The 4 Best Ice Cream Parlors in Nairobi

Well, I don’t love ice cream as much as Biden, but I sure do to a healthy amount. I consider ice cream holy so I took time to make a no-low-effort BEST ice cream joints list in Nairobi

Kindly note the numbering doesn’t correspond to quality, just personal preference and tastes.

Nobody asked if my favorite flavor is mint, and no, it doesn’t taste like toothpaste.

Table of Contents

1. Coldstone Creamery

Coldstone Ice Cream Tubs [Instagram: @coldstone ]

Pricing:(💲💲💲)

Why Coldstone is different and expensive?

Coldstone Creamery ice cream is generally expensive compared to other brands. They use premium ingredients and you can tell from the taste, texture, and flavor of their ice cream. It is so creamy, silky, and dense with over 14% cream content which makes it the thickest ice cream I have had. Don’t underestimate the tub sizes, the medium was too much to even eat it all.

The ice cream is made fresh daily in every store. Real fruits and nuts are used as real flavors. This further drives the production costs up. Ice cream base is made by churning fresh milk and cream till smooth. Sugar and other add-ons follow.

Their outlets are also located in malls mostly where rent and operational expenses are high. The daily ice cream making is also labor intensive, taking into account that multiple flavors have to be made. Despite the pricing being high, I find it justifiable and totally worth it considering the quality of the product I get.

Ordering

Customization is unlimited with over 10 flavors to choose from or combinations, mix-ins, and endless toppings as well and you have a unique custom creation. The general ordering procedure is as follows;

Choose flavors: From simple classic flavors like Strawberry, Chocolate, and French Vanilla to Coffee, Mint, Cheese Cake, and other flavors. Choose at least two flavors.
Choose mix-ins: These will be mixed in your ice cream for extra texture. Mostly nuts, fruits, and candy pieces. Common mix-ins include; Bananas, Chocolate Chips, Oreos, Raspberries, Gummy Bears, Kit Kats, Strawberries, and M&Ms. The mix of your choice is then combined with ice cream flavors and combined on a frozen surface till well incorporated and evenly distributed.
Option wafer: If you option a wafer, your molded chocolate will be placed inside the wafer cone before being placed on a Coldstone ice cream tub. Wafer has different flavors choose your favorite.
Toppings: Now to finish it off with a garnish we again chose what we’d love for toppings. The mix-ins from before can be used in addition to; Caramel Drizzle, Chocolate Shavings, Cinnamon Power, Frosting, Fudge, Peanut Butter and the most common is Rainbow Sprinkles.
Served: Get handed over your ice cream with a plastic spoon to dig in and paper towels because it’s about to get messy. If it is a takeaway order you should say so before getting served so that your order can be packed differently.
Pay: I mean pay, dent your wallet but it will be worth it

About

Coldstone is an American Creamery founded in 1988 in Arizona. The company is actively franchising in The US and has 1000 stores in over 30 countries. Coldstone stores not only offer ice cream but also cakes and milkshakes. The company has won many awards and has a strong customer satisfaction commitment.

🌐 Visit Website

⌕ Instagram

📍Location(s): ●The Junction Mall, ●Westlands Square, ●UN Gigiri, ●Sarit Centre, ●Yaya Centre, ●Galleria, ●Village Market, ●Capital Centre, ●The Hub, ●TRM

2. Java House

Pricing:(💲💲)

Java House Ice Cream prices are generally moderate for an average person. Of course, this depends on your menu options and the size you go for. Promotions are run constantly, especially during holidays and festivals which further squeeze the prices. Follow their Instagram for upcoming deals and special limited edition flavors.

Discussion

Java offers not only ice creams but also sundaes and milkshakes that are made from their own in-house ice cream. The popular flavors include; Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Salted Caramel, and Fior di Latte, which almost gave me a seizure trying to pronounce. I’m so mad that coffee ice cream is not on the menu options. Not that I care about coffee or coffee ice cream it’s just that coffee is their brand. It’s in the name dude! They should exploit it lol.

Java House claims to make its own ice cream from scratch using milk and cream. The ice cream of choice can be served either as a double or triple dish. There are takeaway ice cream tub options as well same flavors as before except for the last French-sounding one, Fior di Latte. The takeaway option comes in (500ml,16.9 fl. oz) and (4000ml,135.3 fl. oz) known as a party tub. These take-out packs are not exclusive to Java House outlets but are also sold in big supermarkets as well.

