Soft serve is deceptively simple. At its core, it’s just light ice cream, and usually the flavors are pretty standard. But once you start to talk about toppings, sauces, and taiyaki fish-shaped cones, the options are limitless. Here are a few-
The Pastry Project
🍪 This walk-up bakery window and job training program in Pioneer Square doubles (or triples?) as one of the most inventive soft serve spots around. It offers sprinkled-covered dipped cones, sundaes with lots of toppings — including passion fruit curd — and cookie sandwiches.
Know before you go: Keep in mind the ice cream window is open 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
Baiten
🍵 This is a little dessert spot connected to Capitol Hill mainstay Tamari Bar that serves up Japanese-style sweets like fruit sandwiches. It’s only got vanilla soft serve, but it has a wide array of syrups. The Instagram-conscious will lean matcha, but the black sesame is the sleeper hit — a deep, rich, almost savory hit of umami.
Know before you go: You can always get a syrup “flight” and try all of them.
Matcha Man
🐟 You ever eat an ice cream cone and go, “I wish this was a fish barfing?” Taiyaki cones are for you! At this Georgetown spot, these eye-catching Japanese-style cones aren’t just fun to photograph, they are warm and chewy. For an extra dose of flair, get bright purple ube soft serve.
Know before you go: They have onigiri here too in case you skipped lunch.
Spice Waala
🍨 This three-location mini-chain has some of the most affordable Indian street food in Seattle, and a soft-serve flavor that rotates monthly. Past flavors have included relative rarities like cardamom and rose or mango lassi.
Know before you go: Spice Waala is only open 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, so plan accordingly.
Milk Drunk
🍦 Homer, one of Seattle’s best restaurants, has a more chilled-out sibling business in this chicken-and-ice-cream joint in Beacon Hill. Come for the classic vanilla-and-malted-chocolate swirl, come back for the rotating special flavors (there’s a raspberry and espresso combo right now).
Know before you go: Vegan options are available.
Indigo Cow
🐄 We’d be run out of town if we didn’t put this Wallingford window on the list. It has soft serve made from famous Hokkaido milk, plus traditional Japanese toppings like Shiratama, small rice-flour dumplings. Just be warned: There will be a line.
Know before you go: Indigo Cow also has a Bellevue location.
