Halo-Hilo

Halo-Hilo is a tiny halo-halo stall on MacArthur Highway in Urbiztondo, San Juan, beside The Coffee Library under a sign that reads Pasalubong. It's easy to walk past, and it's mostly a grab-and-go counter, so most people carry their cup back to the beach.

The difference is the ice. Instead of plain shaved ice, Halo-Hilo shaves frozen milk, so the cup stays creamy to the bottom rather than going watery in the heat. The classic comes loaded with around ten sangkap, from jackfruit and leche flan to gulaman and pinipig, and the Surfer's Halo-Halo is crowned with homemade ube ice cream that regulars rate as highly as the halo-halo itself. Mais con hielo and saba con hielo are the simpler options. Sweetness is kept in check, though some find there's too much gulaman.

Halo-Hilo is listed as open daily from 10AM to 7PM. A regular Surfer's Halo-Halo was ₱149 in 2024 and the standard cup ₱169 in 2025, so it's an easy treat under ₱200. Seating is minimal and there's no parking out front. Walk over in the mid-afternoon, when the sun is at its fiercest, and take your cup down to the sand to watch the late surf.