In the heart of Gastown, Twisted Ice Cream is serving up smooth soft-serve with over 10 fabulous flavour twists, ranging from pistachio drizzle (above) to tropical orange, maple syrup, coconut, and strawberry (plus the wide variety of toppings you can go crazy over).
Instagram / twistedgastownAt Soft Peaks Ice Cream, their soft serve is made with Avalon Organic Milk, is all-natural and lower in fat than regular ice cream. And we haven't even mentioned the signature flavour yet: Honeycomb Peak, a honey-swirled vanilla soft-serve topped with local honeycomb.
Of over 8 mouthwatering options, another popular flavour (shown above) is Sunrise in California: vanilla soft-serve with a sweet and sour yuzu-marmalade twist.
Village Ice Cream draws its crowds with delightful small-batch, atisanal ice cream. With incredible flavours like hibiscus sorbet (above), cardamom, toasted coconut, cereal milk crunch and more — we'd definitely get in line for a cone!
Fiasco Gelato* — a popular Calgary sweet spot — serves up gorgeous gelato flavours, like cassis strawberry-rhubarb shown above.
*The shop also hosted a grand re-opening May 3rd (their main location was heavily damaged by a fire), and generously donated the proceeds from the day to the Alberta Red Cross to support evacuees from Fort MacMurray. Read more.
Homestead Ice Cream in Saskatoon offers up a set list of homemeade classics, with random surprise flavours, like this colourful rainbow pride ice cream they served up last June.
Winnipeg's celebrated Bridge Drive-In (open since 1957) serves up an amazing array of flavours and topppings for their soft-serve cones — but this amazing sundae is what we're salivating over. The Sleeping Beauty sundae is half a pineapple filled with creamy vanilla soft serve, strawberries, cherries, bananas, pineapple and whipped cream!
If you're brave enough to wait in the hours-long line ups at Sweet Jesus in downtown Toronto, you'll be rewarded with a sugar-bomb of deliciousness. From Krusty the Cone (above), covered in cotton candy and sprinkles, to the Birthday Cake cone (complete with candle), they're a feast for both the eyes and mouth.
With creative house-made flavours like lychee and lemon meringue, or taro and matcha (above), the only thing more fun about Bang Bang Ice Cream's ice cream is how they serve it up. It comes in your choice of puffle cones, double scoop cones, or between two halves of a freshly baked cookie.
A newer entrant to the soft-serve game is Eva's Original Chimneys. These Hungarian pastries double as a perfectly decadent ice cream cone — crispy and sugary on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. Currently driving about Toronto in a food truck, you can find them here.
A simple twist on your classic double flavour cone is what Kem Coba in Montreal has on offer. Their vibrant cones (like this almond and cherry soft serve above) are easily as tempting as some of the wilder cones on this list.
Another incredible shop out of Montreal is La Diperie — where regular soft serve gets a glamourous makeover. Dipped in chocolate, pistashios, pretzels, coconut, sprinkles or maple and pecans (to name a few) every cone is a personalized masterpiece.
The aptly named Moo Moo's Ice Cream in St. John's, Newfoundland, scoops up all the classics you crave, plus some colourful soft serves: their orange and green dreamsicle flavours look electric! (And delicious.)
The Prince Edward Island gem, known for its creamy treats and colourful cow-covered tshirts, always serves up a quality scoop (with your choice of cleverly dipped cones to add extra pizazz).
Go out for a cone with Mom this Sunday: The company announced that on May 8th, their stores in PEI, NS, ON, AB and BC are donating 100 percent of ice cream sales to Red Cross Canada for Alberta Fire relief.
If you're hitting the coast this summer, be sure to try the beloved favourite of Atlantic Canadians: Moon Mist ice cream. Though the exact flavours are hard to pin down exactly, it tastes like blend of banana, grape and bubblegum. (Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.)
Available at ice cream stands and grocery stores throughout the Atlantic provinces, Moon Mist is easy to find. If you're in Halifax, try Sugah! on the waterfont before taking a stroll along the boardwalk, cone in hand.
More:
Food trend alert: Artisanal toast has arrived in Canada
21 best rhubarb recipes for spring
6 ways to start using your vegetable peeler
Watch: Chatelaine Quickies: Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream
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