Where’s the best ice cream in town?

Homemade ice cream varieties to choose from at the counter instead of industrial popsicles in Zurich? There are umpteen possibilities. That was not always so. For a long time, the city on the Limmat was considered an “ice desert” when it came to gelati. Only a few restaurants offered Italian-style ice cream. The former Café Sihlfeldegg of landlord Walter Stoller was one of these pioneering restaurants. As early as 1938 he had returned to Zurich with gelati recipes from Italy. But mostly Italo-Swiss companies had the cooling sweetness in the display case.

Mövenpick was the market leader for a long time. In the 1990s, the small Zurich-based ice cream company Sorbetto expanded the selection to include fresh flavors such as ginger-lime. Today, the ice cream, which comes in cups, is offered in the local bar on Neptunstrasse and in various cafés in Zurich.

The ice has been broken since the Gelateria di Berna opened its first branch on the trendy Brupbacherplatz in Wiedikon five years ago. The supply of ice cream in Limmatstadt is literally exploding. But what do the individual ice cream parlors offer? We visited nine selected restaurants and tasted ice cream.

Gelati Kissling GmbH, Hafen Riesbach, 8008 Zurich.

Dani Kissling runs a small ice cream empire in Zurich. Gelati Kissling GmbH owns the Tellhof in district 4, an ice cream cart on the Platzspitz and “Gelati am See”, a stand near the port of Riesbach not far from the Chinawiese. Although the selection at the Tellhof is the largest, the ambience by the lake is hard to beat. We opt for a refreshing scoop of passion fruit in a mug. With each portion you get a mini ball of a different kind. So you can test yourself through the offer and discover new favorite varieties.

Hours of Operation: 1pm to sunset.
Queuing time: 7 minutes.
Price per ball: CHF 3.50.
Special varieties: Ovi-Glace.
Containers: mug or cornet.

ice cream parlorBirmensdorferstrasse 101, 8003 Zurich.

The “ice cream shop” not far from the Wiedikon train station reopened in April. A small disco ball above the entrance shows that the “Eisladen” wants to be more than just a shop with ice cream – namely a trendy meeting place, as you can see from the website, which is aimed at friends of electronic music. We cannot judge whether this promise will be kept. But the ice cream can easily keep up with Italian gelati. At 35 degrees we choose a mixture of vanilla and passion fruit – creamy and refreshing at the same time. All ice creams are made from regional products without artificial colors, flavors or additives.

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight.
Waiting time: none.
Price per ball: CHF 3.50.
Special varieties: vanilla passion fruit.
Containers: mug or cornet.

kingfisherHeadquarters for Good, Ottostrasse 15, 8005 Zurich.

Somewhat hidden near the Josefswiese lies an ice cream paradise. Like the kingfisher that gives it its name, it is a rarity and shimmers in many different colours. In this self-proclaimed “Headquarters for Good”, the former owners of the legendary Alpenrose restaurant, Tine Giacobbo and Katharina Sinniger, reinvent the summer with their creations every day except Mondays. It is not possible to predict which homemade ice cream varieties the duo will list in front of the entrance.

During our visit, it was pumpkin seed, almond cream and chocolate ice cream, as well as “Ufo peach” and blood plum sorbet. The latter two were best received by the offspring because of their name. While the boys were thinking back and forth, the writer chose the pumpkin seed ice cream, which tasted deliciously nutty and creamy. As vampire fans, the children finally decided on the blood plum sorbet: enormously refreshing, as if you were biting into the fruit.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 12.15 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
Queuing time: 5 minutes.
Price per scoop: CHF 4 (also possible with two flavors).
Special varieties: changing daily, surprise effect.
Containers: mug or cornet.

cold lustKornhausbrücke 4, 8005 Zurich.

“Fuck me,” reads the sign at “Kalte Lust” at the foot of Zurich’s Kornhaus Bridge. Anyone who wants to take the 32 bus here should not be impressed by this curse word. The waiting time in the ice cream parlor can be sweetened with at least 25 carefully produced varieties, one of which is even at star level. Heiko Nieder, the top chef at the “Dolder Grand” hotel, developed a special creation for July and August.

We try his “macadamia with white chocolate”, which tastes very good. The offspring licks globine ice cream with satisfaction. Like most of the ice cream here, this is made from rich organic milk from Jersey cows. Vegans have also been thought of, as there are ten varieties on offer that have been prepared accordingly. So it’s a good thing that Oltner Glace-Manufaktur has been offering its sustainably produced ice cream for sale in Zurich for a few months.

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Queuing time: 3 minutes.
Price per ball: CHF 3.50.
Special varieties: There are 10 vegan ice creams, as well as the hyped Haskap berry.
Containers: cup with waffle or cornet.

PositanoStampfenbachstrasse 6, 8001 Zurich.

