What’s the ultimate summer treat? Ice cream, of course! And wouldn’t you know it, the Calgary ice cream scene is booming. If you’re not sure where to grab a scoop, we’ve had a sweet time researching your best options.
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Calgary Ice Cream
When it comes to Calgary Ice Cream, there’s no shortage of choices. You can stick with one of the big two local ice cream shops: Made by Marcus or Village, go old school at My Favourite Ice Cream Shop or Lics, or go the exotic route with some rolled ice cream at DelloR or Sweet Tooth. No matter where you are in the city, there’s sure to be a great scoop nearby.
Keep scrolling to find the best summer scoops.
Made by Marcus
Made by Marcus was created when Marcus realized he had a lot of leftover egg yolks after making macarons. With a degree from UBC in Food Science and Nutrition, Marcus used the leftovers and science to create delicious ice cream.
All the ingredients at Made by Marcus are sourced naturally and locally. The shop specializes in unique flavours and seasonal options. Check out staple flavours like Lemon curd and Blueberry, Field Strawberry Buttermilk or Malted Chocolate Honeycomb.
Marcus also sells shakes and sundaes. Their Happy Camper Sundae (topped with a toasted house-made marshmallow) is our go-to. Pick up a pint or two while you’re in the shop and order in advance for an ice cream cake. There are gluten-free and vegan options. During the pandemic, they’ve also opened up delivery, so you don’t even have to leave your house!
Locations: 1013 17 Avenue, SW (Beltline), 221 19 Street, NW (West Hillhurst), 1105 1 Avenue, NE (Bridgeland)
Village Ice Cream
Village Ice Cream was created as a neighbourhood gathering place. The founder travelled all over South America and wanted his ice cream shop to reflect 3 purposes: serving small-batch premium ice cream, making Calgary more inclusive and serving as a neighbourhood hub.
All their flavours are made with locally sourced ingredients and are made small-batch. Staple flavours, include Phil and Sebastian Coffee, Guide’s Mint or Two Hills Earl Grey. They also have vegan and gluten-free options at all locations. Grab a waffle cone and some friends to enjoy Village as it was intended – as a gathering place.
Our favourite: Salted caramel with a side of their awesome hot fudge sauce.
Locations: 431 10 Avenue, SE (Victoria Park), 820 39 Avenue, SW (Britannia Plaza), 2406 34 Avenue, SW (Garrison Corner), 69 7A Street, NE (Bridgeland)
Lanny Boy’s Ice Cream
If you’re looking for a sweet treat for you and your pup, you’ll want to check out Lanny Boy’s Ice Cream. This pop-up shop is family and dog friendly. The team at Lanny Boy’s created the pop-up to activate the downtown area, and to encourage dog-owners in the area to bring their dogs to Stephen Avenue.
Not only is the patio dog friendly, but they also have ice cream made for dogs. Don’t worry, there is human ice cream, too. 2% of sales are donated to an animal related charity.
Location: 119 8 Avenue, SW (Located inside The Mill next to The Pioneer)
La Diperie
La Diperie is a Canadian chain that’s considered the “Dip Leader” with over 30 different dips made from real chocolate. After deliberating over your ice cream toppings, get your hard or softserve loaded in a cone or cup. La Diperie also dishes out mini donuts, donuts, cookie dough, cookies, and milkshakes. It really is the place to go if you’re into lot of options.
Locations: 1103 17 Avenue, SW (opening soon!), 519 500 Country Hills Blvd (Country Hills)
Leavitt’s Ice Cream Shop
Leavitt’s Ice Cream Shop, also known as LICS, is a family owned and operated ice cream shop in Parkdale that’s been in Calgary for around 40 years. Likely you’ve noticed the iconic LICS sign when driving on Parkdale Boulevard on your way out of the city towards Banff.
The shop offers 44 different flavours with lactose-free, dairy-free and gluten-free options. You can also get ice cream cakes or try their new ice cream sandwiches! Don’t have time to stay? Grab a pint to go.
Location: 3410-3 Avenue, NW
Milk
Newly opened Milk Ice Cream Shop is only open Thursday to Sunday, but it’s worth bookmarking in your calendar. Everything here is made in small batches, by hand and they source as many local ingredients as possible.
Currently they have 8 signature flavours that are pretty rad. Our faves are HK Milk Tea, Dunkaroos (loaded with crushed cookies and sprinkles), Sea Salt Skor and a GF Vegan Fudgesicle. Each month they come out with seasonal flavours, also likely to make you drool.
Location: 2614 2 Street, NW (Mount Pleasant)
My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe
This might be the most iconic classic ice cream shop in Calgary. My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe usually has a line out the door on hot summer evenings. They offer a whopping 72 different flavours of ice cream.
The interior is decked out with classic 1950s-style ice cream memorabilia and a piano. While the flavours aren’t unique, it’s the spot to nab a classic ice cream cone and see some cool antiques. Be sure to check out their new location in Wentworth.
Locations: 2048- 42 Avenue, SW (Altadore), 1114- 8561 8A Avenue, SW (Wentworth)
XO Ice Cream and Waffles
Xo Ice Cream is a modern-day interpretation of a mom-and-pop ice cream shop. They offer an exclusive selection of ice cream, sorbets, waffles, sundaes, milkshakes and ice cream cakes – all made on site.
