If I haven’t stressed this enough in my last few posts, summer in Taiwan is really, really hot. What do most people want when it’s hot? Ice cream! Shaved ice cream, or “snow ice cream” as they say in Chinese (xuehua bing), is the perfect treat for a hot evening in Taipei.

Mango shaved ice cream

How does shaved ice cream differ from normal ice cream? It’s shaved off a block so that the ice cream is light and fluffy with a completely different texture. These thin shavings of ice cream melt in your mouth like snow (hence snow ice cream). It’s the best desert you’ve never heard of, and a must-have in Taipei. Many places even have different flavors of ice cream like strawberry and mango!

shaving the ice cream

While in Taipei, I came across a small shaved ice cream shop in Ximending Market, near all of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants. They served “milk” (vanilla) and mango shaved ice cream with countless toppings. A friend and I split milk snow ice cream topped with strawberries. It was so good! If you’re in Taipei, you have to search this place out. I recommend the strawberries or mango.
Find The Restaurant!

slightly melted snow ice cream with strawberries

In addition to the ice cream, the restaurant itself is really cool! There is a huge downstairs area filled with tables, and you can even write on the walls. You’ll be surrounded by locals taking “selfies” with their ice cream and cute couples on dates. Plan on bringing another person along because the ice cream portions are built for two… although I will definitely not judge if you eat it all yourself.

Cute couple on a date

Challenge: See if you can find my name on one of the walls! (Richelle USA)

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