Vegan Gelato of Your Dreams at Nice Cream

Nice Cream is a vegan gelateria in Zhongxiao Dunhua that will blow your mind, whether you’re vegan or not.  Our friends sold it to us with the promise of unique flavours like olive oil, soymilk, and Taiwanese matcha, and it certainly didn’t disappoint — Nice Cream uses local ingredients and makes a fresh batch of gelato every day, mixing it up as the seasons change.

Their shop is bright and tiny, with very little space inside for sitting. As soon as we entered we were taken by how nice and friendly the owners were, and we were soon chatting away about their business and accepting free samples of gelato. We were impressed to learn that the owners’ family has been making gelato in Italy for over 21 years, and that Nice Cream was the first plant-based creamery in Taiwan.

The best thing about ice cream is getting to try all the different flavours, but at Nice Cream, this proved to be a problem — ridiculous as it sounds, each flavour that we tried was so good that we couldn’t pick between them. Like, seriously. We would try one, love it, decide to order it, then try the next one, decide to order that, then repeat the whole process over and over again. It was embarrassing.

Matcha, chocolate, coconut, and soy milk were rich and creamy, just like their non-vegan counterparts. They were indulgent and flavourful, but without the heaviness that accompanies traditional gelato and ice cream made with dairy. The fruity gelatos were light and airy and retained every bit of flavour of the fruit that they were made from. We loved the passion dragon fruit and melon in particular for their uniqueness, and the strawberry was just as fruity and creamy as we could hope for.

Finally, we had to make a choice. We ordered a single serving of strawberry in a cup for NT$100. We were torn between this and chocolate but vowed to come back again soon for more.

We also got a triple serving of melon, coconut and passion dragon fruit for NT$210 that came with a free cone.

Lastly, we got a double scoop in a cone with passion dragon fruit and coconut for NT$160. The coconut gelato was an absolute show-stopper, and we wouldn’t hesitate to get it again even if we didn’t get to try anything new. Seriously, it’s that good.

The best part about Nice Cream is that you don’t feel weighed down after eating it, which is usually what happens to us when we eat ice cream or normal gelato. It was also slightly less sugary than we’re used to, and it melts really really quickly in the sun due to its soy/coconut milk base. These were probably the only way in which it wasn’t the same as what we’ve tried before, and we actually loved those differences — super sugary, heavy ice creams can make us sluggish and thirsty in the burning Taipei sun, and we left feeling delighted that we’d found a place where we could indulge without feeling those immediate effects.

What’s the vibe?

Tiny store selling what is quite possibly the best vegan gelato in the world.

Worth it?

YES. Expect to pay European prices, but it’s 100% worth it.

Would you go back?

Definitely! We can’t wait to bring more of our friends and order new flavours. Their gelato milkshakes also look great!

Visited: June 2018

Nice Cream

Hours: 12pm - 10pm

Phone: 02 8771 7150

English Address: No. 6, Alley 40, Lane 181, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Datong District, Taipei City, 106

Chinese Address: 106台北市大同區忠孝東路四段181巷40弄6號