We went back to Sōfu twice within a week, which tells you most of what you need to know before I even get into flavours. The first time was opening day, when the first 100 customers got a scoop for $1 instead of the usual $8.80. We queued for that. The second time there was no discount at all, just a long line down Edward Street on a Friday night, and we queued for that too.
Sōfu is a gelato bar in the Brisbane CBD, tucked into a timber-lined space at 1/53 Edward Street, run by a husband-and-wife team. The gimmick, if you can call it that, is that the gelato is made with silken tofu instead of the usual dairy-heavy base — the whole point being a dessert that isn’t sickly sweet. If you grew up on Asian bakery treats you’ll recognise the philosophy immediately: the highest compliment for something like this is “it’s not too sweet,” and that’s exactly what they’re going for.
The fit-out backs that up. It’s warm and wood-toned rather than the stark white marble look most new gelato places go for, and it photographs well without trying too hard.
The queue, and what they do about it
Both times, the wait was real — the second visit was a good half hour, with the line stretching well past the shopfront. What made it bearable was that staff came out with iced water for everyone standing in line, and once you got to the counter, nobody rushed you. My friend tried four different flavours off little tasting spoons before deciding, and the person behind the counter just waited, no sighing, no hurrying her along.
What we actually tried
Black sesame was the standout for me — properly roasted and nutty, tastes like it’s been through a wok rather than just flavoured, and it holds its shape longer than the others instead of turning to soup in five minutes. If you only get one scoop, get this one.
Matcha was rich rather than bitter, with a bit of crunchy roasted rice through it for texture. Solid, but it didn’t beat the black sesame for me.
Original tofu (soy milk) is the flavour that explains the whole shop — genuinely not sweet, quite plain in the best way, and the one I’d recommend to someone sceptical about the concept.
Oolong milk tea comes with a small jelly cube on top, a bit like guilinghao, though it melts faster than the others. The milk came through stronger than the tea, which some of us liked and others thought drowned out the oolong.
Purple sweet potato was sweeter than the rest but lighter than a taro flavour — less heavy.
Sweet corn is the one we only managed to try on the second trip, since it had sold out both earlier visits we’d heard about. Worth catching if it’s still available when you go.
Texture-wise, the whole range is stickier and denser than a typical Italian-style gelato, closer to a soft-serve custard than shaved ice — that’s part of why the flavours land as intensely as they do.
Is it worth queuing for?
At full price, a scoop is $8.80, which is in line with what other boutique gelato spots in Brisbane charge, so it’s not the price that’s the deciding factor. It’s really about whether you want a dessert that isn’t hammering you with sugar, and whether you’re happy to wait a bit for it. We were, twice.
If you’re heading into the city and want to build a dessert stop into the day, Sōfu is easy to combine with the shopping strip on Edward Street. We’ve also written up Moala Yogurt in Melbourne if you’re after more dessert-shop reviews, or browse our dessert cafes category for more.