The season of long hot summer days has arrived in Paris, and on a bright warm evening, when the velvet sunlight gilds the water surface of the Seine, the only thing we want is to take an armful of best friends and go in search of the most delicious, tender and moderately sweet ice cream. To make it easier for you to find, we have compiled a review of ten places in Paris, where they make a wonderful artisan summer delicacy of the highest quality ingredients. Classic tastes or the most incredible fantasy flavor combinations - whatever your tastes are, read in our article about where in Paris ice cream is a real gastronomic art and gourmet pleasure.
Originality ★★★★★ / Atmosphere ★★★★☆ / Location ★★★★★
La Fabrique Givrée is, above all, a dream come true and the story of the friendship of three young men with unrestrained imagination and boundless love for homemade ice cream. In Paris, La Fabrique Givrée is ideally located in the very heart of the Latin Quarter, between the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Garden. Here you can try dozens of different flavors of artisan ice cream and sorbet, from classic to the craziest. For example, there is ice cream with saffron, fried buckwheat, rose guava, lavender apricot, basil mint, and vineyard peach. Also every week in La Fabrique Givrée a delicious taste-surprise awaits you, the so-called parfum éphémère. We were lucky to try a delicious cherry sorbet while the next secret taste was going to be the taste of beer. Of course, we can not miss this.
Also, each scoop of the finest ice cream or sorbet can be decorated with caramelized cashew nuts or pecans.
Quality and great taste are confirmed not only by our review but also by prestigious Gault & Millau French restaurant guide and a position in the list of the best manufacturers of artisan ice cream in France.
Address : 26 Rue Soufflot, 75005 Paris
Transportation : Metro line RER B Luxembourg
Opening hours : Sun-Wed 13:00-20:00 / Thur 13:00-21:00 / Fri 13:00-22:30 / Sat 11:00-21:00
Originality ★★★★★ / Atmosphere ★★★★★ / Location ★★★★★
We looked into this unique Lebanese ice cream shop on the recommendation of our friends, native-born Parisians. It is conveniently located in front of the Pompidou Center, and from the moment of opening until the very close there is always a queue of people willing to try the most delicate, air-whipped and simply delicious ice cream in Paris. This is truly a place for real gourmets. Since 1936, the Bashir family has been producing 100% natural bio-ice cream, passing unique know-how from generation to generation.
For a pot of three scoops you can choose an unlimited (!) number of flavors out of a dozen. Signature Bachir flavors are air-whipped ice cream with a taste of rose petals (pétale de rose) and milk cream with pistachios (crème de lait et pistache). But the king flavor is Ashta: milk cream with orange blossoms generously rolled in shredded pistachios. If desired, you can also decorate all this magnificence of taste and tenderness with homemade whipped cream.
Address : 58 Rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris
Transportation : Metro line 11 Rambuteau / Metro line 4 Étienne Marcel / Metro lines 1, 4, 7, 11, 14, RER A, B, D Châtelet-Les Halles
Opening hours : Everyday 12:00-22:45
Originality ★★★★☆ / Atmosphere ★★★★☆ / Location ★★★★★
You might easily find GROM stores in Paris because there are totally 4 stores in the city. They are all located with good accessibility: near Luxembourg garden, Saint Michel, Chatelet, and Marais district. The store is tidily organized where you can avoid the heat and relax during your journey.
Grom offers different types of ice cream. There is a choice between the cup, corn with chocolate or stick. Also, you can have a frappe to release your heat or enjoy granita which is one of typical Italian iced dessert. Grom's specialty is pistachio flavor which was first introduced to the world by Grom. Its taste is strong but soft and fresh. Also, the coconut flavor is also recommended by its staff.
Address : 19 Rue Soufflot, 75005 Paris
Transportation : Metro line RER B Luxembourg / line 10 Cluny-La Sorbonne
Opening hours : Everyday 13:00-20:00
Originality ★★★★☆ / Atmosphere ★★★☆☆ / Location ★★★★★
Gelati d'Alberto is definitely the best Italian gelateria of Paris. Here you need to go for the perfect pistachio ice cream, nuts for which are brought from the island of Sicily. It has a delicate creamy and nutty and slightly salty taste. It is located on the picturesque Rue Mouffetard in the depths of the Latin Quarter. Here you can find all the classic tastes, as well as the original taste of a mojito cocktail, Kinder chocolate, coconut or rose. Ice cream in a crispy waffle cup will be skillfully decorated as an elegant flower with multi-coloured petals. Our flower consisted of pistachio, peanut ice cream, and Kinder flavour petals and we adored every tiny bit of it.
In Gelati d'Alberto only cash is accepted and ice cream can only be taken to go.
