Ice cream shops around Ottawa that are worth a drive
13 Minute Read
Summary
- Ottawa’s best ice cream spots include standout shops across city neighbourhoods and nearby day trips.
- Highlights include Carp Custom Creamery, The Merry Dairy, and Moo Shu Ice Cream Kitchen specialties.
- Varied offerings include small-batch flavours, vegan options, frozen treats like dipped bars, seasonal combinations, and scenic stops.
Looking for the best ice cream in Ottawa? Dreaming of swirling soft serve, frozen cakes, creamy cones, sweet sorbet and even dessert tacos? From handcrafted gelato in Little Italy to small-batch scoops in Hintonburg and scenic day trips beyond the city, Ottawa has no shortage of incredible frozen goodies.
Whether you're craving some classic chocolate and vanilla or unique flavours like blueberry lavender or mango sticky rice, here are the top ice cream shops in Ottawa and nearby towns worth the drive.
Ice cream spots in downtown Ottawa and the ByWard Market
Right in the middle of it all, these spots are perfect for a post-dinner cone or a sweet stop after wandering the Market.
Piccolo Grande Artisan Gelateria
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Address: 55 Murray St., Ottawa, ON
Transport your taste buds to Italy, not only with the sweet taste of gelato but also with the atmosphere of this downtown Ottawa gelateria. Some ingredients are imported straight from Italy, and this is one of the few places in the city where you can get late-night dessert! Give yourself the European experience of taking a summer stroll post-dinner and grabbing a gelato until 10:30 p.m. any day of the week. Gelato and vegan sorbet options are made daily in small batches with rotating flavours such as pistachio, stracciatella, matcha, hazelnut and raspberry.
Lois ‘n’ Frima’s Ice Cream
Address: 71 George St., Ottawa and 1626 Stittsville Main St., Stittsville, ON
A local favourite for years, you can enjoy this handmade ice cream from two locations. Whether you crave a soft-serve cone or a hard scoop of something sweet in a cup, they have you covered. The wall menu features a wide selection of hard ice cream flavours, including vegan and sorbet options. The Byward Market location operates as a walk-up kiosk, ideal for eating on the go and enjoying downtown sights. The Stittsville shop has a nostalgic charm, with colourful murals on its exterior wall.
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Best ice cream in the Glebe
A go-to during a stroll along Bank Street or before and after Lansdowne events, with a mix of classics and creative flavours.
Haven's Creamery
Address: 755 Bank St., Ottawa, ON
Every scoop is handcrafted in small batches with care, using only natural ingredients. Treat yourself to a frozen treat in the bustling Glebe neighbourhood, in unique flavours like London Fog, raspberry brownie cheesecake, and mango sticky rice, as well as classics like vanilla or cookie dough. The changing seasons bring special ingredients for creating flavours like strawberry rhubarb cheesecake, lemon blueberry, or butter tart ice cream in the summer. Even the waffle cones are made fresh. Grab an iconic photo with the angel wings mural on the wall.
Roll’d Up Dessert Lounge
Address: 900 Exhibition Way, Ottawa, ON
Watch your rolled-up ice cream, created for you on a frozen slab, right before your eyes. Choose your flavour from pistachio, Ferrero Rocher, Biscoff, or mango. Then enjoy the show as they mix ingredients, add handcrafted vanilla ice cream, and roll it up into a neat bowl. The dessert lounge has a colourful, nostalgic atmosphere where you’ll find other goodies from cake to lattes. One of the highlights has to be the location! Find Roll’d Up Dessert Lounge in Lansdowne so you can treat yourself before a special event, whether it’s a market in the Aberdeen Pavilion or a sports game at TD Place.
Best ice cream in Little Italy and Chinatown
This stretch is packed with long-standing favourites and low-key spots that locals keep coming back to for gelato and small-batch scoops.
Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana
Address: 200 Preston St., Ottawa, ON
Take your taste buds on a trip to Italy; this Italian bakery and sweet shop has been serving deliciously smooth gelato since it opened in 1979. You may feel decision paralysis with all the different flavours they offer: Black Forest brownie, vanilla, pistachio, hazelnut, Nutella, mini chocolate chip, espresso, tiramisu, strawberry, and mango, to name just a few. Ask for gelato to be mixed into a milkshake if that’s more your vibe, or check out the sorbet if you’re vegan. You could pair your frozen treat with cake, cookies, and other Italian pastries, too.
Farinella and Farinella Snack Bar
Address: 492 Rochester St., 806 March Rd. and 344 Preston St., Ottawa, ON
Isn’t this the restaurant known for metre-long pizzas? Yes, Farinella makes pizza, sandwiches and pastries, but you shouldn’t skip trying their handcrafted gelato. Indulge in a scoop in-store or grab a pint to enjoy at home. Different flavours are offered at any given time, including Oreo custard, Ferrero Rocher, Espresso Caramel Cheesecake, Mango, Amarena, and Sprinkles. All three locations serve gelato, and the snack bar is a specific scooping counter, an ideal stop in Little Italy if you only want to cool off with a sweet treat.
