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It doesn't matter what the season is, you can't deny these rolled iced cream. Been coming here for more than 2 years now and I must say, it always hit the spot. Its a nice small place with outdoor patio My many years of coming, my top favourite flavour would be matcha and Thai tea...mmm. I would recommend this spot to everyone with a sweet tooth.
The hype and long lines are gone, and maybe the novelty as well. Don't get me wrong: when I was there, a few of the kids and teens were still ooh-ing and ah-ing, so I guess Arctic Bites can still conjure up some magic. Cynical ol' grown-up me though took a skeptical look at the price-to-size ratio, appreciated the semi-generous toppings and IG-able-ness of the rolls, but ultimately thought it was just-ok icecream. Loved the quippy names of the different cups though. That said, a one time bite/try.
Passed by here the other day to grab some rolled ice cream with my friend and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I never thought earl grey and nutella would be such a good combo but the that and the toffee bits are such a good addition! The place is small and cute, however I wish they had a bench or tables of some sort to sit on outside. They only had 2 small benches inside to sit at I am definitely excited and will come back to try the other flavours!!
They have "fried" ice cream - liquid is poured onto a cold pan & frozen while being pushed around with spatulas & toppings are added. Portions here are quite big: bring a friend. Had Mr Grey (Nutella & Earl Grey mixed together with the rest on top). It was decent though the Earl Grey flavour predominated; nutella was too subtle so it was overwhelmed. There was a nice crunch from the toffee bits.
I remember when this place first opened up on Baldwin it was so packed, line ups and an endless wait. It was something new that everyone wanted to try, I'm glad I had the patience to wait and finally decided to try this place out while ubereats offered a bogo. I had the taro coconut with condense milk drizzle, I'm a huge fan of taro and it was pretty good. I just found the toppings to be a bit lacking compared to some other flavors they had. I would have hoped for not just condense milk but maybe a textured topping such as pocky? oreo crumbs? Anything eye catching and more appealing to the eye. But regardless, the texture was smooth and creamy. I think it was good to try it once, don't think I would order it again especially at full price. I think I would stick with some kekou gelato
Tried cookies and cream ice cream Really interesting method i absolutely love the tatse. I would highly recommend it Little bit pricey but worth it Friendly staff No free parking
FOOD | Got the mango and strawberry ice cream rolls. I preferred the strawberry one because the mango felt kind of one-toned, I think the whipped cream complemented the strawberry ice cream well! They both had a nice texture with the different toppings. AMBIENCE | The interior is kind of small so be ready for a line during peak hours! SERVICE | Staff were friendly and helpful with the ordering process. :) VERDICT | Solid ice cream option in downtown core.
I was craving ice cream and wanted something special that was not grocery story ice cream. I noticed Arctic Bites was open and it's not that bad of a walk from my place. Due to the pandemic they are only accepting orders via Ritual, Ubereats and Skip the dishes. If you want to pay in cash you must have exact change. It's quite awkward to pick up your ice cream. There is a chair at the front of the door which is locked. When you arrive you have to show your order by the window and she will finish the order and place it on the chair, unlock the door and walk away. I really wish she gave us napkins bc the ice cream was spilling all through the sides. I had Thai style ice cream before at other stores and it was better. Unfortunately most of the Thai style ice cream shops have closed down in Toronto. Other places would infuse toppings with the ice cream giving it a extra special taste. This place have some good ice cream flavours but it's missing the crunch. The topics they put on the ice cream is not that remarkable it's just sweeten condense milk and 1 sauce of your choice. For the price I paid I rather go elsewhere.
The ice cream rolls were really cool and the visual of the product was super cute. It was amazing!
Decided to visit Arctic Bites to grab some dessert because I missed their rolled ice cream!! I ordered their thai to go which is thai milk tea rolled ice cream that is topped with grass jelly, whip cream, half a waffle cookie and drizzled with condensed milk ($8.00). It was really yummy but I wish it had a stronger thai milk tea flavour to it but other than that I still enjoyed it!
