FOOD & DRINK

Arctic Scoop meshes Asian flavors and super-sized scoops for a frosty treat

ByWendy Daughenbaugh WPVI logo

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Arctic Scoop meshes Asian flavors and super-sized scoops

Arctic Scoop's ice cream is about double the size of other shops, and their coconut bowls and egg waffles make for a truly unique sweet treat.

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- At Arctic Scoop, you can get classic ice cream flavors like cookies and cream, chocolate and vanilla.

But what really sets this Passyunk Avenue place apart is the Asian flavors like lychee rose ice cream, sesame butter, and a mocha chip that tastes like Vietnamese coffee.

The top sellers are the bright purple ice cream made with a mix of taro and ube sweet potatoes and the vibrant green pandan, a grassy vanilla that tastes like the last bit of milk in your cereal bowl.

Arctic Scoop was opened in 2018 by three childhood friends from New York City who say they always wanted to open an ice cream shop.

Because competition was fierce in Manhattan and rents were high, they went looking elsewhere and say East Passyunk reminded them of New York City's Little Italy neighborhood.

Owners Chris Cheang and Alex Wu make the ice cream from scratch daily in a kitchen a few blocks away.

The flavors are more earthy than sweet and the scoops are about double the size of traditional ice cream shops.

They offer flavored cones. The Thai coconut bowl is one of their signature desserts. It's a real coconut, with a layer of sticky rice topped with a scoop of your choice and unlimited toppings.

They're known for their Hong Kong Style egg waffles too.

The waffles are made to order then folded like a baseball mitt, filled with a giant scoop of your ice cream of choice then finished with an unlimited number of toppings.

While most of the ice cream is designed to be dessert, the Hong Kong egg waffle is a full meal.