When the sun brings all the vitamin D, it’s time to seek out vitamin I: ice cream, shave ice, soft serve, or anything else cold, portable, and tasty. These are our current favorites in town. 

Hellenika Cultured Creamery

With the fresh, zippy tang of yogurt and the creamy texture of gelato, this frozen treat doesn’t fit into a standard category. The Apostolopoulos brothers previously founded Ellenos with their father and two other partners, now they’ve moved on, studied dairy culturing, and joined forces with a sister. The flavors, like vanilla malt, ube and coconut, and honeydew mint, are creative without getting overcomplicated. Hellenika operates several locations throughout the region, including at Pike Place Market and the U District, and can also be found at Metropolitan Market.

Hellenika’s gelato flavors, like vanilla malt, ube and coconut, and honeydew mint, can be found at Pike Place Market and Metropolitan Market.

Photos courtesy of Hellenika Cultured Creamery

Puffy Pandy

Everything at this White Center dessert café is colorful, flavorful, and adorable, from the mural outside to the signature cream puffs in flavors like pandan, milk tea, and blueberry. The essential summer order here, though, is the ice cream puffy: an oversized version of the puffs, stuffed with ice cream, and topped with your choice of Fruity Pebbles, Oreos, Corn Flakes, or sprinkles. 

Ice cream puffy with Fruity Pebbles and boba tartlets.

Photos courtesy of Puffy Pandy

Mike’s Shave Ice

This pop-up and regular visitor to local markets brings real Hawaiian-style shave ice to Seattle — the super fine ice and their own syrups in flavors like haupia, guava, and strawberry. But the real stars are the specialty ices, like halo halo with ube ice cream and toasted rice flakes, and strawberry mango sago, with coconut cream, tapioca pearls, mochi, and fresh mango.

Halo halo shave ice and mango sago shave ice.

Photos courtesy of Mike's Shave Ice