Shaved Ice Speciality Shops in Tokyo
Works of Art (Kichijoji)
Kooriya Peace, a shaved ice café in Kichijoji, serves up the most professional-looking, well-shaped bowls of shaved ice for those parching summer days. There are mouth-watering flavors in innovative combinations. Some specials include melon, cherry, and rare cheese as well as peach and plum.
The shop is incredibly popular and sees queues stretching down the block on particularly busy days, but it is worth it for that delicious bowl of ice in a unique shape.
Extremely Popular Creations (Yoyogi)
Miho Horio, former pastry chef of double Michelin-starred French restaurant Florilège, oversees the shaved ice at her specialty café Azuki to Kouri in Yoyogi. Her covetable creations can include caramelized baked shaved ice, Amazon cacao, and sansho pepper. To keep things exclusive, the menu constantly changes.
Azuki to Kouri is so popular that the only way to get in is to reserve a table.
Delicate Dishes (Shinjuku)
Korio Bake includes the sweetest little character on its icy dessert, which is packed with a thousand flavors. One of its most popular flavors contains five types of chocolate, pink grapefruit jelly, mint and whipped cream. The accompanying sauce is butter chocolate tart custard. It hosts an ongoing collaboration with tableware brand Mio, making for a very on-trend interior type picture.
Cute Creations (Kichijoji)
Cafe Lumiere in Kichijoji pours fire over its shaved ice mountain, which has been inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The flaming red sauce changes depending on the flavor. Watch in awe as the impossible is made possible, a perfect capture for budding TikTokers, too. Not only does Cafe Lumiere serve these flaming creations, but it is also loved for its cute cake-like shaved ice. These often feature homemade animal biscuits perching on top of a mound of delicious dessert.
Limited Edition Shaved Ice in Tokyo: Summer 2023
Nakameguro Ice Man (Nakameguro)
Get it while you can! Nakameguro Ice Man is a seasonal store, open until September 30. Already one of the most popular shaved ice eateries in town, its opening weekend saw queues around the block. Its half-melon shaved ice is a crowd favorite. Word has it that savory is the way to go.
Tomato Vegan Delight (Tomigaya)
Using “fruit tomato,” a Japanese name for tomatoes with higher natural sugar content, Tree by Naked serves up a sweet tomato, complete with tomato compote. Its other delectable flavors for non-vegans are mango and mascarpone, all available until mid-September.
Chocolate Haven (Yoyogi)
Minimal Chocolate is offering a shaved ice parfait paying homage to its new sweet innovations until September 30. Aside from shaved ice, the parfait contains tea jelly cubes, in-house chocolate syrup, tea-strained condensed milk, apricot compote and a ball of chocolate ice cream in the middle.
Savory Shavings (Shinjuku)
Look out over the shimmering concrete mirage, savoring one of the most exquisite shaved ices in Tokyo. This year, the Odakyu Southern Tower’s Restaurant Lounge serves up limited edition shaved ice confections. The Uji matcha-themed bowl comes with shiratama smothered in red bean paste, right at the bottom. The deeper you dig, the more surprises await. Its orange, melon-themed offering has cream and melon sherbet topped with a melon shaped-macaron. This campaign runs until September 30.
Shaved Ice from the Future (Omotesando)
Housed in a spaceship-shaped Citan bowl, Intersect’s shaved ice is a feast for both the eyes and taste buds. It comes with strawberry sauce to pour over the cotton candy mound, which will reveal strawberry candy, cacao vinegar, and ice cream. Prepare to be amazed as it changes before your eyes. This treat is only available until early September.
Flavorful Half-and-Half (Ginza)
Parlor Vinefru, based in Ginza, is a shaved ice and pancake specialty store. In the summer, it is inundated with customers keen to grab one of its wagashi-style flavorings, featuring mugwort and roasted soybean topped with red bean paste and kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup). This half-and-half mountain could probably be scaled like Everest. When this limited quantity item sells out, customers can enjoy a delicious tiramisu.