Been here a couple of times and I have to say, it's amazing how they can create ice cream on the fly. A little cream, smash some Oreos, work it over...er Voila! A thin layer of ice cream on their chiller. A quick scrape and the ice cream are delicious rolled tubes. Tada! The Tough Cookie treat! Dress up the ice cream with so many options that you can always find something you like. It takes about 3 mins to make your treat so if there is a line up, you need to be patient and it's worth it. I added so much fun stuff and with the temperatures being what it is, the treat is so needed. I also ate it as fast as it was made. Oh well...I can get another! :D Located on Baldwin street, it can be tough to get parking and the shop is small but it is definitely worth the visit. Cheers!
ce cream in winter? No problem! Got two Poppy bowls which is bubble waffle + ice cream rolls It's my first time having ice cream rolls! This technique is so new! And I love it! Definitely recommend the matcha for tea lovers! Their tea flavour is strong! Mango is delicious! Fruit is always a definite choice! All toppings are a perfect match! Feel free to customise your own! And the bubble waffle definitely reminds me of Hong Kong! Even though my hands are freezing, it doesn't stop me from digging in! A must go! And very COVID friendly! With contactless service!
Thai ice cream is definitely unique and I'm glad Toronto finally has a place that sells Thai-style ice cream. In my week that I was back in the city, I was happy to have had this place in my places to visit. If you don't want a lineup, come on a Tuesday afternoon. There was nobody inside when I arrived around 3pm, and I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. Upon reading reviews here, I went with the Mr. Grey (Earl Grey) ice cream. The earl grey flavour was definitely there and very delicious; it also works cause the ice cream wasn't too sweet, so the earl grey had a larger presence. Definitely a must-try for those stuck on which to choose. You can also watch how the workers make the ice cream, and yes you can take photos/video of the process. Pretty unique in itself even if you don't wanna purchase an ice cream. A nice addition to the Baldwin strip for sure.
10 years ago
Arctic bites is Thai inspired ice cream. You'll recognize it the long line outside the store. My favorite is the Mr. Grey (early grey topped with whipped cream, frosted flakes, half a waffle cookie and condensed milk drizzle). It's a light taste that's perfect for tea lovers and those full after a big meal. My friend ordered miss black (black sesame base) and the taste is pretty much what you expect. There's also a green tea flavour which is good. read more
10 years ago
I came here mid July around the same time rolltation opened. This is by far the best place to get Thai rolled up ice cream in Toronto. I ordered the strawberry flavour. It came with fresh strawberries in the icecream along with as a topping on top, whip cream, two strawberry pocky sticks, gram cracker crumble and condense milk. The flavours worked soooooo well together, it was the perfect balance between sweet, milky and fruity! 5/5 it's a must try! read more
8 years ago
I tried the Taro coconut one and it was very creamy and flavourful especially with the coconut jelly whipped cream and wafer. I found it perfect and can't wait to try additional flavours! read more
Was here on either a Friday or Saturday night and man... that line though... But what can you really expect from a new, hyped-up, trendy dessert joint? I was in line for almost 2hrs, as by the time that I had considered leaving I was already too deep into the line to go. As a new business, they definitely have lots of kinks to work out. They visibly had 3 working ice cream tray makers but only 2 were in use for half the time I was there. The only male behind the counter didn't seem to help much until he decided to turn on the other ice cream maker. The items sold out fast as the store was not expecting the amount of requests for specific flavours... By the time I was finally able to order there were only 4 flavours to choose from. My gf and I ended up getting the "Your morning cup" & "2can Sam". I love coffee so the morning cup was pretty good but the 2can Sam wasnt as enjoyable personally. Definitely a high novelty factor here, but I'll probably come back once the hype dies down a bit and the business is firmly settled in. read more
