Kanomwaan Thai Gelato and Dessert Cafe
Dessert shop · Los Feliz
5261 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Highlights
Thai gelato, toast, & shaved ice with unique flavors
Thai gelato, toast, & shaved ice with unique flavors
"A tightly focused menu of three shaved-ice flavors that read as authentically Thai and carefully conceived: a mango sticky rice flavor replicates the classic dessert in frozen form with mango sauce and a scoop of mango ice cream; a bua loy flavor is inspired by the traditional Thai rice cake dessert and comes with a side of bua loy, a scoop of salted egg yolk, and candle-smoked ice cream; and a Thai tea shaved ice crowned with a scoop of Thai tea ice cream, served with crushed Oreos and Thai tea sauce." - Kat Thompson
"Opened in 2023, this next-door outgrowth from a restaurant encourages newcomers to try gentle, familiar bases: “We always tell first timers to try our coconut milk or pandan milk flavor,” says Champ Jansaeng. At the same time, Jansaeng experiments widely—examples include a pork floss and chile crisp flavor, a tom yum sorbet, and a pumpkin curry flavor introduced last fall; seasonal menus celebrate Thai fruits with offers such as mango sorbet, jackfruit gelato, and durian-and-sticky-rice. The shop’s signature that Jansaeng is most proud of is the kanom tien kai kem flavor, described as Thai dessert candle-smoked ice cream with salted egg yolk: “It’s a new thing for a lot of people, but a lot of Thai bakery items tend to have this signature candle scent,” Jansaeng explains. The challenge, he notes, is balancing the perfumey and floral scent of the culinary candle while ensuring the salted egg yolks didn’t addtoomuch salt. “Gelato making is a mad science project,” Jansaeng says, laughing." - Kat Thompson
"This Thai dessert shop by the Ruen Pair folks serves a few different sundae riffs, and none of them disappoint. That’s mostly because each comes with Kanomwaan’s custardy Thai gelato, which is as delicious as it sounds. When we say custardy, we mean rich and luscious, with that full-fat texture that coats your entire mouth. The most Thai thing about these scoops are the flavors, like mango sticky rice, vanilla-y pandan, coconut milk with butterfly pea, and smoked salted egg that tastes like the sweet smell of blown-out birthday candles. The basic cup is a two-scoop minimum, but we have no complaints." - cathy park, brant cox, sylvio martins
"Kanomwaan is a dessert cafe in Thai Town just two doors down from its sister restaurant Ruen Pair. It’s perfect for something sweet after dinner, namely the biggest sweet on the menu: giant shaved ice sundaes topped with their custardy Thai gelato. These ice piles easily feed three and come in flavors like mango sticky rice, coconut-y bua loy, and our favorite, Thai tea. The milky tea ice isn’t too sweet, but if you prefer a more indulgent dessert, you can always add on crumbled Oreos and drizzles of condensed milk. Even as the nutty pandan gelato on top melts all over the sundae, it still registers as a light, refreshing treat (or at least that’s what we tell ourselves)." - garrett snyder, arden shore, sylvio martins
"One of the smartest moves you could make in Los Angeles (besides being born a nepo baby) is grabbing a scoop of Thai gelato at Kanomwaan. The gelato is rich and custardy with that full-fat texture that coats your whole mouth. The Thai part comes from the flavors, like vanilla-y pandan and smoked salted egg that tastes like the sweet smell of blown-out birthday candles. Stop by for a basic cup (two-scoop minimum) or corral friends for a giant shaved ice sundae, one of our favorite frozen treats in LA. We prefer the not-too-sweet Thai tea one with a scoop of pandan gelato on top, doused in condensed milk and Oreo crumbles." - anne cruz
