Gelato is practically its own food group in Italy, other than pasta, of course. And this decadent Italian import with its waves of creamy goodness is popping up all over Toronto neighbourhoods in all sorts of creative flavours.
Our love for Italian food started with Toronto's best pasta and now we've found Toronto's coolest gelato by neighbourhood so you can spend less time searching and more time, errr, scooping (technically, authentic gelato isn't actually scooped, it's served with a flat spoon called a spade). From Oretta's pastel-hued gelato cart rolling around the city to Asian and Indian flavours at Nani's Gelato, this list is for any sweet tooth.
If you've had your fill of Toronto's best ice cream and sampled all of the city's top doughnuts, we've got your cravings covered with Toronto's coolest gelato to try this summer. Even when temperatures drop, a cup or cone of gelato can raise the spirit and is always a good idea.
Toronto's best gelato: Queen West
1. On Third Thought
6 Markham St.
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Gelateria + wine bar? Talk about a match made in heaven. On Third Thought popped up on Markham Street last year and is a welcome addition to the Queen West neighbourhood. The gelato here is also vegan and free of allergens like nuts, gluten and soy. The fruity options (made with sugar, water and fresh fruit) go perfectly with an added prosecco pour over.
The creamy gelatos like cookies ’n’ cream and strawberry shortcake are whipped up using rice milk for a velvety texture. For the ultimate adult treat, try the espresso martini or spicy marg gelato flavours on their sunny patio.
2. Sud Forno
Multiple locations
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On summer days, you're bound to see people and their pups gathered outside the Queen West location of this Italian bakery and marketplace for a bite of oven-fresh pizza, a sip of espresso and licks of decadent gelato. Sud Forno is always on the hunt to source the best ingredients for their gelato like hazelnuts from Langhe, a hilly town in Piemonte, Italy, and chocolate from South America's pure cocoa.
3. Kekou
Multiple locations
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Whether you want to slurp or spoon a sweet treat, Kekou has your cravings covered with their selections of bubble tea and gelato. Their colourful Queen West store now has a sister spot in North York and offerings vary depending on location. Expect to find fun, Asian-inspired flavours like Vietnamese coffee, Thai iced tea and gelato served over glistening tapioca pearls.
Toronto's best gelato: King West
4. Oretta
633 King St. W.
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If you find yourself strolling along King West, be sure to check out Oretta’s adorable gelato cart. Designed and made in Italy, this cart is the next best thing to eating our way through the streets of Italia… kind of. Find rotating flavours like tiramisu and fior di latte alongside some Instagrammable moments, or some puffy bombolones (filled, Italian doughnuts).
5. Piccolina Gelato E Altra Roba
85 Portland St.
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Inside this charming white house tucked away on Portland Street, you'll find homemade gelato that really feels like you've stepped inside someone's home. There are mostly classic flavours on offer like stracciatella, chocolate and hazelnut, and some even come in dairy-free versions (they have gluten-free cones too). Bored of cups or cones? The gelato here can be served on a bed of fluffy brioche for the ultimate sundae.
Toronto's best gelato: Little Portugal
6. Death in Venice
1418 Dundas St. W.
The gelato geniuses at this incubator have created wacky yet wonderful flavours like hay honey caramel, grilled cheese and sourdough, and corn on the cob. Don’t knock ’em till you’ve tried ’em. Watch the delicious experiments unfold behind the glass walls, or get a scoop or an affogato (coffee poured over gelato) for yourself.
7. Tutto Gelato
181 Dovercourt Rd.
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Tutto Gelato originally opened in the late 90s. The owners sold the company years ago, but when the pandemic hit, they wanted to give people some much-needed indulgence and reopened their beloved shop on the corner of Dovercourt Road and Argyle Street. You'll find new rotating flavours every time you go in. One of the seasonal favourites is their gelato pumpkin pie on a graham cracker crust topped with caramel cookie butter crumble for good measure.
Toronto's best gelato: High Park
8. CB Bottega
29 Ripley Ave.
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OK, we know we just said that a gelateria + wine bar was the perfect match, but so is a gelateria just steps away from our favourite cheese boutique. CB Bottega is the Cheese Boutique's sister spot specializing in baked goods, coffee and, of course, gelato. Get their small-batch, Italian gelato by the scoop or pint with a bomba and you’ll be cheesin’ all day.
Toronto's best gelato: Yonge & Bloor
9. Nani’s Gelato
6 Charles St. E.
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This popular food-truck-turned-store-front specializes in producing Asian, Indian and Italian gelato flavours from-scratch. They create a new menu each week highlighting flavours, spices and family recipes the owners grew up on like saffron cardamom soft serve or their top selling Indian flavour: Punjabi Milk Cake that we can’t stop thinking about. Check their Instagram for menu updates.
Toronto's best gelato: Midtown
10. Hollywood Gelato
1640 Bayview Ave.
For 20 years this family-run gelato bar has been serving pure happiness. When you visit, you’ll have the very arduous task of choosing from 22 flavours ranging from traditional — lemon, hazelnut, pistachio — to the more adventurous Cadbury Creme Egg, red velvet and PB&J Pop-Tart varieties.
11. Futura Granita + Gelato
964 St Clair Ave. W.
Would you believe us if we told you there is a gelato university? Well it does indeed exist, and Carlo and Lois of Futura Granita + Gelato have brought all their learnings from Italy’s Carpigiani Gelato University to St. Clair Avenue. All of their granita and gelato is made in-house for the most delicious flavour possible. Indulge in Sicilian almond or hibiscus lemonade granita. Dessert daredevils can up the ante with a gelato sammie in fun flavour combos like peanut butter cookie and stracciatella. The gelato is milk-based but they have a rotation of vegan-friendly options.
12. Hotel Gelato
532 Eglinton Ave. W.
We would stay in a gelato hotel any day. But we guess we’ll just stay for dessert at this charming neighbourhood storefront that you might confuse with a boutique European-style hotel *sigh*. Until we can gallivant down a European street for real, a cone of black forest cake gelato will do just fine.
Toronto's best gelato: Downtown core
13. Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe
29 McCaul St.
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Holy cannoli, the flavours at this gelateria blow our mind: extra virgin olive oil with black truffle, vegan dark chocolate with hot peperoncini, gourmet spicy goat (cheese). It sounds like they just pulled ingredients out of a hat, but thanks to some sorcery, the creations are sinfully good. Get a scoop, pint or cone from their display case of cumulonimbus gelato clouds and use a fresh-baked cannoli as a spoon. We double dare you.
