The sun’s out. Hong Kong feels more like 45 degrees even though the mercury touched 35. It’s hot, sticky, and humid. Welcome to the peak of Hong Kong summer. Nothing beats a shaved ice dessert in Hong Kong when the heat becomes unbearable. Keep reading to find out where to quench your thirst and enjoy the icy coolness.
Shaved ice comes in many varieties — Baobing in Taiwan, Bingsu in South Korea, Chendol in Southeast Asia, and Halo Halo in the Philippines. The recipes may differ, but the concept is all the same—a bite of icy cold sweetness that’s hard to refuse. Need a remedy on a hot summer day? A couple of hours holed away indoors with an icy shaved ice dessert can feel like a much-needed respite. Perhaps, it’s the closest feeling to how flavoured snowflake tastes in your mouth.
Thankfully, there is a laundry list of places in Hong Kong offering the beloved dessert. Especially in this heat, it’s best to go for double portions because you’ll need them. So, if you’re looking for alternatives to the same old ice cream, shaved ice is a great option. See our top picks of the best places in town.
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The best places to try shaved ice in Hong Kong
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Surely no list can be complete without Shari Shari Kakigori House. It arguably claims the top spot as one of Hong Kong’s first designated shaved ice posts. The Japanese dessert house is known and loved for its delicious range of shaved ice flavours. It starts from standard matcha to more creative takes, including mango lassi, avocado milk, and tiramisu. Personalised add-ons like kinako powder and Azuri red beans make it tastier — sprinkle on as many or as little as you want. You can always count on Shari Shari to satisfy, especially with its signature generous portions that stand tall, twice the size of the serving glass bowl. Who can resist?
Image credit: sharishari_hk/Instagram
At minimalist vegan café, 2DP, the shaved ice is essentially a sculptural piece of art, perfectly framed for Instagram shots. The icy base, a creamy Hokkaido milk-flavoured shave (with a soya alternative base, too), is delicately piled into a hollowed-out melon shell, used as an apt serving bowl for the summertime treat. On top, a towering peak of perfectly uniformed spheres of watermelon or honeydew, depending on your fruit of choice, carefully stacked and layered for an inviting bowl begging to be dug in and enjoyed.
Image credit: 2decimalplacest/Facebook
Meet Fresh has become a household name for post-dinner desserts. The Taiwanese post has several outlets in Hong Kong. The Taiwanese-style shaved ice offered here comes with fresh toppings. The soft, chewy taro balls, herbal grass jelly, and rice barley are crowd favourite. As you’ll probably guess, the shaved ice offered here packs a healthy punch, with natural ingredients and soothing flavour combinations — notably, the warm soupy editions. For now, though, we’d go for the classic shaved ice with taro balls, mochi, and winter-melon jelly, served with a drizzle of condensed milk.
Image credit: MeetFreshHongKong/Facebook
This famous Thai dessert place was so well-received in Hong Kong during its pop-up run that it eventually set up a permanent outpost in Causeway Bay. The cafe features muted coloured furniture, reminiscent of the cafes in Thailand, also known as “little white houses”. Mango sticky rice and Thai tea are on offer, but the star is undeniably the shaved ice. Being a Thai cafe, it’s only fitting that they serve mango sticky rice flavoured shaved ice, with the mangoes coming from Thailand!
Image credit: After-You-Dessert-Cafe-Hong-Kong/Facebook
Chung Kee Dessert has been serving delicious local desserts for over 20 years—so you know you’re in good hands. Most diners swear by the classic delights like sweet tofu pudding and mango pomelo sago soup, but we also love their shaved ice. Some interesting choices are Yakult with mango and simple lychee. If you can’t pick, combine flavours and customise your own! The affordable price is also a definite plus. With multiple locations across the city, what’s your excuse not to go?
If you love fruits and shaved ice, there’s no better place to be than Auntie Sweet. This dessert shop prides itself on being a haven for tropical fruit lovers, and we have the queues outside to prove it—people and their furry friends. Choose flavours like black sesame, durian, and the ever-popular mango. While you enjoy shaved ice, your pup can opt for doggie treats at the Tin Hau branch.
Image credit: auntiesweetdesserts/Facebook
On the hunt for bingsu (Korean shaved ice)? Look no further than Nun Dessert Cafe. The melt-in-your-mouth goodness of shaved ice here is like no other. After all, the flaky shaved ice sets it apart from other variants. Popular flavours like honeydew melon and caramel are great, but for us, it’s the D24 durian that’s a standout. Each serving is topped with flavoured sauces and ice cream! What an excellent combination for the summer, right? We recommend trying their delicious waffles if you still have room for it.
Image credit: nundessertcafe/Instagram
It’s time to try some Taiwanese shaved ice, and T-Fresh offers just the perfect jumbo-sized treat. You can choose your toppings here, so go as creative as you please. Compared to other kinds, where there’s usually a whopping tower of shaved ice, the ones here have theirs hidden underneath all the toppings. Popular topping options include taro balls, egg pudding, grass jelly, and red beans.
The concept at Ocio is a straightforward one: To provide a place of rest to relax. After all, the name ‘Ocio’ is derived from the Spanish word for ‘leisure’. Here it’s about all-day breakfast, a pretty assortment of classic desserts with cute, hand-drawn doodles (like the melon-hugging grizzly above) hidden around the cosy space. As for the main event — shaved ice — the refreshing dessert arrives with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with five different flavours, each limited only to 12 portions daily. So, be speedy. We’d be racing over for the intriguing Japanese ramune soda flavour with the sweet honeydew melon in a close second.
Image credit: OCIOKITCHEN/Facebook
If you’re a fan of the silky-smooth Thai tea from ChaTraMue, you can now try it as shaved ice. The Cha-Thai Bingsu is made with the brand’s signature blend of milk tea — branded as the best in Thailand, topped with frothy milk foam and a generous pour of the tea-infused syrup. Moreover, grass jelly cubes and bite-size biscuit puffs accompany the dessert for a satisfying first spoonful. Simply delicious.
Image credit: chatramuehkofficial/Instagram
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong
Featured and hero image credit: SHARISHARI.Kakigori/Facebook
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Shaved ice is called “kakigori” in Japan.
Answer: Bingsu or Korean shaved ice is a type of shaved ice variety. What sets Bingsu apart from other shaved ice is its milk base.
Answer: Chinese shaved ice is called ”baobing” in Mandarin.
