Kem CoBa

My friends and I were just walking by and realized this opened in 15 minutes, and there wasn't a line yet. Thank goodness because once we got in line, it formed... and it was long. Their shop is one of Montreal's staples and I'm happy to say that they provide a few vegan friendly sorbet options. During our visit, they had wonderful tropical fruit flavors and you can split a small cup for the same price. Their mango was refreshing and a must try. Cash only! Make sure to bring them bills to pay for this delicious Vietnamese inspired ice cream.

The ice cream from Kem coba is excellent—creamy, flavorful, and incredibly affordable. A top pick for great taste without the high price! And payment only in cash

We understand why this place is famous. The quality and flavor are consistently good. Most of the time, there will be a long queue, and it can be quite hard to find parking around. You can sit outside in front of the ice cream shop. Every two weeks, they have a new flavor of the season. We love the salted butter ice cream, soursop. The special of the week: Rose + Lychee + Raspberry, It’s a beautiful blend, hope it can have it all the time.

Came here while visiting Montreal back in the end of September. Randomly fell to my knees as I had a flashback of this delicious ice cream. Prompted me to write this review. I need you to open a shop in Toronto, please! Jokes aside, love how inventive they are with their flavours. The long lines speak for themselves, these guys should be a national treasure. I’m not a fan of sweets, but I can easily inhale 10 pints of whatever these guys are offering. The soft serve with raspberries and cheesecake was an easy 15/10. Beware, all other ice cream after Kem Coba will be a let down.

This place was simply amazing. One of, if not the best ice cream shops I've ever been to. Got the 70% chocolate and mango on the cone. Mango tasted amazing like not too sweet, and not too tart. Just right. The chocolate was perfection. Creamy and sweet but somehow not filling or heavy.

Really love the Asian-inspired flavours offered at this place. I found the flavours were very unique and not commonly found in any other ice cream shops I’ve been to. We had a double scoop of pandan and salted butter. We really loved the pandan ice cream, the flavour was really strong and true to what pandan tastes like!! I also have never seen pandan offered anywhere else. Definitely recommend this place.

The ice cream is ok and for the line, I wouldn't come back again. You can get better ice cream anywhere else. Another downside is that is cash only.

Remember to bring Cash!! This is One of the best ice cream and must try in Montreal. There is lineup but it moves quickly. I tried 4 flavours and all tastes great, creamy, not sweet! The sitting area in the front is so cute during summer time. Service is fast and price is acceptable

My friends and I were just walking by and realized this opened in 15 minutes, and there wasn't a line yet. Thank goodness because once we got in line, it formed... and it was long. Their shop is one of Montreal's staples and I'm happy to say that they provide a few vegan friendly sorbet options. During our visit, they had wonderful tropical fruit flavors and you can split a small cup for the same price. Their mango was refreshing and a must try. Cash only! Make sure to bring them bills to pay for this delicious Vietnamese inspired ice cream.

I walk by this place on every trip to Montreal, but it always has such a huge line-up and I'm always in a rush. This time, it was earlier in the day and the hordes hadn't arrived yet. Decided to dip in and see what the buzz is all about. Decided to make it easy and order whatever the special soft serve flavour was that day. Blueberry and honey - interesting! And very pretty. Note: Cash only! The flavour was a bit more subtle than I expected, I found it a bit hard to detect the honey, but I appreciated the naturalness of this blend. Lovely texture. The one cone was $7 or so. It was a nice treat on a nice day.

I was walking around the area shopping and stopped here for a treat. They had quite a few non-dairy sorbet options which is great for me. I had a berry & lychee sorbet. It was very flavorful. Nice sized portion. They do only accept cash so it was good I had a few Canadian coins with me. Definitely a place I will go again the next time I am in Montreal.

CASH ONLY Absolutely delicious! They have rotating flavors of soft serve, ice cream and sorbet. We came on a Sunday after mid afternoon and luckily the line was very short. The flavors are all so unique. The ice cream is very smooth and creamy. I tried the pandan and orange blossom with fig. A bit pricy but worth the super unique flavors and quality!

Outstanding glaceau with an imaginative and unique set of flavors. We were lucky to stop by when there wasn't a long line waiting to get into the tiny shop. The chocolate was some of the best we've ever had. Pair it with a scoop of the tart cherry lichee for a wonderful taste combination.