Sadie Beans
Address: 837 Somerset St. W., Ottawa, ON
This small batch ice cream is hidden inside Ten Toes Coffee Co., giving it sweet daytime speakeasy vibes. Offering four rotating flavours each week, pints are released on Thursdays, and once they’re sold out, that’s it. There is never a set menu, so the loaded ice cream creations with quirky, pop culture references as names are a weekly surprise. Recent inventive flavours include Business Drunk, an orange-mango Skittle creamsicle creation; Like a Rickshaw Gettin’ Pulled Around by Another Rickshaw, a black cocoa and Oreo dessert with bits of chocolate bars; and Belly Inspector, a lemon juice base mixed with marshmallow fluff, caramel and graham cracker bits.
Ice cream in Hintonburg and Wellington West
A neighbourhood known for its food scene, where people often line up for inventive flavours and small-batch favourites.
The Merry Dairy
Address: 102 Fairmont Ave., Ottawa, ON
Sit on the patio and enjoy a creamy scoop, or grab pints to go. Merry Dairy serves up a mix of classic flavours and seasonal creations, in both dairy-based and vegan options, all of which are entirely nut-free. Made at the shop, you can eat the flavour of your choice, whether that’s chocolate, cookies n’ cream, hibiscus passion fruit or salted caramel, on one of eight different cones. Join one of their annual traditions like the rhubarb stalk exchange, the Fairmont mint exchange, name days (a free cone if your name is picked!), or Track that Truck to find where they’re serving in the city from the soft serve and scoop trucks. Find ice cream cakes and sandwiches here, too.
Moo Shu Ice Cream Kitchen
Address: 1130 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON
Fans of unique, Asian-inspired desserts and the vegan/lactose-free girlies, this modern ice cream shop handcrafts frozen goodness in a variety of flavours. The ice cream choices are a mix of long-standing options, such as Calico chocolate, White Rabbit, and Hong Kong Milk Tea, and monthly rotating options, such as melon soda. Enjoy a cup or cone, or buy a pint to go. Discover other frozen treats like the Dip Bars or an IC Sandwich in Vietnamese Coffee & Brownie, Vegan Yuzu & Blueberry Cake, and other flavours. Moo Shu has a food menu, too, as well as a wide range of café drinks, including coffees and whisked Japanese tea.
Best ice cream in Britannia, Kanata and Stittsville
From beachside stops in Britannia to classic stands in Kanata and Carp, these spots cover everything from scenic scoops to long-time local favourites.
The Beachconers Microcreamery
Address: 273 Britannia Rd., Ottawa, ON
This colourful micro-creamery scoops a rotating selection of flavours, including Britannia brownie, blueberry lavender, magically delicious, and peach cardamom. The menu features a mix of regular favourites, limited-edition items, and seasonal treats. The dreamy summer spot is found next to the Ottawa River Pathway near Britannia Beach, so post-swim or bike, you can re-fuel in a Muskoka chair with a sweet treat. It’s attached to the Britannia Coffeehouse, which has recently expanded so that you can enjoy a pastry, a sandwich, or coffee, too.
Brett's Ice Cream
Address: 1001 Beaverbrook Rd., Kanata, ON
If soft-serve creations are what you are after, you'll want to visit this ice cream window hidden beside an auto repair shop. Grab a classic chocolate-vanilla swirl, or choose from their list of fruity flavour bursts. Cones, sundaes, milkshakes, toppings and dips, there are so many ways to customize your dessert. If you’re dairy-free, you can now enjoy vegan oat-based soft serve! Keep your eyes peeled to find Brett’s ice cream truck at Ottawa events this summer.
Jo-Jo's Creameria
Address: 1573 Stittsville Main St., Stittsville and 5552 Manotick Main St., Manotick, ON
It's like eating a sweet piece of art when you get a treat from this pink ice cream truck. The frozen desserts are served in tasty themes, topped with toppings, and even the cones come in rainbow-coloured flavours. Whether you’re a chocoholic or prefer candy, there is an ice cream for you. You can enjoy a small-town atmosphere with your treat at either location and can take a walk by the water from the Manotick spot. A shareable photo isn’t the point of an ice cream stop, but you won’t be able to resist snapping a pic of your creation.
Carp Custom Creamery
Address: 3763 Carp Rd., Carp and 31 Bridge St., Carleton Place, ON
Soak up the sun with a scoop or two of handcrafted ice cream made and served daily from a bright yellow house. The daily menu includes 16 different flavours for scoops and more than 40 options to bring home in a 1-litre tub. With so many to choose from, you’ll have to go back to try ones like banana foster, cinnamon morning bun, cookie monster, lemon blueberry, NERDS, tiramisu, and many more. Vegan options are available, plus you’ll find more than just hard ice cream with treats like dip bars, soft serve, ice cream cakes and even sweet tacos on the menu! Your furry friend is included in the dessert stop with doggy cones.