Me after finishing the party tub by myself: ”Maybe I’m a party”

About

Java House is the most common and popular coffee shop chain in Nairobi and major towns. Popularly known as Java. The first store was opened in 1999 and the brand has expanded to over 80 branches in 14 cities in 3 countries; Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. The original branch is at Adam’s Arcade which started as a coffee shop to bring the American Coffee culture to Kenya.

The third listing on this list, Spoiler alert…Planet Yogurt is a sister company to Java House. Primarily, Java House is a coffee shop but it has a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu thus making it a casual diner.

🌐 Visit the website

⌕ Instagram

📇 Menu(PDF)

📍Location(s):

Nairobi CBD: ●Mama Ngina, ●Uniafric, ●Kimathi Street, ●Standard Street, ●Monrovia Street, ●Embassy House, ●Phoenix,

Malls: ●Two Rivers, ●TRM, ●Garden City, ●Green Span, ●South Field, ●Airport View, ●Capital Centre, ●ABC Place, ●Ciata, ●Galleria, ●Junction Mall, ●Prestige Plaza, ●Rosslyn Riviera, ●Westlands Square, ●Highway Mall,

Places & Neighborhoods: ●JKIA, ●South C, ●Lunga Lunga, ●Mbaghathi Way, ●Waiyaki Way, ●Agha Khan Dr, ●Adams Arcade, ●Yaya Centre, ●Parklands Rd, ●Gigiri, ●Hurlingham, ●Karen, ●Reinsurance Plaza, ●KMA, ●Lavington, ●Lenana Rd, ●Valley Arcade, ●Nairobi Hospital, ●MP Shah, ●Shell Kilimani, ●Gertrudes Muthaiga, ●Kileleshwa, ●Orbit Place

3. Planet Yogurt

Pricing:(💲💲)

Pricing is generally average if not low and thus very affordable. Price will vary according to location, topping options, and sometimes flavors. Cup size is an obvious factor here as well. This is the only brand that offers frozen yogurt that I’m aware of in Kenya.

Flavors & Toppings

Ordering is as easy as selecting your tub size, choosing your flavor, and finally choosing your toppings. Planet Yogurt offers more than 20 flavors and over 30 topping options.

Common flavors include: ●Strawberry ●Vanilla Velvet ●Chocolate ●Coffee ●Coconut ●Cantaloupe ● Grapefruit Sorbet ●Watermelon Sorbet ●Peanut Butter ●Pistachio ● Raspberry Tart ● Tomato Tree Tart ●Original Tart ●Passion Fruit Tart ●Forest Berry Tart ●Pink Guava Tart ●Mango Tart ●Peach Tart ●Pomegranate Tart ●Pineapple Tart

Topping Options: Fresh Fruits, Dried Nuts, Cereals, Chocolate & Candy

Discussion: Is Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream?

Is frozen yogurt literally frozen yogurt? Well yes, but actually no. Should it belong to this list? That’s a difficult question. Okay hear me out, stop booing me please; Frozen yogurt and ice cream are so similar yet so different at the same time.

Let’s start with similarities, well they are both desserts, and not just desserts but frozen deserts. The other similarity is in the process of making them, almost identical. Served the same way as well with the same toppings even. Now that we have established the similarities,

How different are they? Well for starters, unlike ice cream which uses cream, froyo uses yoghurt. That was straightforward, but there’s more, froyo has a tangy flavor because the base is yogurt while ice cream ain’t. So ice cream is more creamier, and richer but has a higher fat content. If you are health conscious then froyo may be just your thing.

📍Location(s): ●Sarit, ●Galleria, ●Junction Mall, ●Garden City, ●Rubis UN Avenue.

🌐 Visit the Website.

⌕ Instagram

4. Creamy Inn

Pricing:(💲)

Creamy Inn is by far the one with the cheapest offerings that are so affordable. I wouldn’t say it has the best ice cream and related products but it is okay for the price.

It has a diverse menu and variety to cater to a broad customer base of children and adults. Couldn’t find more info on flavors offered but I think the classic ones strawberry, chocolate vanilla won’t miss

The stores not only offer ice cream but also milkshakes, sundaes, and waffles. Ice cream is either served on a waffle cone or a cup

About

Owned and operated by Simbisa Brands (K) Ltd the very one that owns Pizza Inn, Galitos, and Baker’s Inn. The brand operates over 70 outlets in Africa

🌐 Visit the website

⌕ Instagram

📍Location(s): ●Union Towers, ●Kitengela ●Donholm Mall ●Ngong Rd ●TRM ●Delta Ruiru ●Buruburu ●Waiyaki Way ●Westgate Mall ●Garden City ●Lusaka ●Ridgeways ●Two Rivers ●Kilimani ●Parklands