Editors Note: This post was originally written in 2010, over a decade ago! We’ve updated it with more current information on where to get your scoops, but like the subject of this post, the rest is sweet!
Ice cream is powerful stuff. It brings people together, it cools overheated bodies, and anyone with a cranky three-year-old can attest to the powerful mood-altering effects of even a single scoop. Basically, ice cream is one of the best parts of summer, and Whistler has no shortage of the cold stuff to satisfy almost any craving.
Traditional ice cream is made with cream, while gelato is made with milk, which makes it a bit healthier, I guess, but worrying about calories in an ice cream shop is kind of missing the point. Sorbet is dairy-free, generally made with sweetened water or puréed fruit, and frozen yogurt is just that, frozen yogurt. With so many options available, there’s only one thing to do this summer – try ’em all.
Whistler’s Best Ice Cream Joints
Whistler Village South:
Chocolats Favoris
Chocolats Favoris is Whistler’s newest ice cream shop, now open in the heart of Whistler Village. If you have a sweet tooth, this spot belongs on your Whistler itinerary. With over 50 years of beloved Quebec tradition, their signature soft-serve is hand-dipped in real, premium chocolate with rotating flavours and fully customizable to your liking. You can even take home the chocolate you tasted at the dipping station from fondue cans, chocolate bars and fine chocolates. There is something to delight everyone!
Staff Favourite: The Salted Caramel Chocolate-Dipped Kooky Waffle Cone, topped with maple popcorn, pretzels, caramel drizzle, and crunchy Skor pieces.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Just steps from the Whistler Gondola, The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is Whistler’s oldest ice cream shop. With more than 30 flavours of ice cream, sorbet and a selection of chocolate-dipped ice cream bars, there’s something for everyone. The ice cream is made just down the road in Vancouver, while the waffle cones and ice cream bars are hand-dipped with chocolate and/or candy sprinkles on-site at the shop. Don’t miss the legendary Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, a local’s favourite.
Staff Favourite — George, the owner of the Whistler store, is rarely seen without his go-to order: a chocolate-dipped cone loaded with Chocolate Cashew Overload and Mint Chocolate Chip, finished with a generous drizzle of dark chocolate.
Cows
Much more than just an ice cream shop, Cows originated on the other side of the country, on Prince Edward Island. Using an old family recipe and a penchant for puns, Cows has now successfully branched out across the country. They have 39 varieties out at all times, and this really is the place to try new things like Birthday Cake flavour or Moo-Henry.
Cows uses a premium butterfat cream for their ice cream and mix it slowly, making for richer, thicker, more flavourful scoops. Waffle cones are made in-house and chocolate-dipped if you like it that way. On hot summer days, Cows will serve up over 2000 scoops of cool, creamy goodness.
Staff Favourite – Emma recommends the Wowie Cowie, a toffee/chocolate chip/vanilla mixture reminiscent of a Skor candy bar.
Hundo-P Smoothies + Ice Cream
For real-fruit, vegan ice cream, head to Hundo-P Smoothies + Ice Cream right in the heart of the action in Whistler Village Square (next to the Whistler Grocery Store). Their ice cream is a refreshing, real fruit ice cream using coconut and cashew milk, so it’s entirely plant-based. You can choose between mango, raspberry, strawberry or blueberry. They serve it in a waffle cone coloured black with activated charcoal. Some say this is good for your digestive system, and if it means we get an ice cream, then we agree.
Upper Village / Whistler Mountain / Parks & Lakes:
Lucia Gelato
Made right here in Whistler according to old-world techniques learned in Bologna, Italy, Lucia Gelato features smart flavours like White Chocolate Lavender, Double Chocolate Mint and Salted Caramel.
“I try to make everything from something that is real,” says Kathryn, founder of Lucia Gelato. “For the espresso flavour I am at home brewing espresso from locally roasted beans. For peanut butter gelato we roast peanuts and make our own peanut butter to put in there. I don’t use syrups or extracts.”
And you can taste the difference. While it’s available in many of Whistler’s restaurants and all the grocery stores, the best place to try Lucia is from the source. Their stands can be found at several of Whistler’s beaches, lakes and parks during the summer as part of the Park Eats program, and also at the Roundhouse at the top of Whistler Mountain and at the base of Blackcomb Mountain, next to Merlin’s.
Creekside:
Fix Cafe at Nita Lake Lodge
Enjoy house-made, fresh-pressed Sweet Fix Ice Cream from Fix Café, served in your choice of a cup or cone. Their ice cream is made in small batches with fresh local ingredients and herbs from their rooftop garden. It’s rich, creamy, and completely plant-based! Or for an extra little kick, indulge in a classic affogato.
Settle in on the sunny patio or take your treat to go and stroll along the Valley Trail to Nita Lake or Alpha Lake, just a touch further up the trail.
Whistler Restaurants
Connoisseurs of frozen delights can find some really high-end treats in some of Whistler’s fine-dining establishments. Araxi house-churns its ice cream and sorbets with seasonal fruits, while the crew at The Bearfoot Bistro will whip up fresh ice cream right at your table (using liquid nitrogen!!), and on the Braidwood Tavern Patio at the Four Seasons, you choose between their flavours of the day for your real-fruit ice cream served in a waffle cone, with vegan and sorbet options available.
INSIDER TIP: If you’re not an ice cream fan, but you’re looking for something else to take the edge off a sugar craving, take a look at the Sweet Treats tour on the free Go Whistler Tour app.
For all the varieties of ice cream available, Whistler (thankfully) offers even more ways to burn off all those creamy, sweet calories. So get outside, have fun in the sun, and treat someone you love to a scoop or two.