Address : 45 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris
Transportation: Metro line 7 Place Monge
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 13:00 - 00:00
Originality ★★★★☆ / Atmosphere ★★★★☆ / Location ★★★★☆
The discreet yet gifted Emmanuel Ryon, who was awarded the titles of "Meilleur Ouvrier de France Glacier 2000" and "World Pastry Champion 1999," opened this cosy tea and ice cream shop in 2015. The shop offers twenty-four flavours, all crafted using high-quality seasonal produce in the lab located beneath. The best-selling items in the store are the smoked beech vanilla ice cream and the chocolate flavours, but you mustn't miss out on the "baba au rhum," a delightful combination of spongy rum cake and smoked vanilla ice cream. Additionally, the store boasts a wide selection of ice. If you're in Paris, don't forget to try the amazing flavours of this award-winning ice cream
Address : 15 rue saint Croix de la Bretonnerie 75004 Paris
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 13:00-19:00
Originality ★★★★☆ / Atmosphere ★★★☆☆ / Location ★★★★★
Founded in 1954 by Raymond Berthillon, this place is from far the most well-known Parisian ice-cream shop. Berthillon ice creams are sold in a lot of cafés and restaurants all over Paris, especially in Ile Saint Louis. But we strongly advise you to go to the original ice cream shop instead of the reseller, because the range of flavours is much wider in the original shop. They have more than 70 different flavours, from very classical to the most original ones (like Almond milk, Gianduja, gingerbread…)
Address : 29-31 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004 Paris
Transportation: Metro line 7 Sully-Morland / line 1 Saint-Paul
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 10:00-20:00 / Closed on Monday and Tuesday
Originality ★★★★☆ / Atmosphere ★★★★★ / Location ★★★★★
A true Italian-style ice cream shop adorned in white and gold, this ice cream shop and tea room offer homemade ice creams made with exceptional ingredients, free from artificial colours or preservatives. Beyond being a delightful treat, sitting in this beautifully decorated ice cream shop promises a remarkable visual and atmospheric experience. The speciality of this elegant gelateria is savoury salmon-flavoured ice cream. It boasts a perfect texture and a strong salmon taste, although it may become slightly overwhelming over time. The brand has multiple locations in Paris, allowing you to come across Il Gelato Del Marchese in various places. However, our top recommendations are the flagship store “Gelateria Artigianale” in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, a sophisticated and sparkling salon that offers the most memorable atmosphere.
Address : 3 Rue des Quatre Vents, 75006 Paris
Transportation : Metro line 4, 10 Odéon
Opening hours: Sun-Thur 13:00-20:00 / Fri-Sat 13:00-21:00
Originality ★★★★☆ / Atmosphere ★★★★☆ / Location ★★★★★
Impeccably crafted flavours, innovative presentations, and irresistible indulgence - La Glacerie, the haute couture of ice cream and sorbet, revolutionizes the art of frozen treats. Leading the charge at La Glacerie is David Wesmael, a pastry chef and ice cream maker driven by a fervour for taste and freshness. His mission is to "accurately capture the authentic essence of each ingredient in ice cream." It has a shop in the 4th arrondissement of Paris and you can now also find this brand (and the above-mentioned Il Gelato del Marchese) at Le Gourmet in Galerie Lafayette, which will make your gastronomic journey even more convenient.
Address: 35 Bd Haussmann, 75009 Paris
Transportation: Metro line 3, 9 Havre- Caumartin
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9:30-21:00 / Sun 11:00-20:00
Originality ★★★★★ / Atmosphere ★★☆☆☆ / Location ★★★☆☆
Selling milk teas, desserts and smoothies, this tea shop is also famous for its Matcha - Black Sesame flavour ice cream. If you're looking to cool down a hot summer day with a less sugary, refreshing ice cream, we recommend you try this, available in a creamy texture in a blend of two flavours or as a single flavour. Although YITHÉ GLACERIE doesn't offer a dozen flavours to choose from like a traditional ice cream shop, its uniqueness is definitely worth trying and will give you an unforgettable experience.
Address: 26 Rue des Lombards, 75004 Paris
Opening hours: Everyday 12:00-22:00
Bingsu is a Korean dessert made with crushed ice, red beans, condensed milk and fluffy rice cakes. But there are other variations: with Oreos, with fruit etc... It is believed that Plus82paris is the first Korean café in Paris. Open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 7 pm. You can enjoy patgingsu, strawberry bingsu and bingsu oreo for the token price of 8 euros. There are also lemonades (Yuzu, Omija) and lattes as you'd find in Korea.
Address : 11bis Rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 09:00–19:00, close on Sunday
Words by O'bon Paris Team