Have you heard the scoop? Ice-cream season is in full force. No matter what kind of ice cream you’re looking for, we’ve got your back.
We dug deep into our brains to present the ultimate guide to Hong Kong’s best ice cream and the spots you need to head to for feeding your sweet tooth.
The best ice cream in Hong Kong
Messina
If you’ve never heard of Messina and their magical Italian-style gelato scoops (from HKD55), get to know them now. Imported with love from Melbourne, this Black Sheep dessert store serves 30 classics on their menu and 52 different flavours in weekly specials. Try their Hong Kong flavours of black sesame tong yuen and Hong Kong milk tea or signatures of pistachio praline and pandan and coconut.
Messina, 37–43 Pottinger Street, Central
Holly Brown
Specialising in “hand-tossed” gelato, you can witness the staff at Holly Brown folding various toppings into your gelato on their special cold plates. Go for HB’s Yin Yang (HKD88) with chocolate gelato, chocolate chips and sauce, and Oreo or Miss Sunshine (HKD88), featuring strawberry gelato, strawberry, banana, and pie crust. The Crazy Shakes (from HKD108) are also recommended.
Holly Brown, Shop G01, G/F, D2 Place TWO, 15 Cheung Shun Street, Lai Chi Kok, 2371 2826/2371 2225
Barista by Givrés
Lucky for us, Barista by Givrés has patented the gelato rose (from HKD80), so you won’t find this anywhere else in Hong Kong! Mix and match your own flavours and witness your gelato rose come to life or match it with coffee for a rose affogato (HK68). While pairing a gelato rose with a croffle (HKD80) does make for an excellent Insta shot, beware that the croffle tends to get soggy pretty quickly, so eat fast.
Barista by Givrés, 7 Staunton Street, Soho, Central, 2697 0728
Elephant Grounds
While Elephant Grounds – winner of the Foodie Forks 2024 Readers’ Choice – Best Café award – is known for its menu of coffee drinks and brunchy bites, did you know the chain operates its own creamery in Hong Kong? They offer unique flavours (HKD40) such as Hokkaido milk with honeycomb, Earl Grey cookie, and Thai iced tea. Ask your server for EG’s weekly special ice-cream sandwich, of which The Peanut Gallery (HKD68) is a perennial favourite, featuring ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies sandwiched with peanut butter ice cream, strawberry jam, and candied peanuts.
Elephant Grounds, multiple locations across Hong Kong
Via Tokyo
Via Tokyo’s Japanese soft-serve ice cream is extremely creamy and smooth, deserving of a visit to their Causeway Bay shop. All four of their signature flavours (matcha, hojicha, milk, and black sesame) are equally intense. Enjoy your ice cream on its own (from HKD50) or pair it with toppings of shiratama, warabi, mochi, adzuki, and okoshi for an addictive combination of textures. You can also enjoy your ice cream as part of various set menus that also include the likes of roll cake and Japanese tea.
Via Tokyo, Shop 1A–1B, G/F, Lei Shun Court, 106–126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, 2895 1116
Venchi
Italian chocolatier Venchi takes gelato (from HKD55) very seriously. Chocoholics must not miss out on the Cuor di Cacao flavour, made with 75% dark chocolate. Other recommended chocolate flavours include the stracciatella (milk gelato with chocolate nibs) and gianduiotto (hazelnut chocolate). Non-chocolate flavours, such as mango and pistachio, are also available. You can upgrade your gelato with Venchi’s fancy gourmet cone (+HKD15).
Venchi, multiple locations across Hong Kong
Gelato-Go
Perched on the corner of Nathan Road beside Kowloon Park, you can’t miss the colours and aromas coming out of Gelato-Go. This US-based franchise opened their Asia flagship store in Hong Kong in 2019, offering the finest of Neapolitan gelato, coffee, pastries, and cakes. With gelato flavours (from HKD65) like yoghurt, rum raisin, gianduja, pistachio, strawberry, and Oreo, expect creamy and sweet ice-cream bites here.
Gelato-Go, G/F, The Nate, 174 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2383 9118
XTC Gelato
A home-grown gelato brand that’s lower in fat and lighter than its ice-cream counterparts, XTC Gelato switches up their flavours from time to time and offers many creative scoops (from HKD35), including cookie crunch, vanilla Madagascar, blueberry cheesecake, and mango coconut. If you’re on the fence as to which flavour to choose, don’t worry – the staff will patiently let you sample different ones. Take-home tubs and cakes are also available for ordering.
XTC Gelato, 45B Cochrane Street, Central, 2541 0500
Dood Bottega Gelateria
Housed in the basement foodie floor of K11 MUSEA, Dood Bottega Gelateria goes to great efforts to create gelato recipes with fresh ingredients sourced from around the world. From cantaloupe and Italian lemon, to golden pineapple and Sicilian pistachio, to mango chocolate and Greek yoghurt, the gelato (from HKD59) flavours are super authentic.
Dood Bottega Gelateria, Shop B201–23, B2/F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 9699 6624
Häagen-Dazs
Everyone’s favourite American ice-cream chain is a go-to for the classic and reliable flavours we all cherish. With many locations around town to enjoy special ice-cream dishes and purchase pints, Häagen-Dazs deserves a spot on our list. The waffle cone (from HKD60) is a great choice to blend flavours like strawberry, cookies and cream, and Belgian chocolate with toppings including chopped nuts, cornflakes, mango syrup, and more.
Häagen-Dazs, multiple locations across Hong Kong
Owl’s
Owl’s in Tsim Sha Tsui means business in the gelato trade. Michelin recommended from 2017 to 2024, locals and tourists alike love this unique dessert of gelato wrapped in delicate choux pastry. France meets Italy at this dessert specialist, where you can try gelato choux (HKD60) in flavours like red velvet and praline noir. Limited gelato choux from 3PM every day except Monday, so be at the ready!
Owl’s, G/F, Shop H, Lyton Building, 32 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, 6199 5176
