Beat the Heat with Bingsu: 7 Places You Can Cool Down with this Korean Ice Dessert

If it's scorching hot, some just like it ice-cold when it comes to desserts. Icy treats like frozen treats in scoops or served in sticks become refuge, and sweet meal-enders or afternoon snacks just feels extra refreshing when served a la mode. A more Asian twist to relieve you of the heat all summer long is bingsu, or Korean shaved iced that come in assorted flavors and toppings, it's pretty much their version of our halo-halo. It is known as patbingsu, topped with red beans ("pat"), but now it's available in much wider varieties that the topping combinations are extra delicious and playful now.

Cold and sweet Korean shaved ice immediately fixes both dessert cravings and sweltering summer problems. Keep this list handy for whenever you need to chill with a big bowl of bingsu in Manila.

1. Caffe Bene

Eastwood Citywalk, SMX Convention Center, Valero Makati, SM BF Paranaque, SM City Clark
www.caffebene.com.ph |FB: /caffebeneph | IG: @caffebeneph

With over 900 stores in Korea, this coffee shop is popular for its specialty desserts–there's Liege waffles, gelato, honey bread, and a slew of hot and cold beverages.

Order: Cookies and Cream Bingsu, Red Bean Bingsu, Coffee Bingsu, Strawberry Bingsu

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2. Cafe Flafe

Ortigas Center
FB: /cafeflafe | IG: @cafeflafe

Flowers, coffee, and eats  — this charming trio is Flafe's offering. It started out as a flower shop, which eventually transformed into a small cafe serving beverages, bread, and bingsu.

Order: Injulmi Bingsu (P190/Single, P250/Family), Crunch Injulmi Bingsu (P195/Single, P270/Family), Black Sesame Bingsu (P205/Single, P365/Family), Strawberry Bingsu (P200/Single, P320/Family), Mango Bingsu (P190/Single, P250/Family), Choco Bingsu (P180/Single, P230/Family), Melon Bingsu (P300/Family)

3. Cafe SeoulHwa

The Forum BGC
FB: /seolhwabingsu IG: @seolhwabingsu

This bingsu store differentiates itself with its ingredients: they use 100% Korean red beans that they boil into sweet red beans, and their own recipe in creating a snowflake-like bingsu. Seolwha claims their bingsu's texture is unique and long lasting that it does not melt easily.

Order: Pat Bing Su (P190/P260), Injeolmi Bing Su (P190/P260), Mango Bing Su (P170/P230), Strawberry Bing Su (P240/P360), Choco Bing Su (P180/P240), Green Tea Bing Su (P210/P290), Mango Cheese Bing Su (P240/P340), Brownie Bing Su (P250/P360)

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4. Hobing Korean Dessert Cafe

Bonifacio Stopover, Lucky Chinatown Mall
FB: /hobingkoreandessertcafe | IG: @hobingkoreandessertcafe

Another 'snow cafe' specializing in bingsu is Hobing, now with two branches in the metro. Theirs come in two sizes and in a lot of variants, and they also offer assorted beverages like ice blended drinks, yogurt smoothies, hot and iced coffee, hot and iced teas.

Order: Mango Bingsu (P125/R,  P220/L), Strawberry Bingsu (P215/R,  P330/L), Choco Cookie Bingsu (P165/R,  P240/L), Choco Brownie Bingsu (P235/R, P360/L), Injeolme Bingsu (P175/R, P250/L), Milk Redbean Bingsu (P175/R,  P250/L), Cheese Bingsu (P185/R,  P270/L), Mango Cheese Bingsu (P195/R,  P310/L), Caramel Coffee Bingsu (P255/R, P380/L), Berry Berry Cheese Bingsu (P255/R, P380/L)

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5. Noonsaram Korean Dessert Cafe

Katipunan Avenue QC
FB: "Noonsaram Korean Dessert CAFE"

If you are northbound, make a bingsu stopover in Loyola Heights, Quezon City, to cool down at Noonsaram. The cafe is named after the Korean term for snowman ("nunsalam"), and aside from their shaved ice specialties, they also have assorted shakes, coffee beverages, and Korean toast.

Order: Milk Bean Bingsu (P200/Reg, P280/Large), Strawberry Bingsu (P280/Reg, P360/Large), Cheese Bingsu (P240/Reg, P320/Large), Oreo Bingsu (P200/Reg, P280/Large), Injeolmi Bingsu (P200/Reg, P280/Large), Banana Bingsu (P200/Reg, P280/Large), Mango Bingsu (P200), Choco Bingsu (P280/Large)

6. The Dessert Kitchen

Power Plant Mall
www.dessertkitchen.com.hk | FB: /thedessertkitchenph | IG: @thedessertkitchenph

A couple of months ago, a Hong Kong food concept dedicated to all things sweet was such delicious news to dessertarians. Desserts at The Dessert Kitchen come in many shapes and sizes — there's ice cream, parfait, sundae, pudding, 'soup' desserts, and seasonal treats. Included in their lineup of sweets are shaved ice, including their signature dessert (an award-winning one) featuring grape shaved ice.

Order: Purple in Love (P258), Blueberry Kiss (P288), Ujikintoki Traditional Japanese Style Dessert (P258)

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7. Yoree Korean Dining

The Forum BGC, Molito Alabang
www.yoree.ph | FB: /YoreeKoreanBBQ | IG: @yoreebbq

Customers visit Yoree to experience cooking premium meats on their signature smokeless grill. While most come over whenever craving Korean BBQ, their desserts will also make you linger a little bit longer to end your meal in a sweet and refreshing way. They describe their bingsu as 'powdery iced snowflakes,' and it's the most enticing treat when we're all exposed to this summer heat!

Order: Coconut Sugar Bingsu (P178), Patbingsu (P178), Mango Bingsu (P178)