The Cone

Edmonton is seriously lacking in the artisanal ice cream category. Why? I couldn’t tell you. I’ve been keeping my eyes open this summer for new places to check out après dinner when all you want is a little something light and refreshing to end your night right. Calgary has Village Ice Cream, when will Edmonton get something similar?
Well, a few things have started to pop open recently which is a promising start. I first read about The Cone through this but even though I’ve been telling everyone about it for the past month, I wasn’t able to make it out myself to try. Well, that finally changed on a Wednesday night. We were there around 8:30pm and there was a constant flow of people grabbing an ice cream to go.
If it’s your first time, The Cone is located in a random grassy lot but don’t fret, there’s parking. It’s just north of the Culina and Wild Earth Bakery. Look for the giant ice cream cone — you can’t miss it. Seriously. There’s a couple picnic tables set up behind where you can sit and enjoy your ice cream cones. Super cute, I really dig their setup (checkered cloth, flower jars and napkins for the messy eaters).
Run by two sisters (Sheridan and Shelby), they have their cone setup nicely. Order and pay on the left side, pickup on the right. There’s 30 flavours to choose from ($ 3.50 for a cone/​cup) and you can add in your choice of stir ins for an extra $ 0.50. You can also combine flavours if you’re feeling creative. Hours are 1:00pm to 9:30pm (Tuesday to Sunday) unless it’s raining but double check their social media feeds beforehand.
— Pistachio with oreo and peanut butter with p.b. cups ($ 3.50 each + $ 0.50 stir in) — the pistachio flavour is pretty mild but they’re pretty generous with the stir ins. The consistency was smooth and hit the spot for me. Light and refreshing. The peanut butter flavour also is pretty subtle but with the added p.b. cups, it was perfect for my friend.
Cute spot to bring a date or wander to if you’re in the Mill Creek neighbourhood. I’m not sure how long they’ll be open to so take advantage while the cone is still up for bizness.

One of my favourite memories of travelling in Japan was unique flavoured soft serve. I always wondered why flavoured soft serve never caught on here… until I read about this place. There are 30 flavours of soft serve in an ice cream cone-​shaped trailer! Each cup/​cone (you can mix 2 flavours if you want) is $ 3.50 and you can purchase mixins for a fee.
Flavours include Apple pie, banana, black licorice, cinnamon hearts, cheesecake, coconut, kahlua, malted milk, root beer (and I’ve just named the weirder ones)! They use flavoured syrup, so the soft serve comes out a bit meltier than usual — you need to eat it right away. I had a lemon-​mint mix, which was refreshing (and didn’t taste like mouthwash!) I do prefer the bolder, natural flavours in gelato, but this is definitely a nice (and cheaper, customizable) alternative.
They are open Tuesday-​Sunday 1 – 9:30pm, located in a lot just north of Wild Earth on 99^th street. There is a mini parking lot there, so no need to find street parking. There are also several cute picnic tables with gingham table cloths and wildflowers in vases set up on the site so you can sit there and enjoy. I’ve heard there can be quite a few lineups in the evening, but it’s still a great place to go for a yummy treat!

During an unsuccessful trip to our local bakery (they were closed for summer vacation… sigh) my husband and I noticed this food truck (actually, just me, apparently he knew about it for the last week and didn’t tell me).
OK, this is a bit of a story, but when I was a kid I used to go to this ice cream place in Picture Butte called The Frosty Dip, which sold soft serve ice cream and milk shakes. The Frosty Dip closed years ago but I found myself as a teenager and adult constantly searching for soft serve that tasted as good. I’ve been to ice cream places all over the province without any luck. The mint flavor was always my favorite, and to my surprise, the mint ice cream at The Cone tastes JUST LIKE IT! I am so thrilled!
This ice cream truck serves over 20 flavors of soft serve and a cone or cup will cost you $ 3.50. Their soft serve is light, smooth, and creamy, and has a very classic taste! The shop itself is super cute (it’s in the shape of an ice cream cone) and the inside looks clean and organized. I love the girls’ aprons and the cute picnic benches set up outside! Finally my soft serve search is over!!!