The Eskimo Shack

A fun place to cool down with friends on a hot summer night. They have a lot of snowball flavors to choose from. I would love a good wild cherry blizzard right now!

My wife and I are snowball newbies and we’re glad we tried this place! They were yummy and the staff was very helpful explaining all the options. We’ll definitely be back!

Super friendly service, great variety of soft-​serve and ice, and best of all they serve Halo Halo. Halo Halo is an amazing Filipino dessert. Recommended!

Good selection of snowball flavors, good soft serv with lots of options, pretty reasonable prices!

I lived in Arbutus for many years and the Eskimo Shack is a beloved local institution. As such it really deserves more than a measly 3 stars. I would note that the Rita’s chain outlet in Arbutus did not last long (probably overpriced for this area based on my experiences at other Rita’s) and there was once a competing snowball shack across from Eskimo Shack that the Eskimo Shack handily put out of business, so that should tell you all you need to know.
Eskimo Shack serves things other than snowballs, or so I read by their menu, but really, the snowballs are why everybody goes. (If you want ice cream, the Ice Cream Cottage a hop skip and jump away has that.) There are many flavors of snowball, they are reasonably cheap, and you can walk to the Shack from your house if you live in the neighborhood (and many people and families do), or if you drive you can probably find a parking spot along the street.
The Eskimo Shack rules. Every little town should have one.

Irene was the name of the meanest teacher I ever had so no fond memories of that name. So when hit by the hurricane this weekend the name still haunts me as we have been with out power since Saturday. My ice cream is now a milkshake and I needed some dessert.
Headed to Arbutus which it just around the corner and thought I would just grab a gelati at Rita’s or an ice cream cone at the Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor. But it was weird as they had no power but the other side of the street did. So when we passed «the shack» and saw a line we decided to get a soft serve there. They advertised premium ice cream and Hawaiian type snowballs. I would have tried the snowballs as that what everyone was getting but already had a mind set for ice cream. The line was long but it moved quickly. You ordered at one window and quickly out the second window came the orders. I ordered a twist of both chocolate and vanilla and got to pick my kind of cone from five samples on the counter. It was delicious. Rich and creamy and reminded me of the old Twin Kiss in my neighborhood when I was younger. We would ride our bikes to get one! I love it when flavors trigger memories. All the tables on the side were filled with people enjoying their snow balls. So we took a little stroll down the streets of Arbutus and decided next time we will be back to try the snowballs. Lots of interesting flavors await for the next shack attack!