The ice cream and sorbet were both so smooth and delicious. Our server was so friendly and recommended pandan and mango which really tasted like mango sticky rice. Bit of a long wait since it's pretty touristy though.

We wanted to itch a sweet tooth while in Montreal and while on our way to multiple other well known other locations I noticed a decent crowd around this place. They serve a variety of ice cream, soft serve and sorbet. Sadly they were out of their soft serve when we got there except for chocolate, but we ended up getting some of their more unique sorbet: Mango, and Lychee Rose. I was pleasantly surprised that the sorbet itself was not overtly sweet at all (a problem usually experienced with sorbets), and both had really amazingly strong flavor profiles. The mango tastes like mango instead of that powdered mango taste you get sometimes, and the lychee rose was a really unique lighter lychee flavor but with that hint of rose flavor. I think given the uniqueness of the flavors that they offered (others were like Pandan, Salted Butter, etc) this is a place you don't want to miss out on while you're visiting Montreal.

Ice cream shop near 2 foodie spots. It was okay, I got the lychee and nothing crazy to rave about it.

Right around the corner from where we stayed on vacation and on a street with lots of tasty things to try and fun shops. I stopped in here for dessert after getting the nearby walking-gnocchi. They are cash only and a little on the pricier side, but they have high quality ice cream in interesting flavors that I haven't seen elsewhere. I got Lychee Rose and Medjool Date. Both were delicious and a delightful little size for a small, sweet treat. The place is very casual. It's a grab and go style, but they get through the lines pretty quickly.

It lives up to the hype. Their hours are a bit restrictive (closes at 8pm) and the lines could get fairly long, but the ice cream quality and flavors are top notch. Personal favorites are salted butter, pandan, soursop and creme fraiche. I'm sure their chocolate is good too-- seems like a popular flavor. Cash only (maybe Canadian debit). Definitely worth a trip.

Expect a bit of a line when you get here. It can wrap around the block when it gets really bad, but it moves and the ice cream is well worth the wait. They have various sorbets and ice cream flavors for you to choose from! It's a little pricier than other ice cream shops, but the flavors are all very unique. My go-to flavors are usually the pandan and soursop! Both are very aromatic and complement each other really well. They also serve soft serve, but they have less flavor options. Raspberry lychee is a highly sought after flavor. Not much seating inside, but a lot of people just sit outside or take a walk around the neighborhood with their ice cream.

Cash only. This dessert place is also very packed. The line moves fast and they have outdoor seating which helps. The soft serve melts pretty fast. It's probably because of the fast turnover. Flavors are very original and they also have the classic flavors. A highlight of my day.

Great ice-cream!! Easily some of the most creative flavours I've had. The line was shockingly long, we waited about 10 minutes but I could not have been more surprised. We sat outside and took in the beauty of Montreal. If you're looking for creative, fancy, ice cream this is the place to go.

Kem CoBa never disappoints. I always come for a visit (or two) every time I'm back in town. Their homemade soft serve is the best! They have a second location in Tétreaultville. There's always a lineup but it moves quickly. If the line wraps around the corner, be prepared to wait 15 to 25 minutes. - La Florida ($5.30) - coconut and orange sorbet soft serve. - Coupe verte ($5.74) - strawberry and blackberry. - La New Yorkaise ($5.30) - raspberry lychee and rose water. Unbelievably good. The two flavours were a perfect match. - Dulce de leche and pear sorbet ($5.30) - both were delicious but the pear sorbet was off the charts. - La bien-aimée ($5.30) - almond ice cream and sour cherry sorbet. Almond was fantastic but somewhat overpowered the subtle sour cherry. - Coupe bleue ($5.74) - hibiscus sorbet and soursop. Both refreshing and bursting with flavour. Kem Coba's still reigns supreme as my favourite ice cream place in the city.

The ice cream was amazing! I've never had pandan ice cream but had other pandan deserts. The aftertaste is very automatic. The line was long but it was super worth it! You can taste test the flavors before getting it! The ambiance is very chill

We went to several ice cream spots during our trip and Kem Coba was one of my favourites. The line wraps around the corner but don't let that deter you. Waited about 25 minutes. Shared a blue cup ($5.74) which lets you choose two flavours. Tried the soursop and hibiscus. Delicious. Cash only!

Sometimes I worry about these places being a tourist trap. I must say it was definitely worth the longer drive. The flavors are so robust and fresh. We tried a few flavors and they didn't disappoint!

