Coney Island Frozen Custard

I finally got around to coming here a few weeks ago. Lately it has been so sold that anything frozen has been the last thing on my mind. I went here with my GF who is convinced that frozen custard was better than ice cream. I will be honest in saying that I could not taste the difference between the two, however, what I did have was really really good and hit the spot. Wen we arrived mind afternoon the place was quiet, therefore, service was quick and we even got to laugh and shoot the shit with the worker which was awesome.

This is actually inside The American Cheesesteak Company, and the person who answers the phone will say so. Also, close to closing time when it’s really quiet (even around half an hour or possibly more before closing), they may put the chairs up to clean the floors. THEY ARE STILL OPEN! Try the door and see.
The frozen custard here is like soft serve ice cream, except it is firmer and a bit more elastic feeling. Slight custard flavour plus whatever flavour you chose.
Apple Pie
–Like apple pie filling, not the apple pie crust part. Even has soft bits of apple in it.
–Rather good but would be even better if flavour were stronger.
Salted Caramel
–More salty than caramel-​y. Maybe too much on the salty side.
If you just want one flavour, under no circumstances should you buy scoops or cones. Get a whole pint for the same price as a couple of scoops. Grab one of the plastic sample spoons. Then go to the nearby Emery Barnes Park and enjoy.

Taking a friend’s joke to seriously, I pulled up a list of ice creameries on Unilocal within Greater Vancouver and realized I been to at least 90% of the ice creamieries/​gelaterias not counting those that serve other items and with only two flavors of ice creams, of course. As I went down the list, I found Coney Island Frozen Custard. Never even heard of frozen custard before and immediately I knew I got to try it.
I happen to be in downtown this week and realized there was no closing time listed so I gave them a call and the lady that answered said «The American Cheesesteak, how can I help you?». I was certain I keyed in the right number and perhaps I heard wrong. But when we got there, Coney Island Frozen Custard happens to be in the same venue as The American Cheesesteak so their opening hours and closing hours are the same.
We clocked in about half hour before closing time and scanned the freezer filled with tubs of frozen custard. A big sign screamed $ 6 a pint. Not bad. We looked over to the counter and saw a display of 6 flavors. Due to the time limit, I paid for two pints and decided on the flavors after. I saw apple pie and knew that was definitely one I’d like to try. I sampled the ‘vanilla’ classic custard and the salted caramel and decided to go with the salted caramel. I always thought vanilla flavored ice cream is such a typical flavor that it has to be mind-​blowing for me to have an entire scoop or pint.
Note: If you see a flavor in the display you want and it’s not in a pint size, they can scoop it into the tub for you. However, I don’t think you can sample what’s in the pint but not in the display. I was curious about the peach flavor… but there’s always next time.
The verdict: Frozen custard is different from ice cream/​gelato in its texture and perhaps flavor.
The apple pie was not available in pint size so it was scooped into the tub from the display and thus less frozen. It had little apple bits (which I thought was raisins from sight but they tasted like apples) and gives off a prominent flavor of apple pie. It’s more smooth and thick compared to ice cream/​gelato and has a stretchy texture, somewhat like a ice cream mochi hybrid. Very interesting. I think this flavor would go well with an apple crumble to give a full-​on experience of an apple pie, though the downside is it’s texture. Not sure if the elasticity would blend well with the crumble. Anyways, we can leave the experimenting elsewhere.
The Salted Caramel was taken from the freezer and more solid. It was a bit overly salted but I didn’t mind much. Due to its solid state, I didn’t taste much of the difference compared to a regular pint of ice cream. I did think it would pair well if I had some chocolate drizzle to balance out the saltiness. However, upon arriving at home I took a spoon of the salted caramel and it did have the exact same texture as the apple pie. So I suggest you eat it when it’s less frozen.
All in all, I liked it and will definitely go back for some more. Plus side, it doesn’t tastes as sweet as ice cream or maybe they didn’t add as much sugar (?).

I stopped in here around 3pm to get some custard. The place was empty, so I got service right away.
My favourite experience with Custard is from Shake Shack in New York, so everything else I had was based off a comparison to New York.
The custard was better than a lot of the ice cream in Vancouver. It was full bodied and full of flavour. The only flavours that they had today were the Chocolate and the Salted Caramel. While the flavour variety was not the same as Shake Shack, these two flavours were excellent. I debated skipping my next meal and getting more! The Custard was also reasonably priced! $ 4.50 for two scoops seemed like a good deal compared to almost $ 10 for 2 scoops at notable Gelato houses.
I will be back. Maybe when it’s not so damn cold outside they will have more flavours.

I pass by here frequently and was so curious to try frozen custard for the first time. (I thought it would have some special taste)
The custard was not what I expected. It tasted pretty much like thick icecream, something I could get at Coldstone or Marble Slab. I guess it had a slightly more buttery taste, but it was hardly noticeable. It was delicious, however, but I think I’d rather just go for regular icecream (plus I could add toppings).
Great, rich taste, but not what I expected!

Don’t go here if you’re in a hurry. Holy shit.
But I have to say, the Big Shot is pretty delicious.
Looks like the trick is to get the daily special if you don’t want to pay $ 20 for dinner at a greasy spoon.

Maybe I’m spoiled by having been to the Wisconsin and other states in the midwest where custard is king and widely prevalent but this just didn’t do it for me. First, I don’t think this is really custard. It was missing that rich creamy taste that custard should have. It should have been a sign with their variety of flavors — real custard places won’t usually have more than 3 or 4 at any time (Vanilla, Chocolate, daily/​weekly flavors).
It was much more like gelato than even ice cream from my point of view, but even still. What was there was fine, nothing special. I had cookies and cream, friend had vanilla shake, and my girlfriend had orange. Everyone widely agreed that while it was ok, it wasn’t anything notable and we all agreed it wasn’t custard.
So really I guess I’m knocking it for not actually being custard, it wasn’t even close. Don’t call it custard if it’s not, just that simple. What was there was fine but again, nothing special and not anything I’d go back for. Maybe it’s a bit harsh since there’s nothing objectively wrong with the place but I just really was that disappointed that it wasn’t custard.
As an FYI: It’s located inside a Philly cheesesteak place for those looking for it.

Excellent, amazing salted caramel frozen custard. This is a must-​try. I would avoid the fruit-​based sorbets, they didn’t taste quite so good. I have a feeling the Nutella and the Vanilla custards will be quite good.

* Rebirth *
I mourned the loss of the Milwaukee Market Creamery (
) as it was the only frozen custard spot in the Vancouver area and they did such a good job at it.
I also was not a huge fan of the American Cheesesteak (
) that had overpriced mediocre cheesesteaks.
But passing by I was happy to see a sign for frozen custard. This Coney Island Frozen Custard is snuck away in the back of the American Cheesesteak now and has a selection of eight housemade frozen custards. Woo hoo! We are back in business!!!
I tried out a two scoop of chocolate and salted caramel. The chocolate had some textural pieces of chocolate that gave a nice crunch inside of the buttery smooth chocolate custard. This was a deep dark deliciously smooth chocolate custard. It had a hint of salt, which I wasn’t expecting that highlighted the flavours. The salted caramel had a rich burned caramel smoothness that complimented the chocolate very well. I likely would not have gotten two salted flavours had I known the chocolate was also salted, but overall I was very pleased at finding a good quality frozen custard in Vancouver again. Photo:
Pricing for the custard is $ 3.50 for one scoop, $ 4.50 for two scoops, and $ 5.25 for three. They are large scoops, and the two scoop was a VERY generous portion.
Hooray for custard on a hot summer day!