Leavitt’s Ice Cream Shop

Dozens of flavors and reasonable prices make Leavitt’s an irresistible little ice cream shop.
Once, when the shop was really busy, the scoopers forgot about our order. When we went up to the till to remind them they remembered right away and offered my boyfriend and me an additional scoop each on the house. Of course, we said yes and were very impressed with the service correction!
The location is really nice for taking a cone to go and strolling in the park across the street.

Very good ice cream! And … The burger surprised me… It was just delicious… The service was slow and the people working there didn’t seem very experienced in customer service … But I would go back, when I won’t be in a rush; just to have the ice cream.

Delicious ice cream. Great size portions. Friendly service. Nice variety of flavours. Love that they have a double come for double scoops!
It’s definitely my go-​to place for ice cream :)

Lics is a wonderfully unpretentious and charmingly parochial ice cream shop that delivers big-​time on flavor. While I can’t claim to have tried every one of the 48 or so flavours, what I can say is that every one I’ve tried was exceedingly good – even the NSA (no sugar added) black cherry and maple walnut that are personal favorites. Hold on… add rum raisin and butter pecan to that list. The monkey tails are an equally delicious treats (frozen banana rolled in either roasted peanuts or sprinkles). They don’t have those off-​the-​wall flavours that some gelaterias boast of, but then you go to LICS for the classics. A friend of mine from Vancouver was over the moon after she rediscovered a flavour that she used to enjoy as a youngster but couldn’t find anywhere else. I suspect she’ll be back quite a lot to rekindle those childhood memories. If it’s a classic, you’re bound to find it here.

I’m surprised by reviews honestly because it’s basically gas station ice cream with more selection. That flavor is very chemical and fake and I can buy better elsewhere easily and even a grocery store really. At least they are able to keep it at a great temp but could just use better ingredients.
I’m sorry but banana ice cream shouldn’t be yellow — something which is my best hack to figuring our which gelato places in italy were worth a visit even if you don’t buy banana as it tells you who uses the real bananas.
The lines certainly are long and it’s close to the river so that’s probably the reason it’s so popular.
Honestly, I wouldn’t really go there again unless I was bribing a kid and that was the closest place.

This is a really good ice cream place. Come here on a warm evening and it speaks for itself. You will find quite some lineup even though they have several people behind the counter working as fast as they can. Lots of different flavors! They also offer lactose free ones with no sugar added. Price is okay, starts from about $ 3 for a baby cone. The sizes of the scoops seem to vary depending on the person who is serving you, but I guess that’s normal.
You can have your ice cream in freshly made waffles, regular sugar cones or plastic bowls. You can also get a shake mixed with fresh fruit or sundaes. They also have warm food like burgers on the menu, but I don’t know if someone is ever ordering that. Grab your favorite ice cream here and go for a walk along the river!!!

We are always passing by here and tonight wanted to grab a baby cone and see what it was all about. There is one bench outside the shop that is always full of people!
Went on a not-​too hot night so the lines I figured would be shorter. Busy place in the warmer months for sure. Unorganized line situation verging on hectic. We were budded on as people crept up to look at the ice cream types which could have been annoying but we were in no rush.
I liked the selections of ice cream and sorbets. I was thrilled to find black cherry with the real chunks of fruit and got that. Baby scoop for calorie counters for me is perfect, $ 3.25, good value. Hubby got raspberry cheesecake and a half scoop at $ 4.50 was still a LOT of ice cream. His was delicious but to be honest, the treats were nothing special. The ice cream could have been store bought, just kept in a cool, nostalgic place where people gather. The cone was a generic one too that you could buy at Co-​op. Nothing homemade tasting.
That said, the shop was charming in its own way and despite being a bit chaotic, no complaints about the service.
Cash and debit only.

Hands down, my favourite ice cream shop in the city. They are always open, and despite the fact that it’s pretty much run by people under the age of 19, the service is always quick and friendly. The portions generous, and they have a great selection of flavours, as well as milkshakes, floats, cones and lactose free options as well.
A great spot to grab a cone on a date and stroll near the river on a summer’s night. Or you could just eat it in the parking lot like I did. TIP: Espresso flake and raspberry rocky road are killer!

yummmm! I love ice cream and I love Lic’s! So many delectable ice cream flavours to indulge in on a sweltering day! I really enjoyed this place so I’m really not sure what all the negative reviews are about! Lic’s is great, you should check this place out if you’re in the neighbourhood!

Good selection, friendly servers. Crème brûlée ice cream is excellent. On Fathers Day, fathers got free cone. Sweet!

It’s OK… but nothing made me think wow I can hardly wait to go back. In fact, I thought they had a fairly boring & safe selection. It also could use a good cleaning, smelled a tad musty after being shut for the winter season.
I have also never seen an ice cream shop be so meticulous about weight. It took forever to get our order and we felt odd standing there watching them shave off a tablespoon of ice cream from our order so it weighed within their standards. Odd.

I think the 5 star reviews for this place are a reflection of people’s love for ice cream shops generally, or bonus nostalgia points, rather than something in particular about this shop. I live in the neighborhood, but am rarely particularly tempted by their wares. They have about 30 hard ice cream flavours, from the usual suspects such as Nestlé. Not bad, but nothing to go out of the way for unless you’re with young children. I think that mostly its handy location across the road from the river pathway system is what ensures a steady lineup during the summer months.

Lots of flavours to choose from, and an authentic retro-​minimalist interior feel with just the right tinge of small-​town nostalgia thrown in for good measure. It’s always busy during the summer months, but the buzz is part of its charm, so if you don’t feel like driving all the way to Mackay’s in Cochrane, this is definitely one ice cream place to visit in Calgary. There’s plenty of parking in the lot just west of the building, and a couple of benches out front.

