9 epic transit-friendly places to get ice cream in Metro Vancouver
9 epic transit-friendly places to get ice cream in Metro Vancouver
There is no place like Metro Vancouver when it comes to the ice cream scene. With new shops popping up across the region, you won’t have to look far to get a cold, sweet treat on a hot summer’s day! High-end ice cream has become a staple in our culinary realm, with shops like Earnest and Rain or Shine setting the bar high. Whether you’re looking for good old-fashioned ice cream or curious to try something new, The Buzzer blog’s got you covered with 9 epic transit-friendly ice cream shops!
1. Buckets Ice Cream
Location: 3330 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3M7
Hours: 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Transit: 3
This cozy, family-run shop specializes in liquid-nitrogen ice cream, made in-house and to-order! Offering a variety of tasty flavours (vegan included), you can enjoy your ice cream in many forms. Their ice cream sandwiches are on point! We’d recommend Le Norm. For something really different, try a house-made Kombucha float! You can always grab a ready-to-go pint or order an ice cream pie with your choice of a waffle, Oreo or vegan and gluten-free date and nut crust.
2. Rocky Point Ice Cream
Location: 2800 Murray St, Port Moody, BC V3H 1X2
Hours: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Transit: Millennium Line to Moody Centre Station, 160
The aptly named Rocky Point Ice Cream, located in—you guessed it—Rocky Point Park in Port Moody, has come to be an iconic hub for locals and tourists alike. The charming shop has been scooping handcrafted, small-batch ice cream from locally sourced ingredients since 1997. They offer all of the classics, but if you’re looking to try something new, they have you covered with their “Out of the Ordinaries” menu, featuring flavours like Hokey Pokey or oatmeal brown sugar. They even serve dog-friendly ice cream for a treat worth barking over. Take home your favourite flavour by the tub or as a cake! Can’t make it out to Port Moody? Visit any of these locations to pick up a pint!
3. Innocent Ice Cream
Location: 4895 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 5B6 waterfronts
Hours: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Transit: 3, 33
Did someone say gluten-free ice cream sandwiches? Look no further! Innocent has the corner on these hand-held delights. They’re the bread-and-butter of Innocent Ice Cream and are available in a ton of flavours! If you can’t decide on a flavour, this joint offers flights of three mini sandwiches! If you’re looking for something to take away, try an Ice Cream Sandwich Layered Pint.
4. Mister
Location: 1141 Mainland Street Vancouver, BC V6B 5P2
Hours: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. daily, open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday
Transit: Canada Line to Yaletown-Roundhouse Station, 5, 23
Mister opened its doors in 2016 and has been the go-to ice cream shop in Yaletown ever since. This ain’t your average ice cream! This shop joins the ranks of those using liquid nitrogen to create delicious ice cream that’s smoother and denser. They use dairy from Meadow Fresh Dairy in Port Coquitlam and fresh, natural ingredients, locally sourced when possible. Each treat is made to order, right before your eyes! Pick from a host of seasonal flavours and don’t forget to try their charcoal cone! Ice cream sandwiches and their S’more are definitely fan favourites.
5. Soft Peaks Ice Cream
Locations: 115-4603, Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4M4 and 25 Alexander St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1B2
Hours: 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. on weekdays, 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. on weekends
Transit: 19 for Burnaby location and 4, 7 for Vancouver location
Soft Peaks is home to a unique, milk-based ice cream made from organic Avalon Dairy milk with a touch of added sweetness. The milk base makes for a refreshing, creamy soft-serve that is all-natural and lower in calories and fat than traditional ice cream. Their array of unique toppings includes local honeycomb, cornflakes, yuzu marmalade, home-made tiramisu and Tim Tam flakes! Soft Peaks expanded earlier this year by opening a dessert café in Burnaby, where guests can enjoy desserts and coffee in addition to ice cream. Try their frissant ice cream sandwich, created in partnership with Swiss Bakery! Their original location remains nestled into the heart of Gastown.
6. Tangram Creamery
Location: 2729 Arbutus St, Vancouver, BC V6J 3Y5
Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. daily
Transit: 9, 16, 99
Can’t decide if you’re craving something hot or something cold? Lucky for you, Tangram is both an ice creamery and coffee roastery. Open since January 2016, they’ve crafted more than 30 ice cream flavours that rotate through weekly with nine available at a time. Check out their Instagram to see what’s available this week! Smoked cheese and whiskey, cream cheese and dried cranberry, Nutella apricot, lemon poppyseed – the list of these out-of-the-ordinary flavours is delightfully robust. Be sure to enjoy your scoops in one of their langues-de-chat cookie cones! If high-end artisan ice cream wasn’t enough, they also roast their coffee beans on site. Don’t miss the opportunity to try a fresh, silky-smooth cappuccino or nitro cold brew to beat the heat!
7. Glenburn Soda Fountain and Confectionary
Location: 4090 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC V5C 2H9
Hours: 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays
Transit: 129, 130
This little shop in the Burnaby Heights takes you back to a simpler time. Glenburn offers all of the classics. Sundaes, milkshakes, banana splits, malts, egg creams, sodas, floats – you name it! Something about the nostalgic décor puts you at ease and seeing the candy jars around the register takes you back to your childhood. This shop uses Birchwood Dairy ice cream in all of their creations, including their dairy-free options! We recommend trying something like the home-made gluten-free brownie from their Specialty Sundae menu for a truly delicious and Instagram-worthy!
8. Ice Queen
Location: 2355-4000 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 1J8
Hours: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday
Transit: Canada Line to Aberdeen Station, 410
As one of the only spots in the region to serve Thai-style “stir-fried” ice cream, Ice Queen is definitely unique! What is “stir-fried” ice cream you ask? This treat is made with a milk base on a steel plate chilled to below freezing. Fresh ingredients are kneaded and chopped into the ice cream with metal spades as the base freezes. When complete, the ice cream is flattened and rolled into a cigar shape. Their variety of toppings range from fresh fruit and pudding to macarons and graham cracker bears! This gem is tucked away on the second level of Aberdeen Centre in Richmond.
9. Umaluma
Location: 235 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8
Hours: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 12 p.m. – 11 p.m. Friday to Saturday
Transit: Main Street-Science World Station, 3, 4, 7, 8, 19
For a decadent and delicious dairy-free dessert, Umaluma is the place to go! They offer a dairy-free alternative to Italian gelato, which is traditionally made with cow’s milk. All their products are made fresh, in-house, down to the nut mylk bases for their gelato. There are more than 20 flavours to choose from—from your classic chocolate and vanilla, to outside-of-the-box flavours like Mojito Magik, Truffle and Saffron Orange. They even offer a sugar-free option! If you can’t make it to their shop, they also have pints available at any of these locations!
Author: Aylinn Kimura
Missing the very best of the bunch:
Anny’s Dairy Bar at 722 Sixth Street, New Westminster. Where one can get a maple twist: soft ice cream mixed with maple syrup mixed into it.
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing :) ^tp
What about Baskin Robbins in Horseshoe Bay?