9 Ice Cream Spots to Check Out This Summer

Ranging from soft serve to sorbet, treats from these popular ice cream shops will satisfy your sweet tooth

With long summer days ahead, make sure to head to one of these local spots…

1. Innocent Ice Cream Sandwiches

Located on Main Street, just around the corner from Queen Elizabeth Park, Innocent Ice Cream Sandwiches offers goodies that are 100 percent gluten-free… and 1000 percent delicious! Try one of their many house specialties like Cherry Bomb (wild berry ice cream between two double chocolate cookies) or create your own from their daily selection of dairy- and plant-based ice creams paired with fresh baked cookies. They also offer house-made gluten-free waffle cones, soda floats and layered ice cream sandwich pints. 
Innocent Ice Cream Sandwiches, 4895 Main Street, Vancouver; Open Wednesday to Sunday, 2 to 9 p.m.

2. Betterwith

For days when you just want to stay indoors and chill out, grab a spoon and indulge with a tub of Betterwith ice cream from your local supermarket. Made with full-fat cream, natural ingredients, and with no more than 19 grams of sugar per serving, Betterwith’s “real ice cream—like Grandma used to make” comes in classic flavours including vanilla, chocolate, caramel, coffee, strawberry and their newest edition, cream, which can be paired with both sweet and savoury offerings. 
Various locations; Details online

3. Mister Artisan Ice Cream

If you live in Vancouver and haven’t been to Mister yet, what are you doing?!? With ingredients sourced from local farmers, the team strives to support B.C. communities wherever possible, and uses liquid nitrogen in the production process meaning richer, creamier, denser ice cream that doesn’t require stabilizers and fillers. Made from scratch in-house with pure, natural ingredients, flavours are rotated based on season and demand, and are available in cones, pots, sandwiches, pints and dipped bars to-go. 
Mister Artisan Ice Cream, 1141 Mainland Street, Vancouver; Open Monday to Sunday from 2 to 10 p.m.; 1835 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver; Opening summer 2021

4. La Glace

Award-winning and made-from-scratch with a creme anglaise base, La Glace ice cream was founded with the goal of introducing French ice cream to Vancouver. The Kitsilano brick-and-mortar parlour opened in 2017 and their Parisian-inspired interior is worth the visit alone. Offering an array of ice creams including honey matcha and violet blueberry shortbread (limited release), they also offer take-home jars packaged in sustainable and re-usable milk glass containers, ice cream cakes and handcrafted pastries and confectioneries. 
La Glace, 2785 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver; Open Monday to Wednesday from 1 to 9 p.m., Thursday to Friday from 1 to 10 p.m., Saturday from Noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from Noon to 9 p.m.

5. Uno Gelato

From farm-to-cone and made from scratch daily, Uno Gelato features year-round favourites as well as seasonal creations, using the very best natural ingredients available. With recipes including Vancouver Island Sea Salt or Avalon Dairy organic milk, as well as the freshest, local fruits and herbs, Uno Gelato is a sensory experience you won’t forget. Choose from waffle, chocolate, charcoal and gluten-free cones, with a wide variety of flavours like roasted pistachio, blood orange and Bailey’s Irish coffee.
Various locations; Details online

6. Earnest Ice Cream

When you’re willing to join the back of a queue that’s already looped around the corner, you know the ice cream must be good. And if you haven’t spent your precious time waiting in line for this deliciousness, then do it now. We can confirm it’s worth it. With the name that represents the ‘honesty and conviction they bring to what they do’, Earnest features rotating, seasonal flavours, alongside the classics, in small batches to allow the flexibility to experiment with foraged ingredients like fresh spruce bud and elderflower. And alongside their cups and cones, their returnable and reusable take-home ice cream glass jars are part of their mission to become a zero waste company. 
Various locations; Details online

7. Rain or Shine

Rain or Shine Ice Cream exists to make neighbourhoods happy with fresh, natural and sustainable whole ingredients sourced locally, seasonally and whenever possible, and they’re doing a great job at just that. All Rain and Shine dairy products are supplied by Birchwood Dairy Farm, a family farm located in Abbotsford, and together they created the custom ice cream formula without any soy, corn syrup, modified milk ingredients or artificial extracts and flavours. Pick from classic flavours like London fog, chocolate or mint and opt for seasonal fillings like lemon squared, cashew caramel and so much more. 
Various locations; Details online

8. Popina

Granville Island’s Popina is not only a great spot for ice cream hangouts, but their soft serve, puff cream creations make it that much better. Made with antibiotic and hormone-free ingredients, all ice creams are served with a freshly baked cream puff and various toppings such as Violet B—freeze-dried blueberries with a cornflake crunch—the Old Fashioned—house-made sea salt toffee sauce with toasted almonds—and so much more.
Popina, Ferry Dock, Granville Island, Vancouver; Open Wednesday to Sunday from Noon to 6 p.m.

9. Yum

Ice creamery and sweet shop Yum is all about throwing expectations out the window. From hard ice cream, soft serve, bubble waffles, ice cream bars and more, owner Michael Gorenstein has thoughtfully created every edible product in this wonderful Candyland, and it’ll sure leave your sweet tooth wanting more. Our recommendation? The ice cream sandwiches are totally indulgent and will always be a win in our books. 
Yum, 4150 Main Street, Vancouver; Open Monday to Sunday from Noon to 10 p.m.