Toronto is suddenly seeing an influx of ice cream and gelato shops

The summer in Toronto so far has been hot, hot, hot, but luckily, the city is seeing a huge influx of new ice cream and gelato shops to keep residents cool.

Few joys in life come anywhere close to diving into a cone (or cup, if you're practical, but I'm not) of something sweet and cold on a hot, sunny day. Holding your firstborn child, maybe, but that's basically it.

Luckily, Toronto has always been home to an impressive lineup of great ice cream and gelato shops that can sate the craving whenever it arises, but summer 2026 seems to have welcomed a uniquely large class of new spots serving up frosty favourites, with or without dairy.

Why has Toronto suddenly become such a magnet for burgeoning churn-wielding entrepreneurs? Is climate change, as it usually is, to blame? If you ask me, it's because people in Toronto fall into one of two categories: those who love making ice cream and gelato, and those who love eating it.

Regardless of which category one falls into, Toronto residents are really, really good at it. So, ultimately, the more the merrier.

For the dairy-avoidant and Dole Whip-passionate alike, Cloudberry on Danforth has already made a major, fruit-flavoured splash. Serving up swirls of Dole Whip supplemented with various fruit flavours (cherry, watermelon, mango and dragonfruit, to name only a few), this spot is dairy-free on purpose, but does not lack in the creaminess department.

If dairy is what you're after, though, Brokn Milk, which opened across the street from Christie Pits in early July, has you covered. Sourcing their dairy from Ontario dairy farms, the new neighbourhood ice cream joint offers up an impressive rotating menu of unique flavours. Palm sugar and cookie butter gelato, made with Biscoff cookies, both appeared in the last roundup.

After seeing major success south of the border with viral concepts like Myka, the frozen Greek yogurt trend made its way to Midtown in late June with Kela. Producing thick, tart swirls from Ontario kefir, this spot is sort of like ice cream's healthy-ish cousin, though no less tasty.

Over on Ossington, roamers and revellers are wont to flock to Bang Bang in droves when the desire for a frozen dessert arrives, but they just got a new option in Cherry on Top Gelato. Perched at the intersection of Dundas and Ossington, this crimson-coloured storefront serves up your scoop fix alongside coffee and pastries.

Not far from that, Disco Ice Cream and Cookies also returned after a year-long hiatus, setting up shop anew on Ossington, just north of Dundas West.

If tried-and-true is your go-to, then you'll also likely want to set your sights eastward to Bodega by City Cottage Market, where Scarborough staple Brett's has set up a cute-as-a-button outpost in the driveway.

With all the spots that have already opened, there are still some exciting ones yet to come.

Chefs Jeff Kang and Tosh Agassiz, the dynamic duo behind their award-winning restaurant Canis, are hard at work putting the finishing touches on Cono Gelato, which is slated to open in Little Italy at some point this summer.

Over in the Annex, Cremma Gelato, a new venture from the team behind Carolina, will be joining the rapidly-expanding fleet at Mirvish Village in the fall. Judging by how hot the summer's been, it'll likely still be gelato weather by the time that venture rolls around, anyway.

With all the new shops serving frozen treats of all shapes and sizes in the city, it's been a sweet summer already, but it looks like it's only getting sweeter in the months ahead.