Yummy homemade ice cream. So smooth so creamy. Love the unique flavors like pandan and soursop. Wish they had more options for soft serve. The line was long even at 7:45 close to closing but it went fast & I think the staff kept the store open a little later to get everyone's orders in which is so nice! Cute decor and outside seating.

Fun place to go for ice cream. Love the area. Love all the ice cream. Staffs are very patients d friendly. You get to sample 1 flavor.

The line is inevitable, but it goes fairly quickly. The salted butter was really good! They only allow one taste, so choose wisely. I got two scoops in a waffle cone (significantly smaller portions than in America), one of salted butter & the other chocolate. The chocolate is quite rich, I wish I got two scoops of salted butter. 9/10!

DELICIOUS!!! Best ice cream in Montreal, hands down. Must try these flavors: pandan, soursop, chocolate, cheesecake, salted butter... We tried almost all flavors they have and love them all. Be ready to get in line because it's always longggggggg, HOWEVER, the line moved fast.

Line is long usually but moves quickly. Delicious treat on any day but especially a hot day! Fast friendly service and delicious soft serve. They have a flavor of the day plus lots of other choices. Don't miss out!

Awesome flavors, authentic taste, so delicious I got pandan and soursop and it took me back to my home country. Came back the next day to get more, this ice cream changed my life

Deliciously smooth and creamy! We tried the buttered salt, chai and coffee. My husband wasn't a fan of the coffee but oh my....the buttered salt and the chai....mmmmmm!!! Fun spots to sit outside after ordering.

An absolute delight, especially in the dog days of summer. I love the wide variation of flavors from Kem CoBa, many of which have Asian roots. I got the orange blossom and pandan, and both were perfectly flavored. The pandan was creamy and rich, while the orange blossom was the perfect balance of light and sweet. Would highly recommend going on a nice summer day, or any day really Also beware - cash only!

Pandan ice cream is both incredibly yummy and hard to find anything similar in my area. But it's totally worth it when the line isn't that long.

It was definitely worth the stop in Montreal.. very unique soft serve.. they have one flavour per day, today was coconut and orange.. wow What a combination! Very yummy, very fresh and even the cone was so good and crispy! We easily found a parking spot next to the place.. line up was long but fast.. there is a nice seating area infront and everyone enjoyed their super special soft serve! They also carry ice cream with unique flavours.. but if it's ur first time definitely try the soft serve

Salted butter flavored ice cream, need I say more? This needs to be offered at every ice cream place! They also had a lot of other interesting varieties of scooped ice cream. There were two soft serve flavors that were very unique, but we were both sold on butter. Ate them too quickly to catch a photo.

In Montreal for three days and we would have visited here every single day if not for their store closures on Mondays!! They have a rotational softserve flavour and it was a twist of 72% cacao chocolate ice cream and raspberry sorbet. The cone was fresh and crunchy and the softserve flavour was very reminiscent of Brookside berry chocolates. Their scooped flavours come in three sizes, we got the smallest size (pink cup). Flavours we tried: salted butter, matcha, honey orange blossom, and rose lychee raspberry. I truly think you can not go wrong with any of their flavours!! They were not overly sweet and you can distinctly taste each individual flavour. Definitely a must-get if you are in the area or travelling to Montreal!!

The pandan and orange blossom swirl was everything!! As a pandan fan, I was little skeptical about the combination but the contrasting flavors really worked well.

If you're looking for real rich and flavourful ice cream... please do me a favour and get in Line at Kem Koba. Yes you read that right the line up is very Very long (about a 30-40 min wait time) it's so worth it ! I had their salted butter and matcha flavour mix and it was superb. So delicious It melted in my mouth waaaaw the ice cream was AMAZING!!! Service was long but super friendly and the ladies strived to get our friends and our orders quickly by the counter. Wish they added a beverage menu to their place like bubble tea that would be awesome too! Overall, I can't believe I waited this long to finally say I've tried it and it was not a disappointment.. on the contrary it exceeded my expectations and definitely deserve a 5+++++ rating totally recommend if you're in the area!

