Sno Cream

January 19, 2024

If you have not been to Sno Cream and you are born and raised in Nairobi, I need you to go there now. Like right now. Just close that laptop and head over there so you can understand and the classic Sno Cream experience.

Sno Cream is possibly the oldest ice cream parlour in Kenya and actually has a branch in Dar es Salaam that is just as old yet still in operation as well. It was opened in 1958 by a British man who soon sold it to an Indian family (The Zialors) in the 1960s and it has been a family run business ever since.

I’ve been going to Sno Cream from a very young age, I can’t recall a Sunday afternoon that went by without an ice cream cone in my hand. My parents have been going to Sno Cream since their childhood too, my mum would go on dates here during her college years, then she brought her children here and I know she’s wondering now where are my children to do the same but that’s a story for another day please. What I’m trying to say is that Sno Cream is an establishment that has stood the test of time (literally almost 70 years in business!) and has seen generations of families come through its doors every day. That’s really impressive and speaks to how great this ice cream is… though we may also be loyal because of nostalgia but the ice cream is also really good.

When you enter Sno Cream you are immediately transported back in time thanks to how much they’ve worked to keep everything exactly as it was over 60 years ago. The original menu was painted on the walls showing classic ice cream products like the Banana Split, their popular chocolate dip and of course a Chocolate Sundae. The prices from back in the day are rubbing off on the walls due to wear and tear but if you squint you can see most of their ice-cream was sold at KSH25/, compared to the KSH300 - 450/ they retail at now. The classic yellow and white tiling on the walls, the distinct bar stools on the counter and that one long bench for patrons give the place a very vintage feel because they actually are very vintage themselves. You’ll notice a vintage clock, classic posters from the 70s, among them is their Ice Cream Alliance membership plaque dated 1964. Everything is still intact and yes they may have had to get new ice cream machines to keep up with demand but I really appreciate that everything that could be preserved since then has been preserved.

Now let’s get into the actual ice-cream. Sno Cream serves THE softest soft serve vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted. It’s their most popular flavour, it’s the base of many of their creations, it’s the crème de la crème of soft serve! It’s creamy, it’s thick and super tasty - it’s the only reason I keep going back despite my lactose intolerance trying its best to keep me away. My favourite ice-cream here is a simple soft serve cone with chocolate sprinkles (KSH300/). I don’t know how they make their sprinkles or where they get them from but there’s no other ice cream shop that does chocolate sprinkles like this. Others may be too crunchy, too artificial tasting… These sprinkles melt with the ice cream perfectly as soon as it touches your mouth and that chocolate sprinkle + vanilla ice cream combo will never go out of style.

A lot of people really like the chocolate dip (KSH300/) because who doesn’t want an ice cream cone dipped in rich milk chocolate that freezes up perfectly making it a nice surprise to bite into… I find the chocolate too rich for me but many people I know prefer this to the sprinkles option. I’ve tried both the chocolate and strawberry sundae (KSH350/) before and they were just okay for me. I’m also not the biggest fan of sundaes, I feel like there’s too much going on in them. Sno Cream makes their cones in house. Back in the day the cones were much lighter but in trying to keep up with the times, they now make thicker waffle cones that hold the ice cream for much longer. I find it too thick for my liking - feels like I’m eating an actual full waffle + ice cream making the whole thing super filling and way too sweet. So nowadays I tend to just have the ice-cream in a cup. Also because I’m over 30 and can’t digest dairy very well because the universe is against me, I get the baby cup. And yes, I suffer but life is too short to say no to delicious ice cream. (The lactose pills really come through though, just saying🙈)

The service was okay though I think they need to work on their payment system. The last time I was there, about two weeks ago, we could not pay by card or MPESA and the only MPESA option was to withdraw? That feels quite complex and delays the service a bit. Basically it’s forcing one to always have cash when going there which in 2024… is very rare.

Sno Cream has expanded to be able to reach more people with branches in Karen and at Capital Centre. I appreciate that they have opted not to refurbish or revamp the brand, the authenticity of the product and the vintage feel of the place are what draws people to it and hopefully it shall remain this way for many more years to come. It opens until 10pm daily and is perfect for a family day out, a quick catch up with friends or a nice first date where you can get some ice cream and sit in the corner getting to know each other or take a walk through the CBD. Not everyday fine dining, sometimes a simple plan is the best plan😉