Inside Scoop: London’s best ice cream
There’s nothing like summer in London to inspire a few scoops of ice cream. And while the simple pleasure of pale vanilla swirls from the local ice cream van never fails to delight, the capital’s scene of cool sweet treats is as jubilantly experimental as it is diverse. There are all manners of bright, rich and colourful soft serves around the city, as well as deep-violet Filipino ube sandwiched between soft milk buns, bouncy morsels of Japanese mochi ice creams, grown-up Middle Eastern flavours topped with baklava and tart fruity sorbets made from the best seasonal British produce, hidden in the corners of much-loved grocers. Here are our picks of the best ice cream London has to cool you down when the sun shines: homemade, soft-served, machine-churned or otherwise.
1. Mamasons
How do you know a Mamasons ice cream when you see one? This Filipino parlour’s scoops come in a signature violet hue, which is not the result of experimental food dye, but rather the natural shade of native ingredient ube. This purple yam crops up in a lot of Filipino cooking, but it’s perhaps most known for being churned into creamy, coconutty ice cream. It might be even tastier in the form of bilog – dressed in a sweet, soft milk bun. There are other enticing flavours at Mamasons too, from chocolate malt and black coconut to a queso scoop, which tastes like salted cheesecake. Their calamansi (Filipino lime) is the order of the day when a London heatwave strikes.
2. Bake Street
Bake Street might be best known for its diverse brunch fare, but the ice cream here is an equal draw. Situated between Stoke Newington and Clapton, the sibling-run cafe serves Hackney residents small-batch flavours, which are concocted using the tastiest fruit of the season, from juicy cherries to zesty pineapple. It also takes inspiration from nostalgic childhood desserts, such as rice pudding and coke floats, as well as whipping up new inventions that are unusually enticing. You might, for instance, go for a tub of coffee, date and almond ice cream, studded with croissant shards and toasted marzipan cubes. If in doubt, there is always the silky soft serve of a lovely Kesar mango sorbet.
3. Romeo & Giulietta Artisan Gelateria
Even on the cooler summer days, there’ll be a queue snaking around the corner of Albion Road home to Romeo & Giulietta Artisan Gelateria. This pocket-sized shop serves scoops of Italian gelato in classic flavours like pistachio and hazelnut. But there’s also ricotta with caramelised figs, its signature Biscokrok, a biscuit base covered in a chocolate sauce – think a sophisticated take on cookies and cream – and a seriously dark chocolate sorbet. Go for a scoop and leave with a tub – they’ll mix up to four flavours.
4. Leila’s Shop
Leila’s Shop is the beloved grocery store and cafe, tucked behind the flurry of Shoreditch on the lovely Calvert Avenue, by eponymous founder Leila McAlister. She sells goods to east London residents and local businesses alike, such as Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold, who own neighbouring restaurant, Rochelle’s Canteen. But, when the sun is high in the sky, it’s also the soft serve that brings customers in. Leila’s is evidence that ice cream needn’t be all hundreds and thousands, with strawberry sauce on top: instead, the edit is refined, inspired by what they have in store each week. Fruit, for example, has always been at the heart of Leila’s soft serves, with our favourite flavours including blood orange, silky smooth melon, and strawberry and elderflower.
5. Gelupo
Found opposite chef Jacob Kenedy’s Bocca Di Lupo on Archer Street – and run by the same team – Gelupo takes on an ethos of mastering authentic Italian flavours. Here, it’s a sliding scale between simple and experimental. They do some of the best scoops of classic sorbets (try the dark chocolate with the raspberry for an elevated Black Forest gateau taste). But they like to reinvent traditional Italian drinks and translate them into gelato. Namely, Sicilian Marsala wine and Bicerin – a traditional drink from Turin made with espresso, chocolate and milk, which is as delicious as it sounds when served atop a cone.
6. Darlish
For ice cream that takes on the flavours of the Middle East, head to Darlish within St Martin’s Courtyard in Covent Garden (although there are outposts in St Albans and Hatfield House in Hertfordshire too). Opt straight for its signature: a wonderfully sticky baklava ice cream sandwich. When selecting your filling, consider flavours such as Iranian pistachio, which is nutty and mellow, or the sticky toffee and tahini for something indulgently sweet. There’s also the peanut butter sour cherry sundae which packs a punch and is best shared.
7. The Mochi Bar at Japan Centre
One of the best things about mochi is that it arrives in perfectly portioned parcels. Little rounds of ice cream are covered in traditional Japanese rice cake (usually eaten around Japanese New Year) to create chewy cooling treats with a curious combination of textures. But it works. And thankfully, you can get them all year round at The Mochi Bar at Japan Centre. Here, there is a plethora of pretty pastel mochi to eat in or take away, with flavours including chocolate and pistachio, matcha green tea and passionfruit.
8. Jefferson’s Ice Cream
Walking into Jefferson’s is like stepping into a flavour emporium. It takes on that classic American ice cream bar aesthetic and, much like a Willy Wonka fantasy, is filled with inventive options, all made with organic milk and zero artificial colourings, while jars of toppings line the shelves. It’s known for the waffles, pancakes and crepes, which are best served with a scoop of any one of its three vanilla ice creams – the Bourbon vanilla is particularly good. Coffee connoisseurs might be interested in their brew ice creams: a scoop of cold-press coffee goes down a treat after dinner.
9. Minus 12°
Hidden within Herne Hill’s train station is Minus 12°, a tiny craft ice cream kiosk serving delicious Italian gelato and refreshing sorbets. Minus 12 degrees Celsius is, in fact, the perfect serving temperature for gelato, which its founder discovered when training in Italy. While its location lends itself to commuters, Minus 12° is worth its own venture for fresh scoops made in small batches with carefully sourced ingredients. There are plenty of vegan options too, including coconut choc chip, chocolate hazelnut, and lemon and blood orange sorbets.
10. The Ealing Grocer
The Ealing Grocer founders Andy Harris and Kate Millard are particularly passionate about homemade ice cream. It’s here – alongside quality fruit and veg, and other deli essentials – you’ll find Andy making his celebrated soft serve. The focus, perhaps unsurprisingly for a grocer, is on seasonal flavours – but the spectrum is somewhat less predictable: from saffron and sea buckthorn to apricots, melon and the elusive Greek taste of mastic (sweet but with notes of fennel and mint). Typically, there’s a new ice cream on offer every day or so, all served in classic or souped-up cones.
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