The Best Ice Cream Shops in Montreal
Where can you find the best ice cream in Montreal? It’s the essential question as soon as the warm weather returns.
As soon as temperatures climb, ice cream cravings are never far behind. Spring and summer in Montreal lend themselves beautifully to this kind of sweet little break: a cone enjoyed on a stroll, a sundae shared on a terrasse, a spontaneous stop at a neighbourhood ice cream shop after dinner. In Montreal, occasions to indulge are plenty, especially with so many spots stepping up their creativity the moment the sunny days return.
While ice cream is now one of the most universal sweet treats out there, its origins go back much further than you might think. It’s said that the Roman emperor Nero was already enjoying a frozen dessert made with snow, honey, and fruit. Over time, different traditions gave rise to a wide variety of frozen delights, from China to the Middle East, and from Italy to the United States. Ice cream, sorbet, gelato: the forms vary, but the pleasure stays the same.
In Montreal, the offering is particularly rich. Artisanal ice cream shops and pastry shops also excel at frozen desserts, alongside a handful of well-established institutions and more creative spots, like the must-visit Iconoglace. The city has more than enough to satisfy every summer craving. You’ll find just as many classics as more original creations, always with that simple, comforting pleasure that comes with warm days.
Since hot days always pass too quickly in Quebec, we wanted to pull together our suggestions to help you make the most of the season. Montreal is full of excellent places to stop for a great ice cream, whether you’re in the mood to return to a classic or try something a little more unexpected.
This selection brings together some of our favourite ice cream shops in Montreal. Places we love for the quality of their products, their artisanal know-how, and the simple pleasure they deliver.
We also invite you to check out our lists of the best affogatos, the best ice cream sandwiches, and the best vegan ice cream in Montreal.
A special mention goes to Bouza in Laval, which stands out for its frozen creations inspired by Middle Eastern flavours. You might head there first for the ice cream, but you’ll keep coming back for the delicious frozen desserts and pastries too.
Happy tasting, happy spring, and a wonderful summer ahead!
ICONOGLACE
Iconoglace is one of Montreal’s most beloved ice cream stops, as much for the quality of its products as for its fully artisanal approach. Everything is made in-house, from the waffle cones to the slushies prepared with real fruit and organic maple water, with no artificial ingredients. Already well-established on Bélanger Street, the Laurier West location has also carved out a spot among the city’s top ice cream shops.
Montréal
Dalmata Bar Laitier
Dalmata is chef Danny Smiles‘ charming gelateria, tucked into the heart of the Mile-End. You’ll find delicious frozen creations, decadent sundaes, and brioches stuffed with chocolate gelato and a pistachio cream drizzle, always made with quality ingredients. The space is colourful, retro, and festive — a perfect sweet pause for warm days.
Montréal
Atelier Mélilot
In the summer of 2025, the founders of Pâtisserie Mélilot opened an ice cream shop in Outremont, just steps from their original location. You’ll find the same sensibility for well-crafted products, with several unexpected flavours like a kouign-amann ice cream or a floral tea sorbet.
Montréal
CA LEM Crèmerie Creamery (NDG) ice cream
Ca Lem is an ice cream shop just a short walk from Concordia University’s Loyola Campus in NDG, serving up excellent scoops. The space is welcoming, the little terrasse out front is lovely, and the product on offer is seriously well done. With nearly 20 flavours, there’s something for every palate, including a rotating flavour of the week. You’ll likely spot more than a few happy students around, which is usually a good sign. If NDG is too far, they also have four other locations in Lachine, Laval, Old Montreal, and on Atwater.
Montréal
Crèmerie SWIRL
Tucked along Rachel Street at the corner of Laval, the ice cream shop SWIRL serves up a sublime coconut milk–based ice cream that’s vegan and lactose-free, along with flavourful sorbets made from real fruit. We love the hip, minimalist black-and-white decor. The obvious move? The “swirl” of ice cream and sorbet — pure delight!
Montréal
Virevent
Le Virevent is an artisanal ice cream counter in Ahuntsic, set along Promenade Fleury. Every season, it draws plenty of local regulars who simply can’t get through the warm months without the shop’s delicious scoops. It’s a friendly, family-run spot!
Montréal
Crèmerie Dalla Rose
Located in Saint-Henri, the little ice cream shop Dalla Rose serves up some of the best ice cream in the city. You’ll find a range of ice cream flavours, along with six ice cream cookies that change depending on the mood. The house specialty? Succulent ice cream sandwiches made to order by the chef. You pick your cookie flavours, your ice cream, and end up with one of the best frozen treats of the summer. The quality of the ingredients is a big part of what makes it taste so good. A second location has opened inside Nita Tout Garni, in the Mile End, and has carved out its own spot among the neighbourhood’s go-to sweet addresses. You’ll find the same generously garnished scoops that built the shop’s reputation, with the added option of pairing them with a glass of wine for a slightly more festive sweet pause.
