Look around; leaves are falling, temperatures are lowering and the bright easy days of summer are gradually transitioning into the breezy days of autumn. But wait. There is still time for one last round of ice cream before we formally say goodbye to summer! Since the closure of popular ice cream shop WIYF after a food safety scandal involving it’s owner’s bakery Farine, ice cream shops have been popping up all over Shanghai, with hopes that their particular concept will be the next to entrap the hearts of Shanghai citizens. As a result, the ice cream varieties offered in Shanghai are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. At this point you may ask, where can I find all this amazing ice cream? Read on to find out!
Bonus
Address: 39 Ruijin Road (No. 2) | 瑞金二路39号
Starting as a pop-up shop last summer, their popularity has since allowed this shop to purchase a permanent location on Ruijin Er Road. Bonus serves up gelato, the creamier Italian take on ice cream, in innovative flavors that will give you a hard time deciding which one to try. These flavors range from the more traditional mango passionfruit sorbet to wacky ones like osmanthus rice wine or salted egg yolk and salted caramel with rose. Furthermore, the shop itself is cozy and features minimalistic décor with a pink flamingo theme, making it the perfect place for some insta worthy shots! The neon quotes, vintage light bulbs and large windows all make the perfect backdrop for that perfect photo of your ice cream. The price of ice-cream at Bonus is 20rmb for a scoop and 30rmb for double, and comes with your choice of a handmade cone or cup.
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Environment: 5/5
Casa di Sorbetto
Address: 10 Baoqing Road | 宝庆路10号
Casa di Sorbetto is a newly opened gelato shop that seeks to fuse innovative flavors with Italian gelatos and sorbets. They hand make a fresh batch of each flavor every day, so customers can be assured that they are getting the freshest ice cream. Although they offer a variety of flavors like black sesame with pumpkin seeds, coffee with brown sugar and walnut, and white peach with rose, a particular stand out is the oolong tea. Made with ground oolong tea leaves, the ice cream offers a rich matcha-like flavor, with just the right amount of a slightly bitter tea aftertaste. They also offer a pricier "premium" flavor of a chilled birds nest with mango cream and pomelo, which is priced at 40rmb per scoop. Normal flavors are 25rmb for a single scoop and 35rmb for double. Also, as they are in their soft opening period, they are offering a buy one get one deal, so be sure not to miss out on that!
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Environment: 3.5/5
Prée
Address: Lane 181, Taicang Road near Madang Road (in Xintiandi) | 新天地太仓路181弄
This sophisticated ice cream shop in Xintiandi is probably the "Gucci" of the ice cream market in Shanghai. Opened by a 3-star Michelin chef, it prides itself on making the "finest ice creams", and that’s no exaggeration. Though famous on social media for their “boozy pops”, which are fruity popsicles dipped in champagne, those who are not yet of drinking age can find equal delight in Prée’s nonalcoholic ice creams. Due to their use of new age ice cream making methods and quality raw ingredients, the ice cream Preé churns out is noticeably creamier and denser than your typical ice cream. Popular flavors here include goat milk with manuka honey and black truffle (yes, they have a black truffle flavor!), and are all multilayered in their flavor complexities. However, a scoop of this treat will run you a hefty 50-70rmb depending on the flavor, so it’s definitely something to savor and enjoy.
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Environment: 5/5
Pâte
Address: 462 Hefei Road (first floor of SOHO) |合肥路462号
A perfect destination for all those with a sweet tooth, this shop specializes in desserts ranging from cakes to pastries, to gelato. Although their other desserts are highly regarded and hard to resist, be sure not to skip out on their unique gelato, which features fusion flavors like sesame tofu (for the adventurous eaters), homemade PB and J, lemon meringue, and Thai milk tea. A scoop here is 20rmb, which is a bargain for the quality offered here. However, if you want to dine in their aesthetic shop, your bill must exceed 60rmb. For some of us that can’t necessarily offered that lofty bill, it is still a great place to hang out with friends for a chill afternoon.
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Environment: 5/5
Gracie’s
Address: 204 Xinle Road |新乐路204号
174 South Xiangyang Road | 襄阳南路174号
Located in the all-American Al’s Diner, this is the spot to hit if you’re craving some sweet, creamy, American style ice cream. Named after Al’s wife, Gracie, this shop promises to satiate any cravings you may have for some good old comfort food. The ice cream here comes in flavors like earl grey, half-baked cookie dough, and a solid vanilla bean. Gracie’s are definitely on the sweeter side compared to the rest of the shops on the list. If one or two scoops isn’t enough for you, they also offer to blend up to three scoops of ice cream into a milkshake. This all combines to offer you that quintessential American diner experience!
