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Restaurants

Drake Scoops + Tees

Rating: 1.5/5 (11 votes)

Posted by Elizabeth / Reviewed on June 16, 2010

Drake Scoops and TeesDrake Scoops + Tees is the latest Drake branded shop to open up, but only for the summer. I'm quite sure nearby residents breathed a collective sigh of relief when the paper came down off the windows last week to reveal not another trendy bar or restaurant, but a cute little ice cream parlour and t-shirt shop. Lucky for me, since I can't manage to eat a cone without dripping something down my front, at least here I can get a replacement, stat.

Drake Scoops and TeesThe shop design is minimal but evokes a bit of childhood nostalgia, with pictures of toothy kids on the walls and a bike in the front window. In the back of the shop hangs Shared tshirts made of high grade Supima cotton, and the designs are exclusive to Scoops. The marketing concept seems a bit odd at first, tshirts and ice cream, but the aim is to capture the two best parts of summer. I can easily see coming in for one of the two and walking out with the other (or both), maybe that is the idea. Sneaky.

Drake Scoops and TeesThe ice cream is from a local brand, Metropolitan - which is made by hand using only natural and raw ingredients (it's also Kosher). The electric green Mint Chocolate Chunk caught my eye, but I was disappointed to discover only small chocolate chips instead of big, hearty chunks. Greg's ice cream or Ed's Real Scoop this ain't.

The ice cream had a distinct natural taste and was creamy, almost a gelato texture, but it was light on flavour. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it was not overly sweet so it would be easy to plow through a pint without making yourself too sick - but isn't that the point of ice cream indulgence?

Drake Scoops and TeesDrake Scoops + Tees has a small selection of curious flavours. You're not going to find your typical ice cream parlor flavours here like bubble gum or rocky road. Instead expect fig and port, blood orange sorbet, strawberries and cream, and green tea. Scoops range from $2.95-4.95, with an additional $75c for Drake made toppings like graham streusel or corn flake crunch. Sauce is also $75c extra but well worth it for the bourbon caramel which I understand is unhealthy to drink by the gallon but yet I want to anyway.

Drake Scoops and TeesIn the cooler by the window you can find popsicles in "Drake Mojito" and "Wild Blueberry Yogurt", however what I will be coming back for are the ice cream cookie sandwiches, with Drake cookies made by David Chow, filled with ice cream.

Drake Scoops and TeesDrake Scoops + Tees is open Monday to Wednesday 12-9, Thursday 12-11 and Friday and Saturday 12-midnight.

Discussion

19 Comments

Parker / June 17, 2010 at 02:36 pm
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Over promises and under delivers.
Jr / June 17, 2010 at 03:04 pm
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It promises ice cream and shirts. It sells (gasp) ice cream and shirts. I think it actually delivers exactly what it promises.
Rach / June 17, 2010 at 03:56 pm
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Finally! ice cream in my neighborhood!
Joe P / June 17, 2010 at 08:40 pm
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In before comments about gentrification and killing independent business owners.
JR / June 17, 2010 at 08:46 pm
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If those sorts of comments come up, I think they're more laughable than anything else. That strip is already pretty gentrified, and it would require confusing standards to call the Drake Hotel a not-independent business. Is it a grassroots business? No. Is it independent? Yes. And hey, its not another Starbucks.
Jennifer / June 17, 2010 at 09:23 pm
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I live down the street and was so excited to hear about this place opening. I tried it out this week and was a bit disappointed. I had the small vanilla with the bourbon caramel sauce in a cup. My BF had the basic chocolate on a cone. The portions were TINY. The small is about 1/2 of what a kid's size would be at any other ice cream place. The cone my BF had was a crappy cone you would buy at the grocery store for 25 for $2.00. Not impressed. I'm going to stick with Black Dog for my ice cream cravings
Yvonne / June 18, 2010 at 09:55 am
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Exactly! Over promises and under delivers!
8-| / June 18, 2010 at 11:38 am
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i am all for progress, but i do find it disturbing that the drake has set up in a space with the original signage from the previous tennant still above the shop. oh how boho chic...... except for the fact that jeff stober, owner of the drake has bought or a number of buildings on that side of the street and is either raising rent to unrealistic rates or straight up getting rid of the current tennants and expanding his empire {with the apparent reminders of the previous tennants signage as some sort of final kick in the nuts}. i remember when it first opened and yes i worked there, the chinese restaurant next door called and complained about the noise from the new sky yard patio. jeff's answer: "tell them to call the landlord if they have a problem". guess who the new landlord was........jeff stober. i left once i realized that the vision and ideas brought to us as the opening crew weren't as funky, neuveau-hippyesque as they were first presented, but were as manufactured as the owner's carefree persona.