Classic flavours include Cookie Dough, Salted Caramel and Vanilla. Some of their fun seasonal flavours are: Peach Cobbler, Mini Donut and S’mores. Splurge on a sundae for the best of both worlds, scoring waffles and ice cream in one dish! All flavours are available for takeaway.
Location: 808, 100 Auburn Meadows Drive, SE
Rolled Ice Cream Calgary
DelloR Ice Cream
DelloR Ice Cream was the first to introduce rolled-ice cream, a Thai delicacy, to Calgary. Rolled ice cream is made with no added stabilizers, preservatives or emulsifiers. According to DelloR, rolled ice cream is creamier and less dense than ice cream, so you get more bang for your buck.
Best is you can also watch them make the rolled ice cream right in front of you. Try seasonal flavours or stick to the classics like S’more DelloR, Cookies & Cream or Strawberry Delight.
Location: 1309 Edmonton Trail, NE
Sweet Tooth
Sweet Tooth is another of the OGs that brought rolled ice cream to Calgary. What sets them apart from other rolled ice cream shops is they have a revolutionary, silky coconut milk base that allows most of their flavours to be made dairy free.
Sweet Tooth also offers build your own flavours, so you snack to your hearts content. For the health conscious, Sweet Tooth offers Sweet Tooth Body: with 30 grams of protein per cup. Look for monthly features, specialty items and crowd favourites. They also offer vegan and gluten-free options.
Location: 206 Center Street, in Chinatown
Soft Serve Ice Cream Calgary
Not in the mood for hard ice cream? Check out some of the soft serve ice cream Calgary has to offer. There’s more than boring old vanilla, trust!
Telus SPARK
There’s several reasons you’d want to visit Telus SPARK, Calgary’s science museum – their engaging exhibits, the children’s gallery, the awesome outdoor playground… Now they’re serving up soft serve astronaut ice cream, you can opt for a vanilla or chocolate charcoal cone. But it’s not that basic. Some, like the Earth are coated in an electric blue raspberry dip. Venus comes with a puff of pink cotton candy and Uranus has a honey glazed donut ring around your waffle cone.
Uzu Taiyaki
Uzu Taiyaki is a family-owned business located in Chinatown. Here, you get soft serve ice cream with Asian-inspired flavours in fish shaped, soft waffle cones. Their soft serve comes in cool flavours like Pandan, Ube and Cereal Milk.
Uzu Taiyaki also has a food truck, so keep your eyes peeled for them around the city. It’s definitely an Instagram-worthy stop.
Location: 110 2 Avenue, SE #1
Good News Calgary
A brand-new coffee shop in Inglewood, Good News Calgary offers coffee, soda, snacks and soft serve. Good News soft serve comes in unique flavours including Peach Pie, Baklava and Yuzu Blueberry. Their flavours rotate all the time, so check their Instagram or go in for a surprise. Good News is a pet-friendly location and also offers bike rentals.
Location: 1650 15 Street, SE
Luke’s Drug Mart
This Calgary staple has been owned by three generations of the Luke’s family, making it the oldest independent pharmacy in Calgary. Luke’s offers the usual pharmacy goods and services, but also have coffee and soft serve at both locations.
Luke’s flavours range from Strawberry Lemonade to Coconut Lime to Strawberry Rhubarb and their original flavour: Milk. Aside from their two pharmacy locations, Luke’s coffee and soft serve can also be had at Calgary’s swish, new Central Library.
Locations: 112- 4 Street, NE (Bridgeland), 3407-26 Avenue, SW (Killarney)
Pablo
Hot off the press! Pablo is a Japanese bakery known for their cheese tart, but they also serve up a pretty cool soft serve in strawberry or black sesame.
Location: 602B 16 Ave, NW
Calgary Gelato
Gelato is made with a less fat than ice cream, and that basically makes it healthy, right? Calgary gelato flavours are pretty broad, so you’re sure to find some delicious flavour bombs.
Amato Gelato
Amato Gelato serves over 72 flavours of Mario’s Gelati made from traditional Italian family recipes. The shop offers classic flavours like Cookies & Cream, Lemon and Raspberry, but also unique flavours like Black Sesame, Pumpkin Pie and Hedgehog. Amato also offers delivery for any orders.
Location: 2104 Kensington Road, NW
Noto Gelato
Noto Gelato is handcrafted gelato made right here in Calgary, using the Italian technique. They use only the finest ingredients to deliver flavours including Black Cherry, Carrot Cake, Nutella, Strawberry, Prosecco and more!
The storefront is in Bridgeland, but you can also enjoy Noto Gelato at locations in Banff, Canmore and around Calgary, including Halo Churros, Puncinella, Allora Italian and other locations. Noto is also available for purchase from Co-op locations, Mercato and Blush Lane.
Location: 236-4 Street, NE
Righteous Gelato
Plant-based and small batch, only the finest ingredients go into Righteous Gelato. We know a certain teen who’s a big fan of their Frozen Hot Chocolate, whereas we’re partial to their dairy-free Salted Hazelnut – hello Nutella! Shop online for delivery or pick up a curbside treat Wednesday to Sunday.
Location: 221 19 St, SE Unit #110
Save these tips
If you’d like to reference these ice cream suggestions next summer, simply pin the image above to Pinterest.
You forgot Righteous Gelato – they’ve got great scoops too!
Yep. My bad. I’ll have to get back their tout suite! From Jody (not Joe).