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In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s incredibly hot outside right now. Among the things that makes a London heatwave a lot easier to bear is its exceptional army of ice cream parlours. Whether you like to stick to the classics or prefer your ice cream to be on the more experimental side (parmesan gelato anyone?), Time Out has put together a list of our absolute favourite places to cool down with a scoop or two in the city – and crowned one of them the crème de la crème.
The capital’s best place to get your scoops this summer is Caliendo's Gelato in Kentish Town. Leonie Cooper, Time Out’s food and drink editor said: ‘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.’
You can expect all the classic ice cream flavours we know and love, like Belgian chocolate, salted caramel and rum and raisin, but for the true Caliendo’s experience, we encourage you to go for one of their quirkier creations. We’re talking gelato like yuzu cheesecake, blackcurrant and liquorice, roasted black sesame, apricot sherbet and even toasted sourdough and marmite (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it).
As for the best of the rest, Gelupo in Soho took second place for its outstanding classics like black forest cherry and chocolate, blood-orange granita or ewe’s-milk ricotta ices and its late closing time, which makes it a delicious alternative to the pub post theatre show.
Camden Town’s Filipino ice cream parlour Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream landed in third place for its flavours like ‘ube’ (made with a native purple yam), the salty cheese-based ‘queso’, vegan-friendly kalamansi and the goth-tastic ‘black buko’ (coconut combined with activated charcoal made from the coconut shell).
Check out our full list of London’s best ice cream parlours here.
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