BERLIN, ICE CREAM HEAVEN

A guide to Berlin’s best ice cream

Summer is here! And as temperatures rise, a quiet thought soon grows into a loud voice and a desire so strong we need to give in sooner rather than later. We head out into the sun, over to our favorite parlor and get in line with other fellow ice cream worshippers. he sensation of delicious taste, and the savoring of the first scoop of ice cream of the season is such a special and wonderful moment each year. 

Don’t we all love it? Tastes ranging from sweet to sour, from creamy chocolates to the freshest of sorbets, from classics to unseen taste combinations, from vegan ones to scoops with a bit of liquor. There is an ice cream sort for everyone. Berlin’s ice cream scene is so manifold, and each year new manufacturers producing insanely good ice cream appear on the scene, and stay. We have tasted scoops and scoops of fantastic ice cream and selected our personal favorites – by no means raising a claim for completeness, as there are many more in the city worth a visit – for all kinds of ice cream lovers. Here is the YUN Journal guide to Berlin ice cream. Spoiler: it will be mouthwatering!

CUORE DI VETRO

Unlike most modern ice cream parlors, Cuore does not look like an minimalist-interior-design dream come true. The cozy shop also offers a selection of the finest Italian specialties and coffee,  and all throughout summer the ice cream counter is very busy. he back of the shop is where the classic Italian Gelato is made (you can even watch them), and it is unbelievable good. The small assortment changes each day, with names of Dark Wave musicians or other cultural references. Their Dark Chocolate sorbet is supposedly the best in the whole of Berlin!  Everything is truly Italian, and if you are not a friend of the long lines during the day, head there later in the evening for a glass of wine and a late night scoop. Ice Cream, coffee, and lots of amore! 

Personal favorite: White Duke

JONES ICE CREAM

This place is bold and authentic. With an interior reminiscent of a modern coffee shop, the ice cream is almost invisible at first sight. But once you find it,  it’s a revelation. Everything is made freshly from scratch each day in very small batches, with only the finest ingredients to make the best ice cream with the strongest flavors, all enriched with large chunks of meringue, cookie dough, or brownie. Matcha Green Tea, Grapefruit and Earl Grey Sorbet, Whisky Pecan, Roasted Chicoree Coffee, or Lemon Pie – you get an idea of what the fuss is all about, right? The shop smells like buttery heaven from the handmade cones that are incredibly crunchy, tasty and beautiful. Besides the scoop shop, their truck travels the city of Berlin all summer long. Check their website for its location (or find it at Street Food Thursday each week in the Markthalle Neun).

Personal favorite: Black Sesame

ROSA CANINA

Since 2008 Rosa Canina stands for delicious ice cream, all handmade in their manufactory in Prenzlauer Berg. With a wide assortment from classic to extravagant,  they challenge us to opening new taste dimensions through combinations that complement each other and taste as if they had always belonged together, like combining chocolates and spices to trigger our senses. In their ice cream, they refrain from adding any artificial flavors and using only the purest of fruits, spices and chocolates, with all ingredients being 100% organic. 

Personal favorite: Tonka bean with roasted sesame.

TRIBECA ICE CREAM

This place is paradise for all vegans! Following the success of an Pop Up in New York in 2015, they brought their concept of a different kind of vegan ice cream to Berlin and opened their scoop shop in Berlin in July 2017. Everything is plant based, organic, and handmade in the back of the shop. Tribeca offers an alternative to the classical versions and nutrition-conscious ice cream lovers get their money’s worth. All sorts are based on cold press coconut oil, rice milk, nut milk and cacao butter and thus are vegan, gluten and soy free, with no artificial flavors or refined sugar added. The small assortment is littered with delicacies going by names like Coconut Ash, Blue Coconut, Raw Chocolate or Banana Walnut. We were a bit skeptical at first but be assured, it is fantastic: creamy and delicious.

Personal favorite: Salty Maca Caramel