This thai-inspired ice cream shop has been all the hype this summer! When I was looking for food places to take my friend, I skipped over this one because reviews said that the wait was 1.5 to 2 hours long! Luckily, today was a rainy day so the line up was relatively short ~ around 20 minutes. The service was so good! There was always an employee standing outside the shop with the line who would explain what these odd ice cream rolls were, recommend flavours and tell us about the toppings. The employees inside were also very enthusiastic and happy looking! The interior was so cutely decorated and very simple. They had a very cute penguin logo to begin with. There were framed cartoon polar bear photographs, fat fortune cat statues, and benches to wait for the ice cream on. The music was very edgy. We also got to watch them pour the ice cream batter on to the chilled table top and shape them into the cute rolls they are served as! After receiving your order, there's a clean, simple white schemed area for photo taking! There's really no room inside to sit or wait too long though! I ordered the Thai Me Up flavour which came with condensed milk, whipped cream, Koala bear biscuits, and crushed waffles. It wasn't too sweet and the taste was very like thai iced tea. I wished the toppings could be customized because the biscuits and waffles weren't as crisp and fresh as expected. I really want to try black sesame, taro, and earl grey flavours next time! read more
10 years ago
I waited two hours to get my hands on one of their polarolls. I ended up purchasing the "2 Can Sam" which was the fruit loop flavoured option. It was tasty but was it worth the two hour wait? No... Needless to say, it was still a good experience for two reasons: the staff are AMAZINGLY considerate. Only one of their three burners were working and they made every effort to hustle as fast as they could. How those ladies keep at it under the pressure of making the orders is beyond me. And they're all so nice. Secondly, the flavours are different and really stand out against conventional ice cream shops. Matcha, taro, Thai flavoured ice, etc. Definitely worthy enough to try out. I'm sure when the buzz dies down and the waits aren't outlandishly long anymore, it will be a frequent stop of mine. Their customer service really made the excruciating long wait good for me. Happy they opened shop! read more
5 years ago
9 years ago
Got the Thai Me Up around $8, everything in store in generally around that price range, for the amount of food I definitely think it's a little pricy. The specific one I got was very oily and sweet, and my friend who got a different one also agrees on the oiliness. Watching the people make your ice cream was fun though, so recommended if you have never tried before and want to experience a little, but not a place I would want to go back! read more
I came here a couple weeks after their first grand opening and as expected, there was a long line. It was definitely worth the wait. The way they make or shall I say roll the ice cream is such a cool concept. You get to watch the staff make your order right in front of you which makes a great experience. The flavors they offer are are definitely not your average ice cream flavors you can get at a grocery store. Parking is not that difficult to find as there is one a few steps away from the entrance. The staff was friendly and helpful with the decision making. Can't wait to come back and try out more flavors! read more
10 years ago
I had a chance to go last week on the first official day they were open and didn't have to wait hours but almost all the flavours were sold out. Ended up ordering taro and got it in about 30 mins. I really liked it with the coconut shavings and I'm not a big fan of coconut in general. The small mochi balls were great and topped with whip cream to top it all off! So why 3 stars? The way they make each order individually is too slow. They have to look pour the ice cream on the flat freezer, wait for it to freeze, painstakingly scrape and roll the frozen ice cream, then add the toppings, etc. And that's one order. It just takes too long. They have 3 going but the lineup is out the door. Who wants to wait an hour for ice cream? read more
10 years ago
Everyone on my Instagram feed seemed to be going here and I work at SickKids which was a couple blocks away. I ordered the Thai iced tea flavour and it was fine. I'm not that into this new Thai style ice cream dad and I feel that the rolling made the flavour fade. It also made the ice cream hard to eat. Other than being diluted the flavour was good and the design on the top was nice. The biggest downside was the 30 to 45 minute wait with very little seating. Inside the shop there are a couple benches but no tables or places to sit down and eat. I paid a premium price for ice cream and I didn't get a premium experience. I probably won't go back for a second visit. read more
10 years ago
