Summer arrives fast and is over in a flash – in the meantime, eating as much delicious local ice cream as possible is crucial! With that in mind, here is our list of Vancouver spots we go to for our cold-and-sweet fix – be it by the scoop, on a stick, in a sundae, between two cookies, mixed into a shake, or any-other-which way.

Annabelle’s

The gelato at Annabelle’s is playful, but firmly in grown-up territory. Flavours like Double Strawberry Vermouth, Boricha & Shoyu Caramel Ripple, Apple Mint Stracciatella, and Brandy Butterscotch & Butter Pecan don’t mess around. Plus house-made Vanilla for affogatos, and a west-facing sidewalk patio that catches afternoon sun. Annabelle’s feels like a place you’ve been before, even if you haven’t. It’s part European café and part charming neighbour’s kitchen (in other words, the perfect setting for a cheeky midday scoop).

CADEAUX

We’ve been big fans of Eleanor Chow Waterfall’s baking since she launched Cadeaux Bakery on Powell Street back in 2012. Cadeaux always has an impressive line-up of cookies, cakes, squares and pastries…and their summertime-only ice cream sandwiches definitely don’t disappoint, either! Think flavours like Vanilla Bean and Rocky Road, smooshed between a pair of Cadeaux’s chocolate wafers, neatly wrapped up and ready to take to the park / eat on the go.

CHEZ CELINE

Chez Céline takes its cue from the casse-croûtes of Québec — those no-frills roadside diners where locals gather for fast, familiar comfort food — though at this Fraser Street restaurant, that spirit is honoured but elevated, folded into a clean, modern room with top-notch service. They’ve got all the good stuff, including soft-serve ice cream, which makes an appearance at both brunch and dinner. You can keep it simple ($9), go classic affogato-style (+$3), or pair it with a smashed slice of sugar pie (+$5). Our favourite version comes topped with a drizzle of the house-made Guinness caramel.

Dosanko

At Dosanko, Chef Nathan Lowey showcases his range with seasonal, Western-influenced Japanese comfort food swinging from savoury Japanese omelettes and hearty curry rice to delicate salads and light vegetable tempura. Paired with Aki Lowey’s welcoming hospitality, Dosanko feels like an authentic “Ma & Pop” spot, delivering genuine warmth and a homestyle experience through its Yoshoku dishes and Hokkaido classics – but did you know that they also have ice cream “game”? For the month of July, this is spelled out with their Local Blueberry Parfait: in-house vanilla bean ice cream is piled high with North Arm Farm’s impressively big blueberries, blueberry sauce, Japanese cheesecake mousse, whipped cream, and house milk bread rusk. Dang! There’s only a couple more weeks left in the month to eat this up!

Earnest

Earnest Ice Cream‘s July flavours include Vegan Nanaimo Bar, Vegan PB & J, Lemon Tart, Raspberry, and – hold the phone – Chocolate Salted Potato Chip! Seasonal flavours, like the aforementioned, complement Earnest’s solid line-up of year round favourites; and we think they make one of the best sundaes in town. There are four Earnest locations to choose from, but all of them come with a time commitment—because there will be a line. In the name of empirical research, we’ve had ice cream at all of them and compared queue lengths. If you’re in a rush to get that scoop, the play is probably Frances Street.

Elephant Garden

Elephant Garden Creamery draws inspiration from Asian flavours and in-season ingredients for its line-up of staple and rotational scoops. Sure, you could play it safe with the Malted Milk Chocolate or Cookies N’ Cream, knowing they will be very tasty. But read the room — this is your chance to lean into the fun stuff. Think Ube (pictured here), Vietnamese Coffee, HK Milk Tea complete with all the creamy nostalgia, or Matcha Honeycomb Nugget for a crunchy surprise in every bite. The Mango Coconut Sticky Rice is a sleeper hit that’s comforting, fragrant, and just sweet enough. Or go tart and tropical with the Lilikoi Cheesecake and Lemon Yuzu Butter flavour. Hot day? The Honey Pineapple Sorbetto will sort you out fast. Milkshakes, affogatos, and sundaes, too!

Eternal Abundance

Don’t do animal products? No stress. Eternal Abundance on Commercial Drive has your back with their in-house, organic, low-sugar coconut-oat soft serve. It’s vanilla, but not boring, because it’s made from scratch with coconut whipped cream, oats, vanilla bean, and just a whisper of cane sugar. You can keep it classic, or go full drama with blueberry, raspberry, or salted dark chocolate sauce. Need a kick of energy? Try the matcha or espresso affogato and call it “self-care”.

