Characterful new garden cafe with arresting selection of flavours, all concocted from scratch in-house. We recommend the silky dark chocolate sorbet, a killer stracciatella and a pistachio made with just-roasted nuts, giving it an amazing, almost dry quality. 129 Kentish Town Road NW1 10am-9pm
Chin Chin Labs
The original nitrogen ice cream factory is always a favourite with visiting kiddies. Gasp as the explosions of NO2 gas ensure the creamiest creations. Flavours are on rotation, but will usually include an 80% coco dark chocolate and a rich vanilla, made with fresh pods imported especially from India. 49-50 Camden Lock Place, 12am-7pm daily
Gelato Mio
You’ll be hard-pressed to find gelato done as well as this if you’re travelling in Italy this summer. Try the Nocciola for a creamy hazelnut treat, or the beautiful Mirtillo, a blueberry sorbet that delights the kids and refreshes on the muggiest of London afternoons. The Arcade (opp Eurostar arrivals) St Pancras Station, 8am-9pm daily
Thankfully the controversial restaurant sale last year hasn’t affected the classic (bordering on retro) ices, which remain just as they always were, despite production now taking place – shhhh! – in Suffolk. We’re suckers for the hazelnut. And the pistachio is the biz too. Chalk Farm Road (opposite tube) open until 11pm
Samba Swirl
These local frozen yoghurt specialists dispense a rainbow of fat-free fruit, nut and berry flavours, on daily rotation via a bank of fun, DIY hand pumps. We reckon the chocolate is about as good as California-style guilt-free indulgence gets. 5 Jamestown Road, 11am-11pm daily
Rossella
Check out the home-made gelato at the charming family-run trattoria with sprawling pavement terrace an olive’s hurl from all-conquering Pizza East. And it’s handily near the Heath, too. 103 Highgate Road, open midday till 11pm
Ruby Violet
The capital’s hippest parlour boasts quirky flavours galore and snaking queues. Ingredients are local where possible, so enjoy honeycomb from the Heath or allotment-grown chilli chocolate, all made with organic milk. 118 Fortess Road, 11am-10pm weekdays 10am-10pm weekends
3 thoughts on “Top 7: places for an ice cream”
Tried the lovely Anima e Cuore (Heart & Soul) for the first time today – beautiful passion fruit ice cream in a crisp sugar cone. The very friendly guy also gave me samples of banana sorbet, mango sorbet and a delicious hazelnut ice-cream – all totally on-the-premises homemade (he showed me the ice-cream maker and hazlenut puree out back.).
NB Was interested to discover they also make fresh pasta to order (he showed me the pasta machine too!). It looks like being an authentic and tasty addition to Kentish Town. They seem to do a small selection of carefully prepared Italian specialties (savouries as well as pastries, cakes and ice-cream) and are keeping it simple (it looks a tad sparse right now). Really hope they do well as they’re obviously serious foodies who care about high quality Italian food. Cute garden area and lovely toilets too!
Just got back from Anima e Cuore and was about to write the same thing! Really, really delicious ice cream and sorbet, and we were given other excellent samples to try. I had chocolate sorbet and passion-fruit & papaya sorbet – normally I’d have at least one creamy ice cream, but these flavours were so good, I didn’t miss the cream.
I see AeC is open until 9m, so do please try it for dessert, Kentishtowners, even if it’s too late, this summer, to take a cone to the park.
Update on Anima e Cuore opening hours – they stay open till 10pm!
Hate to think people might miss out on going there if they think it closes early – the brilliant hard-copy Kentishtowner review (yet to be published on the website I think) said they close at 8pm, which ain’t right (I asked them).