© Sylvie Li @ shoot Studio - Tourisme Montréal
Far East flavours
Ca Lem
Various locations | Website
This little ice cream shop offers big flavors. As a local favourite, it’s not unusual to see a lineup that stretches out the door. Asian flavours are on the menu such as pandan, coconut ash and black sesame, Vietnamese coffee and rosewater-pistashio. Their soft serve creations change weekly. Get one of everything. Multiple locations.
Kem CoBa
60 Fairmount Avenue West | Website
This modest ice cream shop is run by a super duo Vincent Beck and Diem Ngoc Phan, classically trained chocolatier and pastry chef, respectively. The husband and wife team behind Kem Coba sees lines that stretch the length of a city block where patrons often wait between 20 to 30 minutes to satiate their ice cream cravings. With signature soft serve flavours that change weekly like, like rosewater, raspberry/lychee and Orange/coconut, it’s easy to see why people are willing to wait!
Crèmerie Meetha
787A de Liège Street West | Website
Located in the Parc-Ex neighbourhood, this family-run ice cream shop serves up scoops inspired by traditional Indian desserts. Think mango rasmalai, jalebi, haldi doodh, gulab jamun but in ice cream form!
Bouza
3821 Saint-Martin West Boulevard | Website
Bouza specializes in Middle-eastern ice cream. Known for it’s stretchy characteristic and texture, this ice cream is like no other, just like the flavours. Check out Bouza for traditional achta, kaki and rose water cones amongst others.
© Alison Slattery
Icy Italian gelato
Dalla Rose
4609 Notre-Dame Street West | Website
A venture by two former employees from the popular Italian eatery Nora Gray, (Dalla Libera and Nick Rosati) comes this Saint-Henri ice cream oasis. Using locally sourced organic dairy products and seasonal ingredients, their flavours change often. Don’t forget to try the ice cream sandwiches – pick-up and delivery now available.
Pizzeria Gema
6827 St-Dominique Street | Website
It’s not exactly gelato, but Pizzeria Gema’s walk-up take out window has people lining up for their frozen custard in Little Italy. Have your cup of their deliciously decadent soft-serve topped with sour cherry, crushed bacci or have your cone dipped in dark chocolate ganache.
Gélaterie Pierino
10601 Georges-Pichet Avenue | Website
Ice cream isn’t all about funky flavours that tempt the palates of little ones, grown up deserve an icy treat too! Visit Gelaterie Pierino for their boozy wine infused gelato.
Mollo Café
2069 Wellington Street | Website
Neighbourhood third-wave cafe Mollo offers all natural artisanal gelato made with local and seasonal ingredients.
© Alison Slattery
Classic cones
Ripples
Various locations | Website
With seasonal hours that start from the moment the mercury rises in April until the first sign of autumn (mid-September) it’s not uncommon to see lineups at The Main’s favourite ice cream parlour. Try the halavah or blackberry chocolate chunk cheesecake ice cream!
Crèmerie Bo-Bec
1330 Laurier Avenue East | Website
This classic neighbourhood ice cream shop offers up soft-serve and hard-packed ice cream, homemade sorbets, banana splits, shakes and ice cream sandwiches.
Le Glacier Bilboquet
Various locations | Website
With multiple locations across the island of Montréal, Le Glacier Bilboquet has been a fixture in the ice cream scene for over 40 years. With a promise for only using the highest available locally sourced ingredients (milk and cream from the Saguenay, chocolate from the Montérégie, fruits from Eastern Townships) everything is made with love.
Wild Willy’s
20 Cartier Street, Pointe-Claire | Website
Wild Willy’s has been wrangling ice cream cravings for over 20 years. A great selection of homemade flavors including apple pie and even a stout flavoured ice cream, try the “King Kong” bowl with five of your friends (it has 15 scoops of ice cream!), they’ve even got icy treats for our four-legged friends.
Crèmes Boboule
4640 Wellington Street | Website
Located in the eclectic neighbourhood of Verdun, Crèmes Boboule is known for their classic soft serve
© Susan Moss
Cool off with a dip
Chocomax
835 Décarie Boulevard, Saint-Laurent | Website
Driven by his passion for chocolate, Chocomax’s owner John Chan pursued his chocolate making dream by studying at Callebaut College in Belgium before settling in Montréal and opening Chocomax. Since then, he’s been tantalizing the locals uptown with his chocolate treats and signature Belgium chocolate soft serve and variety of dips.
