Victoria’s coolest ice cream shops

Cold Cones/Instagram

With longer days and a little more sun peeking through the clouds, beaches and parks are filling up—and what better way to celebrate the season than with a cold, creamy scoop of locally-made ice cream?

We’ve rounded up some of our favourite spots to grab a cone after the beach or pick up a pint for a cozy night in. 

Parachute

Parachute makes its ice cream in-store using local ingredients, including hand-making ingredients like brownies, crumble, and compote. It also makes its waffle cones from scratch. The ice cream shop has many gluten-free and vegan options, as well as cakes and pies. Parachute offers classics like chocolate truffle and its bestselling lemon cream, as well as limited-time flavours—with notable recent scoops including mini egg and mint Oreo fudge. 

Address:
105-2626 Bridge St.
129-735 Goldstream Ave.
2548 Windsor Rd. 

Cold Comfort

With two locations now, one in North Park and another in Cook St. Village, just steps from Beacon Hill Park and a short walk from Dallas Road, Cold Comfort has been creating small-batch ice cream since 2010. The ice cream shop utilizes seasonal ingredients, locally-made spirits and beers, fair trade chocolate, and organic sugar cane. Cold Comfort’s ice cream is available in scoops and pints as well as in its famed ice cream sandwiches. Among its sandwich flavours are raspberry swirl, horchata, and an ice cream take on Hoyne Brewing’s Dark Matter. The ice cream shop makes delicious plant-based ice cream—also called Nicecream—using a coconut milk base. Its Nicecream products can be found at select retailers across the city. 

Address:
1115 N Park St. 
102-200 Cook St.

49 Below

A small-batch ice cream shop creating unique, creative, and locally inspired flavours. Think salted caramel, honey lavender, or seasonal specials like pumpkin spice during the fall. Each scoop is handcrafted, creamy, and flavourful. The store recently launched Kulapops, popsicles made with simple ingredients and handmade techniques. Same as their ice cream, the flavours are creative and unique. This family-friendly spot caters to everyone, with vegan-friendly options and a variety of toppings

Address: 2575 Cadboro Bay Rd.

The Hidden Gem Café

Nestled away in Cook Street Village, The Hidden Gem makes up plant-based ice cream using coconut milk, sea salt, and organic cane sugar. The cafe and ice cream shop typically has classics like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry available as well as rotating flavours—with past standouts including mango, lemon meringue, and blackberry orange. Many of The Hidden Gem’s ice creams are also gluten-free. Its ice cream is available in scoops, pints, and half-pints, as well as delicious affogattos.

Address: 337 Cook St.

Hazel’s Ice Cream

Hazel's is a family-owned ice cream bar shop that makes its bars locally. All of its bars are handmade with artisanal standards in mind and are usually peanut-free. Many of Hazel’s ice cream bars are gluten free, and there are dairy-free options as well. The shop has a selection of core bars, like its cookies and cream, bubblegum, and coffee toffee, that are available widely, as well as a few rotating flavours, like its matcha, raspberry dark chocolate, and orange float. Aside from its ice cream truck, Hazel’s ice cream bars can often be found at select locations across the city.   

Locations here.  

Scoop and Waffle

Scoop and Waffle, the newest addition to Sidney's culinary scene, has recently opened its doors at 2423 Beacon Ave. This charming dessert spot offers an impressive selection of 28 ice cream flavours, custom ice cream cakes, mini donuts, and authentic Belgian waffles.

Address: 2423 Beacon Ave.

Mosi Bakery

Gelato is a tradition in the Mosi family. The owner’s grandfather used to make gelato in the summer months in his pasticceria in Torino, Italy, back in the 1920s. Mosi Gelato’s flavours incorporate seasonal ingredients sourced from local Peninsula farmers. Mosi Bakery makes its gelato in-house, and popular flavours include strawberry sorbetto, butterscotch, hazelnut, London fog, and limited editions like the pecan brownie chunk. 

Address: 5303 W Saanich Rd.

Italian Bakery

The Italian Bakery on Quadra makes gelato during the spring and summer months, and they offer a huge selection of different flavours, including strawberry, lime, pineapple, mango, peach, vanilla, chocolate, mint chocolate, and more. Did you know that they’ve been making their own gelato since 1998? According to their website, they were the first to make gelato in Victoria.

Address: 3197 Quadra St.

Better Acres Ice Cream

The new handcrafted ice cream shop downtown uses whole ingredients, Canadian dairy, the least amount of ingredients possible, and the lowest sugar possible in each of their ice creams. Popular flavours include vanilla bean, sea salted cream, caramel cream, milk chocolate, and more.

Address: 1019 Government St.

Cold Cones

Cold Cones is a new addition to Victoria’s ice cream scene, making rolled ice cream. Rolled ice cream is made by pouring a creamy base onto a super cold plate, mixing in your favourite toppings, and then rolling it up into fun little spirals. It's made fresh in front of you—and yes, it’s just as fun to watch as it is to eat

Flavours include Oreo, Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, pistachio, mixed berries, mango, piña colada, and more. Aside from ice cream, Cold Cones serves warm bubble waffles, mini pancakes, croissants, and more. 

Address: 878 Government St. 

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