Yuki Shaved Snow brings welcome chill to summer dessert scene

By Lisa Valentine View editor

10 years ago

With temperatures heating up, Yuki Shaved Snow is a good choice for a refreshing dessert that’s not too sweet, or you can indulge in one of the Thrifty Ice Cream flavors offered at the eatery, 8414 Farm Road, Suite 150. (Lisa Valentine/View) (Click for more photos)

Yuki Shaved Snow, 8414 Farm Road, Suite 150, is in a shopping complex anchored by Albertsons at Farm Road and North Durango Drive, just past U.S. Highway 95.

Patrons select their ice cream and shaved snow flavors at Yuki Shaved Snow, 8414 Farm Road, Suite 150. (Lisa Valentine/View)

Board games sit on a shelf next to an iSnap Share The Moment photo posting station at Yuki Shaved Snow, 8414 Farm Road, Suite 150. (Lisa Valentine/View)

A sign outside Yuki Shaved Snow, 8414 Farm Road, Suite 150, advises that ice cream is cheaper than therapy. (Lisa Valentine/View)

Japanese sodas are among the beverage offerings at Yuki Shaved Snow, 8414 Farm Road, Suite 150. (Lisa Valentine/View)

Green tea shaved snow with kiwi popping boba and a drizzle of condensed milk is shown at Yuki Shaved Snow, 8414 Farm Road, Suite 150. (Lisa Valentine/View)

Summertime in Las Vegas isn’t the time for lava cake or hot-from-the-oven apple crisp. When temperatures climb into triple-digit territory, it’s time to turn to cold desserts.

Yuki Shaved Snow might not sound so heavenly in mid-January, but on a recent Saturday when valley temperatures were in the 100s for the first time this year, it felt like a godsend. The shop is in a snug space in a shopping complex anchored by Albertsons at Farm Road and North Durango Drive in the far northwest, just off U.S. Highway 95. Upon entering, patrons find themselves surrounded by the heady scent of ice cream and doughnuts (we’ll get to the latter in a bit). If shaved snow doesn’t do it for you, Yuki has a variety of Thrifty Ice Cream flavors to choose from, or you can add ice cream to your shaved snow for $1 more.

If you’re planning to have dessert for dinner —or perhaps the world’s most unhealthy breakfast —Yuki offers the $5 “creamy bun,” which is a glazed doughnut filled with a topping and ice cream flavor of your choice, then warmed and sealed to make a sort of doughnuty ice cream sandwich. Not for the faint of heart or the tiny of stomach.

I opted for a less calorific option: green tea shaved snow with a topping of kiwi popping boba and a drizzle of condensed milk ($3.50). It offered just the right amount of sweet, with the popping boba giving little bursts of fresh fruit flavor. Small and regular shaved snow orders come with one snow flavor (original, taro, honeydew, strawberry, frozen cotton candy, vegan lychee, pina colada, sesame seed, frozen chocolate and mango were other flavor options ), along with one topping and one flavor drizzle. Large orders come with two snow flavors.

Thrifty Ice Cream starts at $1.79 for one scoop and is available in a bowl, waffle bowl or a waffle cone. Toppings are 50 cents each.

A small cooler near the topping station has a selection of $2 beverages, including coconut water and Japanese sodas.

The shop offers several small tables and chairs inside and a couple of tables outside. If you’re planning to stay for a bit, there’s a small bookshelf with board games such as Jenga and Life. There’s also an iSnap Share The Moment photo station, which allows patrons to post their Yuki photos to social media.

Yuki Shaved Snow is open from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.