21 delicious ways to cool down

Suffering from the summer heat?

Here are 21 treats to help you cool down—whether you’re craving something icy, creamy, fruity, or just plain refreshing.

Crem Gelato’s Messy Chocolate. Let’s start with a luxurious treat—Crem Gelato’s Messy Chocolate. Made with 72% premium dark chocolate and rich French cream, this small-batch, handmade gelato is silky smooth and has decadent chocolate truffle pieces that melt in your mouth—an indulgent way to beat the heat.

I also love Crem Gelato’s Caramel Bronzato, Pistachio Praline and Waffle Hazelnut.

Visti their website www.cremgelato.com

Merry Moo Cheesy Mamon. Merry Moo makes a lot of great ice cream flavors but my favorite is Cheesy Mamon—cheddar cheese ice cream with large chunks of the fluffy mamon. It’s so good that I have a friend who even brings it back to the US in her suitcase. (Crazy, I know.)

Visti their website www.merrymooicecream.com

Kuromitsu Boba Sundae. Love boba? Then you’ll love Kuromitsu Boba Sundae—creamy Hokkaido milk soft serve with chewy boba and Japanese black sugar syrup.

Available at Kiwami and select Yabu branches

Azuki Toyo’s kakigori. A collaboration between Toyo Eatery and Florilège in Tokyo, Azuki Toyo serves kakigori the Pinoy way, reimagining the Japanese shaved ice dessert with local flavors. The flavors may change—loved the Azuki at Merengue, Mais at Keso, Halo-Halo and Lychee at Pomelo—but the ice is always light, feathery, refreshing.

They’re fully booked for April. Keep an eye on their Instagram for any announcements about May reservations.

Llaollao Sanum. Try Llaollao’s Sanum—layers of frozen yogurt, fresh fruits, muesli, nuts or seeds and your choice of sauce. It could be light and refreshing or indulgent—it’s up to you.

Available at Llaollao branches

Manam’s Pampalamig. Manam serves different flavors of pampalamig. Take your pick—Ube + Sago, Strawberry + Camias, Mango + Pomelo + Sago, Camias + Lemongrass, Choco-nut Shake, Buko + Piña, Buko + Pandan + Sago.

Available at Manam branches

Lito Ice Cream. A friend was raving about Lito Ice Cream’s sorbetes, calling it the best he’s ever had, and I was so convinced that I booked the cart for a party. At the event, guests kept raving about how good it was—not just the flavors but also the texture.

The good news is you don’t have to book the cart to enjoy Lito Ice Cream, you can order their sorbetes in one-liter tubs and have it picked up from Mandaluyong. Flavors include mango, avocado, cheese, strawberry, chocolate, melon, cookies and cream, ube, vanilla and buko pandan.

Visit on Instagram; 09564494841; 09270467881 

McDonald’s Hazelrock McFlurry. In 2024, McDonald’s introduced their Hazelnut McFlurry, a limited holiday offering, and I loved it so much that when they stopped serving it, I actually wanted to start a petition for them to bring it back. Now, they finally have… kind of. Just like the Hazelnut McFlurry, Hazelrock McFlurry—which is part of the fast food chain’s Flavor Galaxy Specials—is chocolatey, nutty, crunchy. “Lasang Ferrero!” a lot of people like to say.

Dear McDo, I know it’s also a limited-time offering but please serve it for a very long time.

Available at McDonald’s branches.

Mesa’s Sago’t Gulaman. I love sago’t gulaman and Mesa serves a good one—it goes perfectly with their food but is also a great treat on its own.

Available at Mesa branches. 

Ikea’s Vegan Ice Cream. Ice cream for just P10? That’s Ikea for you. It’s made with coconut so it’s vegan-friendly and the fun part is you get to fill the cone yourself at their coin-operated soft-serve machines.

Available at Ikea MOA Square, Mall of Asia Complex, Marina Wy, Pasay City.

