This week I put out the word, “What’s the best place to go for ice cream in North Vancouver?” asking in specific for family-friendly locations. Well, North Vancouver moms came to the rescue, and I’m compiling here a list of the Top 7 Ice Cream Shops in North Vancouver.
- Brazza Gelato & Coffee is the top favourite by many families. With 3 locations in North Vancouver, two off Lonsdale and one close to Capilano Mall, Brazza’s gelato is made fresh daily using natural ingredients, with no extra air whipped in. This gelato is more dense and loved by many in North Van.
- Marble Slab Creamery on Esplanade offers the mixins you have come to expect from a frozen yogurt store, but mixed into ice cream instead. Or rather, folded. There are 50 flavours of ice cream and 20 mixins with some great combinations suggested to create a delicious treat. Not the cheapest ice cream, but delicious. I can also vouch for the deliciousness of their ice cream cakes.
- COCOfroyo in Edgemont offers frozen yogurt and sorbets made with products as locally sourced as possible. Toppings available too!
- Sugar & Co. in Lynn Valley is an amazing candy store serving ice cream from Birchwood Dairy in Abbotsford and frozen yogurt from Mario’s Gelati in Vancouver. We’ve been here several times for ice cream and are pleased with the quality. It’s also a great chance for me to snag a bag of sour candies, which I’m a sucker for. (Side note: we shop here a lot at Christmas and they are very helpful with specialty candies for parties!)
- Frux Frozen Yogurt at Lonsdale Quay makes organic frozen yogurt and smoothies from scratch. I believe they took over the corner stall from a previous store that sold ice cream, so don’t be confused. Frux is new and quite delicious, our family gave it a thumbs up.
- Gelato Express is a Deep Cove institution, known mostly by its train tracks that circle the ceiling. If you tell people it’s the “ice cream place next to Honey’s,” they’ll know where you mean. This is not to be confused with the Deep Cove Ice Cream Café on the other side of Honey’s. Neither place has a website, but you can’t miss the train!
- Yeti Yogurt on Esplanade, fairly new to the area, had a number of good reviews by parents for the frozen yogurt and toppings, but one mom had a bad experience there with employees complaining about parents changing diapers in their washroom.
Note that not a single person I polled suggested the chains such as Dairy Queen or Baskin Robbins! An honorable mention was made for Pinkberry, which is available a short hop over at Park Royal Village in West Vancouver. Pinkberry is a large brand that specializes in frozen yogurt with fun toppings, and they’ve got it down to a science. The place is fun and fast and tasty. A great treat after all that hard work shopping.
Where’s the Menchie’s? Although many people will suggest Menchie’s as a great option for frozen yogurt and fun toppings, I have been several times and think that the “fun” stops when you actually eat the frozen yogurt. If you’re looking for good not fun, skip it.
If you are looking to buy good ice cream to take home, I also highly suggest Earnest Ice Cream. Though amazing in-store in Vancouver, you can also buy it by the pint from Nourish Market in Lynn Valley. We have been known to do this a few times. ;)
