HOME Tokyo and Surroundings Tokyo Shinjuku Tasting Tokyo: The Very Best Cold Desserts and Ice Cream Creations of Japan’s Capital
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Tasting Tokyo: The Very Best Cold Desserts and Ice Cream Creations of Japan’s Capital

Tasting Tokyo: The Very Best Cold Desserts and Ice Cream Creations of Japan’s Capital

Last updated: 16 June 2020

Whether to cool off in summer's blistering heat or to enjoy with coffee when it gets chilly outside, nothing tastes better than an ice cold treat - best savored slowly! Ice cream and cold desserts are available in all kinds of creative variations, ready to refresh and relax.

To help you fight off the heat – or just generally indulge in an icy treat – we have compiled Tokyo’s top ice cream and cold dessert creations of the city’s most famous department stores. Why department stores? Because they are famed for their gourmet section! Let’s jump right into our first cold recommendation.

[Shinjuku Isetan] Tokyo’s Best Italian Ice Cream in a Box of 6 Flavors at Mario Gelateria

[Shinjuku Isetan] Tokyo’s Best Italian Ice Cream in a Box of 6 Flavors at Mario Gelateria

One of Tokyo’s most famous Italian-style ice cream makers, Mario Gelateria, has its very own store in Shinjuku Isetan. Just like its head store, the shop sticks to its traditional techniques and recipes to create luxurious and unbelievably delicious ice cream that’ll take you to frosty heaven.

We highly recommend the gelato set of six, as it allows you to indulge in different and very unique flavors, “mango mango” made from ripe and juicy Alphonso mangos. The “Premium Green Pistachio” uses the hard-to-come-by Pistacchio di Bronte from Sicilia, making for a rich flavor and an exquisite creaminess.

Premium Mario Gelateria Shinjuku Isetan
Shinjuku Isetan B1F, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 160-0022
TEL: 03-3351-2881
Access: Shinjuku Sanchome Station (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Fukutoshin Line, Toei Shinjuku Line), 4 minutes on foot via Exit B4

[Lumine Shinjuku] Taste Traditional Anmitsu in a Modern Fashion at Funabashiya Koyomi

Cup of anmitsu: 510 yen (tax included)
Cup of anmitsu: 510 yen (tax included)

Japan is rather famous for its amazing traditional sweets and desserts, and their unique kind of sweetness. Funabashi Koyomi is a shop that has dedicated itself to these ancient tastes. The treat that we really want you to try is anmitsu, a dessert of agar jelly topped with red bean paste, fruits, and mochi rice cakes. The recipe for Funabashi Koyomi’s famed anmitsu has been handed down for around 200 years and its refined taste is sure to leave you speechless. The harmony between the agar jelly, the red beans, and the brown sugar syrup on top will have you craving for more!

Funabashiya Koyomi
Lumine Shinjuku (Lumine 1) B2, 1-1-5 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 160-0023
TEL: 03-5989-0543
Shinjuku Station (Shonan Shinjuku Line, Yamanote Line, Chuo Line, Saikyo Line, Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Toei Shinjuku Line, Toei Oedo Line, Keio Line, Keio Shinjuku Line, Odakyu Odawara Line), 1 minute on foot via South Exit

[Lumine Shinjuku] Madeleine Lapin’s Sweet-and-Sour “Shari Shari Lemon”

Shari Shari Lemon, 248 yen each (tax included)
Shari Shari Lemon, 248 yen each (tax included)

As the name suggests, Madeleine Lapin is a specialty store all about the French delicacy madeleine, using only natural ingredients. The one variety we need you to try is “Shari Shari Lemon” - shari shari is an onomatopoeia for a delightfully crunchy sound. The dough is made with select vanilla beans from Madagascar, while the flavorful icing features juicy lemons from around the Seto Inland Sea.

These lemon madeleines come straight out of the refrigerator as a wonderfully cool and sour treat! The rich vanilla balances the acid of the lemons, however, in a great harmony of flavors. This little delight is a great snack if you’re feeling just a bit peckish!

Madeleine Lapin
Lumine Shinjuku (Lumine 1) B2, 1-1-5 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 160-0023
TEL: 03-5989-0504
Shinjuku Station (Shonan Shinjuku Line, Yamanote Line, Chuo Line, Saikyo Line, Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Toei Shinjuku Line, Toei Oedo Line, Keio Line, Keio Shinjuku Line, Odakyu Odawara Line), 1 minute on foot via South Exit

[Shinjuku Mylord] Strawberry Milk like You’ve Never Seen Before at Head Quarters Café!