La Glace

La Glace is arguably Vancouver’s most decorative ice cream parlour. However, these guys don’t rest on their aesthetic alone — their French-style product is superb (this stuff arguable has the best mouthfeel of any ice cream in the city), and restraint is futile. The Macaron au Caramel Beurre et Salé strikes a perfect balance of sweet and salty, with pieces of French macaron adding texture. The Choco Peanut Butter is a coconut-oat chocolate foundation swirled with real peanut butter, and the Mascarpone Fresh Mint & Chocolate is loaded with generous curls of dark chocolate. Then there’s the Peach Pie Sorbet: bright fruit, pâte de fruit chew, and a buttery crumble that ties it all together. Too many good options to choose from? That’s why we think it’s genius that these guys offer tasting flights (dine-in only): four flavours for $14; six for $18. You’re not indecisive, you’re just thorough!

Glenburn

Glenburn Soda Fountain brings retro charm to the Heights with classic ice cream desserts and novelty sweets. Their motto — “Classic Soda Fountain for Modern People” — says it all. Sure, you can keep it simple with a scoop, but the real magic’s in the over-the-top stuff: floats, egg creams, proper malts, banana splits, and peanut butter sundaes stacked with peanut butter sauce, hot fudge, chopped nuts, and peanut butter cups. Though we usually aim for a banana split (with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry, hot fudge, and pineapple sauces; finished with whipped cream, walnuts and the essential cherry trio), they also make a proper malt that is very satisfying. And if the Sundae Special is on (like the Buttermilk Banana Pudding version we recently devoured), do not miss it. That one’s a layered hit of vanilla ice cream, real banana pudding, sliced bananas, buttermilk cookie crumble, and butterscotch sauce. Just the right kind of over-the-top.

Hype

Hype Chocolate landed on East Hastings in 2022, and yeah, the name fits. The chocolate’s what pulls you in, but the ice cream game? It’s legit. Soft serve or scooped, cup or cone, you start with your base, then stack it with the good stuff: nostalgic childhood cereal like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms; or classic chocolate sauce and a sprinkling of Reese’s Pieces. This place doesn’t mess around with flavours. Think Nerds Clusters ice cream swirl or Vanilla Bean & Brown Butter Caramelized Croissant finished with 24k gold flakes. Their Oreo Wafer Ice Cream Sandwich goes hard too: bubble gum blast ice cream between giant Oreo cookies, dipped in bright pink chocolate—peak snack energy. Nothing subtle here. Hype is loud, maximalist, and unapologetically fun.

Innocent

When looking for something cold and sweet in the the Sunrise-Hastings neighbourhood, Innocent Ice Cream specializes in gluten-free ice cream cookie sandwiches, with a multitude of flavour combos to choose from. Also of note: lots of vegan ice cream options; plus ice cream Happy Hour, every weekday from 4-6pm!

Johnny’s Pops

Leaving the Farmers Market without a Johnny’s Pops popsicle is straight-up silly – especially in the peak of summer. (Next Market: Kitsilano on Sunday, July 27th. Use the Market website’s vendor directory search tool for future stops.) Can’t make it to a Market? Score Johnny’s Pops at a handful of cool, local retailers around town, including Welk’s, Federal Store, Nelson the Seagull, and The Mighty Oak. Don’t skip the Vietnamese Coffee flavour!

June

Still technically a “newbie” on the Vancouver restaurant scene, June has inarguably already proved itself in both the cocktail and food departments, earning a top spot in the city… But can we talk about their ice cream? These guys have serious soft serve game, thanks to pastry chef Jenna Kwan (and the local farmers who grow the ingredients that inspire her seasonally rotating flavours, natch). Vanilla is always an option; but ordering the twist (vanilla plus whatever’s on rotation) is obviously the best move (right now we’re talking Cultivate Tea’s matcha swirled with strawberry soft serve made from North Arm Farm berries, finished with strawberry Chantilly cream and strawberry gel). Always served in a proper glass ice cream sundae dish.

Killer Ice Cream

New on the Vancouver ice cream scene as of Spring 2024, Killer Ice Cream was founded by artist and designer, Leslie Glik, on the principle of using all-natural, good ingredients to create treats for fellow health-conscious sweets-lovers. This little shop on the border of Kits and West Point Grey takes its name from the killer whale, and is also all about advocating for orcas.

Kobo

New to the roster this year: Main Street’s family-run KOBO has deep ice cream roots. Each signature flavour has a memory or story behind it. Case in point: Their Orange Chocolate Chip is an homage to the candy that one of the co-owner’s mom would slip into his school lunch every day as a kid.

Mister

Consistently excellent, decadently dense ice cream made in-house with liquid nitrogen, Mister uses all-natural and mostly locally-sourced ingredients. Mister’s second Kits location, which opened in 2022, also has a frozen banana game all its own. The ice cream shop’s mission continued in June 2024, with the opening of their third location, on Robson Street in the heart of the West End. This summer, they have got a strong Matcha situation happening that is worth checking out.

Motoretta

Good ingredients, traditional techniques, and Italian inspiration fuel Motoretta, a happening little gelato joint that lives in the ground floor corner spot of Fairmont Pacific Rim in Coal Harbour. Hit these guys up for Italian classics like Hazelnut (toasted and nutty), Chocolate (smooth and steady), Almost Tiramisu (like the traditional dessert, but smoother), and Italian Custard. There are also more unexpected flavours, like Akbar Mashti (saffron, rose, and gentle pistachio) and Black Sesame (earthy and slightly sweet), as well as dairy-free options that include Lemon, Pistachio, and Blood Orange.

Popina Canteen

Popina Canteen on Granville Island is a local go-to for damn good puffcreams, in all sorts of fanciful flavours. But what is a puffcream? Think, soft serve ice cream made from Birchwood Dairy’s grass-fed milk and using no artificial emulsifiers, piled high in a freshly baked creampuff ‘bowl’, and loaded with toppings.

Rain or Shine

There’s a good reason why the tiny sidewalk parklet outside Rain or Shine in Kits is always busy: the ice cream is fabulous! Their second location, located on Cambie Street, opened in 2015; with their third UBC shop following a couple years later, in 2017. Their menu of ‘Seasonal Flings’ currently features the following summery flavours, available for a limited time only: Roasted Strawberry, Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet, Black Currant Lemon Lime Sorbet, Raptor Tracks, Miso Dulcey Crunch, Blueberry Lemon Curd, and Raspberry Lavender Shortbread. (Note: not all seasonal flavours are available from all Rain or Shine locations; so if you have your heart set on something specific, we recommend first double-checking where to get it here or calling ahead.) Also: Tuesdays are for ice cream “tacos” (waffle cones moulded into taco shells, filled with your choice of scoops)!

Soft Peaks

Soft Peaks has been in the soft serve game for years, and it shows. The focus here has always been clear: soft serve made with organic Avalon milk and topped with just the right extras. Their flagship Gastown shop is still our go-to – especially for a post-stroll cone through the neighbourhood – but they’ve since expanded to Burnaby and Richmond. Alongside their classic creamy milk soft serve, they’re currently spinning a not-too-sweet jasmine tea version made by carefully steeping Taiwanese loose-leaf, before blending it into their signature base. There’s also a peach jelly flavour that plays especially well with brown sugar pearls. Clean, balanced, and done with care — this is soft serve with staying power.

Thierry

Although their macaron game is especially strong, we trust Thierry to satisfy almost any sweet craving — and their latest lineup of ice cream bars doesn’t disappoint. Take your pick of three flavours (in the tastiness department, the Pistachio + Milk Chocolate is heads above the hype-y Dubai Chocolate Bar), all made with local dairy and good French chocolate. With three spots across the city, you’ll never find yourself too far away when the mood strikes.

Toña

Toña is a Latin American-inspired bakery where pastries are baked fresh throughout the day; but what initially won us over was their incredible – and well-worth-the-splurge – ice cream bars. Now that their brick-and-mortar location is in full swing, the flavour lineup keeps expanding. Look out for rotating options like Strawberry Shortcake, Smoked Corn & Blueberry dipped in white chocolate, Tonka Bean and Vanilla Bean with dark chocolate and crispy waffle cone pieces, as well as Black Forest or Coffee Crisp (in scoop form).

BC Ferries

When you’ve spent as much time (or money) on a ferry as we have, you get to know some “best practices” — like hooking  up with a chocolate & vanilla soft-serve at the Snack Bar. Get your swirling technique down pat, because this puppy is self-serve, so you can pile that thing pretty dang high, all for one price. Enjoy it on the outside deck. Maybe you’ll even see a whale?

This list was compiled with the help of the following food and drink (and diehard ice cream) enthusiasts:

KSENIA DEMPSTER | As a pastry chef, Ksenia makes a lot of ice cream – but don’t get high on your own supply! It’s way more fun to see what greater minds are up to. Call it a devotion to R&D.

THALIA STOPA | As a prolific and international ice cream eater currently situated in the National Capital of Crème Glace (aka Montreal), Thalia’s credentials as self-appointed ‘ice cream aficionado’ should be self explanatory – no line-up is too daunting, and no sundae is too gluttonous.