Best ice cream in Orléans and Ottawa’s east end
Cool off with a swim at the NCC River House or pull up for a cone at a classic east-end stop like Kawartha Dairy.
NCC River House Café & Bistro
Address: 501 Prom. Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier, Ottawa, ON
Looking for a spot to cool off this summer? The NCC River House is a picturesque heritage building on the Ottawa River with an enclosed area where you can swim. Head inside to see what’s on the menu and fuel up with some sweet options. In addition to bistro-style food, you can treat yourself to handmade gelato. Enjoy simple flavours of this icy treat, including chocolate and pistachio, while soaking in the waterfront views.
Chris’s Ice Cream
Address: 3003 St Joseph Blvd., Ottawa, ON
Handmade and high-quality, Chris’s Ice Cream is a premium Philly-style ice cream, meaning it’s dense, rich, and made with local ingredients. Made fresh daily, the menu is often posted on social media, so you can check your options before you stop by the ice cream trailer for scoops or a container to go. Recent flavours include sponge toffee, rum & raisin, burnt sugar, cookies n’ cream, vanilla bean and raspberry sorbet. Moon Mist is a colourful creation that mixes bubble gum, grape, and banana flavours. Find them popping up at summer events in the city, too.
Kawartha Dairy
Address: 2200 Carling Ave., Ottawa and 2311 St Joseph Blvd., Orléans, ON
You may recognize this Canadian ice cream brand from the grocery store, but now you can literally pull up to get a fresh scoop in Ottawa. Talk about worth the drive! Kawartha Dairy has a drive-thru ice cream location on Carling Avenue, as well as an East-end store with a patio.
Get scoops, or tubs, of your favourite Canadian cottage-inspired flavours from classic Tiger Tail and Moose Tracks to the new Constellation flavour – a dark chocolate base swirled with caramel and white chocolate biscuits. They have tried-and-true types like chocolate, French vanilla, mint chip, and pralines & cream, too. The ice cream is made in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, using milk and cream sourced from local dairy farmers.
Ice cream day trips around Ottawa
These spots turn a quick treat into a full-day out, with small towns, scenic views, and places to wander.
La Cigale
Address: 14 Chem. Scott, Chelsea, QC
Sweeten up your day with artisanal ice cream or sorbet in the quaint town of Old Chelsea, Quebec, about 20 minutes from Ottawa. Their waffle cones are made fresh daily during the summer, and you may smell them in the morning as you stroll by. Find a range of flavours such as pistachio, apple pie, truffled chocolate or blackberry sorbet, as well as specialty desserts like banana splits and ice cream sandwiches. Walk along a forested trail in Gatineau Park to build up your treat anticipation or relax on the pretty garden patio.
Take yourself on an ice cream crawl in Chelsea by stopping by Terrasse du Square. This lively seasonal patio has a food truck-style window where you can order savoury tacos or sweet ice cream. Add Oreo or rainbow sprinkles to your soft serve!
Hummingbird Chocolate Maker
Address: 476 Ottawa St., Almonte, ON
You may recognize this award-winning chocolate from the bars and confections you've spotted in local shops around Ottawa. Don’t forget this spot during summer when you can cool off in the quaint town of Almonte with homemade gelato or a Frocho (a chocolate-dipped ice cream bar). Only the best ingredients are blended into their products. Recent gelato and sorbet flavours available are salted caramel, chocolate, hazelnut, strawberry lemonade and mango.
Wakefield MaBoule
Address: 761 Chem. Riverside, Wakefield, QC
This seasonal ice cream parlour has a backyard garden patio and is nestled on the edge of the Gatineau River. Yum, dessert with a view! It is the perfect spot to cool down with one of their sweet treats, including hard and soft ice cream, vegan sorbet, milkshakes, and sundaes. They also offer chocolate-dipped cones in a variety of flavours. Look out over the river so you can spot the iconic Historic Wakefield Covered Bridge in the distance.
Downtown Ice Cream Shoppe
Address: 165 St Lawrence St., Merrickville, ON
Take a day trip from Ottawa to Merrickville for antiquing, glass blowing, ruin-exploring, water views, and ice cream! Premium ice cream and gelato are made daily at Downtowne Ice Cream Shoppe with locally sourced, natural ingredients. Feast on flavours like chocolate peanut butter fudge, maple walnut, purple haze blueberry, chocolate cayenne ginger, mango island and others. Discover vegan options too.
Mallard’s Milk Bar
Address: 55 John St. N, Arnprior, ON
In a town of rich history, quirky shops and river views, make a sweet stop at Mallard’s Milk Bar for small-batch, locally inspired ice cream. Their flavours rotate, with some recent scoops available being chocolate Uganda, peach, strawberry basil, honey almond brie, cookies n’ cream, butterscotch ripple and miso maple carrot; some of them vegan. Enjoy the quirky home-like interior with knick-knacks and antiques, then take your dessert to an outdoor patio table.
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