Events
Pacific Authentic Experiences
Restaurants
The Dumpling Trail
Makers
Night Market
Steveston Village
Outdoor Activities
Book Your Stay
Connect with us
Hotels & Resorts
Bed and Breakfasts & Inns
Main Menu
The sun is shining, the temperature is rising and that means it’s time to dive into some delicious ice cream. Luckily, Richmond is full of sweet places to satisfy your summertime cravings. From mouthwatering hot spots to scrumptious hidden gems, read on for our road-tested scoop on 10 of the city’s most amazing ice cream purveyors.
And if you’re a true connoisseur, why not check out the six Richmond vendors participating in this year’s Vancouver Ice Cream Festival? On now and running until July 31, each of the top producers participating in this treat-tastic celebration has created special, limited edition frozen desserts that are just waiting to tantalize your taste buds. They’re all included below.
J Squared Ice Cream
405-9100 Blundell Road, Richmond
Tucked into Richmond’s busy Garden City Shopping Centre, this friendly, family-run store combines satisfying traditional ice cream approaches (all made on site) with highly creative, Asian-influenced flavours. You’ll find everything here from Shanghai Fog to Thai Milk Tea, with two or three new varieties introduced on the menu every month.
Must try: Vietnamese Coffee.
Festival special: Szechuan Peppercorn.
Milkcow Cafe
105-5668 Hollybridge Way, Richmond
With its quirky soft serve desserts, this is the first Canadian branch of a wildly popular Korean chain. Choose from a dozen or so options and you’ll soon be plunging your spoon into swirls of deliciousness adorned with syrups and toppings such as jellybeans, mango slices and even a ‘cloud’ of cotton candy that sits atop their popular Mont Blanc dessert.
Must try: Mont Blanc.
Festival specials: Watermelon Ice Cream Sandwich and Milkberry Soft Serve.
Timothy’s
3800 Bayview Street, Richmond
This Italian gelato and frozen yogurt emporium has been satisfying sweet treat cravers at Fisherman’s Wharf for over three decades. Famous for its wide array of varieties, served in cups and house-made waffle cones, we always try something new here––and with flavour options such as coconut, durian, salted caramel and white chocolate raspberry it’s never difficult to find a fresh favourite.
Must try: Blood Orange Sorbetto.
Soft Peaks
1000-7899 Templeton Station Road, Richmond
Tucked into the mini food court Eatery at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver, this counter offers an enticing array of colourful, luscious and intriguingly creative soft serve options, all made from local organic milk and available in cups or cones. Adventurous ingredients range from pink salt to yuzu marmalade, while the Green Forest dessert (our favourite) includes uji matcha and sweetened red beans.
Must try: Green Forest.
Festival special: Strawberry Balsamico.
B&P Ice Cream
100-12220 Second Avenue, Richmond
Possibly the best-priced ice cream counter in Richmond, it is just $4 for a generously proportioned cup or cone here. The problem? There are dozens of flavours to choose from, ranging from classics such as rum and raisin and chocolate chip mint to intriguing alternatives including their purple-coloured ube, a Filipino favourite. Snag a bench seat, stare at the window menu and start planning your follow-up visit!
Must try: Rocky Raspberry.
Snowy Village
113-8571 Alexandra Road, Richmond
Bingsoo is the Korean version of shaved ice and it’s a revelation to ice cream fans who might not have tried it before. The Snowy Village approach uses sugar, cream and condensed milk to create a luscious sweet concoction with a fluffy, snowdrift-like texture. Head to this Alexandra Road spot and consider tempting toppings such as melon, strawberries or Oreo cookie crumbs.
Must try: Mango Bingsoo.
Nam Dae Moon Rice Cake
2132-3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond
A beloved Richmond dessert destination for more than a decade, handcrafted rice cakes and mochi balls are the menu foundation at this bright and friendly café and takeout counter in the Continental Shopping Centre. Don’t miss the chance to try some mochi ice cream here, and consider ordering a delicious rice cake to take home with you as well.
Must try: Mochi ice cream.
Festival specials: Ostmanthus Fermented Rice Mochi Ice Cream and Yuzu Milk Mochi Mango Sorbetto Cup.
Screamers
12211 Third Avenue, Richmond
A Steveston summertime icon, head to this shack-like counter near the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site and order your neon-bright Screamer––a fizzy pop slushy mixed with soft serve ice cream. There are four ice cream flavours to choose from (go for the pineapple) as well as Crush-branded pops in orange, lime, cream soda and root beer options. Not feeling quite so adventurous? You can also order the silky soft serve on its own.
Must try: Pineapple Screamer.
M Sushi
1160-8580 Alexandra Road, Richmond
After moving from Steveston to city centre Richmond––it’s now located on “Eat Street” Alexandra––this popular sushi bar is currently enticing fans with a specific chilled treat that has become an Insta-worthy viral sensation in Japan. Served in a waffle cone or waffle cup, the cool-looking string soft serve is a tasty tangle of sweet, velvety strands topped with a little dash of edible gold leaf!
Must try: String soft serve.
Festival special: Matcha Mont Blanc Soft Serve.
Matcha Café Maiko
199-8279 Saba Road, Richmond
A hidden gem tucked behind the city centre’s Richmond Public Market, order your sweet treat here then stroll around the corner to the little pocket park to savour your dessert under a leafy tree. House-made matcha soft serve is the foundation of the menu here, but they also offer deliciously tempting floats, parfaits and shaved ice––which means you’ll likely need a return visit very soon!
Must try: Macha soft serve.
Festival specials: Sparkling Matcha Float and Sparkling Yuzu Float (available until July 8). Macha Ube Twist (available July 9 to July 31).
Last Updated on July 10, 2023 by Tourism Richmond