We’ve scouted the city to find ice cream parlours to please any frozen treat connoisseur.

Amato Gelato Café
In Kensington, this Italian ice cream shop features 72 flavours that are constantly rotated throughout the day for variety. Of their 500 flavours of gelato picks range from lemon meringue pie, caramel green apple, vanilla black current to cinnamon. There’s also a selection of fruit sorbettos, frozen yogurt, Tofulati (non-dairy products), low-sugar gelato and low sugar sorbetto. The cafe gets busy during the evenings, but they have a way to serve crowds fast. Pay first, then line up to choose your flavour.

MacKay’s Ice Cream
MacKay’s, in Cochrane, has been serving hand made ice cream for 60 years. It began in 1948 when the main highway was re-routed off Main street and away from the general store that Jimmy and Christina MacKay owned. The couple wanted to bring people back to their store, so they started making ice cream in the back of the shop. Now, MacKay’s goes through more than 120,000 litres of ice cream per year, which is about 630,000 scoops. The 17 per cent butterfat in this cold treat (most ice cream contains 10 per cent) creates a rich, dense and creamy taste. Flavours range from mint chocolate chip and cookie dough to exotic seasonal specials like chai tea in the fall and Thai chili in the winter.

Marble Slab Creamery
A trip to the Marble Slab is an experience in itself. The venture starts with the aroma of fresh baked waffle cones when you enter the store. Next, you’re faced with the decision of choosing from daily made flavours, like lemon custard, apple ‘n’ spice and peanut butter banana. Your selection is then scooped onto a frozen marble slab, where “mixins” of your choice of fruits, candies, cookies, chocolates are added. The result: your own ice cream creation. If you find the selection of combinations overwhelming, try one of Marble Slab’s own concoctions such as Rainbow-nanza (sweet cream ice cream with M&Ms and assorted sprinkles) or Blue Cheese (cheesecake ice cream with two scoops of blueberries).

My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe
At My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe over 80 flavours are poised to satisfy any craving, whether hot or cold. There are flavours that taste like hot drinks (Japanese green tea) or appeal to more classic combos such as chocolate peanut butter swirl and Rolo Rolo. The shop opened in 1981 in the trendy Marda Loop neigbourhood, and has been serving an array of flavours ever since. Sit back and enjoy your treat or play the grand piano for 10 minutes to get a free ice cream.

Nectar Desserts
Although Inglewood’s Nectar Desserts provides a late night sweet outlet with gourmet tarts and cakes, there is also a large selection of ice creams and sorbets. All ice treats are made from scratch in small batches using natural ingredients. Creamy flavours for ice cream include Mexican vanilla, Fleur-de-Sel caramel, honey and cocoa nib while fruity sorbet choices feature mango, raspberry, apricot and blackberry.