we don’t have any plan to return to Kiyoraka in the future.
Stats
Price: $-$$*
Service: Tablet
Open Since: 2025
Address
5317 University Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612
949.659.8275
Instagram: @kiyoraka_kakigori