Ice cream flavor varieties: 4/5
Taste: 4/5
Environment: 4/5
Although this is in no sense a full overview of the ice creams offered in Shanghai, the shops above were picked based on their unique flavors, quality, and overall dining experience. There are so many other shops out there that offer something for everyone that this article could not even begin to cover, so go out there and explore Shanghai! But meanwhile, be sure to visit these 5 ice cream shops before winter arrives! (Not that eating ice cream in the winter is not okay. That’s perfectly acceptable.)
Evian Chai
Bonus
Address: 39 Ruijin Road (No. 2) | 瑞金二路39号
 |
| Mojito and coconut mango sorbet, via ErGuangMeiShi |
Starting as a pop-up shop last summer, their popularity has since allowed this shop to purchase a permanent location on Ruijin Er Road. Bonus serves up gelato, the creamier Italian take on ice cream, in innovative flavors that will give you a hard time deciding which one to try. These flavors range from the more traditional mango passionfruit sorbet to wacky ones like osmanthus rice wine or salted egg yolk and salted caramel with rose. Furthermore, the shop itself is cozy and features minimalistic décor with a pink flamingo theme, making it the perfect place for some insta worthy shots! The neon quotes, vintage light bulbs and large windows all make the perfect backdrop for that perfect photo of your ice cream. The price of ice-cream at Bonus is 20rmb for a scoop and 30rmb for double, and comes with your choice of a handmade cone or cup.
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Environment: 5/5
Casa di Sorbetto
Address: 10 Baoqing Road | 宝庆路10号
 |
| Oolong tea and raspberry with red wine, via Dianping |
Casa di Sorbetto is a newly opened gelato shop that seeks to fuse innovative flavors with Italian gelatos and sorbets. They hand make a fresh batch of each flavor every day, so customers can be assured that they are getting the freshest ice cream. Although they offer a variety of flavors like black sesame with pumpkin seeds, coffee with brown sugar and walnut, and white peach with rose, a particular stand out is the oolong tea. Made with ground oolong tea leaves, the ice cream offers a rich matcha-like flavor, with just the right amount of a slightly bitter tea aftertaste. They also offer a pricier "premium" flavor of a chilled birds nest with mango cream and pomelo, which is priced at 40rmb per scoop. Normal flavors are 25rmb for a single scoop and 35rmb for double. Also, as they are in their soft opening period, they are offering a buy one get one deal, so be sure not to miss out on that!
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Environment: 3.5/5
Prée
Address: Lane 181, Taicang Road near Madang Road (in Xintiandi) | 新天地太仓路181弄
 |
| In anti-clockwise order: uji matcha with genmai, peach earl grey with financier, royal rose lychee and goat milk with manuka honey, taken by Evian Chai |
This sophisticated ice cream shop in Xintiandi is probably the "Gucci" of the ice cream market in Shanghai. Opened by a 3-star Michelin chef, it prides itself on making the "finest ice creams", and that’s no exaggeration. Though famous on social media for their “boozy pops”, which are fruity popsicles dipped in champagne, those who are not yet of drinking age can find equal delight in Prée’s nonalcoholic ice creams. Due to their use of new age ice cream making methods and quality raw ingredients, the ice cream Preé churns out is noticeably creamier and denser than your typical ice cream. Popular flavors here include goat milk with manuka honey and black truffle (yes, they have a black truffle flavor!), and are all multilayered in their flavor complexities. However, a scoop of this treat will run you a hefty 50-70rmb depending on the flavor, so it’s definitely something to savor and enjoy.
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Environment: 5/5
Pâte
Address: 462 Hefei Road (first floor of SOHO) |合肥路462号
 |
| Pistachio and roasted fig with balsamic vinaigrette, taken by Evian Chai |
A perfect destination for all those with a sweet tooth, this shop specializes in desserts ranging from cakes to pastries, to gelato. Although their other desserts are highly regarded and hard to resist, be sure not to skip out on their unique gelato, which features fusion flavors like sesame tofu (for the adventurous eaters), homemade PB and J, lemon meringue, and Thai milk tea. A scoop here is 20rmb, which is a bargain for the quality offered here. However, if you want to dine in their aesthetic shop, your bill must exceed 60rmb. For some of us that can’t necessarily offered that lofty bill, it is still a great place to hang out with friends for a chill afternoon.
Ice cream flavor varieties: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Environment: 5/5
Gracie’s
Address: 204 Xinle Road |新乐路204号
174 South Xiangyang Road | 襄阳南路174号
 |
| A chocolate milkshake to satisfy your cravings, via That's Shanghai |
Ice cream flavor varieties: 4/5
Taste: 4/5
Environment: 4/5
Although this is in no sense a full overview of the ice creams offered in Shanghai, the shops above were picked based on their unique flavors, quality, and overall dining experience. There are so many other shops out there that offer something for everyone that this article could not even begin to cover, so go out there and explore Shanghai! But meanwhile, be sure to visit these 5 ice cream shops before winter arrives! (Not that eating ice cream in the winter is not okay. That’s perfectly acceptable.)
Evian Chai