Love it!! Wait Time: Be prepared to wait min 30 minutes to an hr. I've gone on a Saturday night during Labour Day long weekend and the full wait time between waiting in line then getting my ice cream (they hand make it and takes about 5 min) was about 45 minutes. I've also gone on a Friday night during TIFF weekend and I waited 30 minutes total. Both times their ice cream was delicious! Green Tea Ice Cream: My friend had it and I tasted a little. It really tastes like green tea and not super over powering. Nuts4U: Delicious! Why So Salty: I was initially worried it would be too salty between the caramel, Himalayan salt, and pretzels but it really wasn't. It was the perfect amount of salt and the caramel wasn't extremely sweet and thick. I loved it! Love at First Bite (fresh strawberry): It was refreshing and delicious. Any choice you make, you'll be satisfied. I love that you can add extra things to your ice cream that are not the typical sweet candy Highly recommend it! read more
8 years ago
My friend ordered the Thai tea ice cream rolls. I took a bite and it's good. It melted and tasted like Thai Tea. There are plenty of choices on the menu. You can see how the rolls are made. It's a bit pricy though. read more
9 years ago
Went to downtown Toronto over the summer and this dessert place was the highlight of the trip. Great rolled ice cream that's very filling did to the toppings, and the price is fair. I ordered the mango strawberry with extra fruit sand loved it. You can also see your dessert being made right in front of your which adds to the experience. Definitely recommend this place. read more
9 years ago
came here for dessert after having ramen since i've been wanting to try this place for a while now. love that the inside has white marble detailing and their logo is a baby penguin - bonus point for them because i LOVE penguins! i also love how you're able to watch them 'roll' your ice cream from the other side of the counter. since i went near the end of the day, most of their flavours were sold out, so i tried "love @ first bite". presentation was a bit slacky in my opnion, compared to the pictures on their instgram, but it may have because they still had lots of orders to complete. however, taste wise, the ice cream was delicious - not too sweet - and you can also tell that their whipped cream is made fresh and not from the can as it has that milky taste. on the downside, i was a bit disappointed that they didn't have the matcha flavour anymore as i really wanted to try that one. it's a bit pricey at $7 for each "polaroll" but i think it's worth trying. i may go again to try "taro with a twist" but if they bring back the matcha flavour, i will definitely be coming back to try it. read more
9 years ago
10 years ago
Loved the Thai me up flavor. If you like HK Milk tea, this is a stronger version of it. The matcha flavored one tasted delicious too and didn't have a powdery taste to it. Overall, the ice cream weren't overwhelmed with toppings and not too sweet, which were perfect for me. The line-up to get into the store was approximately 45 mins-1 hour. However, once we got in, they took our order and they made the ice cream very quickly. read more
9 years ago
So glad I finally got to try this place. If you like taro order the taro coconut and make sure to add in chopped oreos. Do it and thank me after! The earl grey and the mango were also good read more
8 years ago
Very neat concept to ice-cream making. I ordered the mint to be, very flavourful. Not too sweet. Also the portion is pretty big. read more
8 years ago
Nice little place. Friendly staff. We had peanut butter Nutella ice cream and chocolate Oreo ice cream. Absolutely delicious. It was interesting to watch them making it. The presentation was beautiful. read more
9 years ago
I was downtown for a conference this week and decided I was deserving of some ice cream. With the help of yelp I noticed Arctic Bites was only a 20 minute walk (yes 20 minutes!). So i missioned it down there and found this spot. Its a cool clean looking place on the inside. I had "it takes two to mango" and I was pleasantly surprised. It was really flavourful. The only downer is that I was new to the place and the menu was displayed on a tiny board when you get up to the cash (i think this should be displayed way before the cash especially if your waiting in line for a bit) and it takes some time to prepare when it's really busy. But tbh it's totally worth the wait. Loved it! read more
10 years ago
I would say this is a good place to check out at least once, just for the novelty of it. Yes, it's a unique take on ice cream and it's interesting to watch how they make it but I don't see myself going back anytime soon...partly because of the wait time but also because taste-wise I didn't find it to be anything special. It's not bad by any means but I'd rather go next door to kekou for gelato :p We tried the peppermint oreo and coffee flavours. Both were good, no complaints. The peppermint oreo had a creamier texture than the coffee, which was less milky tasting and more icy..if that makes sense. I'd recommend the peppermint oreo if you're a fan of mint choco chip ice cream. All the girls working there were super friendly. It can't be easy making those ice cream rolls all day so kudos to them! I definitely think they could improve their assembly process and tweak their layout to speed things up a bit (e.g. have one person designated to do the toppings as opposed to having the rollers do both jobs; better use of space underneath counters - maybe an extra refrigeration unit for ice cream bases for quicker access, etc.) Given that they're still a very new business, I'm sure they'll streamline everything once they work out the kinks. read more
