Best Ice Cream Spots Around Tacoma and the South Sound
As of 7/12/2020 all the links in this post work, so you can check for changes to openings or hours. I did not do that part.
Want to plan an cream road trip? Or maybe you’re just looking for the best place to take the kids for ice cream near you? This drool worthy list is courtesy of our Fb readers. I haven’t gotten to most of them yet personally, so use the provided links if you’d be making a special trip, and do leave a comment if you have a review or know a sweet spot we should add!
South King County Ice Cream Shops
Ice cream, chocolates, candy, and other treats
Nutty Squirrel Gelato Maple Valley
Unique flavors and readers rave about it. Also has Seattle locations.
handcrafted from their own recipes. Looks delicious!
Menchies Froyo, Federal Way Now multiple locations Check for deals on Amazon Local or Groupon-they often have ’em.
Sub Zero, Federal Way Also now in Puyallup It’s flash freeze ice cream-fun to watch them make it.
Cafe Noir Federal Way
I can’t find a good link to share with you, but our readers say the shaved ice is delicious. Looks like there are locations in Federal Way and Silverdale?
Tacoma Ice Cream Shops
Bliss Tacoma All natural ice cream made with local ingredients. I tried some at an event, and it was ah-mazing. They’re opening a scoop shop in UP eventually. For now you can follow their fb page to see where their cute trailer is.
Shake, Shake, Shake in Tacoma They also have burgers, but feel free to go straight to the shakes. Hard ice cream, inventive, yummy flavors. I have a review here. I wrote it quite a while ago, but I think most of the scoop is still good.
Gelato at Metropolitan Market, Proctor Feeling fancy?
Ice Cream Social, Tacoma This is amazing, gourmet quality stuff with locally sourced ingredients. Yes, there will be a line. They now also have a location on Ruston Way
Puyallup/Greater Pierce County Ice Cream Shops
Elements Frozen Yogurt, Puyallup Downtown; This is a fav at our house. Great service; love the toppings. Get a punch card!
Whittaker’s Bunkhouse in Ashford + on the way to Mt.Rainier
Ben & Jerry’s, Uptown Gig Harbor There is also a Menchie’s in Uptown
Olympia Ice Cream Shops
The rec. I used to have in this section seems to have closed. If you know a good spot, let us know! There is a Limeberry in Lacey that looks fun.
Seattle and Beyond Ice Cream Shops
Handcrafted Ice Cream at Husky Deli, West Seattle
Full Tilt Ice Cream, White Center + Seattle Locations
Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream Shop, Snohomish
Tin Can Ice Cream Recipe
About a thousand years ago, I spent many happy summers working as a camp counselor and unit coordinator. Tin can ice cream was a favorite treat for the kiddos. Try it yourself!
Ingredients
1 cup milk (This makes ice milk; if you want true ice cream use cream. Duh, I know).
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon sugar
Ice
Rock or ice cream salt (Kosher salt or sea salt would also work)
Ice Cream Salt is just rock salt. This time of year, it’s in the same aisle as other salt and baking ingredients. The rest of the year it’s by the snow shovels!
You can vary the amounts of the ingredients as you like. It’s the ice and rock salt and stirring that’s making the magic. If you use less of everything, it will be a quicker project.
To make it, you place a small tin can inside a larger one. Fill the larger one with ice and sprinkle with rock salt. Take care not to get ice or salt into your smaller can.
Now, fill the smaller can with your ingredients.
At this point, you have a decision to make: If you can figure out a way to seal the whole lot, you can let your kids roll it back and forth. Lidded coffee cans are ideal for this project, but I only drink instant coffee in case of true emergencies-like if I’m camping, or in an earthquake or something. Anyway, if you can come up with lids, you’re in luck. If you can’t, then have them stir it. We always used popsicle stick stirrers at camp.
It does take a while, and you may have to replenish the ice/salt, but I promise it works, and it’s so delicious, even if they give up and drink it in shake form.
Of course, shortly after we started this project, the neighbor boy rang the doorbell, and off my kids went. Oh, well. It was sort of meditative sitting in my quiet kitchen stirring away. Yes, they showed up to eat the finished product. Surprise, surprise
There are loads of variations on this idea around the web. If you don’t have cans handy, you might try making ice cream in a bag. It’s basically the same recipe, using ziploc baggies-I would spring for the pricey ones here.
You can also make a lot more by making it in big coffee cans. If you’re in charge of making vats of coffee for church or the office, you’re in luck!
This site explains the science behind using salt. (Scroll down past the recipe and “tips” section.) Btw, if you need to come up with a project for the science fair this year, this one screams, “Winner!” to me-try it with or without the salt, write up the results, pass samples to the judges…….hello, blue ribbon.
The only way to mess up here is by using leaky cans, or doing the roll method without having good seals. Watery rock salt is just not a good ice cream flavor. Period.
If you try any of these, or you have your own variation, let me know!
Downtown Olympia has a *new* old-time soda foundation and ice cream parlor that is both super fun and super affordable! https://www.facebook.com/GrandpasSodaFountainAndIceCreamParlor
New donut/hard ice cream shop open!
Yummy Donuts, ice cream
84th pacific ave.Tacoma,wa.
Is it the social place, or is that on 6th? Tell me more-lol!
At Point Ruston on Ruston Way real Gelato at Dolce Si’ plus amazing Italian sweet and savory pastries.
Thanks so much! I read some posts where moms were talking about getting treats on Ruston Way, and I couldn’t figure out where. Sounds like we need to check that spot out asap!
My kids and I tried the Lucky’s drive in milkshakes and they weren’t as cold as they could of been. I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I probably would of from somewhere else due to the fact of the establishment. As you’re standing at the window where you order the inside of the window was covered with big black flies and dead ones at the bottom. There were so many just flying around in there that it just turned our taste buds upside down. I think it’s a cute idea but the health of it isn’t worth the curiosity.
The best peanut butter milkshake in Tacoma is at Flippin’ Out Burgers and Fries on S. 12th Street between Union and Proctor. It’s made with real chunky peanut butter and is delicious. They have a variety of other flavors including blackberry. Their burgers are also really good.
That sounds amazing!