The Best Gelato and Ice Cream in Berlin

Pistachio from Bronte, single-origin cacao, organic milk from Brandenburg, all made from-scratch . . . Whether those items are found on the breakfast menu of a third wave café or in a scoop of ice cream – none of that makes a place stand out anymore. What is it then, that qualifies an ice cream as the best in Berlin?

Consistency of Gelato and Ice Cream

Top-notch flavor is mastered by many: Chipi Chipi Bombón, Par Creamery, Zàgara, Süßfein, Rosa Canina, Gimme Gelato, Mos Eisley . . . However the consistency – which has nothing to do with the temperature – is what sets my favorite ice cream shops apart from the above.

I like thick but velvety scoops.

Thick enough, that when you squish it with your tongue, it won’t disappear. Velvety, meaning one lick will linger for a multitude of seconds. Try to push the ice cream down into the cone. If the scoop falls off, or the cone cracks – too thick. If it deforms, slides off or disappears into the funnel – too soft. Bite off half a scoop . . . Wait, does that even fit in your mouth? Way too thin. 

thick chocolate sorbet
Süßfein, Berlin
best ice cream in Berlin

A Dozen Good Ice Creams in Berlin

Berlin has more than a dozen good ice cream shops. If it’s a hot day and you’re craving this frozen treat, be my guest. Below are all your options. (Click full screen on the right for the key and more descriptions.)

Faldon Eismanufaktur is a family-owned Italian gelato shop near Schloss Charlottenburg, unknown to most locals. However, in my opinion they churn the second best gelato in all of Berlin. The dainty scoops are soft, but velvety and will linger on your tongue forever. Besides Italian classics, the tart cherry-stracciatella astounded me.

CANAL Ice Cream produces Italian basics as well as seasonal specials with “American-style” fillings and swirls. All ingredients, from brownie to tiramisu are homemade, and own patisserie-masterwork. My hits are the intense coconut-cacao nibs, rich 72% Venezuelan Chocolate and fluffy, but intense Tiramisu flavor. (The other place is called Waffel oder Becher, here they produce the ice cream. It’s the same quality but CANAL has a nicer flair.)

CANAL ice cream, Hackesche Höfe
Matcha and Coconut Cacao Nibs, CANAL

Oak & Ice caught me with their ultra thick pistachio. It lingers on your tongue forever. Matcha too – it’s my favorite in town. The Polish family produces a large variety of vegan and sugar-free flavors as well – or should I not have mentioned this? Because you can’t tell. For the extra-curious, a flight of five tiny scoops is perfect.

Lidos Eis is a humble Italian gelato shop bringing this dessert back to the basics. Run by the dad, assisted by his daughter, they came directly from Sicily. Bronte pistachio, creamy Stracciatella, velvety dark chocolate. On a cone, or inside a Brioche. Classic, unpretentious and real good. 

Lido Eis Berlin Kreuzberg
Brioche con Gelato (Pistachio), Lidos Eis

Still worth mentioning are the American-style swirls in Katchi’s Ice Cream Art (Charlottenburg), the über-intense flavor profiles like sweet potato, dulce de leche or pistachio) at Chipi Chipi Bombón (Friedrichshain), the pumpkin-seed-oil or Mozart-Kugel flavor at one of the organic Rosa Canina parlors or the intense single-origin Italian servings at Zàgara (Kreuzberg). 

chocolate-beet sorbet, pistachio gelato, macadamia fleur de sel
Bronte Pistachio, Beet Chocolate, Macadamia Fleur de Sel, Zàgara

It’s My Opinion

They all churn good ice cream. However, no spot strikes me if the consistency doesn’t satisfy. As said, I like thick and velvety. But this is highly subjective. For more opinions, read Per’s finest Ice Cream List and Stil in Berlin’s Best Ice Cream Guide by two of Berlin’s most well-known food critics that I highly admire. Mary Scherpe (Stil in Berlin) explicitly writes that she prefers “smooth and light texture”.

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Early Bird Gelato, Prenzlauer Berg
Cuore di Vetro

There you can read about spots like Hokey Pokey, Early Bird or Cuore di Vetro. However, to satisfy my taste, after years, I know finally have a satisfying answer to

“What’s the best ice cream in Berlin?”

Chocolate Sorbet, Pistachio Gelato
Vanilla Caramel Brownies, Salted Butter Caramel at Jones Ice Cream

Duo Sicilian makes the best gelato in Berlin. Velvety consistency and classic Italian flavors.

Jones makes the best ice cream in Berlin. Buttery cones, and picturesque globes with swirls and chunks of homemade pastries par excellence.

