The best ice cream in London

At Caliendo’s, you’ll find glorious Italian ice cream made by a family who’s been churning out the stuff for over 130 years – and have the seal of approval of the Ice Cream Alliance, who awarded them the coveted title of UK Parlour Of The Year 2023. Expect seasonal flavours and everything from parma violet and peach melba to blackcurrant & liquorice and bilberry cheesecake. There's always a handful of great dairy-free options too. 

A cool evocation of Sicily in Soho, Gelupo is strongest on the classics, such as black forest cherry and chocolate, blood-orange granita or ewe’s-milk ricotta ices. You’re always guaranteed a great range of flavours and service is zippy. Italian biscuits and cakes, coffee, gourmet sandwiches and an appealing selection of groceries make Gelupo a handy spot to know all year round, not just during ice-cream season. Late closing makes it a cool alternative to ‘the pub’ after an outing to the theatre or cinema, while in May 2024, the parlour will unveil some snazzy new renovations.

Those nitro-fuelled experimentalists at Chin Chin are the Willy Wonkas of the ice cream world, and this Soho shop is an ostentatious showcase for their wares. There’s some seriously elaborate stuff going on here, as well as a range of signature ices (anyone for burnt butter caramel?), ice cream sandwiches, and desserts.

It‘s all about cornets and coupes, sundaes and scoops at this fun (but pricy) spot on the first floor of Fortnum & Mason – although the famous location means that you’ll usually be surrounded by box-ticking tourists and families with kids on a spree. The ice creams are made by an artisanal outfit in Bermondsey and the flavours are classic: ‘Fortnum’s Florentine’ is the house scoop, but also expect mint choc chip, raspberry ripple, pistachio, strawberry, coffee and so on. Cakes, shakes, savouries and boozy floats complete the offer.

A Filipino take on an ice cream parlour, Mamasons peddle the kind of ‘dirty’ stuff you’ll find on the streets of Manila. The signature flavour is ‘ube’ (made with a native purple yam), but brace yourself for salty cheese-based ‘queso’, vegan-friendly kalamansi or goth-tastic ‘black buko’ (coconut combined with activated charcoal made from the coconut shell). 

World’s best science lab? Ahrash and Nyisha Akbari-Kalhur broke the mould when they started freezing ice cream amid billowing clouds of liquid nitrogen back in 2010. Gimmick? Nope: because the custard base gets frozen instantly, the results are gorgeously dense and crystal-free. The flavours are straight, but it’s all about pimping them with sprinkles, sauces and powders from a veritable chemistry set of out-there extras (grilled white chocolate, truffle crumble, caramelised pretzels etc).

Although it doubles as an Italian neighbourhood café serving pizzas, cakes, desserts and suchlike, Cremoloso really scores with its line-up of cool gelati. Run by a young Italian couple, the place offers around 20 flavours (plus some sorbets) – choose from the expected (rum and raisin, banana and strawberry) to the more unusual (pomegranate, Christmas pudding). Want to keep the flavour festival going at home? You're in luck – you can also buy tubs to take away. 

Like the Barnsbury original, this Covent Garden offshoot of Udderlicious is one of the jolliest organic ice cream parlours in town with its bunting, pompoms and swing seats. Not surprisingly, it has a devoted following – customers can even suggest a ‘Flavour of the Month’, and the resulting winner is rewarded with a free scoop every day for four weeks. With 20-plus flavours ranging from peanut butter and chocolate to raspberry cheesecake, you’re spoilt for choice.

An oldie, but a goodie, Oddono’s has a whiff of continental chic about it. Tried-and-trusted flavours such as mango, strawberry and coconut will see you right. There are branches across south London, including Battersea, Hampstead, East Dulwich and Chiswick.

Like a hipper Mr. Whippy, Boxpark’s idiosyncratic dessert bar has reinvented soft-serve ice cream and sundaes for the Snapchat generation. There are four basic flavours (vanilla, matcha, charcoal and coconut), but the thrill is in the photogenic toppings, which are arranged in Petri dishes on the counter ready for sprinkling.

