What better way to keep cool than with a scoop or two of ice cream? We’ve scoured Hong Kong to find the best spots to grab frozen treats in Hong Kong! Whether you are looking for classic ice cream or prefer something healthy like gelato, dairy-free, or froyo – this list has the best-frozen delights in Hong Kong! Step out of your comfort zone and read on for the best 20 ice cream shops, gelato favorites, and frozen yogurt shops in Hong Kong from Central to TST and beyond!
Want more? We included healthy, sugar-free, and vegan ice cream options in Hong Kong too. Enjoy!
Established in 2002 in Sydney, Messina is an institution for gelato-lovers. With an unwavering dedication to freshness, they ensure that all ingredients are made from scratch, raising their own dairy cows and establishing things like hazelnut and strawberry farms. Pre-made bases or add-ins are a big no-no at Messina, with everything from the gelato base to the cookies, brownies, and coulis being made in-house. Messina main location is on Pottinger Street while you will also find a pop-up at Landmark right now too!
Messina - Central, 37-43 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong, https://www.gelatomessina.com.hk/
Messina - Pop-up: Shop 239, LANDMARK ATRIUM, Hong Kong
For those looking to try French fabulous flavors - head to this ice cream shop in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. Known for truly exotic flavors including Lobster, Bacon and Egg, and more - this shop is one to truly entertain the kids. Don't worry, they have the classics too. Want more? Book up one of their ice cream classes.
Ice Cream Gallery, Room 611, 6/F, Shing Yip Industrial Building, 19 Shing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, www.icecreamgallery.com.hk
Givrés concocted the Gelato Rose – now patented, exclusive to Givrés and arguably the prettiest gelato you’ve ever laid eyes on – and contributed to the local café culture by bringing a dash of London’s niche artisan gelato café scene to Hong Kong. After you pick and choose the (vegan) flavors and watch your custom gelato rose bloom, you can lay it in a shot of espresso, float it in an iced tea or coffee, or plant it in a fresh homemade waffle. A rose is a gelato is a rose – snap a pic, breath in its fragrance, then lick it away!
BARISTA by Givrés, 7 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 9659 0816, info@givres.com, www.givres.com
Baekmidang serves soft serve as you’ve never had before – it looks like a perfect sculpture and tastes like the softest dream. This South Korean creamery specializes in gorgeously creamy but firm milk ice cream made from 100% organic milk sourced from hand-picked farms. There’s also Chocolate Milk Ice Cream made from 81% cacao and the Macha Milk Ice Cream made with young tea leaves grown in the clean green tea field of Jeju Island. Fruity, super refreshing options like Mango and Blueberry are also on offer and ideal for summer – you can order the classic milk and chocolate ice cream on Baekmidang's newly launched web store too.
Baekmidang, Various locations including K11 Musea, The Peak Galleria, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, www.facebook.com/bmd1964hk
Dama is a new-era vegetarian bar that also turns its fresh fruits into healthy, plant-based vegan-friendly soft serves. The offer changes on a weekly basis to keep you delightfully on your toes. If you can’t pick between vibrantly-colored flavors such as Black Hawaii, Red Dragon Fruit, Pomelo, Oat Milk, and Red Bean, opt for a swirl! Unless you like surprises, check their Instagram before visiting to see what’s on offer that day.
Dama, Shop 411, 4/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 9527 2033, www.facebook.com/DAMAjuice, https://www.damasocial.com/
If you just arrived in Hong Kong and stumbled upon XTC Gelato, you couldn’t guess (before having a lick, that is) that this humble ice cream shop is “the best gelato east of Italy,” a pioneer of locally-inspired gelato in Hong Kong. XTC has been drawing inspiration from its home city for two decades now, turning traditional local desserts into creative, artisanal, all-natural, low-fat gelato. XTC only uses responsibly sourced ingredients, making sure their products are free of gluten, soy and artificial additives. The ever-changing flavors rotate with the seasons, so there’s always a reason to come back!
XTC Gelato, +852 2540 0105, info@xtc.com.hk, xtc.com.hk
XTC Gelato Central - Shop B, 45 Cochrane Street, Central, Hong Kong
XTC Gelato Causeway Bay - B2 Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
This specialty coffee shop and brunch destination has soft-serve ice cream – and signature ice cream sandwiches – that is so good and distinctive that ice cream might as well be their flagship product. Elephant Grounds offers an exclusive ice cream sandwich flavor every month, often thematic, always delicious. It also has gorgeously chill interiors in various fantastic locations in Hong Kong, so you don’t have an excuse to not give yourself an excuse to try these unique desserts!
Elephant Grounds, various locations, info@elephantgrounds.com, www.elephantgrounds.com/en/home
This brave little ice cream shop won Hong Kong over a couple of years ago with their White Rabbit Candy soft serve. The clever combinations did not stop there – Horlicks-Malteser is still on offer, as well as gems like Melon Parma Ham Gelato. Besides cones, you can get Igloo’s scoops in a freshly baked cookie bowl or differently flavored waffles – or order a takeaway container and enjoy your favorite flavor by the pier. If you somehow get tired of these wacky flavors, try their fruit ice pops for a simple refreshment.