The obsession with this place is so real that over the span of the 7 days I was in town, I stopped by almost every single day. The story behind the place is super adorbs, and the family that works it is even more charming! The shop sits on Fairmount and has a bit of bench seating outside. It's very vibrant and warm, which makes getting ice cream here a must regardless of the weather. I tried a few flavors, and while they have some staples, there are lots of rotational ones. Everything was very true to its flavor and didn't taste artificial or overly sweet. My absolute favorite was the seasonal soft-serve at the time -- an apple and creme glace. This was actually probably the best ice cream I've had in my entire life, and let me tell you -- 1. I've had a lot of ice cream in my life. 2. I'm usually not even a huge fan of apple-flavored things. This thing was truly THAT good, such that the owner remembered my order and me from coming back every single day six days in a row (I'd come by twice on some days). Overall, absolutely recommend stopping by here if you're in Montreal (they also have another location). The quality, serving size, taste, variety, service and just about everything about this place is perfect.

On the last stop of our Mile End tour, as part of the Local Montreal Food Walking Tour, we made a much-needed stop at Kem Coba. For a humid day, this was exactly what the doctor ordered. First of all, the ice cream shop was unsurprisingly packed. The line was decently long, but customers were able to get through it within 5-10 minutes. However, since we were part of a tour, we were all given small samples of their coconut-lime mango soft serve sorbet. Let me just say this for the record --- why don't have have this soft serve mix in New York?! The mixed flavors were refreshing, delicious and exceeded my expectations on what we were going to be trying as part of the tour. It was absolutely delicious. In fact, the sorbet was so refreshingly good that I decided to go for round 2 and order the sorbet on a cone. Every single second I was devouring the cone, I thanked God I was alive. It was so good and sort of reminded me of a dole whip, but not as soft and minus the pineapple-flavor. On a hot day, Kem Coba is a must-stop location for some delicious dessert.

Kem CoBa isn't really near any metro station. We got here by bus# 55 ("Saint-Laurent / Fairmont" stop) and it's a quick walk from the bus stop. We got here around 5pm and there was a small line. You can sample two ice cream flavors. There's three ice cream cup sizes to choose from: small, medium, and large. I believe you can get two ice cream flavors regardless of cup size. I opted for the green tea and pandan ice cream. Both flavors were amazing and great for a humid day! Sadly, I only came here once and I'll have to come visit again one day to try their sorbets. Notes: 1) It's CASH ONLY. 2) There's some benches outside the shop. You can sit and enjoy your sweet treat. 3) Fairmount Bagel shop is also nearby!

WOW! the perfect mix of bold, fresh flavours, the incredibly smooth texture and sweet high quality cream is as if you were biting into the fruit itself. This divine "twist of the moment" could not have been crafted better and we can't wait for the next one.

Kem CoBa was a recommendation from an employee at a shoe store that we hit up on our way out of the city, and I'm SO. GLAD. we did. I realized as we arrived that my Montreal-based cousin has posted on socials about Kem CoBa many times but I didn't make the connection til I arrived. I can't speak for all of their flavours, but their twist soft serve (which I'm fairly sure changes either weekly or monthly?) of blueberry sorbet and honey ice cream was to DIE for. The absolute perfect summer blend. Were I a local, I'd be back time and time again!

Unique and interesting flavors to choose from! I got their featured soft serve: rosewater and raspberry-lychee in a cone. Very flavorful and the cone was very tasty. It was worth stopping by for a treat. Came an hour after they opened during a weekday and no line. Pay in cash.

There is simply no better ice cream ANYWHERE! Be prepared to stand in line and know it's worth it. The flavors change often and the chef uses seasonal ingredients. I fell I love with the yuzu cream and passion fruit swirl. Seriously worth visiting on Montreal!

definitely get the homemade soft serve, it's citrus-y and refreshing! one of my favorite soft serve experiences, ever!

Phenomenal flavors packed into their soft serve - citron and passion fruit twist. was amazed at the first bite. The texture of the ice cream and sorbet soft serve twist was unique. The line can be long depending what time of day. A minus is that they only accept cash and it was difficult to find an ATM nearby that did not charge a high fee.

Kem Coba is pure joy. The flavours that they come up with are so unique and delicious. There is often a lineup and it isn't just hype. It's worth waiting for. I've had a few of their soft served options (mango/dulce de leche, vanilla/cherry) as well as their regular flavours that they rotate (Mango, Chocolate 72%, Corn Flakes) and everything is sublime. The prices are higher than other ice cream places but I really don't mind because it's a treat and it feels special when I have it. Worth the wait, worth the price, and worth the calories!