Strawberry Milk fir 780 yen (tax excluded)
Strawberry Milk fir 780 yen (tax excluded)

Brace yourself to meet the queen of all strawberry milk desserts at Head Quarters Café in Shinjuku Mylord. The amazing treat may look like an ice cream parfait at first but it is genuine strawberry milk, topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and raspberry sauce. It almost looks too pretty to eat!

Head Quarters Café
Shinjuku Mylord 8F, 1-1-3 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 160-0023
TEL: 03-3349-5853
Access: 137 meters from Shinjuku Station

[Echika Ikebukuro] Freshness Burger’s Colorful Smoothies Are Sure to Keep You Cool

Colorful Smoothies, 410 yen each (tax included)
Colorful Smoothies, 410 yen each (tax included)

The popular hamburger chain Freshness Burger seeks to tickle your taste buds with a healthy treat free of sugar: colorful smoothies! Relying entirely on the full-bodied flavors of the used fruits and vegetables, these delicious drinks will refresh you in no time!


There are four flavors in total: strawberry pink, mango yellow, pitaya purple, and kale green. They taste as delicious as they sound, so make sure to give them a try!


Freshness Burger Echika Ikebukuro
Echika Ikebukuro, 3 Chome-28 Nishiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo-to 171-0021
TEL: 03-5957-5131
Access: 423 meters from Ikebukuro Station

  • Echika Ikebukuro
    • Address The Tokyo Metro Ikebukuro Station yard, 3-28-14, Nishiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 171-0021
      View Map
    • Nearest Station Ikebukuro Station (JR Shonan Shinjuku Line / JR Yamanote Line / JR Saikyo Line / Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line / Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line / Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line / Seibu Ikebukuro Line / Tobu Tojo Line)
    • Phone Number 03-5827-5838

[Esola Ikebukuro] New York Marries Tokyo in Gorilla Coffee’s Amazing “Greenfreezing” and “Yuzufreezing”

[Esola Ikebukuro] New York Marries Tokyo in Gorilla Coffee’s Amazing “Greenfreezing” and “Yuzufreezing”

Gorilla Coffee is famous coffee shop from New York’s Brooklyn. It’s not coffee that we want to recommend to you today, however. Meet “Freezing.”

Freezing is a refreshing fruit drink that comes in two varieties. One of them is Greenfreezing, made with homemade lime syrup, green apple puree and lemonade jelly, topped with kiwi and berries. The other kind is called Yuzufreezing, and here is where it really gets Japanese. If you like citrus fruits, look forward to yuzu sorbet and yuzu lemonade being incorporated into one amazing drink! Blood orange jelly makes for an amazing extra citrus kick.

[Asakusa Ekimise] Delicious Mango Shaved Ice Makes You Happy at Tsuki to Pasta

[Asakusa Ekimise] Delicious Mango Shaved Ice Makes You Happy at Tsuki to Pasta

Tsuki to Pasta is a popular Italian restaurant in Asakusa. Next to pizza and pasta delights, you can also look forward to a delicious dish of shaved ice generously topped with mango sauce and fruit! Shaved ice is one of Japan’s oldest refreshers and recently, it is making a huge comeback as a trend dessert. Especially if you’ve never had this traditional treat, we urge you to go to Tsuki to Pasta and indulge in mango deliciousness!

Tsuki to Pasta Asakusa Ekimise
Ekimise 7F, 1-4-1 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo-to 111-0033
TEL: 03-6802-8490
Access: Asakusa Station (Tobu Skytree Line), direct access

[Seibu Shinjuku PePe] Try Saint Marc Café’s Famous Dani Blanc!

The Dani Blanc for 421 yen (tax included)
The Dani Blanc for 421 yen (tax included)

The Dani Blanc fascinating marriage between icy cold and piping hot and Saint Marc Café’s signature dessert. A fluffy, delicious Danish that comes straight out of the oven is topped with cold whipped cream and a flavorful caramel sauce. After a while, the whipped cream starts to melt, making the Danish ever more delicious! Pair it with a coffee and you’re in dessert heaven.


Saint Marc Café

Seibu Shinjuku PePe B2F, 1-30-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 160-0021

TEL: 03-5155-1316

Whether it’s cold or hot outside, a chilly, refreshing treat always does wonders when it comes to recharging your energies! If you get tired from sightseeing or just generally need a break, why not try one (or more) of the yummy recommendations on our Tokyo sweets list?

*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.

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