A Mano’s Pistachios & Chocolate Fudge Burrata Soft Serve. A Mano’s burrata soft serve is a hit for good reason—it’s creamy, it’s subtly cheesy, and it’s so good with toppings. You can’t go wrong with the Pistachios & Chocolate Fudge Burrata Soft Serve which is topped with pistachios, pistachio ganache and dark chocolate fudge. Make it even more special by getting it in a waffle cone. Yum.

Available at A Mano branches.

Antonio’s Housemade Ice Cream. Did you know that Antonio’s Housemade Ice Cream is available at Pedro the Grocer? (Fun fact: restaurateur Tony Boy Escalante named Pedro the Grocer after his youngest son.) You can get the ice cream by the scoop or in pints. Lots of flavors available—from Roasted Strawberry, Apple Crumble and the popular Panna to Rocky Road, Brown Butter Pecan and Caramel Macchiato.

Available at Pedro the Grocer branches. 

Magnum Mini Almond. I’m a Magnum fan—there’s something about that Belgian chocolate shell that’s just hard to resist. Here’s an idea: keep a box of Magnum Mini Almond in your freezer for a quick ice cream fix. I love the size and how shareable it is. You can also get it in the classic flavor.

Available at supermarkets and convenience stores

Cornetto Vanilla. Here’s a classic that I never get tired of—vanilla ice cream in a waffle cone topped with chocolate sauce and crunchy nuts. The best part? That chocolate tip.

Available at supermarkets and convenience stores

Sebastian’s Chilly Burgers. One of the things I miss the most is Coney Island’s Eskimo Roll so I’m grateful that Sebastian’s Chilly Burgers exist—Sebastian’s ice cream sandwiched between yummy cookies. Go for Cookie Dough Duo Chilly Burger (cookie dough ice cream with cookie dough cookies), Midnight Truffle Chilly Burger (dark chocolate ice cream with double chocolate cookies), or the Fudge Truffle Chilly Burger (vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookies).

Visit their website www.sebastiansicecream.com

Cloud Soft Treats Strawberry Frozen Yogurt. Make it a strawberry summer at Cloud Soft Treats. Order the strawberry yogurt, top it with a sauce, some fruits, some crunchy toppings or a mix, and enjoy.

Don’t want to pick your own toppings? Choose from the Signature Treats.

Available at Cloud Soft Treats branches

Carmen’s Best Tiramisu. I was impressed by how Carmen’s Best transformed tiramisu into one of their ice cream flavors. This premium ice cream features broas, cream cheese and coffee and tastes and feels just like the Italian dessert.

Try Carmen’s Best Milk Bars too, which they introduced earlier this year—they’re made with fresh cow’s milk and are super rich and creamy.

Visit their website www.carmensbest.com

Venchi Gelato. Venchi, the Italian brand that landed in Manila in 2024, isn’t just known for chocolates—it also serves gelato. Go for Stracciatella, Green Pistachio From Bronte, Tuscan Cream or the new Berry in Love. The Podium branch also has the exclusive Ricotta & Chocolate. There are also plant-based flavors available.

As an added treat, you can add chocolate spread and grains to your cone.

Available at Venchi branches

Mo’ Cookies Softies. I enjoy Mo’ Cookies’s cookies—and also their soft serve. It comes in three flavors: Mo’ Milk, Mo’ Coffee or the twist Mo’ Latte. The Softies are served with a Crumb (mini cookie) of your choice. I go for the Chocolate Chip.

Available at select Mo’ Cookies branches

Farmacy Ice Cream Banana Split. I love going to Farmacy because it has that old-school ice cream shop feel. I go for their Banana Split or one of their sundaes—and I always add marshmallows to my order because they have the best marshmallows.

Don’t feel like having an entire sundae? Grab a scoop. My favorite flavors? The Banana Salted Caramel and Coffee Almond Fudge. 

Available at Farmacy and Wildflour branches

The Matcha Tokyo. Matcha lovers will enjoy The Matcha Tokyo’s matcha soft serve which is made with 100-percent organic matcha. You can have it in a cup but I say get it in the activated charcoal cone.

Available at The Matcha Tokyo branches.