Given that the weather is slowly warming up and that, despite the storms, we’re already dying of heat in the city, it’s time to take the time to catalog Montrealers’ favorite creameries and make a little list to take out on those long, hot summer afternoons.
And the truth is, you don ‘t really have to wait for the soles of your Samba shoes to melt from the temperature of the pavement to eat ice cream. The more poetic prefer soft ice cream in the rain…
We asked the coolest Montrealers we know for their favorite creamery, and came up with a list to keep pinned in the pocket of your jorts when the heavy heat of the Montreal summer suddenly descends upon you…
I should point out, however, that a good Mr Freeze or a Tim’s iced cap is also good-but in this case, we want to be a little more specific.
For the jet set: Unicone
The Unicone creamery is half nostalgia, half travel… It’s for those who love niche flavors, who talk incessantly about their trip to Japan with their parents ten years ago, for those who dream of the next time they’ll be able to eat their grandmother’s gazelle horns.
And it’s also for those who want to travel the world without leaving Montreal, with super-sophisticated ice creams that taste of other lands-Japanesemiso, Persian saffron, Indian rosewater…
What’s really cool about Unicone is that the flavors change all the time, so you can check out their instagram account to plan your order, or do the culinary equivalent of throwing a dart at a world map and just go.
Where? 3873 rue Saint-Denis
When? Monday or Saturday, 1pm to 9pm
Old school: Mlle Catherine
The two Catherines behind crèmerie Mlle Catherine make their ice creams on site, in their Old Port boutique, and they offer a selection worthy of our childhood: soft ice cream, gelato and sprinkles, dipped in chocolate and light cones to munch on afterwards.
It’s for our dads (it’s Father’s Day soon, remember), for the purist pleasure of soft-serve ice cream in summers on the lake, and for the Old Port setting. Warm old stones and cold ice cream? That’s all we need…
Bonus for the Banana Split…
Where? 423 Place Jacques Cartier
When? Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fan-favorite: Iconoglace
Ice cream floats with Kombucha, vegan ice cream, homemade slush and “hurricanes” (a more fashionable iteration of Dairy Queen’s “blizzard”) with gluten-free Oreos…
It’s the favorite creamery of Montrealers and influencers alike, and we warn you right away that there’s often a long line out front-but it’s worth it!
The menu is here!
Where to go?
Iconoglace Mile End: 50 Avenue Laurier Ouest
Iconoglace Rosemont: 1320 rue Bélanger
When? 7 days a week, 12 am to 10 pm
Family-friendly: GaGa Glaces
GaGa Glaces opened on May 25, and it’s already a success – we don’t know too much about the menu, but we do know that the ice creams and sorbets are handmade, and that there are vegan and lactose-free options.
This is the creamery of the Garneau-Gagné (GaGa) family, and we have a feeling it’s going to become a neighborhood hot spot …
Where? 5929 Monk Boulevard
When? Since it’s just opened, the hours aren’t set yet, so we recommend checking out the instagram account to see if the crèmerie is open: @gagaglaces
The most legacy: Crèmerie Meu-Meu
Crèmerie Meu-Meu has been located on rue Saint-Denis since the summer of 1989, and offersfrozen custard in the old-fashioned style – but with sophisticated flavors.
Black cherry and rosemary, cardamom, tamarind… and their famous (and limited-edition) lemon ice cream with lemon meringue pie, which we hope to be able to try this summer!
Where? 4458 rue Saint-Denis
When? Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The real Italian gelato : Dalla Rose
Dalla Rose makes artisangelato and frozen desserts worthy of the great Italian weddings in 80s movies…
It’s open all year round (one of the only crèmeries in Montreal to be so) and it’s a great classic of great classics: baked alaska, ice cream with Quebec raspberries or Tahitian vanilla, pudding chômeur…
You can also buy ice cream by the half-liter, which comes in a reusable glass jar (so you can come back often, often).
Where? 4609 Notre-Dame Street West
When? Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The spicy one: Le Blueboy Soft Serve
For those who crave a little spice, a little freshness and a little sweetness (summer is long, and we’re not always satisfied with a vanilla soft-serve cone), we were recommended this Latin creamery that’s been serving ice cream and churros for over 10 years.
