Where to find the best Ice Cream of Berlin
Did you know that according to recent figures, it is estimated that over 10 million Germans visit an ice cream parlour for a sweet treat more than once a month? As the summer heats up, Berliners can’t get enough of the stuff! Whether you opt for a typical ice cream coffee ‘Eiskaffee’, a fun ‘Spaghettieis’ or an experimental flavoured vegan sorbet; Berlin’s diverse range of top quality ice cream parlours have something for every taste!
Or why not hit up Berlin’s annual Ice Cream Festival and try them all? Trust us, calories do not count when you are on holiday in Berlin! ;) Here’s our selection of Berlin’s finest ice cream parlours:
With several outlets in Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, Hokey Pokey calls itself an ice cream Patisserie, offering some of the most luxurious ice cream in Berlin. As the passion project of professional chef Niko Robert, who specialized as a pastry chef in many 5 Star luxury hotels before founding Hokey Pokey, the quality is fantastic! Many Berliners will tell you it is the best in the city. So, there are often queues to sample the classic flavours which include Sicilian Pistachio; Indian Mango and the parlours namesake ‘Hokey Pokey’ - a sumptuous vanilla ice cream with caramel honeycomb.
With 8 small and colourful stores all over Berlin, this young and upcoming Ice cream manufacturer is selling both classic and unusual varieties of ice cream of insane quality made mostly with regional and seasonal products. Fancy some Chocolate Venezuela, 73%, Caramel Beurre Salé or Wild Blueberry Sorbet? There are lots of vegan and lactose-free options, too.
In total, their assortment includes more than 100 varieties - 20 of which you will find daily in the ice cream display cases of their stores. Some of them are always there, others change according to season and availability.
On top of that, Vanille & Marille support numerous projects of a social, cultural or political nature, especially projects and foundations in the surrounding neighbourhoods. Find out more here!
At Rosa Canina, there are no compromises on quality ingredients to produce handmade, organic ice cream which tastes sublime. There are no artificial flavourings used, just the best selection of fruits, chocolates and spices to offer a variety of ice cream flavours and vegan sorbets daily. With several outlets around the city, the most appealing is the stand at hip Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg, an artisan food hall with lots of tasty treats and regular foodie events, the most well known being Street Food Thursday. Check it out, you won’t regret it!
Ice cream or cookies today? Well, at Jones’, you don’t have to choose, because they have a great selection of both! Located a block south from Winterfeldtplatz with its twice weekly farmers market, in the leafy streets of Schöneberg amongst boutiques, cafes and restaurants, this spot is pretty popular and often has a line. It is worth the wait, however, with unusual ice cream flavours such as black sesame, Earl Grey Tea or Carrot Cake, served in a freshly made waffle cone. The cookies are equally as tempting with chunky chocolate chips, nuts and fruits. Jones often have a pop up truck at foodie events at trendy Markthalle Neun food hall in Kreuzberg, too!
Serving ice cream in Kreuzberg since the Berlin Wall fell nearby in 1989, this neighbourhood ice cream parlour is well known for large portions of ice cream served in freshly baked waffle cones. It is a typical, traditional sort of place, popular with the neighbourhood’s kids and tourists, who unknowingly turned down this local sidestreet.
Why not be tempted by the ice cream sundaes with cream, sauce and chopped fruit or nuts balanced over the ice cream scoops? You will not be disappointed. There are several classic flavours to choose from with the most daring to try being Fig with Gorgonzola blue cheese!
At Fräulein Frost, you are tempted with homemade, organic milk based ice cream as well as vegan fruit sorbets in a variety of flavours. The most popular parlour is still the original store, in the heart of the Neukölln neighbourhood, which is often frequented by hipsters and trendy families with children. The location is super easy to take a cone to go and stroll through the local farmers’ and fleamarkets, which take place on the Landwehr canalside nearby. ‘Little miss Frost’ promises that all their ice cream is handmade ‘with love’! What a lovely thought!
There is always a long queue in front of this Ice Cream parlour near Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, and for a very good reason! Cuore di Vetro is Italian and means "Heart of Glass" because of their glass kitchen, where the guests can see for themselves how they create their fresh ice cream every day - with first-class ingredients, sophisticated recipes and a lot of passion and amore. Italy's best ice cream masters such as Giacomo Schiavon and Antonio Mezzalira have introduced the shop owners to the fine art of artisan ice cream, using the best ingredients, sourced directly from small producers, such as the pistachios from Bronte, the hazelnut IGP from Piedmont, the bourbon vanilla from Madagascar and different varieties of precious chocolate and cocoa from Mono origin. Their ice creams contain up to 70 percent regional organic milk and the most valuable dairy by-products, such as mascarpone, ricotta, butter and yoghurt. Sorbets there are prepared with a very high percentage of fresh, seasonal fruits and all of them, including the cocoa, almond and pistachio sorbets, are vegan and free of cholesterol. A Must Try!