La Diperie
Various locations | Website
What started as a modest shop in the Plateau has expanded to over 20 locations across the city. Soft serve with a choice of over 40 different kinds of dip like cookies and cream, salted caramel or classic milk chocolate, top your cone with funky toppings like crushed pretzels and candies, the combinations are endless.
Chocolats Favoris
Various locations | Website
What began as an artisanal chocolate shop in Lévis (outside of Québec city) 40 years ago has now become a chain of chocolate stores across Canada. They offer 14 varieties of their decadent chocolate fondue dips including chocolate praline, dark chocolate and dulce de leche for their classic vanilla or strawberry soft serve.
© Alison Slattery - Two Food Photographers - Tourisme Montréal
Vegan-friendly
Hoche Glacé
2225 Bennett Street | Website
A frozen treat oasis for vegans, this shop is one of its kind in Montréal. Offering hard packed and soft serve, this spot definitely delivers when looking for a dairy-free treat to cool off in the colourful Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area.
Crèmerie Meu Meu
4458 Saint-Denis Street | Website
In addition to this plateau ice cream parlour’s menu of luscious crème anglaise based ice creams, they offer flavourful fruity sorbets and ice soy-milk options as well.
Sachère Desserts
1274 de Maisonneuve Boulevard East | Website
Located in the heart of the Village, Sachere is known for their exquisite desserts and petit fours. They welcome ice cream and frozen treats in time for the summer season.
Swirl
230 Rachel Street East | Website
Swirl is located in the Plateau and is known for their Asian inspired dairy-free soft serve swirls. Opened from Wednesday to Sunday and flavours change weekly.
© Murale Art Libre - Free Art par Millo - Photo par Eva Blue
Creative cones
Le Blueboy
150 Mont-Royal Avenue East | Website
Cones are so passé. That’s why the folks at Blueboy have hopped on board with the current trend of fried confectionary cones (churros) and have also introduced fruit bowls! Have your watermelon-basil sorbet served in half a hollowed out watermelon.
Iconoglace
1320 Bélanger Street | Website
Not only does Iconoglace serve some fun soft-serve swirls, but they’ve got some pretty iconic sundaes and slushies as well. Get “The Nutjob” - a sundae topped with chunks of homemade marbled peanut butter brownies, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top!
Alison Slattery / Two Food Photographers
Artisanal ice cream
Les Givrés
Various locations | Website
One of Montréal’s finest artisanal ice cream shops, Les Givrés is open year around. Everything is made in-house from their specialty ice creams and sorbets down to the cones.
Havre-aux-glaces
7070 Henri-Julien Avenue | Website
With two locations, one at the Jean-Talon Market and one at the Atwater Market, the team at Have aux Glaces changes their ice cream flavours depending on what’s in season and available in the market – they are opened all year around at the Jean-Talon Market location. 12 choices of ice cream, and 12 choices of vegan sorbet.
L’Art Glacier
145 Sainte-Catherine Street | Website
L’Art Glacier combines a world class ice cream maker, fresh ingredients and local restaurant expertise to create a delicious summer taste experience! Chef Roland Del Monte brings his Meilleur Ouvrier de France M.O.F distinction for his pastry and ice cream skills to Westmount.
Crèmerie Rosette
Various locations | Website
This “little sister” ice cream outpost of Restaurant La Prunelle serves up fun artisanal soft serve. Expect flavours like Salted caramel and green cardamom, grilled pineapple and coconut milk, lime and coriander.
Virevent
1517 Fleury Street East | Website
This neighbourhood favorite is located on the busy La Promenade Fleury in the heart of Ahuntsic. Known for scoops and ice cream and sorbet cakes.
Jason Lee
Jason is a food eater and picture taker. As the blogger behind Shut Up and Eat, he covers everything food, from recipes to reviews. Jason has vowed that he will not stop until he has officially eaten his way across Montréal. It’s a big claim, and it’s one he’s making.