Igloo Dessert Bar, Shop C, G/F, Pier 7, Star Ferry, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2656 3318, www.facebook.com/pg/Igloodessertbar
Italian gelato is its own category of ice cream. Thanks to the gelateria and cioccolateria Venchi, you can get an authentic lick of this quintessential Italian product in Hong Kong. Venchi specializes in chocolate gelatos, made with single-origin chocolate, hazelnuts, and pistachio. This makes this all-natural, incomparable gelato a must-try for lovers of chocolate. If your taste buds are more adventurous, don’t worry – Venchi keeps putting out new flavors in seasonal rotation with a delicately balanced Durian Sorbet as the current novelty.
Venchi, various locations including Central and YOHO mall, www.venchi.com.hk/en/about-gelato.html
After a few years of absence, Via Tokyo’s iconic Black Sesame soft serve is back! The unique flavor is made using a hand-ground black sesame paste produced by a small company in Osaka, Japan with a 100-year-old tradition. Black Sesame joins Via Tokyo’s Hokkaido Milk, Matcha, and Houjicha – like true craftsmen, Via Tokyo stops at a couple of flavors, but infuses these Japanese soft serves with artistry and enriches them with a variety of hand-picked toppings that further deepen the taste.
Via Tokyo, Shop 1A-1B, G/F, Leishun Court, 106-126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, +852 2895 1116, https://www.facebook.com/viatokyocafe/
Little Bao, Shop H1, 9 Kingston Street, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, +852 6794 8414, info@little-bao.com, www.little-bao.com/
What we love about Holly Brown is that it is a perfect place to grab a treat while wandering around Central with the kids! At Holly Brown, they focus on gelato! With a huge range of flavors to choose from including chocolate fudge, wild berry, mint and coffee, and many more, all of which can be mixed with your favorite mouth-watering toppings - it is a real crowd-pleaser. Alternately you can indulge in their deliciously refreshing low-calorie frozen yogurt.
Holly Brown - Central, GF, 22 Stanley Street, Hong Kong, http://www.hollybrowncoffee.com
Holly Brown - Lai Chi Kok, G01, G/F, D2 Place Two, 15 Cheung Shun Street, Lai Chi Kok,
Homegrown Hong Kong ice cream makers Happy Cow has been a favorite in Hong Kong. Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, the dairy-free hand-crafted ice cream manufacturer offers a full range of flavors in their shop, from banana and caramel swirl to chai tea, red bean to ring yang sesame, and green tea to mint chocolate chip. In addition, they use all organic and plant-based ingredients - it's a vegan ice cream favorite.
Happy Cow, Various Locations, www.happycowhk.com
At Yo Mama Frozen Yogurt, start with a super healthy, tart plain frozen yogurt (or one of the other handful of flavors), and then get to work on toppings! There are tons of toppings that will appeal to every kid and grownup in your crew, from Mango Mochi and Red Bean to Homemade Mini Macarons and Brownie Chunks. Pick from their three locations around town, and enjoy!
Yo Mama Frozen Yogurt, www.facebook.com/YoMamahk. Locations include IFC Mall In Central, Windsor House in Causeway Bay and Taikoo Shing.
In hot or cold weather, there’s always room for Gino's creamy gelato. They've got two cute standalone shops - in Stanley (right by the stage) and at The Peak (at the entrance of the Peak Tram). Choose from over a dozen tempting flavors and pile on a couple of scoops in one of their freshly made waffle cones. Gino’s Gelato sticks by traditional Italian recipes; it’s made fresh and delivered every day. Even Fido can enjoy a doggie gelato!
Gino’s Gelato Stanley, Shop 5, G/F, Stanley Plaza, Stanley, Hong Kong, +852 2899 0314, www.ginosgelato.com
Gino's Gelato The Peak, G/F, G18, Level G, The Peak Tower, The Peak, Hong Kong, +852 2849 8314
Originating from Hokkaido in Japan, renowned for its smooth and creamy dairy products, Milk Top has seven locations around town. The main location is in Sogo's basement... treat li'l shoppers before it's time to go home! Slurp on unique flavors such as Sesame (a classic Japanese fave), Cream Cheese, Red Wine (yes, really!), and all the usual suspects like vanilla and chocolate. It's worth trying for the novelty factor alone!
Milk Top, Shop 7A1, B2/F, Sogo, 555 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, +852 2831-4809, www.milktop.com.hk. Click here for more locations!
They create unique ice pops and snowflakes. Their ice pops have fresh fruit in them, which not only makes them very tasty but pretty to look at, too. Their rose and longans is just for moms while their Cinnamon Fuji is perfect for little ones who like apple pie! As well as having outlets all over the island, they are also stocked at the American Club.
I See I See, Shop 1, Haven Court, 138 Leighton Road, Hong Kong, +852 2337 3361, www.facebook.com/iseeiseehk/
iCremeria is another place that offers Japanese soft serve, but one that turns this omnipresent, everyday snack into a luxurious dessert fit for royalty. iCremeria’s secret lies in combining seasonal Japanese fruit and other ingredients (like sweet potato, lavender, sesame) with their signature Hokkaido Milk Classico Crema into divinely soft creams and parfaits with premium toppings. Their current seasonal specials include Peach and Tiramisu Parfaits, but the signature Melon Parfait served in a halved honeydew melon steals the show on all counts.
iCremeria, various locations, +852 2897 1118, www.facebook.com/iCremeria
Best Healthy And Sugar-Free Ice Cream In Hong Kong?
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