Montreal
Coquine
At Coquine, iconic cocktail recipes are transformed into house-made ice creams, infused with real spirits and prepared with natural ingredients. Through Anton’s creations, you’ll taste Aperol in a frozen take on the Italian spritz, the espresso martini reimagined as a silky tonka bean ice cream, the margarita as a mango-chili sorbet spiked with tequila, or a cherry-amaretto flavour inspired by old-fashioned ice creams. You can also customize a house-made slushie with a mini bottle of Prosecco or vino for a little extra festive touch.
Montréal
Crèmerie Meu Meu
The ice cream at Meu Meu has always been exceptional. We love the warm welcome at the tiny Plateau shop. Every customer is served like a friend; the attentive service is part of the charm, and the proof is on the wall covered with photos of customers who’ve become regulars. We love the hundred or so original flavours dreamed up by Raphaël Bédard de Vilca, the new head ice cream maker and co-owner. The quality of the product at this little Saint-Denis Street shop is truly impeccable.
Montréal
Gema Pizzeria
We’ve told you about the pizzeria Gema in our list of the best pizzas in Montreal, but the restaurant Gema also has an exceptional soft serve counter. Chef Michele Forgione has indeed cracked the soft serve recipe, and it’s now among our favourites in the city. Whether you go for vanilla or chocolate, with a chocolate or caramel dip, the experience is always a delicious one.
Montréal
Les Givrés Villeray
Les Givrés serves up some of the best artisanal ice cream in the city! You may have spotted it in grocery stores, but the experience is always more refreshing at the shop itself. Les Givrés now operates three locations, one on De Castelnau East, one on Ontario, and a third on Masson. We love all their succulent scoops! We also highly recommend their indulgent ice cream cakes if you’ve got an occasion to celebrate at home.
Montréal
Les Chocolats de Chloé
Known for its divine chocolates, the shop also offers, starting in May and throughout the warm season, a frozen lineup worth the detour. House-made ice cream in a chocolate-dipped cone, fruit pops, double chocolate pops — plenty of lovely gourmand options await.
Montréal
Le Bilboquet Outremont
Le Bilboquet Outremont was founded in 1983! With over forty ice cream options, the shop is an essential stop and a true Montreal ice cream institution. The creamery now has several locations, making it easier to enjoy its delicious products — and helping you avoid the long lineups that come with its legendary scoops.
Montréal
Kem CoBa
Kem CoBa means “ice cream from auntie number 3” in Vietnamese. It was apparently the nickname given to Ngoc, the co-owner, by her niece. The shop serves up a few succulent ice creams and delicious house-made sorbets. We love the quality of the products, the original flavours, and the handful of pastries with Asian influences. A word of warning: the lines can get dizzyingly long. We recommend visiting during off-peak hours for a more enjoyable experience.
Montréal
Crèmerie Bo-Bec
Crèmerie Bo-Bec is an artisanal ice cream shop in the heart of Plateau Mont-Royal. The shop near Parc Laurier has a charmingly old-school vibe, which makes sense given that it opened its doors in 1989 on Laurier East. Here, you’ll find more than twenty artisanal ice cream flavours alongside the classic soft serve. You can also grab ice cream to go from the self-serve counter.
Montréal
Café San Gennaro
Café San Gennaro is part of our list of the best Italian cafés in Montreal. It’s a spot where you can enjoy excellent pizza al taglio and very good Italian coffee. The small pastel-hued space with its friendly staff also offers a lovely selection of gelati for whatever you’re craving in the moment. The space and the flavours transport you elsewhere; the place is simply charming.
Montréal
Havre aux Glaces
Havre-aux-glaces is a wonderful artisanal ice cream shop serving up exquisite ice creams and sorbets! The flavours rotate with the seasons. In the warmer months, for instance, the shop offers sorbets (their specialty!) featuring Quebec flavours, like strawberry, blueberry, or raspberry. Year-round, you’ll find scoops like 72% chocolate, pistachio, apricot milk, or burnt maple caramel (a true favourite of ours).
Montréal
Mollo Café - Gelato
In Pointe-Saint-Charles, Café Mollo, a café and gelateria, has become a neighbourhood favourite. The ice cream is made right on site, behind the counter. The flavours are constantly rotating and are all produced with the freshest ingredients: we have a soft spot for the green apple and the mango. That said, the crowd favourite remains the coffee ice cream made with ZAB coffee.
Montréal
Ripples
As soon as the warm weather arrives, Ripples opens its doors and customers come running. Since 1984, this little shop has been serving up exceptional ice cream. The spot offers around thirty flavours, and our favourites are the 6X chocolate and the French vanilla. You’ll also find sorbets, frozen yogurts, and Blizzards of all kinds. If you happen to be on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, it’s really worth a try. Since 2019, Ripples has a second address, this time in the Mile-End.
Montréal
Hoche Glacé
Located in Hochelaga, this ice cream shop offers a great variety of Italian-style gelati — classic tiramisu or oat milk tiramisu — along with several vegan options. Scoops, ice cream cakes, and swirls: everything is 100% house-made!
Montréal
