In recent years, Hong Kong has upped its game in the ice cream stakes. Imports from America have brought creative flavours and wild toppings, while historic Italian brands have kept it traditional with their divinely creamy gelatos. Take your pick from Messina’s Hong Kong milk tea flavour to Elephant Ground’s traditional Hokkaido milk soft serve.
Messina
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Hong Kong-favourite Messina is the gelateria to be. The name Messina pays homage to the founders’ Sicilian roots as their parents hail from the quaint town. Prepare to indulge in a tantalising array of 40 flavours, with 30 core ones that are available all year round. Additionally, Messina specially crafts 5 exclusive flavours for Hong Kong, such as black sesame tong yuen and Hong Kong milk tea. If that’s not enough, the 5 rotating specials that last for a week add an element of surprise and newness. Messina gelati are destined to be of the highest quality – each delectable flavour is made with premium ingredients such as Sicilian pistachios and vanilla beans from Tonga. Aside from gelato, the gelateria makes decadent cakes and tub ice-creams for home delivery. Be sure to keep an eye out on their Instagram and Facebook to find out their special weekly flavours!
37 Pottinger Street, Central; @messina
Barista by Givrés
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Givrés is best known for their delectable gelatos, intricately styled to mimic a rose. When ordering this unique creation, guests are given the choice to have one, two, or even three flavours to mix and match however they wish. Givrés also combines their signature gelato rose with a shot of espresso, a homemade waffle, or a cup of iced coffee, for those wishing to spice up their ice cream. As customers have complete freedom of how their gelato rose looks and tastes, each handcrafted creation is one of a kind but undoubtedly tasty.
7 Staunton Street, Central; givrés.com
Coolhaus
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Founded in LA back in 2009, Coolhaus has crossed borders to expand its horizons in Hong Kong. Made with cultivated microflora in place of milk stored in planet-friendly vessels, the brand values the collective responsibility we have towards looking after our planet. Classic flavours such as Hojicha, Molten Chocolate and Cookies N Creme are stocked in 7-Eleven stores whilst quirkier flavours like Taro ‘N Boba can be found in Wellcome supermarkets.
Available in 7-Eleven and Wellcome stores across the city; facebook.com/coolhaus
Elephant Grounds
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Known as the go-to brunch spot of the city, Elephant Grounds also prides itself on their popular ice-cream sandwiches and soft serves. The monthly special ice-cream sandwich flavour is sure to hit the spot every single time as well as a lineup of Elephant Grounds’ classic scoops such as salted caramel or Japanese taro, which you can change to a red velvet or charcoal waffle cone for an extra layer of flavour. If you’re looking for something more simple, you can never go wrong with the classic Hokkaido milk soft serve.
G/F Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan; 42-48 Paterson Street, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay; 8 Wing Fung Street, Starstreet Precinct, Wan Chai; Shop 705, Level 7, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; elephantgrounds.com
iCREMERiA
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Combining the creamy, milky texture of Japanese soft serve ice cream with innovative flavours, it is no surprise that iCREMERiA is a local favourite. Offering their signature Japanese soft-serve ice cream in addition to cakes, yogurts and sandwiches, iCREMERiA’s vast variety of offerings are sure to please even the ice cream adverse. Their signature ice cream flavour is vanilla, but they also offer a chocolate and traditional uji-matcha flavour from Kyoto, served in the middle of a sweet Japanese melon. Other notable highlights include their luxurious gold foil ice cream and Monbana Chocolate Affogato. Their instagram-worthy ice cream creations are as delicious as they are photogenic, rendering iCREMERiA a must go destination during Hong Kong’s hot summer months and beyond.
1/F Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay; @icremeria
Twist & Buckle
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Founded by two best friends from South America who wished to sell the churros they ate growing up, Twist & Buckle is Hong Kong’s first ever churreria. Their churros are light and crunchy, served with an unconventional side of ice-cream. Guests can choose their own churro and soft-serve flavours, while toppings include both classic and innovative flavours. Combining a piping hot and freshly fried churro with creamy dollops of ice cream, Twist & Buckle’s churro ice cream sundaes are sweet, chewy delights – and they look great in photos too.
29-31 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui; @twistandbuckle
Venchi
Established as a chocolatier in Turin, Italy in 1878, Venchi has been crafting authentic Italian gelato since 2007. They now have 11 stores around Hong Kong, where they scoop up decadent gelato daily using fresh, natural ingredients — milk, fruit and nuts — all topped with their famous hot chocolate sauce. The ice cream can then be rolled in either dried raspberries, hazelnuts, grains, nougatine or chocaviar (grains of 75% dark chocolate). For every month of the summer, they will be introducing one new flavour to go alongside their classic pistachio and hazelnut, and winning chocolate scoops.
Multiple locations including G/F Shop, The Pottinger, 21 Stanley Street, Central; venchi.hk
Happy Cow
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Happy Cow is a great alternative to your traditional milk-based ice cream. The plant-based alternative is made from coconut cream and organic coconut sugar. Its sweetness comes from mixing in handmade jams and fruits, keeping its promise of never using artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. Happy Cow’s summer fruit flavours include a pineapple coconut, banana caramel, strawberry and golden pillow durian, while lollipop sticks of ice cream can be bought smothered in caramel sauce and cookie chips or sprinkles.
Found at fusion, Market Place and more supermarkets; happycowhk.com
Via Tokyo
This popular shop in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay draws long lines for it’s Japanese soft-serve ice cream, in flavours of Hokkaido milk and matcha green tea. Open until 11pm daily, it attracts a young crowd for its creamy whips that use tea leaves sourced from Kyoto, the home of green tea. Our favourites are the seasonal black sesame flavour and the Uji Matcha, best enjoyed with a mochi and a blue and white porcelain cup of hōjicha, a Japanese green tea distinctive because it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal, in comparison to others that are steamed.
Shop 1A-1B, G/F, Leishun Court, 106-126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay; facebook.com/ViaTokyoTST
