Lick up! 4 ice cream places to try in Beijing to beat the heat

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One of the joys of this muggy heat is the oh-so-justifiable excuse to seek out a heaping scoop from the city's best ice cream shops. Guaranteed, the hotter the days are, the more wonderful variety of frozen treats there is on offer.

With the dog days of summer soon upon us, it's never too early (or too late) to get your mouth around some frozen treats. From guilt-free vegan alternatives to OTT flavour combos served in rich-filling handmade cones, we rounded up four of our favourites to try right now.

Oatly! 

Photo: Oatly!

Oatly!, the oat milk brand has championed sustainability through its plant-based dairy alternative. While most of us are already familiar with its oat milk, it’s time to get acquainted with its vegan ice cream line-up. 

Spotted in Joy City, the Swedish brand slings a range of guilt-free icy treats in an eco-friendly pop-up, and has achieved a cult-like following thanks to concoctions like the ‘earth first ice cream’ (36RMB), a mixed scoop of coconut and matcha flavour which reflects the colors of the earth with blue and arctic green hues. There are nearly 15 flavours like pinapple, mango, chocolate, coffee, berry sorbet, durian, pistachio, osmanthus wine, rum, all of which are low-calorie, dairy-free, plant-based, and available for sampling to your heart’s content.

 10am-10pm Mon-Sun.

Wuyutai

At 6RMB per cone, Wuyutai is hands-down the best spot for green tea and jasmine soft-serve on the cheap in town. With over one-hundred locations dotted about the city, it's the perfect pit-stop for a sweet treat on a dime. You shouldn't have too much trouble tracking one down: just keep your eyes posted for the brand's signature green awnings. These ice cream makers serve the real deal in flavour – cold, refreshing and worth planning into any visit to the Yonghegong area, where its main tea shop is at. 

 8am-8pm Mon-Sun.

Chaos Chimney

If you like the rich-filling taste of an ice cream sandwich, Chaos Chimney should please. Known for its handmade sugar-laced cones, part of the experience at Chaos Chimney is watching your cone being made from scratch – dough strips are wrapped around the mold, before they’re evenly baked to golden crisp perfection and coated with an extra layer of ingredients of your choice like sugar, nuts, nutella, coconut shreds. There are flavours like berry, chocolate, white chocolate and strawberry, nuts, tiramisu, and other OTT combos like mango sticky rice and super oreo, as well as the option to build your own. 

 11am-8pm Mon-Sun.

Nama Cocoa

Photo: Nama Cocoa

Specialising in sugar-free, handmade nama chocolate (or ganache) that doesn't compromise on taste, Taiwan chocolate brand Nama Cocoa also churns out health-conscious frozen treats in a similar fashion. In addition to their sweets, find a variety of gelato and sorbet on offer with a wide range of flavours like lychee, jasmine tea, hazelnut, mango and grapefruit, toffee, all made with no added sugar and loaded with natural ingredients.

 10am-10pm Mon-Sun.

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