Our last visit to Lic’s was disappointing. Their specialty is hard ice cream with the key word being hard. We had to change our selection because it was obvious that the freezers were not doing the job or could it be that the staff was keeping the ice cream soft to make it easier to form the scoops? Another disturbing thing about our visit was the server weighing our cones several times on a scale making the serving process tedious and us questioning whether we were getting ice cream or gold bullion. Not a great way to project value when you are paying $ 6.50 for a double cone.
We have supported Lic’s for years and would like to continue to do so but they need to return to their roots and do the kind of job that has helped them remain in this location for so long. Ditch the scales and keep the ice cream hard!

Whats the first thing that comes to mind when you think of summer? Oh yes I know there are a lot of things but ice-​cream should be one of them!
I finally got the chance to visit Lic’s. When I first stepped in the door, I went straight to look at the ice-​cream selection. There’s not much seating, but there is a bench outside you can sit on and enjoy the weather. My boyfriend and I ordered two scoops each in a cup. I got the chocolate peanut butter and cookies and crème, and he ordered heavenly hash and smarties. There were two people working, a girl and a boy. We ordered from the girl and it took a while because she was taking care of an order of french fries for an elder couple but she apologized for the wait. As for the boy… while we were waiting, I beleive it was his friend that came in to order ice-​cream because he was using the terms «yo, man, dude, sup?» They were both yacking away about hats and bikes. Not in a quiet manner but in a loud obnoxious manner. I was quite turned off because he was just hovering over the glass and talking.
Anyways, the ice-​cream was good, I really enjoyed the chocolate peanut butter, it had bits of peanut butter inside as well as I found a small reese’s pieces cup inside too! We sat outside and enjoyed the +25 degree weather.
Will I go back? …yes, only if the other good places are closed.

Rob took me here as a treat once, after visiting his folks. I notice it is not a huge store, nor is it extremely decorated, but it still offers something great: really friendly service from behind the counter, and also some unique icecream flavors that Baskin & Robbins wouldn’t even offer. We got a big bowl of Rolo icecream (I mean, hand-​made there, not store-​bought Rolo icecream). We shared it, and after awhile, I noticed I was eating too fast, because I was saddened to see it going down. I remember how difficult it was to lick the inside of a styrofoam bowl lol. It’s a tad pricey, but it’s totally worth every penny! :)
P. S. If you don’t drive, I believe the #1 bus goes past it.

I would travel far and wide to get icecream from Lics.
They are a quaint shop but full of great customer service and perfect ice cream flavors. You can get everything from a small cup (but why?!) to a huge waffle cone (mmmmm).
My favorite flavour is thier peanut butter chocolate… THE most perfect I have ever found!!! They also offer small, medium and gigantic tubs of ice cream if your feeling in the mood for more.
Stop by Lics for a tasty treat on a hot sunny Calgary day and you won’t leave dissapointed!

I have lived in Calgary for 6 years and had never been to LIC’S. Every summer I’d say over and over that I wanted to go here, but it just never happened. Finally I got some of our friends reved up to stop in on our walk along the river. That is one great thing about their location, you can grab a cone and sit by the bow river on a beautiful Calgary day.
We got there at 6pm on a Sunday, the line up was insane! We waited though, a long while, the service was quite slow. So don’t come here on a busy day and be in a hurry, otherwise you won’t get your ice cream. They have about 6 freezers of ice cream, so thats about 36 choices!
Once we finally got to order, they were out of waffle cones, which was a bit disappointing. I got a double in a cup, my Hubby got a half double in a cup. I don’t really like that they charge 30 cents for a cup, seems pointless to me, especially when they are already charging $ 3 – 6 for the ice cream. Our order came to $ 11. I got the kit kat and chocolate rainbow. I was blowin away by how much ice cream I got! It was very delish and I had a hard time finishing all of it. My Hubby’s half double was the perfect size. They also offer simple snacks, baked goods and lunch items. The ice cream cakes go for between $ 23 – 49. They do have some seating, but with the line up it was very crowded.
I’m glad that I finally got to try out LIC’S! They have a huge selection of ice creams, even fat free and organic options! Though the staff was slow moving they were very cheerful! I can’t wait to return on a nice day and try something else!

If I had to add up all the time that I’ve spent at Lic’s (AKA Leavitt’s Ice Cream Shop), I’m sure we’d all be shocked. Growing up in Calgary, it was a tradition, and it still is, to meet up at Lic’s, grab an ice cream, and take our dogs for a walk along the Bow River.
Much to my sheer pleasure, this place hasn’t changed at all. I recently took a trip over and it’s as popular and delicious as ever! The smell of fresh baked waffle cones is undeniable, and they’ve got everything from ice cream to soda floats.
This time I opted to get the cherry cheesecake flavour in a waffle cone. TO. DIE. FOR.
Lic’s has been making me happy for almost three decades and I have full faith that it will continue doing so for the rest of my days on this planet.

Also known as Lic’s, this is the best little ice cream parlour in the NW. If you’re looking for a nice way to cool off in the summer visit Leavitt’s for a nice, chilly treat.
They have so many different flavours to choose from you’ll be deciding for hours. Each of their flavours is written on a giant chalk board on the wall and is updated with every new addition. Sometimes they have special feature flavours that are only around for a certain amount of time, so I like to try them.
Choose your size, flavour and eating method — cone, waffle cone or bowl. You can’t go wrong with these tasty treats.
There isn’t much seating inside, but who needs it? Lic’s is so close to the Bow River you may as well take your ice cream with you on a nice little walk! It’s sure to be an entertaining, and delicious, experience!