Xihu Sugar Factory Ice Shop

Review

The Xihu Sugar Factory Ice Shop sits inside the Xihu Sugar Factory park on Section 2 of Zhangshui Road in Xihu Township and is the snack stop people mention most when visiting Xihu. Supertaste singles out its old-style ice pops and ice cream in a round-up of food and sights around the factory, and a travel blogger says the factory ice pops are cheap and tasty, practically a must-buy on any visit.

The signature is the old-style ice pop, plain in flavour and moderately sweet, a taste of childhood. There are also tubs of ice cream and ice cream sandwiched between biscuits for something more substantial. Boiled corn and local produce are often on sale too; in summer people buy a pop to eat while walking, and in winter they take a tub home.

Praise focuses on the friendly prices, the nostalgic flavour and the atmosphere of eating ice among old railway tracks and factory buildings, and many families come with children so everyone gets one. Complaints are mostly about crowds: weekends are busy and there is a wait to pay, the park is large and very sunny at summer noon, and some find the flavours traditional, so lovers of rich gelato may find them ordinary.

Entry to the park is free and it is open roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the ice shop keeps about 9:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. at weekends, so go by what is posted. The articles list no ice prices, so check the labels; expect pocket-change prices. The park has a car park, and the narrow-gauge sugar train needs a separate ticket, taking about 50 minutes for a round trip to Zhuoshui Station. 66 Cheesecake's Xihu flagship is right next door, so you can combine the two.

Good for family outings, fans of railway and sugar-industry heritage, and drivers passing through Xihu who need a break. First-timers should grab an old-style ice pop and eat it while walking through the sugar works and railway area; for something to savour, choose a tub of ice cream and enjoy the breeze on the sugar train.