Ice Cream Road Trip: The Malahat to Cumberland
Take A Sweet Drive Along Highway 1
From adult sundaes to traditional Italian gelato, we are truly lucky to have such a plethora of small producers here. Most are using seasonal fruits & berries, organic dairy, and other local ingredients like wine, nuts, and even herbs. There are 1o stops on this super sweet trip so either plan for one helluva long but tasty day or spend the night in the Comox Valley and break it up into two days.
ICE CREAM MOUNTAIN: 2892 Trans-Canada Hwy, Victoria, BC V9B 6H6
MUST TRY: Sea salt caramel in a dipped waffle cone
BEST FEATURE: A perfect location to dip off the highway on your way out of Victoria right before hitting the malahat. It’s also been around since the 1950’s so it’s a classic.
ALPINA AT THE VILLA ERYIE: 600 Ebedora Ln, Malahat, BC V0R 2L0
MUST TRY: The adult version of a sundae. Homemade gelato topped with triple berry compote, ginger snap cookie, chocolate sauce and much more.
BEST FEAUTRE: The view! Rated as one of the best hotel views in all of Canada, you really can’t beat sitting on the patio overlooking the Finlayson Arm with mountains in the background. Worth the stop for the view alone.
GROVE HALL FARM: 6159 Lakes Rd, Duncan, BC V9L 4J6
MUST TRY: Any of their vegan flavours. Made with oat milk as a base, they are just as creamy and vibrant as their milk-based counterparts. You’d never know the difference!
BEST FEATURE: It’s not just a gelato shop but a quaint family run Italian cafe with great coffee, amazing pizza & pasta, specialty Italian items, a working farm, and of course handmade gelato and sorbet.
THE AINSLIE: 161 Kenneth St, Duncan, BC V9L 1N5
MUST TRY: Root Beer Float. Housemade Bailey’s ice cream topped with a whiskey caramel sauce. Top it with Phillip’s Root Beer Soda and you got yourself a delicious take on a childhood favorite
BEST FEATURE: You can make this ice cream treat boozy by adding a shot of whiskey!
SCOOPS BY THE SEA: Waterwheel Park, Chemainus, BC V0R 1K1
MUST TRY: The blackberry cheesecake is incredible as are any of their fruit sorbet.
BEST FEATURE: Outdoor patio and flavour selection. Plus they have been at it for over 30 years so they really know what they are doing.
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COLD FRONT GELATO: 60 Commercial St #306, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G4
MUST TRY: Espresso Stracciatella. A classic Italian flavour and they use coffee beans from Vancouver-based Milano Coffee.
BEST FEATURE: The decor is seriously off the hook, it is so beautiful inside I feel like I’m in an Italian art gallery. I don’t know if it’s their best feature (truly it is the incredible gelato) but it does stand out!
LOVE’S ICE CREAM: 2750 Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland, BC V0R 1S0
MUST TRY: Real Fruit Swirl. They take their amazing ice cream made with local grass fed milk and blend it with seasonal fruit in this specialty machine that they got from New Zealand. Amazing soft serve is the result.
BEST FEATURE: It’s a tie between how good their awesome homemade waffle cones are and the really cool contraption they use to serve you the cones from their cute Bowler where they operate.
BURNT HONEY: 96-3200 N Island Hwy, Nanaimo, BC V9T 1W1
MUST TRY: Either the Almond Brittle Salted Ganache or our favorite, the Strawberry Rosé Sorbet. The rosé comes from the Alderlea Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley.
BEST FEATURE: Legit the nicest business owners and staff out there. Passionate, funny, and really welcoming. They have a cone card loyalty program that definitely keeps you coming back.
BLUE SPRUCE ICE CREAM: 526 Cliffe Ave, Courtenay, BC V9N 2J4
MUST TRY: Their ice cream sandwiches! Made with both regular and gluten free cookies made in-house and filled with tasty flavours such as coconut, earl grey and strawberry.
BEST FEATURE: Fun flavours such as spruce tip, rhubarb ginger, fig anise, and earl grey tea mixed with marmalade.
BENINO GELATO: 1740 Comox Avenue, Comox BC, V9M 4H4.
MUST TRY: The affogato. You’re choice of gelato (we suggest the salted butter caramel) topped with a shot of Umbria espresso. It’s huge!
BEST FEATURE: Not just an ice cream shop but also a great cafe in the heart of Comox serving great breakfast and lunch items.
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