– Anouk, aka Ookie

Duo Sicilian, Kreuzberg

Passed on from father to son, now Antonio, a true Sicilian, churns the thickest smears of gelato in town. His ice cream is thick and velvety, almost sticky, especially the pistachio, and award-winning Etna. That volcano is made on a base of almonds, tastes like marzipan, and has glaze of Antonio’s famous pistachio cream throughout.

Even the sorbets are thick – strawberry, raspberry, mango. If you’re searching for a smooth and light watery ice cream, choose a granita. It’s nothing like the sugary granitas in Rome. At Duo the Sicilian specialty is made purely from water, sugar and the ingredient (pistachio, almond, wild berries or lemon). Add a brioche, for breakfast and you’re on vacation, in the midst of Kreuzberg. 

I’ve asked Antonio multiple times how he gets his ice cream so good. The answer is always the same. 40 years of experience. Sourcing the best ingredients straight from Italy. And freshness. In the busy season, he makes new batches every single day.

Pistachio and Coconut Ice Cream
Pistachio and Coconut Gelato, Duo Sicilian

Be ready for a 30min line on hot days and choose your duo. I love the combination of Etna & Raspberry, Chocolate & Mango, or Coconut & Pistachio. Plus a shell of homemade pistachio glaze? It will be filling but so worth it. Two of Berlin’s best smears for 2,50€. How come? As Antonio says: 

“Ice Cream should be for everyone. You shouldn’t have to think twice if you can afford ice cream or not.” 

– Antonio Tomasiello

Jones Ice Cream, Schöneberg

Gabriele and Jan’s artisanal ice cream parlor is a category in itself. French excellence on American-style ice cream can’t be compared to Italian gelato. It’s different. Think Franzbrötchen or cinnamon roll, Käsekuchen or cheese cake. Jones Ice Cream is like a Sea Wolf cinnamon roll, or a Five Elephant cheesecake.

It starts with the homemade cones. They are crunchy, and buttery. Like a thin, rolled up cookie, topped with picture-perfect globes:

Vanilla Caramel Brownies: insane vanilla, swirls of caramel, homemade gooey brownie
Banana Chocolate Marshmallow: first of its kind that tastes like real bananas, plus hand-torched marshmallow bits, and chocolate chips that melt in your mouth
Whisky Pecans: boozy whisky, candied pecan, just what it says it is
Peanut Butter & Jelly: the closest thing I’ve tasted to to the States, only better
Apple Crumble: Merry Christmas!

I love Jones Ice Cream for these concoctions. Dense and creamy ice cream with swirls and chunks – homemade jelly, hand-burned caramel, or bits of shortbread, cheesecake, cookie dough, crumbles or brownies. All made from scratch. This parlor is one of the best patisseries in Berlin. But Jones also masters simple flavors: Black Sesame, Chestnut, Matcha Green Tea, Salted Butter Caramel . . . Not to mention the sorbets, bursting in flavor. Tart Spring Rhubarb, Summer Strawberry (top that with whipped cream) or sour Clementine in Winter.

If it weren’t already good enough – read on about the gooey cookies. These are so good, they can afford to be sold in their inedible version – topped by a ball of ice cream, served with a wooden stick. The concoction drools over itself, knowing how good it is. Bon Appétit.

Jones Ice Cream
Double Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie with Banana-Chocolate-Marshmallow Ice Cream

I used to miss the US for it’s “small batch artisanal ice cream parlors” – Salt & Straw in Portland, Mc Connell’s in Santa Barbara, Bi-Rite in San Francisco, Glacier in Boulder, Morgenstern’s in New York. Jones is similar. Only a fraction of the price, locally owned, made on site, and the quality is comprimized into human sized portions. Jones Ice Cream is the cherry on top.

That’s the Best of Berlin

Desperate for ice cream is one thing. Longing for the best ice cream in Berlin is another. After tasting way too many, Jones and Duo are the two that make me look most forward to summer in Berlin. Even in December.

Jones Ice Cream, Markthalle Neun
Apple Crumble and Chicory Coffee Ice Cream
Gelato and Espresso, Duo Sicilian
Duo Sicilian Ice Cream, Berlin
Ookie Written by:

One Comment

  1. Bjorn Stevens
    December 25, 2019
    Reply

    Wow.. I am a Duo fan. Its Pistachio makes even a non-pistachio person forgo chocolate. The people who work there are also the hit. Where is summer when you need it, but maybe I should also try it in January.

    As for Jones, this is more a comment on the Ben&Gerification of ice cream… the composition of different flavors and textures is too complicated for my buds, the price also seems inflated, maybe it’s like Jazz …

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