11 of Hong Kong’s best places for ice cream and gelato, from sea salt flavour at Aqua S to passion fruit sorbet at Gelato Messina
- In the middle of a sweltering Hong Kong summer there’s nothing better than treating yourself to a refreshing ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogurt
- These 11 ice cream sellers and gelaterias serve up flavours that are sometimes weird, often wonderful and always cool
Another day, another hot weather warning in Hong Kong.
On the bright side, sizzling temperatures provide a perfect excuse to indulge in some heat-beating ice cream.
But with school out for summer – and did we mention July 16 is International Ice Cream Day? – there’s no better time.
Here’s the scoop on some of the best ice cream and gelato spots in the city.
1. Aqua S – Causeway Bay
Australian favourite Aqua S has arrived in Hong Kong, bringing its signature blue sea salt flavour to the city.
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Its menu changes twice a month with flavours including pistachio, its signature sea salt, a velvety honey yuzu, and a tempting pandan.
Available in a cup (large, HK$50 [US$6.40]; small, HK$45) or bamboo charcoal cone (HK$50), you can turbocharge the sugar with extras such as marshmallow, mochi, sweet popcorn or popping candy.
Shop B, 1 Canal Rd East, Causeway Bay.
2. Via Tokyo – Causeway Bay
Renovations over, this popular place in Causeway Bay opened this week with a new concept: modern Japanese tea bar.
But it is still selling its soft-serve classics, including its popular black sesame soft cream that uses hand-ground sesame from a producer in Osaka that was established over 100 years ago.
Other flavours include Kyoto Uji matcha, and Uji houjicha (roasted green tea).
Shop 1A-1B, Leishun Court, 106-126 Leighton Rd, Causeway Bay, tel: 2895 1116
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3. Gelato-go – Tsim Sha Tsui
The coolest place to be seen in TST is Gelato-go if the Saturday crowd on a steamy June day is any indication. The place was packed at midday.
Flavours include coconut, Oreo, mint chocolate, hazelnut, lychee, and mascarpone with wild berries, to name a few. But the passion fruit yogurt won the flavour battle, the refreshing combination the perfect hot weather companion.
The Nate, 176 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2383 9118
4. Venchi – various locations
Italian sweet master Venchi has a bunch of new summer flavours, including dragon fruit sorbet and icy cool lychee sorbet.
Its popular durian sorbet has returned. Then there is the lemon delight: fior di latte and lemon gelato topped with a gooey dollop of lemon jam.
Choose from two flavours (HK$50), three flavours (HK$69) and a no-judgment four flavours (HK$79).
Keep the kids happy with a takeaway family pack for between HK$210 and HK$345.
5. HEA – Sham Shui Po
This locally run gem serves up moreish vegan ice cream in fun flavours (two for just HK$38) including lemon rind, pineapple (with big chunks), tofu and salted lemon 7-Up. A small iced lolly (lemon, salted caramel, red bean) can be added for extra bling.
Funky design touches, including an Insta-worthy map of Sham Shui Po on the wall to the pretty patterned paper that the bamboo charcoal cone is wrapped in, elevates this place.
On a sizzling Sunday in June, chief scooper Karen was also happy to share her knowledge of some of the Cantopop stars whose faces are plastered on the walls. What’s not to love?
Nam Fung Mansion, 10F Boundary Street, Sham Shui Po, tel: 5345 5954
6. I Love Pancakes – Shau Kei Wan
This hole-in-the-wall dessert joint in Shau Kei Wan is a little left field, but worth a visit just to indulge in its crème brûlée ice cream crêpe (HK$35).
Purist fans of the French dessert – and of the romcom Amélie – might be offended by this sweet fusion. We don’t care.
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The top was crunchy (Amélie would be satisfied), the custard was the right amount of eggy and that’s all before you hit the layer of ice cream.
While the crepe cone was a bit, well, floppy, it didn’t stop the gorging.
Shop C, 76 Shau Kei Wan Main St East, Shau Kei Wan, tel: 9541 0213
7. Gelato Messina – SoHo
With more than 40 freshly churned flavours, it’s no wonder Aussie brand Gelato Messina has a cult following in Hong Kong.
Recent additions include Halo Halo – a leche flan (similar to creme caramel) gelato swirled with ube and coconut gelato, smashed with jackfruit purée, coconut jelly and puffed rice – and Passion Project, comprising passion fruit sorbet with rum-spiked lime curd and smashed with toasted coconut cake.
Head to The Landmark branch for its Hong Kong-inspired flavours, including the popular egg tart.
37-43 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong.
8. Mister Softee – citywide
I didn’t gobble down one of Mister Softee’s (Mister Mobile) offerings: standing in a long queue when the temperature was nudging 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) seemed counterintuitive.
But the long line spoke volumes about the enduring love for this Hong Kong institution that’s been serving from its distinctive red, white and blue vans since the first truck hit the city in 1970, when a cone sold for just HK$0.05.
Today, it’s still relatively cheap at HK$13 a cone.
9-11. Extra dollops
Japanese dessert shop Sweets House Cha Cha, with outlets in all City’super supermarkets (Times Square, Harbour City, Fashion Walk), is a matcha made in heaven for lovers of Hokkaido milk ice cream.
If chocolate’s your thing then Godiva’s cone delights (HK$55) in dark chocolate soft serve with chocolate shaving, white chocolate soft serve with chocolate shaving, and chocolate twist soft serve with chocolate shavings, will hit the choc spot.
Milk Top (Shop 46, B2/F, Sogo, Causeway Bay) at HK$25 a scoop is a bargain and we love the fruit flavours (durian, mango) and its rotating mix of special flavours such as tofu and sea salt that cost an extra HK$5 a scoop. A miso flavoured dessert in a tub (HK$30) looked interesting.
