Best of Toronto
The Best Ice Cream in Toronto
The best ice cream parlours in Toronto are at the height of their busy season now, which is the best time to get flavours fresh and frost-free, if you don't mind line-ups. There's been an explosion of new parlours opening all across the city, so this list will probably be out of date by the time the summer is over and proprietors look over the balance sheet to see if they'll make it through the winter.
Let's not think about winter, though, in this brief efflorescence of summer's heat and light. It's also not worth thinking about ice cream as health food. You can fool yourself that a sorbet, for instance, is lean and palate-clearing, or that gelato, in sparing quantities, is easy on the waistline. But nobody's fooled by ice cream - at its best or worst, it's still a big, chilly depth charge of milk fat and sugar, but who cares? Life is short and summer shorter, and ice cream is the neon in summer's Vegas skyline.
As a challenge to each parlour, I asked them to pick a single flavour meant to sum up what they do, on the end of a little plastic spoon. What I learned is that this city has a serious woody for marshmallow - roasted, toasted and burnt.
These are the best ice cream shops in Toronto.
See also:
Note: A previous version of this list was published on March 27, 2008. Comments below made up until March 29, 2011 are in reference to the old list. We've purposely kept the archived comments here because we believe they (mostly) add value to this topic. If you don't want to have to wade through all of them, simply hit the "sort by newest first" link at the top of the thread.
Ed's Real Scoop
It’s a good thing they opened up a second store in Leslieville, because on an average summer day the line-up at the original Beaches store is out the door, but now at least there are two places for you to wait for what many swear is the best ice cream in the city. High quality ingredients and a responsive policy to customer requests means that Ed’s is probably the model of a boutique neighbourhood ice cream parlour. Lucky Dip - roasted marshmallow. More »
Greg's Ice Cream
Probably one of the city’s first in-house ice cream parlours, Greg’s made a westward move to a smaller location a couple of years ago, but kept its loyal clientele. Chances are you’ve had Greg’s ice cream somewhere else, but a visit to the Annex storefront lets you cut out the middleman. Lucky Dip - roasted marshmallow. More »
The Big Chill
In the heart of Little Italy, this local favourite moved from around the corner to a prime corner storefront, and filled the space with a giddy collection of cow-themed tchotchkes. The selection is Technicolour, and includes Nutella, a nod to the neighbourhood’s roots. Lucky Dip - dark chocolate peanut butter. More »
Dutch Dreams
The theme at Dutch Dreams is too much - too much decoration, too much garnish, too much flavour. This is not, however, meant to be a criticism. Ice cream is like heavy metal - there’s always one more notch after eleven. Featured flavours include Fistful of Fudge and English Toffee, but if you want to gild the lily, you can order your scoops in a brownie or butterscotch chip-studded cone. Lucky Dip - Espresso Robusto, coffee ice cream with chocolate fudge, coffee candies and toasted almonds. More »
Delight Chocolate
With two locations on Queen West and in the Junction, this boutique cheese and chocolate shop pulls out the freezer for the summer to serve a small but intense selection of organic ice creams and sorbets. Fruit flavours are richly concentrated, while the menu occasionally features challenging entries like blue cheese. Lucky Dip - Delight’s Signature Chocolate, as heady as a premium truffle. More »
Summer's Ice Cream
The best time to enjoy this Yorkville ice cream parlour is also the busiest - early evenings around dinner, when people-watching is prime time. Everything is made in-house, as are the waffle cones, and this tiny step-down storefront has packed a remarkable flavour selection into its freezers. Lucky Dip - almond butter toffee. More »
Jedd's Frozen Custard
No, it’s technically not ice cream, and owner Jeddou Ouldcheikhna won’t serve a batch that’s frozen to ice cream’s stiff consistency, since the flavours really come out when it’s softer and silkier. As for flavours, Jedd makes it easy for you - there’s only three every day, two of which are vanilla and chocolate, with a third daily feature. Lucky Dip - the Affogato, a scoop of vanilla frozen custard under a shot of expresso, probably a nearly perfect dessert. More »
Maple Leaf Dairy
Way out past Danforth and Main, this bright, spacious old fashioned ice cream parlour has space for flavours galore, and features flavours manufactured under its house brand, St. Clair. There’s something about the space that evokes a welcome pit stop on a drive north to cottage country, and despite all the room, you’ll still be shoulder to shoulder on weekends. Lucky Dip - Rock & Rolo, chocolate and caramel ice cream mixed with shattered Rolo bars. More »
My Favourite Ice Cream Shop
Right at the edge of Rosedale, a delightfully old school little ice cream parlour that looks like it belongs just by the boardwalk in a beach town. There’s just enough room to line up outside, but there’s a picnic table outside, and leafy streets full of prime real estate to wander along. The ice cream comes from Greg’s and Denali, and owner Indra Patel is particularly proud of her frozen yogurt, especially the palate-cleansing ginger. Lucky Dip - roasted marshmallow. More »
Xococava
The periodic table of ingredients for their truffles hints at the mad science that inspires this Midtown chocolate and ice cream shop. Rare among ice creameries, they serve their frozen treats from old fashioned covered gelato fridges and not glass-topped freezers, so you have to study the menu boards carefully. Flavours are generally straight over the plate - peanut butter, pistachio and grapefruit alongside intriguing tastes like plum, cassis and rhubarb. Lucky Dip - cashew Guinness, rich and complex with a hint of bitterness. More »
The Village Chill
Forest Hill Village’s little hole-in-the-wall ice cream parlour serves through the front window and features a menu full of stalwart favourites spiked with a few updates like dulce de leche and tiramisu. Lucky Dip - roasted marshmallow. More »
Sweet Creamery
This Cabbagetown favourite serves Kawartha Dairy ice cream and its own homemade gelato, and sits conveniently next to Jet Fuel Cafe, in case you want to do coffee and ice cream right. Lucky Dip - Gold Medal Ribbon, French vanilla and chocolate ice cream folded together with Old English Toffee. More »
Discussion
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Seriously the best ice cream on the planet! The girl that owns it told me that shes getting into Mcewans new place, so keep an eye out for it....shes got a 'buttered scotch whiskey with salted caramel and smoked almonds' that I needed a private moment with! Apparently she gets all her product from the other vendors at the farmers markets shes in, so she can say, 'ya those peaches in that ice cream, he grew them, and picked them on tuesday'...(pointing at the farmer next to her)....bloody amazing!
overpriced, dirty, generic nestle bullshit and the service is horrrrrible.
Would be nice to see some suggestions right in the downtown area.
I am taking visiting family members for a boat cruise on the Harbourfront, and it would be nice to know of some great places in the core of downtown to go to, for example. As we don't feel like trekking up to the Junction or something like that for an ice cream, when we are enjoying the centre of the city.
http://www.spindessert.com/
The Chocolatier on Roncesvalles, which makes amazing chocolate on the premises, has also been making its own ice cream cones, which are the best I've tasted. Better than Film Buff,etc.