The trendy gelateria in Zurich can’t be considered really Italian. It’s mostly the Italians who brought the gelato culture to the Limmat. Among the pioneers in Zurich are the Pasticceria Caredda on Josefstrasse and the gelateria in the Positano restaurant near Central. Here you could already enjoy gelati from the counter when hardly a rooster crowed for it. So it’s high time to taste a bit of “real” Italianità again. During our visit to the “Positano” there are over a dozen varieties to choose from in the evening. The Malaga ball with grape and sweet wine flavor and the whole raisins in it convinces us.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. depending on the weather.
Waiting time: none.
Price per ball: CHF 3.80.
Special varieties: «Nutella bread», «Prosecco», «Snickers».
Containers: mug or cornet.

Rosso ArancioStauffacherstrasse 37, 8004 Zurich.

The gelateria next to the Stauffacher looks so inconspicuous from the outside that you could almost overlook it. However, those who have been here once will always come back and are happy to pass the tip on to friends and acquaintances. Since 2017, you can taste “real Italian ice cream” here, as the ice cream parlor advertises on its website. Milk and cream from the Swiss mountains, free-range eggs and seasonal fruit straight from the farmer are used. The cornets are nice and crispy, and you can choose two types per scoop. Our favorite is the chocolate sorbet – labeled Cioccolato Extra.

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Queuing time: 2 minutes.
Price: CHF 3.50 for one ball, CHF 6 for two balls.
Special variety: «Cioccolato Extra».
Containers: mug and cornet.

Gelatissimo, Sihlfeldstrasse 141, 8004 Zurich.

Bullingerplatz has changed from a dingy corner to a hipster paradise, thanks to traffic calming – with boulevard restaurants and children playing in the fountain. The small but fine gelateria “Gelatissimo”, an ice cream trolley in an old Bedford van, which is permanently installed, makes the strolling city dweller’s happiness perfect. Judging by the short line in front of it, it’s not very well known – just two hundred meters away, people are standing in front of the Gelateria di Berna on Brupbacherplatz. However, the startup from the Zurich Oberland has only been in business for a year.

The manageable selection is not a shortcoming. Although many Zurich gelateries try to surprise their customers with unusual varieties, this principle is taken to the extreme here. The “yogurt ice cream with blackberry jam from Grosi” is popular, as is the peppermint ice cream with honey or Lúcuma, a fruit imported from Peru. The large number of vegan ice creams is striking. The quality is right. In addition to the exotic varieties, there are also a few classic varieties such as stracciatella in the range.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 12.30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., only in good weather.
Queuing time: about three minutes.
Price per scoop: CHF 3.50, two scoops CHF 6.–.
Special varieties: «Dark chocolate vegan», «Yoghurt ice cream with blackberry confit from Grosi».
Containers: mug or cornet.

Gelateria Don Vitocorner of Seefeldquai and Florastrasse, 8008 Zurich.

Of course, Mövenpick ice cream is also available at ice cream stands on the lake promenade. But for a selection of fresh gelati, it’s worth walking to the Frascati restaurant on the Utoquai: The stand of the Gelateria Don Vito is there – each with twenty homemade varieties. For example “Don Vito” made of vanilla, cherries, raspberries, chocolate and saffron: highly recommended, also for the eyes. Or «Ginger Lemon»: just right on hot days, as it is light and fruity. Or «Green Apple»: also a suitable sorbet for temperatures above 30 degrees.

The stand is a discovery (although it would have been in the same place last year and the year before that and also in 2019 . . .). The only disadvantage: the family business produces more varieties than can be sold here. The offer changes every few days, the ice cream you are looking for may not always be there.

Spoons are ready for this: You can try!

Opening times: Monday to Sunday, noon to around 11 p.m. depending on the weather.
Waiting time: mostly none.
Price per ball: CHF 3.50. Three balls: Fr. 9.–.
Special varieties: “Don Vito”, “Ginger Lemon”, “Red Bull”.
Containers: mug or cornet.

Gelateria di BernaWeststrasse 196, 8003 Zurich

The ice cream boom in Zurich really started with the Gelateria di Berna. And he keeps on going. No matter what time of day you visit the shop on Brupbacherplatz: you always have to queue. There are other branches in “Frau Gerolds Garten”, in the customs house and near the Werdinsel. The hype is not entirely unfounded. The variety selection changes daily. There are also flavors that you won’t find everywhere. Olive oil chipotle chili or grapefruit pepper sorbet. The portions are generous and the cornets are crispy.

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Waiting time: from short to long.
Price per scoop: Fr. 3.50 for the small portion with two varieties. Three varieties cost Fr. 5–.
Special varieties: “Olive Oil Chipotle Chili”, “Mare di Berna”.
Containers: mug or cornet.