We can’t wait to try the Spicy Mangonada with “bloody mango” ice cream, tajin and Miguelito suce, as well as their iconic, ultra-refreshing watermelon bowl…
Where? 150 Mont-Royal East
When? Monday to Friday, 12:30 to 11 p.m., weekends, noon to 11 p.m.
Lactose-free: Ca Lem Creamery
Unlike some of Montreal’s creameries, which are a bit off-center (real oases in the back of the city’s residential neighborhoods, which is cool for Montrealers, but we have to think of the tourists, too), Ca Lem has 4 stores scattered around the island.
Their ice creams are artisanal and lactose-free, and flavors range from classic chocolate, through fruit (dragon, for example) to delicate floral tastes.
Where to buy?
Ca Lem NDG: 6926 Sherbrooke Street West
Ca Lem Vieux-Port: 315 Place d’Youville
Ca Lem Canal Lachine: Rue Saint-Patrick & Charlevoix
Ca Lem Atwater: Atwater Market
Ca Lem Laval: 523 Boulevard du Curé-Labelle
When is Ca Lem open?
Ca Lem Vieux-Port: Sunday to Thursday, noon to 9pm; Friday and Saturday, noon to 10pm
Ca Lem NDG: daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Ca Lem Atwater: daily from noon to 9pm
Neighborhood creamery: Virevent
This is Virevent’s 11th year, and it’s become one of the iconic spots in the Ahuntsic neighborhood, on Promenade Fleury. It’s good, it’s artisanal, and it’s made with love.
The soft twist sorbets blend classic tastes with more sophisticated flavors like tamarind, and right now we’re dying to try the soft sorbet tarte tatin rhubarb – with Quebec rhubarb, of course…
Where? 1517 rue Fleury Est
When? daily, noon to 10pm
The most classic: Hoche Glacé
Piedmont gianduja, orange-grapefruit, caramel fleur de sel, blue raspberry slush … At Hoche Glacé, the flavors of our Québécois childhood are all handcrafted on site, with an extensive vegan offering.
The menu is superbly varied, and you can eat homemade ice cream cups, barbotines, soft ice creams dipped in chocolate, sundaes, sorbets… It’s a real institution.
Where? 2225 Avenue Bennett
When? Monday, noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, noon to 9:30 p.m., Thursday, noon to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m., Sunday, noon to 9:30 p.m.
The farm-to-table: Havre aux Glaces
Le Havre aux Glaces is located in Montreal’s public markets: Jean-Talon, Atwater – as well as Place des Arts and Promenade Fleury. These are ice creams and sorbets to be eaten while buying the fruits and vegetables of the week, to be color-matched to your outfit or to the flowerpot you’ll be carrying home at arm’s length.
Quebec strawberries for red, Camerise for mauve, maple for blond, burnt caramel for brown… All made with seasonal Quebec ingredients.
Where to buy?
Atwater Market
Jean-Talon Market
Place des Arts: 145 rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
Promenade Fleury: 1575 Fleury Street East
When? at the same times as the markets, between noon and 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekends.
The Montreal secret: KEM COBA
This is one of the creameries that comes most highly recommended… Not as flashy as Iconoglace, but just as beloved, for its soft ice creams in twist with good flavors in old-fashioned cones.
Everyone tells me about it in whispers, for fear that the line will be too long this summer if we talk about it too much… But it’s a false secret, and those who know will be there!
Where? 60 Fairmount Avenue West
When? Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.
Hometown favorite: Wild Willy’s
Ah, to eat a vanilla-chocolate-sprinkles “zigamazoo” with your feet in the freshly mown lawn…
Wild Willy’s is like the village creamery where we spent summers as kids – with the warmth of a family institution, the sweetness of classic and not-so-classic flavors and the zebra-shaped ice cream truck .
You can also order ice cream cakes from them, for those lucky enough to have a birthday in summer!
Where? 20 Avenue Cartier, Pointe-Claire
When? Weekdays, noon to 10 p.m. Weekends, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Great ice cream!