Elephant Garden Creamery — Restaurant in Vancouver

I'm not crazy about posting bad reviews for any business, and I usually would just rather not say anything. However, I'm hoping this review gets to the owners because the last few times I've been here, the experience had just been whack. (TLDR will be at the bottom)

In 2024, I came in and ordered a single scoop in a cup; everything was going well until it was time for payment. I paid without tips, and immediately when the cashier saw the payment, he made a stank face, almost rolling his eye and went to scoop my ice cream. I received my scoop but didn't realize till later that it was the size of their "mini" compared to everyone else getting their ice cream. I didn't say anything cause hey, maybe it was a bad day for him.

March 2025, I come to purchase a single scoop and a pint of the featured flavour, the Pandan kaya toast. I paid and left but felt a little weird because my total was around $23.00 or $24.00 (mind you, I tipped this time lol). So I just thought huh, maybe there's a price increase. But anyway, find out later the cashier must've charged me $18.00 for the pint, which is the price of the durian ice cream (not what I got). Whatever. It's my fault for not checking the prices or the bill at the time of payment.

April 2025, we come in to get their cherry blossom festival items. So it's our turn; I came up to the cashier, a European chick, and said, "Heya." She looked at me and my friend wide-eyed with no verbal response except she did a small shake of her head with the "What do u guys want?" face. I was kinda shocked but brushed that off. So we just asked her about the featured festival items and she told us. Then we ordered, and she told us that one of the featured items we wanted to order was sold out... I mean you could've told us that when we were inquiring about it the first time.

Anyway, so we got another featured item, the matcha mochi sundae. We finish paying, sit down, and 5 minutes later another employee comes out to where I'm sitting and asks me if I still want my sundae because it's actually going to take them 15 minutes to make it, with no explanation or reasoning why. I told her no, it's okay, just cancel it then. Instead of offering a refund or anything. She says, "Oh, can you give me 5 minutes?" and runs into the back, then comes back out to the front to help the other customers. Mind you, about 10 minutes had passed since she came up to me and asked if I still wanted my sundae.

I had to go up to her and ask hey what's going on? Are you making my sundae, or are you going to give me my refund? She probably realized she forgot I was still there... I was sitting there waiting in front of the ice cream freezer the entire time, and she apologized profusely and told me how the water inside stopped boiling etc, etc. ANYWAY, I said it's fine, please. I just want my money back and leave, and she finally did so. I got into the car and turned to my friend, and we looked at each other with disbelief, "wtf just happened in there?" We asked each other.

So to summarize, some of the staff here are extremely lacking in diligence/communication skills. The last few times I came there were issues with the service. This really would be understandable if they were a bunch of kids working but no...they're fully grown adults in their mid to late 20s... Like, c'mon, y'all.

TLDR: charged for wrong items, staff was lacking in communication skills and was rude right off the bat, other staff was also inattentive and had poor...

Nov 25/18: I originally came here for featured item maple walnut toast with ice cream from their IG post, but after trying a few samples, I decided to order a toast with Kabocha ice cream and pumpkin seeds as suggested by the wonderful owner. As if she was psychic, she suggested that I try the three of their ice cream flavours that I normally get for dessert, just based on me telling her I'm a tea person! I was so amazingly surprised. It also sounds like she is truly passionate about giving customers an exceptional ice cream experience. Everyone there was so friendly.

Food: Kabocha toast - My favourite part was the flavour from the combination of whipped cream, pumpkin seeds and caramel drizzle. The caramel's sweetness incorporated very well with the non-sweet whipped cream and the crunchiness/nuttiness of the seeds. Kabocha ice cream is very flavourful (first time trying this flavour of ice cream). The only thing I didn't like was the toast. It was hard. I would be interested in trying it with toast from Baker and Table Cafe. The lady asked if it would be better if the toast was softer, but at the time I wasn't sure if I would like it more if the toast was softer or just not have the toast at all, since the ice cream on top makes the toast soggy if not eaten quickly.

Matcha latte (not a menu item, see below Service section) - latte was frothy enough, and frothiness lasted longer than average, which is great. It did eventually fizz out like lattes normally do. Flavour is standard, and very very slightly sweetened, which is good. I feel like local cafes don't add any sweetness at all which makes me sad. I appreciate that they put in a lot of matcha. Overall, it would hit the sweet spot for me if it was just a tad bit sweeter.

Mango coconut sticky rice ice cream - I mostly tasted coconut sticky rice, but I'm not sure if it's because I didn't get enough of the mango swirl parts in my scoop. I still really like this.

I sampled matcha and ginger pudding ice cream and they were both so strong in flavour. Matcha was perfect, and ginger might be a tiny bit too strong for me but I still enjoyed it. Also sampled Mont Blanc ice cream, but it was too sweet for me.

There are plugs on the side to recharge your laptop for those who are studying during less busy weekdays.

Excellent sercive - When the lady came to my table with the toast, she asked if I wanted to move to a bigger table so I can have more room for study and the toast. She even helped me move my stuff over.

Later, I was feeling very cold after sitting in the shop and studying for a while, so I asked if they sell non-espresso drinks. Unfortunately, they said they don't. I went to the washroom and came out with one of them offering to try making me matcha latte in exchange for feedback. He said the shop is trying to expand their menu and matcha latte was one of the items under experiment. For some reason, I felt like they did it because they feel bad for not having drinks that I want. That cup of matcha latte warmed my heart and it actually helped me stay super warm for the rest of the afternoon/evening.

I truly appreciate the hospitality and generosity. I'm definitely dragging my friends here next time! 💕💕

Update May 21/19 - Came back with friends many more times and they made more tea flavours which were all delicious: hojicha cheese tea, earl grey...

We visited Elephant Creamery for their Ice cream festival specials - the Mango sticky rice sundae - and were not disappoint! It was our first time, so we decided to also try their July rotational. The scoops were not overly sweet, have a decadent consistency, and truly embrace the flavors they represent. 🍫 Aloha Rocky Road: has that richness and slight bitterness of chocolate. Goes extremely well on a cone. 🍋 Lemon Yuzu Butter: the sourness was just right, cutting right through that creaminess. This remind me of a lemon cookie and was really refreshing. My friend initially was not down for the lemon flavor but she was taken by surprise after tasting it. 🥭 Mango Sticky Rice Sundae: Their coconut sauce was not too thick or overpowering. I think it ties the ice cream and sticky rice niceI might comeback for the scoops because it was delicious! This is basically a mango sticky rice with a scoop of ice cream :p

We certainly beat the rush because by the time we finished the order, a long line has already form around the corner. Their location on Main St is prime as an affordable desserts options among the many restaurants and pubs. While there are plenty of seating indoor, customers came in group and therefore occupied the space pretty quickly. Given the warm weather, enjoy our ice cream outside is no big deal. The store was pretty clean as far as I remembered, and the atmosphere was pleasant. I especially love the upside down cone ceiling light.

The total came at around $27 after tips. In AAPI month, they have Asian flavors like Honey chrysanthemum and egg tart, which I was bummed to discover way later. The flavors they offered are unique and intriguing so I will comeback next month to try out their new rotational. They also sell certain flavors in pints if anyone is interested in take-homes.

I also want to express appreciation towards the staffs. It was definitely busy time and everyone was diligently on their feet. I found myself silly being perplexed at the cashier when she asked how many spoons I wanted with the sundae. I thought I misheard it as I assumed we can just asked for the spoons when we get the order. The cashier was extremely patient and friendly repeating the question to me. Welcoming customer service goes a long way, so this definitely is a plus point for me to keep...