With the best ice cream in Toronto, you best believe the queues will be long. Lining up for ice cream is one of the city's most beloved summertime traditions. When the cones, sammies, and pints are this good it might be worth it.
LessDense, velvety, custard-based ice cream prompts frequent lineups at this simple Bloordale Village spot. Daily menus skew contemporary and Asian-inspired, with nary a pint of Mint Chocolate Chip in sight. Opt for Black Sesame and Ribena, Miso Butterscotch and Kinako Brown Sugar, and live a little.
Creamy, unctuous, frozen comfort food, in flavours like Avocado, London Fog and Cinnamon Toast, summon the masses to this popular Ossington ice cream shop. Superb alone, every scoop is only heightened by being squashed between house-made cookies, choux buns, egg waffles and warmly-scented, iced cinnamon rolls.
A home-grown success story, this chain (with locations in Leslieville, The Beaches, and more) scoops up a litany of flavours to happy customers all year long. Find freshly-made classics, like Strawberry, Sweet Cream and Butter Pecan, with inspired options like Burnt Marshmallow and Mango Tango also joining the rotation.
Gallons of fresh cream are churned into oodles of tempting treats at this St. Clair West address. In a kiddie cup or a cotton-candy trimmed royal Dutch banana split, there's no wrong way to order your Cookies and Cream, Toasted Coconut, or Hawaiian Delight.
For forty years, this Yorkville shop has been sating sweet cravings with rotund servings of homemade ice cream. Dairy-free and vegan options join a catalogue of cream-saturated flavours, from Toronto Pothole to Apple Cinnamon and Pecan Chocolate Swirl.
You won't find dairy-based ice cream at this Dundas West shop. What the team does scoop out are premium, plant-based options in a number of whimsical flavours. Sure, there's Rocky Road and Neapolitan but there's also Mixed Nuts, Pumpernickel Bread, and other delightfully different things to sample.
A sweet shop with myriad specialties, this Brockton Village destination whips up novel ice creams in fantastically fun flavours. To sample on-site or take home, Coffee & Donuts, Jasmine Taro and BLT (which, happily, stands for blueberry, lemon, trifle, and not what you might think), are inviting choices.
Forget the fluorescent scoops of your youth; at this Harbourfront shop, ice cream is flavoured and dyed with a cornucopia of natural, top-quality ingredients. Get your fix of Blueberry Cheesecake, Sour Cherry Labneh, Tanzanian Chocolate, and more daily, from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
American-style frozen dessert is the focus at this pocket-sized Cabbagetown stop. Inspired by travels, the seasons and the team's Filipino heritage, flavours jump from Majicha Brownie and Salted Yuzu to Cà Phê Misu, a Vietnamese spin on the traditional Italian pick me up.