hats off to anthony rose and the kitchen crew for the great reviews they get on the food and all, i just can't stand the business behind the brand
parkdillyo / June 18, 2010 at 12:29 pm
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i agree with the review - not a lot of flavour in the ice cream, and the "bourbon caramel" sauce is nothing but a bland up-sell. and the t-shirts are $45! but get used to this expensive preciousness west queen west, it's going to get a whole lot worse.
Adam / June 18, 2010 at 12:56 pm
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Imagine that Embassy Suite Condo is all up! the whole block will be filled with the so-called Liberty Village condo crowd lining up outside of Drake's every weekend. This impersonal, souless "urban" life is exactly what I don't want to see on west queen west. But as parkdillyo said it will only get worse! R.I.P. west queen west.
tdc / June 18, 2010 at 03:06 pm
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Bourbon caramel sauce sounds more exciting than it really is - basically another, more interesting way of saying butterscotch, which is traditionally made with (you guessed it)... scotch!

At first glance, the prices look kinda steep and the flavours not all that interesting. I'll stick to Ed's for now.
kitty / June 18, 2010 at 03:07 pm
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people need to stop criticizing the drake et al for the gentrification of the neighbourhood. this was bound to happen eventually, and it's so easy to blame the businesses for it. better the drake and it's visionary owner than, say, a milestones or a mall!!! despite the bad rap the hotel gets, the staff is incredible and the food is great. there is no safe place on a friday or saturday in this city! and what is so terrible about gentrification. would you rather be paying $400 rent but be unable to walk home at night? the area is safer, more accessible, and the amenities are unbeatable. don't like it? DON'T GO!
parkdillyo / June 18, 2010 at 04:10 pm
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might i remind you that *they* moved into *my* neighborhood. i really wanted to like the drake, and the general store and now scoops, because they are a part of my hood, but they might as well be a milestones because of their high prices and middling quality. not to mention the shallow, disrespectful clientele they attract who piss on my lawn. i agree that progress is inevitable, and i guess i'm partially to blame for helping to plant the starving artist seed more than a decade ago, but seeing what it's grown into, and knowing that it'll be driving me away from my own home soon makes me not like it so much. so yeah, i won't go, but you enjoy your crappy $7 ice cream.
jennifer / June 18, 2010 at 06:08 pm
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Well said parkdillyo. I've been in the hood for 10 years - just off queen and ossington. Expect to see a for sale sign on my lawn in the near future. I'm not enjoying the Ossington/Queen crowds and their disrespect for the neighbourhood (and no, I'm not an old lady sitting on my rocking chair).
8-| / June 19, 2010 at 11:21 am
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i just want to clarify, there is nothing wrong with the cultural examples i stated, NOT INCLUDING the ss skull shirt, there is no excuse for that
Marc / June 19, 2010 at 06:33 pm
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I'm neither thrilled nor annoyed by the Drake series of businesses, but at least it's not some over-corporate and cold type of business like Starbucks or Wal Mart! However, the level Queen West is at, should just be the maximum point, that's it. Anymore, and it will be a plastic place.
John / June 20, 2010 at 11:33 am
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parkdillyo and jennifer, yes please sell your homes for 4x's what you bought them for 10 years ago. How awful isn't it?

complain somewhere else... try scarborough.
jennifer / June 20, 2010 at 08:49 pm
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John, not even close to 4x the price. Maybe double and that would apply to any home purchased 10 years ago in the city. I moved here because it was an edgy, arty and a bit sketchy neighbourhood. The goth bar that was on my street was filled with super awesome and respectful patrons. I'm just saying, the bars now attract a much less respectful type of patron who only comes to this neighbourhood to get pissed and barf all over our lawns and walkways. I much preferred the days of the CAMH people stealing my broom from my porch vs. being woken up at 3am by people sitting on my porch and breaking beer bottles.....just saying.
JJ / June 25, 2010 at 10:56 am
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Took my boys for some scoops on the weekend. i thought the prices were fine for a place downtown. My kids got a kick out of the old fashioned bowling game. I thought its a cute little ice cream parlor, i will go back.

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