From hot new stores that have just opened to stores with long lines, here are some recommended ice cream stores that are worth going out of your way to visit!
1. KITH TREATS TOKYO (Shibuya)
Cereal ice cream bar from NY apparel brand KITH. This is currently the only store in Japan. After choosing the ice cream or milkshake of your choice, you can customize it by choosing from a wide variety of toppings, including cereals. Seasonal specials such as green tea and cherry blossom flavors are also available.
📍 MIYASHITA PARK North 2F, 6-20-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
2. Good Choice (Jiyugaoka)
A fresh ice cream and espresso store opened in 2024. Using only natural, high-quality raw milk, the shop offers unprecedented organic ice cream with a new texture, made using only the finest ingredients and production methods. Periodic limited time offerings such as “liqueur x raw ice cream” are also available.
📍 1F Jun Building, 1-15-10 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku
3. teal (Kayabacho)
A chocolate & ice cream store where Japan’s top class chocolatiers and patissiers work together. Visitors can enjoy a world of sweets that blend tradition and innovation by utilizing carefully selected, high-quality ingredients. In the renovated Nisshokan, the former residence of Eiichi Shibusawa, the store also offers a menu that changes with the seasons, including parfaits.
📍1F Nisshokan, 1-10 Nihonbashi Kabuto-cho, Chuo-ku
4. TUTTO (Kiyosumi-Shirakawa)
Offering plant-based vegan gelato without milk, eggs or white sugar. Of the MYLK (plant-based milk) that is increasingly gaining attention in Europe and the United States, only high-quality almond milk is used. The shop also offers BELATO, a drinkable gelato, and a new vegan crepe menu that uses gelato. The second store in Tokyo, the Kiba Park store, opened in January 2024.
📍Laffeyville Kiyosumi-Shirakawa EAST 2, 1-3-7 Tokiwa, Higashi-ku
5. Herb Ice Stand ERB (Meguro)
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Opened in January 2024, this crafted herbal ice cream stand with green walls and a tucked-away tree opening offers four types of ice cream, as well as caffeine-free herbal teas and decaf coffee, Decaf coffee is also offered.
📍1F Daiwa Meguro Square, 1-6-17 Meguro, Meguro-ku
6. Harlow ICE CREAM (Hiroo)
From Kobe, Japan, this ice cream store opened in 2022. Classic flavors of ice cream are made without white sugar and with high-quality dairy products from Hokkaido. The fresh chocolate, cookies, jam, and homemade cones inside are all handmade.
📍Y’s pleadeas 101, 3-2-12 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku
7. Midnight Farm (Oshiage)
Located about a 3-minute walk from Oshiage Station (Skytree), this nighttime ice cream specialty shop serves ice cream made from a unique blend of rich cream and carefully selected ingredients until 24:00. Ryogoku Yokozuna Yokocho store is also available.
📍3-3-8 Oshiage, Sumida-ku
8. MELTING IN THE MOUTH (Hiroo)
The soft serve ice cream blended with organic milk is popular for its thick, uncluttered taste and photogenic appearance. In addition, the shop offers a wide variety of other menu items, such as “I Am Tiramisu,” an authentic tiramisu made with Hokkaido mascarpone and plenty of premium cocoa, combined with original soft serve ice cream, and “Original Milkshake,” a thick, standard milkshake made with organic milk.
📍5-17-10 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku
9. YAYOI TOKYO (Sangenjaya)
Opened in July 2023, Yayoi Tokyo is a sweet store with a focus on gelato, where pastry chef Yosuke Otsuka serves as chef patissier. All gelato is egg-free, fruit flavors are milk-free, and the amount of sugar used is moderate compared to typical gelato and ice cream. The store is decorated with visuals of flowers symbolizing the budding March “Yayoi” season, and customers can enjoy high-quality sweets in the standing-style store.
📍2-23-10 Taishido, Setagaya-ku
10. Livisco (Ginza)
Gelato specialty store with its main store in Karuizawa. Every morning, they serve handmade gelato from fresh milk and seasonal fruits and vegetables of particular provenance. The sugar content is kept to a minimum and no eggs are used. The menu includes the standard “Obuse Milk” and seasonal specials.
📍2F Oji Salmon, 3-7-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku