Best of Toronto
The Best Gelato in Toronto
With the temperatures in the double digits this past weekend and lots of sun predicted in the weeks ahead, it finally looks like spring has arrived in Toronto. And when spring arrives, my mind (and stomach) keeps thinking about great ice cream and gelato.
Luckily, Toronto does not suffer from the problem of having a shortage of places to get good gelato. Instead, our problem is the inverse: with so many places to go, what are the best gelato shops in our city? We threw the question over to you, our readers, during our Best of Toronto survey, and after a very close race, we finally found this city's supreme gelateria.
Not many votes separated every entry in the survey — Dolce Gelato, La Paloma, Hollywood Gelato, Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe, Il Gelaterie Artiginale, Novecento - but in the end, it was Dolce Gelato that took the crown of the best place to get gelato in Toronto.
The fact that Dolce Gelato won is not a surprise to many: with an abundance of rich flavors (and colors — oh my, what color!) to choose from, it's almost impossible not to be tantalized by the offerings at Dolce Gelato.
Of course, if you can't make it to Dolce Gelato, there are still many wonderful gelaterias in the city. In fact, on a particularly hot day, maybe you can do a gelato tour of the city and visit all eight shops below.
If you do, be sure to call me. I'd love to tag along.
Above photo by Tim.
Dolce Gelato
Incredible flavors, incredible textures, incredible tastes, incredible overall. Hard to say anything bad about Dolce Gelato. More »
La Paloma
A staple on the Toronto gelato season, La Paloma's offerings are flavorful and authentic. More »
Hollywood Gelato
This Leaside shop is a popular hangout because the gelato is well-priced and uber-tasty. More »
Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe
The gelato is great, particularly when paired as a dessert with their awesome selection of sandwiches. More »
Il Gelaterie Artiginale
You can sum up Il Gelaterie's Artiginale's gelato and atmosphere both in two words More »
Discussion
23 Comments
Sort By Oldest First / Newest First
Subscribe
The range of Gelato quality in Toronto runs from good to very good, any one of these places is perfectly credible. The best is not as good as the best Italian but the worst is actually pretty good, whereas I've occasionally come across some genuinely awful gelato in Italy (pretty rarely but it's possible, particularly in tourist heavy areas).
what about soma chocolate? although they are known for their exquisite chocolates and coffees, they do have excellent gelato.
sometimes colorful gelato is a very bad sign. it usually means food coloring. muted colors for things like pistachio generally indicates higher quality.
...but hey, i'm bias ;)
Soma Chocolate didn't make our best-of list this year, but I'll be sure to check it out
And Mike, I understand your bias. =)
Damn milk allergy... damn it!
My condolences Maria. I'll eat an extra scoop in your honor, okay?
Were there any nominees in the East End/Beaches?
Yeah, I would have thought Soma would be there too. Good stuff.
Ryan: I can't think of any. Got any in mind? Ed's Real Scoop was on the ice cream list, I think.
I just moved to the East end, so have been keeping an eye on places in the Beaches showing up on the best of lists, as I do not know the area well.
Once the Lists are all up, and if I end up with a huge amount of spare time, I may try to google map the results
There's one thing that I find a little frustrating about your food reviews... they rarely indicate whether there are any... how to say... food accommodations available at these restaurants.
This is frustrating because usually your reviews are really good and very tempting!
I'm not expecting a vegetarian/vegan review, but it would be helpful to add "and it seems to have a good vegetarian selection" or "vegans might want to check out the menu online or call ahead" or something.
For instance, La Paloma has 3 soy gelatos (hazelnut, coffee & chocolate) and their sorbettos, with the exception of banana and coconut, do not have any milk in them either. It would be nice to know about the other places also, since that would have been just a quick question of the staff. Or even if it was indicated whether there was any sorbet available would be helpful to those interested in going with a variety of dietary needs.
Another example - Ed's real scoop has (vegan) sorbet...
I think that this information would be handy for everyone.
I hate to complain but I've been wanting to mention it forever.
Otherwise, I love your reviews.
Good point Perry. I'll bring it up at our next meeting and hopefully we can start incorporating that kind of information going forward. Thanks for the suggestion!
My vote is for Il Gelatiere. Not only is the gelato incredibly delicious, they also have amazingly tasty gluten free cones!
I agree with the Vegan suggestions! I wanted to know when the cupcakes list was posted.
After living in Italy for a year, one of the only places that can satisfy my craving is way up north in Richmond Hill on Yonge and Major Mackenzie called 'Ti Amo'. Their dark chocolate gelato is to die for, as is there seasonal cherry. Truly worth the drive!
Ti Amo Gelato is the worst Gelato I have ever tasted! The entire shop is nothing but a con job to serve "authentic" Gelato. The service was rude and the Gelato was tasteless. I'm a proud red blooded Italian. I've eaten Gelato and regular ice cream all my life and for the first time when I ate Gelato at Ti Amo Gelato it felt like eating bland cold cream that tasted nothing like Gelato and tasted just like regular ice cream but costs twice as much. Avoid like the flu!
Solferino and Bravo Gelato were originally on this list but have been removed as they have now closed.
vulcano gelato in rye victoria and bar remigio situated in vulcano island 1 of the 7 eolie islands, in sicily. they really are the best gelati of the earth.
I found one more Gelato place.. It's called "Hotel Gelato", Located on 532 Eglinton West. Really really good...
how come SOMA chocolate is not on the list???? their gelato is beyond the best in the city!!!!
I think if everyone really new the difference between REAL ingredients and ARTIFICIAL flavors then the decision would be easy.......Hollywood Gelato takes the cake!!
This list needs a serious update. A new place called The Mad Italian opened just down the street from Hollywood Gelato, and it has Hollywood beat by a mile. Can't wait for the BlogTO review!
This needs to be updated, there is a new sheriff in town and its called The Mad Italian Gelato on Bayview Ave. Out of this world. The owner is from Italy and knows what he's doing. Knocks Dolce out hands down altho I would say they are the runner up. Go check it out for yourself.