Absolute Melters: Top 12 ice creams to eat in Dublin this Summer
Words: Emily Mullen
We’ve collected some of the top ice creams to sample as you wander around Dublin in a sunny Summer haze
At the risk of jinxing it, the weather over the past couple of weeks has been untouchable. It’s the kind of weather that you dream of having during the typical Summers on this little wet rock, when grey filled the skies for weeks at a time, while we all squinted hopefully for a patch of blue. No more, the temperature has stayed in the late teens, early twenties most days, making it the perfect weather for outdoor dining (and for every male in the Dublin radius to take their tops off). It’s that temperate weather that you get on a break to a Ryanair-friendly city in Southern Europe, where the inhabitants are bundled up in coats and scarves and you are basking in the sunshine. It’s perfect, so there’s no excuse but to go tramping around the highways and byways of town with an ice cream in your grabber, here’s a list of the top 12 ice creams to have on a sunny day in Dublin (because let’s face it, Annie, the sun will come out tomorrow):
Phoenix Cafe’s Affogato
The location of the Pheonix Cafe in the actual Phoenix Park is hard to top. The cafe sells a wide range of sandwiches, cakes and coffee, to the hungry passersby in its spot off the park’s main thoroughfare. Their take on an affogato looks particularly nice, swirling coffee amongst smooth AF soft serve. The ice cream is in a nice portable container so it’s perfect to grab and go for a wander around the park with. You can find the Pheonix Cafe in Dublin 8’s Ashtown Castle, Nunciature Road, Phoenix Park, follow them on Instagram for more information.
V-Face’s Gelato
Using Cream Of The Crop’s gelato V-Face have developed a range of topping to go along with their flavours. The vegan grape gelato below is topped with vegan chocolate drops and sauce. Cream Of The Crop’s flavours changes each week based on surplus ingredients that are collected or donated from Irish businesses and suppliers. This business model has allowed Cream Of The Crop to create zero waste gelatos by redirecting surplus food from landfills. You can find V-Face in Dublin 7’s 30 Brunswick Street North, Stoneybatter, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Cloud Picker Soft Serve
A soft serve does seem particularly inviting on a soft day. The team at Cloud Picker know the drill and rolled out their new ice cream toppings a couple of weeks back, just in time for the sun to split the stones. Layering the luxe soft-serve with chunks of honeycomb and shavings of dark chocolate. You can find Cloud Picker on 42 Pearse Street, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Two Boys Brew’s Affogato
Affogato does seem to be having a moment this Summer, it could be the heat combined with the fact no one has any energy post-Lockdown and have strayed no further than two metres from their coffee makers in that time. Those two boiiis have used vanilla ice cream from Co. Cork, splashed some Root and Branch Coffee seasonal espresso overhead and have given customers the option to add homemade caramel sauce, roasted almonds or dark chocolate nut crunch to luxe the affogato up. You can find Two Boys Brew in Dublin 7’s 375 North Circular Road, Phibsborough, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Herbstreet’s Iceberger
A couple of weeks back Herbstreet’s iceberger awoke from hibernation and returned to its freezer shelves, much to the relief of Dubliners. Thick soft chocolate biscuit base has been perfectly formed to hold a solid wedge of vanilla ice cream, it’s easy to see why we missed it so much. Wrapped in greaseproof paper, the ice cream is in keeping with Herbstreet’s sustainable ethos and perfect to grab on the go. You can find Herbstreet on Hanover Quay in the Docklands, follow them on Instagram for more information.
As One’s Sea Salt Ice Cream
This iced coffee cup filled with ice cream is sure to put a smile on a weary sun-worshippers face. As One has created a refreshing looking combo of sea salt and vanilla ice cream, dusted with chocolate soil (yes soil), honey drizzle and a few sprigs of mint. You can find the café and produce focused restaurant on the Docklands Unit 3, 13 – 18 City Quay, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Flip’s Vegan Softserve
Getting a vegan soft serve right is no mean feat but Flip (the sister restaurant of Drury Street’s Blazing Salads Wholefood Co) look like they’ve nailed it. You can get it in a tub or in a vegan-friendly cone and it comes with an optional pour of vegan syrup in either chocolate, mango, passionfruit or strawberry flavour, which is then topped off with a vegan wafer. You can find Flip in Dublin 2’s George’s Street Arcade, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Wigwam’s Brigadeiro
The cool cats in Wigwam, do a series of ice-creamy desserts from boozy cookie dough pie to banana foster, but their take on a Brigadeiro really caught the eye. Taking the traditional Brazilian sweet typically made from condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and chocolate sprinkles, Wigwam has combined it into a soft serve and topped it with peanut sprinkles. You can find Wigwam on 54 Middle Abbey Street, North City, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Mint’s Strawberry and Meringue Sundae
Mint have somehow developed the technology to place summer into a container, with its strawberry and meringue sundae. Packed tight with fresh strawbs, soft-serve ice-cream and topped off with little pink meringues, the sundae is available in Mint’s drive-thru coffee container all Summer long. You can find Mint in Blackrock’s Stradbrook Road, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Twenty Three’s Lemon Meringue
For some unknown reason, this lemon meringue ice cream from Twenty Three is a special and is set to vanish at the end of the month. Their Jersey milk ice cream is topped with meringue, charred marshmallow fluff and a lemon curd sauce. It looks like the dessert-ice cream hybrid that would derail the entire country’s Summer dieting regimes, so maybe it’s for the best that it’s not hanging around. You can find Twenty Three on Dublin 2’s 30 Drury Street, follow them on Instagram for more information.
Hen’s Teeth Frozen Alco Pops
Calling these an ice cream is a bit of a stretch, but what’s not to love about a frozen alcoholic fruit-flavoured pop? The packaging on the ice pops gives a nice bang of nostalgia, to the adults who spent childhood Summers with sticky chins and purple tongues from the non-alcoholic versions of these. Hen’s Teeth are selling them in flavours of black grape with white rum, watermelon and vodka, and green apple with gin. You can find Hen’s Teeth in Blackpitts, Merchants Quay, for more information visit their Instagram.
Sorrento’s Gelato
Surely one of Dublin’s best-kept secrets is Sorrento’s, a takeaway that wears many hats. The petite spot in Arbour Hill is known for some of the best chips, focaccia and gelato in the city. While the flavours would be limited in their little gelato freezer, they make up for it in taste and quality. You can find Sorrento’s Takeaway in Dublin 7’s 10B Arbour Hill, for more information you find them on Facebook.
Elsewhere on District: Signature Dish, Mister S’s Burnt End Rendang Spring Rolls