10 years ago
Expect a wait! Polar rolls are the thing this year so expect to spend some time in line. The wait on a Saturday was about 1.5 hrs in the late afternoon and one flavour was sold out by the time we got to order. It is worth the try. it is surprisingly refreshing, but still ice cream. I would go back to try a different flavour but maybe when the hype dies down a bit. read more
4 years ago
6 years ago
9 years ago
You are really just here for the experience. The ice cream tastes just the same as any ice cream you can get from the supermarket. When you eat the ice cream, you have to scoop it up with the spoon so basically the rolling effect is irrelevant. Let's be honest, most people come here to update pictures on their social media accounts. If you are reading this definitely give it a try, but after that you probably won't go back. read more
10 years ago
We really enjoyed the Thai ice cream, the flavour was so rich, its not like any regular scoop ice cream with a light flavour. I know this sounds funny, but the ice cream actually feels chewy. Every bite is full of Taro and Milk Tea flavour. I know it's mouth watering right! We arrived there around 4pm and the line up wasn't so bad, It took us about 40 mins to get it, which wasn't too bad, because we were standing a shade. There are 8 options to choose from, but I think they change their menu from time to time. Because I saw photos from before they had matcha flavour but its no longer on the menu! So if you like this menu right here, you should go soon! We picked the Taro and Milk Tea Flavour. It was pretty amazing to watch them flipping and mixing the ice cream. However, these ice cream is not like the marble slap style, it doesn't start with ice cream balls and then they smash and mix and chop them. These ice cream actually started in a liquid form. It was in a cup like a small drink in the flavour you chose and they pour it right onto the freezing pan and start mixing. Very soon about a minute the liquid is all frozen and ready for rolling! We would definitely recommend this place even if it might take you longer than an hour to wait in line (depending when you go)! read more
10 years ago
Woohoo! Barely a lineup today at Arctic Bites. They have great flavours. Watching the staff make the icecream was really cool. You get to watch the whole process as they make it and that makes the experience enjoyable. I had Mr.Grey which was earl gray rolled icecream. It was delicious! As a lactose intolerant person, i'm glad i was able to try this place out. They crushed the toppings and poured the tea together to make rolled icecream. Sadly, it took a while cause it was short staffed. Only two staff making the rolled icecream and one preparing the stuff for the orders. It took a while to get someone to input our order, but it was worth it since no line up today! I would recommend this to my friends and other people who want to try this place out! it's really cool. Would come here again. What a great icecream place! read more
4 years ago
8 years ago
This should be called ice rolls instead of ice cream. I have to say that the "ice cream" looks pretty cool and they have nice method to make it but regarding flavour and texture is not good at all. My ice cream was not creamy at all with coffee flavour that tasted as ice cubes with coffee flavour. Not worth the $8. read more
4 years ago
I got Mr.grey and was highly disappointed. I'm a huge fan of earl grey so I thought I was going to be in love but it tasted so bland. It tasted like I was eating ice. I made my mom try it and she told me that I should stop buying diet foods and enjoy my life instead. She honestly thought it was some kind of health treat because of the bland taste. Overall disappointed, but if it's of any help, my sister got the one with nuts which tasted much better read more
10 years ago
Service: - friendly and quick service Dessert: - novelty of Thai Rolled Ice Cream - cool flavours to choose from especially the Mr. Grey! - the Mr. Grey one has the right amount of earl grey tea flavour without being overwhelmed by it - downside: the toppings are mediocre when mixed with any ice cream flavours because they are normal Asian supermarket snacks that can be purchased easily by anyone (aka the pocky and the panda cookie) Overall: - relaxing atmosphere - would prefer more seatings that are more ergonomic and comfy read more
10 years ago
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