We are blessed in East Vancouver with an array of frozen treats whether it’s ice cream, gelato, non-dairy, vegan ice cream or sorbet, options abound. While we are now truly into summer we thought we’d highlight some of the many spots worth checking out for ice cream.
Earnest Ice Cream
Admittedly we are die hard fans of Earnest Ice Cream which now has not 1, not 2, but 3 locations to serve you in East Vancouver, Fraser Street, Quebec Street and now their new location on Frances Street. Not only do we love their ice cream, we also love the Company’s philosophy to support local, be sustainable and environmentally friendly. If you’d asked us to choose one favourite flavor, we’d be hard pressed, Salted Caramel is up there, but then Whiskey Hazelnut not far behind. For seasonal, Lemon and Rhubarb Oatmeal are in our freezer now.
La Casa Gelato
The pink palace in East Vancouver located at 1033 Venables Street. A favourite spot as well, the choice of flavours beyond amazing. La Casa Gelato boasts some 238 flavours which include gelato and sorbets as well as other options including non-dairy and sugar free. They have a great outdoor seating space just across the street. Added bonus is they are open 11:00 am to 11:00 pm each day and we do mean every day as in 365 days a year.
Dolce Amore
Dolce Amore is a gelato spot located on Commercial Drive next to Merchant’s Oyster Bar. They have of course some delish gelato as well as some other sweet treats. We noticed a vegan Blueberry Basil Sorbetto in their line up which sounds pretty great. That’s on our list to try.
Rooster’s Ice Cream
Rooster’s Ice Cream is a great boutique ice cream shop located at 1309 East Broadway just West of the the Vancouver Community College campus. We checked out this spot last summer and it was a hit. They had some unique flavours and this year, we have our eye on their Lime Lavender.
Gourmet Ice Cream & Pizza Tour
If you prefer to taste test ice cream at a few different spots for something fun to do, you may wish to check out the Gourmet Ice Cream & Pizza Tour. This is offered by Off The Eaten Track Tours who regularly host foodie tours around the City. This delish tour runs from June 1st into September. Cost is $45.99 and runs weekly Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon for 2 hours. To register, or learn more, visit Off The Eaten Track Tours.
Innocent Ice Cream
Innocent Ice Cream is a sweet spot located at 4895 Main Street at 33rd Avenue that offers gluten free ice cream sandwiches, handmade all natural ice cream as well as coffee, so affogatos are available as well. Some of the ice cream flavours include Salty Peanut, peanut butter and salted caramel and the Canadian, maple walnut and oatmeal. We liked their flights of 3 mini ice-cream sandwiches. There are small seating areas inside and out. Definitely worth checking out.
Brown Paper Packages
We’ve been hearing great things about Brown Paper Packages which specialize in small batch handcrafted ice cream and ice cream sandwhiches. You can find their sweet treats at various events around town, but regularly at Pazzo Chow located at 620 Quebec Street at Keefer. They are open Monday to Friday 10:30 am to 4:30 pm closed Saturday and Sunday.
Elephant Creamery
The Elephant Creamery is the newest addition located at 2080 Commercial Street. The Georgia Straight featured some of their unique flavours that were coming down the pike. They are open daily 12:00 to 9:00 pm save for Tuesdays. We have yet to check this one yet, but looking forward to trying it.
READER’S RECOMMENDATION: For a cone with familiar flavours, Bianca Maria at 2469 East Hastings and Renzuli at 1370 Nanaimo Street at Charles Street.
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