Is there a chance you’ve never gotten brainfreeze from a spoonful of very cold ice cream? It’s a paradoxical sensation between pain and satisfaction, a delicate pleasure that today transports us back to our childhood.
We love looking awestruck at the different colors and textures, trying to decide which of them to choose. In Barcelona, we can still find artisan masters who care deeply about their product, with flavorful and creamy recipes made from seasonal ingredients. Cliche or not, the ice creams will be our downfall — but nonetheless, here we go with our five favorite ice cream shops in Barcelona.
If there’s anyone who perfectly understands and lives out the philosophy of the ice cream maker, it’s Massimo. An Italian artisanal master originally from the province of Torino, he settled in Barcelona and now runs this classic ice cream shop in the city’s Eixample district. Located in a neighborhood with so much hustle and bustle, it’s many people’s favorite place.
Their way of taking care of the product, their way of preparing these delicious ice creams daily, their seasonal ingredients… and their talented hands contribute to creating one of the best ice creams in this city.
You’ll lose yourself here among so much creativity and so much flavor. A sensation that can bring you back to your childhood, when an ice cream shop was synonymous with heaven, a reward, a pleasure. Massimo has managed to capture this sentiment and expand it to a superior artisanal level.
We opt for for their strawberry-and-gianduja ice cream cone. A flavor that, as Massimo tells us, represents him — chocolate with hazelnuts originally from his region of Piedmont. A creamy and delicate ice cream that leaves us melting with desire for more.
This ice cream cart parked right in Las Ramblas is run by Jordi Roca, the younger of the Roca brothers, and his wife Ale Rivas. A couple passionate for the dessert that now more than a year ago landed in the city.
It’s a modern and attentive ice cream shop with artisanal products and soft serve. Here, moreover, you can find a wide variety of seemingly conflicting atmospheres in the different cities that are home to Rocambolesc locations.
Situated in the Gran Teatre de Liceu, this shop keeps up the aesthetic of old-school creameries. We’re going crazy about their Helado Lactic, with a base of dulce de leche, candied guava and cotton candy. It’s really the bomb!
And to conclude, we’re tasting their hot Panet full of baked apple ice cream. A contrast between hot and cold that comes apart in your mouth. Uff… impressive!
This ice cream shop located very close to the Plaza of the Cathedral of Barcelona specializes in artisanal ice creams with tropical fruits. The ice cream shop, which has barely been around three years, is run by a Venezuelan couple who are very passionate about making artisanal ice cream. They learned this profession in Italy and transported it to the city in a small, but happy and vibrant, space.
This passion and love for ice creams is conveyed by every one of their vibrant ice creams that live in the cold behind the case. All the colorful preparations have a base of seasonal, fresh fruit. We, the most gluttonous, order a cone with three scoops — a perfect combination of three ice creams. First, a base of avocado, banana and orange. A sorbet of natural raspberries. And, the third, a tres-leches, a traditional Venezuelan cake converted into ice cream. A secret family recipe they’re very proud of. And how could they not be!
Four friends hailing from Santo Stefano al Mare, a coastal village in southern Italy, are the force behind this artisanal ice cream shop. It’s a concept that Mateo, Gianluca, Francesco and Marco decided to export and install in Barcelona.
The ice cream shop opened its doors in November of last year in the traditional neighborhood of Gracia. Here, they work with high-quality raw materials they select meticulously themselves, and care deeply about each of the ingredients that make up their homemade ice creams and ice pops.
We chose their pistachio ice pop made without eggs nor lactose. An ice cream bathed in dark chocolate with pistachio seeds on the exterior. A delicious way to sweeten the day.
A new ice cream shop has landed in Gracia, here in Barcelona. With barely a month and a half open, this ice cream shop is earning more and more fans who love their artisanal ice creams made in their own store — in a clear-walled workshop open to the public.
The ice-cream maker, originally from Columbia but who has settled in Barcelona, learned the profession in Italy, like any good ice cream master. This creamery has a retro feel, in a spacious and vibrant building, where the colorful ice creams are the focus through the impressive front window.
We tasted their recently made strawberry and basil ice cream, together with a scoop of passion fruit that gave it a characteristic acidic touch. An artisanal ice cream made with care in this new shop in Gracia — and you still don’t know about it?
Text: Alejandro Moneva
Photos: Anel González
You might also like