With London outposts from Camden to Chelsea, this international gelato chain has a big presence in the capital. It's famous for its highly photogenic ‘flower cones’ (thin slabs of ice cream artfully arranged like petals) and boasts a mash-up of reworked classic flavours and more exotic options. There's also the option of crepes, waffles and gelato macarons, too. 

The treats at Milk Train might start with your average ice cream cone, but what happens after it’s filled with matcha soft-serve and your chosen toppings is thrilling. The servers take the ice cream and make magic, weaving a cloud-like web of candy floss around it. 'Grammable and very satisfying for your sweet tooth. 

Funny name, seriously good ice cream. Located by Borough Market, white-tiled 3Bis (the postcode of Italy’s first ice-cream factory, apparently) has a playful feel, with cabinets full of chocolate-splattered lollies and a whirring gelato machine churning away in front of you. Quality doesn’t come cheap here – a large cone won’t give change from a fiver – but it’s totally worth it. A second branch is now trading on Portobello Road.

Morelli’s is a family affair, having passed through four generations since great-grandfather Mario opened up his first shop in Broadstairs. Now with a London parlour in Covent Garden, the long-running ice cream biz will dazzle you with its sundaes, which come in Italian glassware festooned with swizzle sticks, whipped cream and wafers. Probably the most fun you can have sitting down.

The ice cream at this cute café near the Royal Opera House is churned fresh every day in machines from Italy, kept in traditional lidded pots at the counter and served with a spatula – it’s so super-smooth there’s no need for a scoop. The flavours, too, are unashamedly old-school, and all the better for it: the nougat, panettone and gianduja are exceptional, while the coffee-flavoured ‘Breakfast in Turin’ is a worthy signature lick.

Ruby Violet is a magical mix of Las Vegas glitz, sultry Moroccan and 1950s kitchenette design. It suits all ages and is a place for all occasions – from dates to family outings. To lick, evergreens such as raspberry ripple, ‘maxi moo moo’ and salted caramel are bolstered by fruity seasonal flavours including wild plum, greengage or rhubarb and verjus – all made with organic milk and free-range eggs.

‘Serving happiness’ by way of sorbetti and gelati, this light, bright, faintly space-age parlour has come into its own since Exhibition Road’s pedestrian-friendly revamp. More than 40 flavours are available behind the counter, plus chocolate-dipped mini cones, sundaes, waffles and crêpes. Where to start? We recommend an A to Z approach – kick things off with a scoop of amaretto, almond or banana. Can’t get to South Ken? Pop into their Soho, Marble Arch, Bayswater and Selfridges branches.

If putting a smile on people’s faces was an Olympic sport, La Gelatiera would definitely go home with a gold. Their spot in East Village, E20 in Stratford, is more sociable than the Covent Garden original, with a ‘theatre’ where you can watch the gelato being made. They rotate the menu each day, but the stockpile of 90-odd flavours (including sorbets) is always intriguing. 

For years, Kitty Travers’s three-wheeler Piaggio Ape mini truck was a fixture on Maltby Street and other markets across town, but she’s now moved up in the world. Now, you'll find La Grotta Ices at E5 Bakehouse and Peckham's General Store. Expect a selection of seasonal frozen treats with an emphasis on fresh-tasting fruity combos – think pomegranate and leafy orange, pear and myrtle, wild fig and watermelon or quince and Bramley apple pie.

On sunny Saturdays, the queue for Nardulli stretches most of the way back to Clapham Common tube station. You won’t find any techy whizz-bangery here: just classic gelati (Valrhona chocolate, liquorice, macadamia nut) made the old-fashioned way. There are a handful of tables, but we’d recommend you skip them and take your choice out onto the Common. 

Born in Italy but now trading across London, cheery family-owned Unico is part gelateria, part caffè. If you fancy a luscious lick or two, there are 13 ‘classic’ and ‘gourmet’ flavours to choose from, plus vegan options and some guest stars (they’ve been known to whip up the odd batch of Vegemite gelato). Can’t choose between a cone or a cup? You don’t have to, thanks to their portable – and edible – wafer ‘goblets’. There are branches in Notting Hill, Fulham and St John’s Wood, in addition to the UK original in Bromley.