The name is Vietnamese and translates to "third auntie's ice cream". Fresh ice cream and sorbets created with no preservatives, no artificial flavors. I tried a small flower-cup of their homemade coconut soft-serve ice cream swirled with the mango sorbet. Both flavors were the real deal! None of the processed sugar flavor. Cold, refreshing, and oh soooo good! Because this parlor is super small - only room for 3-4 people to walk in, order and leave, there's no inside seating. That's ok! There's several colorful metal benches outside, some in the shade, so in the bright hot sun. ***This ice cream and baked sweets shop is CASH ONLY. Hit the ATM, so you can delight your tastebuds!***

If you are a fellow ice cream lover, then this is a must! I came here on a fine summer day and was attracted to this place because of the cool & colorful seating outside. When I ordered the pink cup (cup sizes differentiated by color), I was expecting to be allowed to choose only one flavor. To my surprise, you can have two flavors per cup and its even more exciting that there flavors are especially interesting. I went with the pandan flavor, which was heavenly, and the mango, which tasted super natural. You can also try some decent gnocchi for $5 right next door!

It seems like over the past 3 summers I've developed a huge liking for ice cream and when I saw that a bunch of people were hitting this spot up I had to give it a try. Kem CoBa is located in a great spot on Fairmount st and is worth stopping into when you're in the neighbourhood. Every week they have a different swirl of soft serve with some really great flavours that are true to themselves and pack a whole lot of punch. This week happened to be the strawberry cheesecake and I'm a big fan. It was easy to taste each individual flavour and together they just made sense. Of course while I was there I had to try some of the other flavours. One of the stand outs for me was the salted butter sounds crazy but trust me give it a sample and tell me it doesn't taste great. There are so many place you can get ice cream from but you'd be crazy if you didn't give this place a try !

This up-and-coming neighborhood has what it takes to battle the summer heat with this place. Multiple flavor options are available but you need to make sure to order the flavors of the day. The flavor of the day that I experienced was: sorbet à l'oange with crème glacée à la noix de coco. The cone presentation allows the opportunity to try both flavors separately and the start mixing with each other as you proceed. The citrus part of the orange complimented the coconut perfectly. Beat the heat by getting your cold fix.

I'm from out of town but came here on recommendation from a friend who's a local and Jesus Christ their ice cream was soooo good. Their soft serve is no joke! Their house special soft serve occasionally changes but seems like it always consists of a blend of two flavors for $5-$6 post tax. When I went, the house flavors were citrus based (lemon/lime) and raspberry. It was a great flavor combination with the right level of tartness. The soft serve resembled more like gelato than ice cream in consistency which was unique. When I went there was a line around the corner but it moves pretty quickly. I think I only had to wait in line for 10 minutes before being served. Definitely looking forward to coming back here when I'm in the area!

Solid, Asian-inspired ice cream place, close to Wilensky's! There was a line when I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, but it did move relatively quickly. Popular flavours do sell out, so it's probably better to go earlier on during the day. Not sure if the soft serve tastes better, but they seemed to be promoting that more with the sandwich board sign outside. Maybe if you're indecisive, choose that! I got a scoop of 72% Dark Chocolate/Orange & Fig. I couldn't really taste the fig. Both were good 'cause they weren't overly sweet. Honestly 1 scoop was probably enough for me though as it's richer ice cream. Toronto has quite a few places like Kem CoBa, so the concept wasn't new to me.

Always creative with flavours, I love the soft serve, and also the ice cream and gelato options! Perfect for lactose allergies - they always have something for you.

I am almost 100% sure this is the best ice cream place in Montreal. Now, I love ice cream, every summer I await for the parlours to open so I can indulge in the creamy cold goodness. I have tried many ice cream places in Montreal, but I have to say this one is my favourite. The owners are a French and Vietnamese couple, thus the flavours are Asian-inspired- think pandan, lychee, chai, vietnamese coffee, just to name a few. The flavours are unique and you probably can't find some of them elsewhere. They also offer soft serve, which is a twist of two flavours, I've tried blueberries from Lac St Jean and honey.. AMAZING. The current offering is lychee-raspberry and rose. These flavours are fantastic and so original. You know how sometimes ice cream can get icy and not smooth? I have never experienced that at Kem Coba. The ice cream is always incredibly creamy and smooth, almost like gelato. There is usually a line and for good reason. But it's worth the wait. I recommend 100%! Go try it before they close for the winter!