With a fantastic array of flavours to be sampled, from Earl Grey Honey to Malted Milk Chocolate Honeycomb to Matcha Avocado, here are the best ice cream spots in Vancouver.
Earnest Ice Cream
There’s a reason why Earnest Ice Cream has a bustling stream of people visit their store all the time, all year round: their scoops and take-home pints are full of flavour. Ice cream lovers can enjoy the ice creamery’s signature flavours, like the London Fog, as well as seasonal specials on their tempting menu.
Address: 3992 Fraser Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-428-0697
Address: 1829 Quebec Street, Vancouver
Phone: 778-379-0697
Twitter: @Earnesticecream
Rain or Shine
Scooping up made-from-scratch mainstay flavours like London Fog, Salted Caramel, Malted Milk Chocolate Honeycomb, and Coffee Toffee, Rain or Shine’s delectable frozen offerings make summer even sweeter. Hit them up on Taco Tuesday for–what else?–ice cream tacos!
Address: 926 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Phone: 604-428-7246
Address: 3382 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-876-9986
Twitter: @rainorshineYVR
Mister
Recently opened, Mister in Yaletown is already making waves thanks to the shops’s nitrogen-churned artisanal ice cream, which boasts noticeably smaller ice crystals than typical ice cream. Not only does the chill blast of liquid nitrogen emit an impressive evaporating mist (get it “Mist-er”), which customers can view from across the glass counter, but it also creates an ultra smooth scoop.
Address: 1141 Mainland Street, Vancouver
Phone: 778-379-2833
Twitter: @madebymister
Tangram Creamery
This gourmet ice cream shop on Arbutus offers a flavour lineup that includes 10 regular flavours, like Green Tea, Black Sesame, Coffee, London Fog, and Houjicha (a type of Japanese roasted tea), in addition to a handful of rotating seasonal specials. Tangram’s cool, creamy offerings are available in cups and cones. While run-of-the-mill cones are on hand, Tangram also features their own unique handmade cookie cones.
Address: 2729 Arbutus Street, Vancouver
Twitter: @tangramcreamery
Nice Vice Creamery
Vancouver’s first dairy-free, plant-based micro creamery, Nice Vice uses only top quality and ethically-sourced ingredients, for its 0% dairy, plant-based “vice cream.” While the menu at Nice Vice changes from time to time, customers can expect to find flavour combos like Banana Fudge, Matcha Avocado, Lemonhead, Blueberry Sage, Strawberry, Mango, Peach Green Tea, Chocoholics Anonymous, and Vanilla Vice. Ingredients used include fresh fruit, natural colours and flavours, and locally supported plant-based products (like avocado and sweet potato).
Address: 1022 Mainland Street, Vancouver
Phone: 778-379-6423
Twitter: @nicevicecream
Editor’s note: Nice Vice announced Jan. 12, 2017 they are closing their creamery.
LIK
Vancouverites are going crazy over this recently launched ice cream shop on Robson, which brought with it the popular craze of using freezing cold liquid nitrogen to create deliciously creamy ice cream in seconds. In addition to signature creations, LIK offers an array of rotating flavours, including Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Vietnamese Coffee, and Matcha, which can be topped with all kinds of delicious offerings, think home-baked choc chip cookies and red bean. Available in a cup or cone, customers can opt to administer a syringe load of chocolate ganache or condensed milk into their ice cream creations if so desired.
Address: 320 Robson Street, Vancouver
Phone: 778-728-0672
Twitter: @LIKN2IceCream
Editor’s note: LIK closed down their ice cream shop in Dec. 2016
Soft Peaks
Creamy, all-natural soft serve made with organic milk is what you’ll find at this Gastown ice cream parlour. Customers who drop by this go-to spot dessert spot can use the toppings available to enhance the sweetness level to their own taste. Options include golden honeycomb from the Okanagan, toasted coconut, Tim Tams, or a bright sour-sweet yuzu marmalade. Also available, a range of Milk Bars, which can be enjoyed in all their “naked” glory or with toppings from their delectable roster of sauces and pieces.
Address: 25 Alexander Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-559-2071
Twitter: @soft_peaks
UYU Ice Cream
UYU, which translates to milk in Korean, is a popular ice cream parlour in Gastown that specializes in premium organic soft serve ice cream. Each cup of soft serve poured is light, fresh-tasting, and super creamy. The ice creamery rotates its flavours, which include classic swirled Organic Milk, Earl Grey, Belgian Chocolate, Vietnamese Coffee, Thai Iced Tea, Matcha, Oreo Cheesecake, and more.
Address: 433 Abbott Street, Vancouver
Phone: 778-379-9986
Rocky Point Ice Cream
Just try to resist Port Moody’s Rocky Point Ice Cream’s small batch hand-churned ice cream. The local preveyor crafts a variety of moreish flavours such as Earl Grey Honey, Classic Vanilla, Double Chocolate Raspberry, Cookie Dough, and Mint Flake. Our pick is the Salted Caramel. It is wonderfully smooth, wickedly rich and delightfully sweet. Visit the brick-and-mortar store in Port Moody or track down the roaming food truck, which does the summer market rounds.
Address: 2800 Murray Street, Port Moody
Phone: 604-492-3119
Twitter: @RPIceCream
Bella Gelateria
Sweet dreams are made of Bella Gelateria’s sultry scoops of fine Italian ice cream. Slowly churned in small batches in a range of never-ending flavours, like Dulce de Leche, Foir di Latte, Salted Hazelnut, and more, award winning Bella Gelateria’s gelato is worth waiting in line for.
Address: 1089 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver
Phone: 778-737-7890
Address: 1001 West Cordova Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-569-1010
Twitter: @bellagelateria