Kem CoBa (in Vietnamese it means "third auntie's ice cream", nickname given to co-owner Ngoc by her niece) offers fresh ice cream and sorbet prepared with premium quality ingredients, with no preservatives nor artificial flavours. You'll also find homemade soft ice cream, with featured flavours that change based on the 2 chefs' mood and creative escapades. How about coconut-mango or strawberry cheesecake? You can also buy pastries that complement ice cream and sorbet. But this time, they're Ngoc's own little creations (baked on site). Now we're talking about shortbread, brownies, almond tiles, butter cakes, canelés, sponge cakes, etc. And a little (sweet) Asian touch is what makes them so special...
Reviews present Kem CoBa as a Montreal ice cream landmark known for inventive, high quality flavors and a silky texture, with soft serve often highlighted as a standout and many calling it the best in town. The menu features bold, rotating flavors including pandan, lychee, rose, durian, mango, matcha, corn flakes with salted caramel, and other Asian inspired options, along with solid hard ice creams; tasters praise strong, balanced flavors and a creamy mouthfeel that stays light rather than cloying. The experience is sometimes described as artisanal and house made, with several notes about the soft serve and sorbet being refreshingly delicious. The shop operates cash only, so visitors are advised to bring cash, which can contribute to longer lines that nevertheless move at a steady pace. A few reviews mention pricing for small portions as a drawback, but overall the place is called a Montreal classic and a must for ice cream lovers, drawing repeat visits to sample new flavors and enjoy the friendly atmosphere.
This spot can have HUGE lines, thankfully when we went there were only a few people (weekday afternoon). We got the soft serve special & it was DELICIOUS & the perfect size. I feel like it was more I would get sick from the sweetness. Totally worth the stop!
Hands down the best ice cream in Montreal. I finally tried Kem Coba after hearing the hype forever, & it more than delivered. I had the biweekly soft serve & it was unreal. Creamy, rich, just the perfect balance.
Yes, there's a line but it moves quite fast & honestly feels like part of the experience. The flavors are super creative, always changing, & everything tastes insanely fresh.
If you love ice cream even a little, this place is life changing!
Unique flavours. Their soft serve is delicious & it changes often. They have one of the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had. Cash only, so come prepared.
Absolutely the best ice cream, hands down. We've been going since they opened, literally among their first customers, & we still go multiple times every summer. The soft serve twist changes every two weeks on Tuesday & it's always delicious & creative. They nail the flavours every single time. Our all-time favourite is the apple cinnamon at the end of the season. Kem Coba is a Montréal classic for a reason.
Long line but very quality ice cream! Very solid strawberry & lychee! Only ding is having forcing someone with USD to have to break a dollar over the 5 cents...please just make it a flat $7, already bad enough to not get the exchange rate 🤣😭
Jun 23, 2025
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Kem Coba is the most famous ice cream shop in Mile-end.
The ice cream is really good, with unique & novel flavors. It has different surprises every day. As for whether you can'bump' into your favorite, it depends on luck.
Pretty standard ice cream shop that you see in a big city. They only allow one tester & one I tried was absolutely horrible & one I picked was safe choice (chocolate & something else) which worked okay. Long line ups but worth it on a hot day.
Jun 10, 2025
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This ice cream shop is perfectly located in a food corner from Fairmont Bagels to Drogheria to Kem CoBa! Got the soft serve. The texture was perfect, & the flavors blended well. I love that they had SE Asian / Vietnamese flavors!
As usual, absolutely delicious spot! The soft serve is my favorite. But the flavors on the home made ice cream are so delicious. The soft serve is a twist of dulce de lèche & pear flavor. The pear was very powerful tasting. Almost like you are biting into a pear. The other ice cream was 70% chocolate & Vietnamese coffee, both wonderful!
Kem Coba is one of the top 3 places for outstanding ice cream in Montreal. If we are having dinner in the area we stop for dessert here. About every two weeks there soft ice cream flavour changes & the flavours are exquisite burst of a perfect blend of flavours. In the fall their last soft ice cream taste like apple pie. WOW. Dry duran, salted butter, the dark chocolate is devine.. Not sure if you will like the soft ice cream, just get a mini & come back for more.
Vincent , Ngoc family & team are very friendly & patient.
The line up is long in summer, hence the rope because that is how good & popular Kem Coba is . There are seats to enjoy & chat with friends. The summer heat has finally arrived & its time for delicious ice cream & sorbet . Also a stop on my ice cream tours of Montreal.
Highly recommended
