The temperatures in the city are starting to heat up which means it's the perfect time to explore some of the best ice cream shops in Toronto!
Whether you're looking for unique flavours, something epic for Instagram or a good old-fashioned scoop of plain vanilla, there are lots of great options spread out across the city to treat yourself to.
Take a look at some of the most delicious ice creams available in Toronto, and try not to drool while thinking about what you'll be ordering next time you're out and about.
Ihalo Krunch
Price $6.00+
Address: Multiple locations
Why You Need To Go: With their Asian-inspired flavours that are served in limited editions throughout the year, you'll want to keep coming back to Ihalo Krunch to test out some of their options like Ube All The Way, which is sweet purple yam, Pandan, which is sweet floral plant extract, or Black on Black, which is activated charcoal coconut — or swirl a few flavours together for a tasty treat!
"Our signature black cones are naturally coloured with activated charcoal (derived from coconut husk) and hand-rolled daily with a sweet treat at the bottom of the cone," says the chain.
Bang Bang Ice Cream and Bakery
Price: $5.35+ 💸
Address: 93A Ossington Ave., Toronto, ON, M6J 2Z2
Why You Need To Go: With daily menus that they update regularly on their website, you might be able to feast on ice cream flavours like Avocado, London Fog, Lychee Rosewter and Raspberry that you can order stuffed between two delicious cookies in flavours like Captain P'nut, Old Fashined Oat and more.
They also have specialty products like their Big Bang Waffles, which is 4 ounces of ice cream scooped into a warm rolled egg waffle or the Crack'd Puff, which is a soft profiterole with crunchy-cracked craquelin tops and served with your choice of ice cream.
Arctic Bites
Price: $8.80+
Address: 21 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON, M5T 1L1
Why You Need To Go: With a focus on unique flavours and toppings, Arctic Bites also offers up a visual experience as they craft each ice cream roll right in front of you.
They have classic flavours like Strawberry and Coconut as well as options like Taro Coconut, Earl Grey Nutella and Matcha Sesame that you can pair with toppings like Lychee Jelly, Strawberry Pocky and more.
Delight Chocolate and Ice Cream
Price: $13.95+ per pint
Address: 3040 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON, M6P 1Z3
Why You Need To Go: You can't get much more local than Delight Chocolate, which is run by a husband and wife team who handmake all of their ice cream in Toronto's West End with certified fair trade, organic and local ingredients.
"We source the best seasonal fruits from local, sustainable farms and turn it into a jam which becomes the base for our fruit ice cream," they say. "Our fresh Mint and Lavender is harvested from our very own backyard."
They offer both vegan and non-vegan options in tempting flavours like Spiced Plum Ice Cream, Black Velvet Espresso and Junction Junkyard, which is a vanilla-based ice cream with chocolate chips, peanut butter cookies and melted caramel toffee.
On Third Thought
Price: $5.25+
Address: 6 Markham St, Toronto, ON, M6J 1E4
Why You Need To Go: It might not be ice cream, but how good does a pairing of gelato and wine sound?
They have three different flights to choose from: the Gelato Flight, which gets you three tasting-sized scoops from their daily flavours, Gelato and Wine, which gets you three tasting size scoops of gelato and three 3-ounce samples of their perfect wine pairing, or Wine, which gets you three 3 ounce samples of wines from their wine list.
For something particularly decadent, choose their Prosecco Pourover, which consists of a scoop of the gelato flavour of your choice served in a coupe glass with bubbly poured over it — think of it as an adult ice cream float!
Not into wine? They also have cocktails, beers and non-alcoholic options like coffees and sodas as well as a mocktail of the month.
Creamery X
Price: $13+ for a pint
Address: 114 Queen St E., Toronto, ON, M5C 1S6
Why You Need To Go: For premium, handmade custard dairy ice cream that serves up vegan, nut and gluten-free options, Creamery X is the spot to hit up.
For ice cream, try out flavours like 3 Berry Balsamic Cheesecake, Mom's Bourbon Butter Tart, Portugese Custard Tart and more.
They also sell some spectacular-looking cookies and ice cream cakes, the latter of which you can customize.
Creamery X's website
Ice Creamonology
Address: 250 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON, M5J 2N2
Why You Need To Go: Their ice cream is made with premium dairy from a family-owned farm in Ontario that they pair with premium ingredients like Madagascar vanilla beans, Mexican cinnamon sticks, Indian cardamom and Iranian saffron. They also source fruits from around the world, like kiwi from Greece, melon from Brazil, pear from Italy, and orange from Turkiye.
"We never ever use artificial flavouring or colouring," says the shop. "Mother nature gave us flavorful and colourful fruits, and we prefer to use them."
Good Behaviour
Address: Multiple locations
Why You Need To Go: As well as delicious sandwiches, this iconic Toronto spot serves up delicious pints in classic flavours as well as options like Vietnamese Coffee, Mango Mojito, Black Sesame and Espresso Martini.
They also have a rotating list of flavours available by the scoop!
Ed's Real Scoop
Address: Various locations
Why You Need To Go: "With over 150 ice creams, gelatos, sorbets and yogurts in our recipe books, we are always rotating specialty flavours," says Ed's Real Scoop.
Some of those flavours include Burnt Marshmallow, which is their signature scoop, Tanzanian Dark Chocolate Gelato, Tahitian Vanilla Bean and a good old fashioned Cookies and Cream.
Don't forget to try out their ice cream sandwiches, ice cream pies and chocolate-dipped items like Oreos, Chocolate Bark and more
Enjoy!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Desserts at Members Only Waffle House.
Desserts at Members Only Waffle House.