5 Frozen Treats to Help You Beat the Heat

As I mindlessly scrolled through my Twitter feed and saw all the above hashtags pop up one too many times, I realized it wasn’t just me contemplating moving into the Starbucks next to my apartment just to get a little AC.

Sunday’s heat marked the eighth day above 90 degrees in Seattle (the second-most in history), according to KOMO’s Scott Sistek and boy, was it a doozie. It did, however, make my hot and sweaty self get out of the house in search for something frozen. I found that for a city that generally gets so few sunny days, Seattle does a pretty spectacular job of serving up unique and delicious frozen treats for days like Sunday (and months like June and July). While you wait for that not-so-bad rain and gloom to come back, here are 5 cool treats to help you cool down:

1. Old School Frozen Custard – The name tells all about this smooth and creamy custard joint, which offers flavors that take you back to the days of dirt cup desserts and root beer floats. Open M-Th 1-10 p.m., Fri-Sun 1-11p.m.; 1316 E Pike St.; 206.324.2586

2. Parfait – Speaking of nostalgia, Parfait, Seattle’s from-scratch, organic ice cream shop serves push pops. Yup, that’s right, a tastier and (probably) healthier version of the Flintstone variety. Other must-try items include macaron ice cream sandwiches, Milk Chocolate Chai ice cream and Hayton Farms Strawberry (which tastes like fresh-picked strawberries on a cone). Open every day noon-10 p.m.; 2034 NW 56th St.; 206.258.3066

Parfait’s old-school, organic push pops
PHOTO COURTESY OF PARFAIT TWITTER

3. Six Strawberries – Need something cold, but dairy-free? This bicycle food cart takes your typical ice pop and elevates it to artisan quality. Using local ingredients, Six Strawberries offers both inventive and seasonal flavors including: Matcha green tea, Caffe Vita Latte and strawberry rhubarb pie. You’ll find them at Pike Place Market on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Here’s where else it sets up shop. 206.276.5071

4. Parfait at Trove – This walk-up ice cream window at Rachel Yang’s Trove on Capitol Hill serves frozen custard layered with Korean-style dessert toppings in a cool glass jar. A popular flavor is strawberry mochi cake. Bring the keepsake jar when you visit again for a $1 off your treat — how green of them. Open every day noon-11 p.m.; 500 East Pike St.; 206.457.4622

Strawberry Mochi Cake at Trove’s Parfait walk-up window
PHOTO CREDIT TROVE INSTAGRAM

5. Refresh Frozen Desserts & Espresso – Capitol Hill frozen yogurt frequenters were sad to see Yogurtland along Broadway close its doors in December but can now look forward to this new kid taking its place. Refresh will not only serve frozen yogurt, but will also cater to a wider dessert palate with items like Italian ice, gelato and soft-serve custard. It will also serve local direct trade coffee from Kuma Coffee Roasters. Look for these yummy treats in early to mid August. Broadway Building, 1620 Broadway, Ste. 100D