The verdict is in: These are the seven best South African ice cream spots that you should know about.

La Cremosa

If you’re looking for original, homemade gelato, this is the place to go! David, Mauro and Sandro grew up playing in David’s dad’s ice cream shop. David’s dad has been making gelato at Fonte de la Salute in Rome for more than 30 years, hence this gem of an ice cream spot is not to be missed. Their gelato is made strictly according to the original Italian recipes. They’ve got a shop in Durban, one in Umhlanga and one at Dainfern Square Shopping Centre in Johannesburg.

Contact: 084 229 3994 / gelatolacremosa@gmail.com

Royal Danish Homemade Ice Cream

This Pretoria-based ice cream spot uses a Danish recipe and their roughly thirty eggless ice cream flavours can be enjoyed in homemade wafer cones that are also made on the premises. Their top flavour is the Royal Copenhagen – enough to spark my wanderlust. They also offer dairy-free ice cream.

Contact: 082 352 9955 / royaldanishicecream@gmail.com

Sinnfull® Ice Cream

It all started when founder and master alchemist, Britta Sinn helped out at her parents’ ice cream parlour during school holidays. The first Sinnfull® Ice Cream Emporium was opened in Camps Bay in 2002 and today they supply ice cream and sorbet to leading hotels, restaurants and retail outlets throughout the Western Cape. Now, located behind Snoekies in Harbour Road and owned by Dixie Strong, Justin Strong and David Aronson, you can experience some well-made ice cream while indulging in the beauty of Hout Bay.

Contact: 021 790 8143 / justin@sinnfull.co.za

Paul’s Homemade Ice Cream

Paul received an ice cream maker for his 21st birthday and well, the rest is history. At first, his ice cream became available in a couple of Joburg-based cafes and shops and later he partnered with his friend, Josh Amoils, who helped him to grow the business into what it is today. Now he has 12 of his own retail stores nationwide and his ice cream is stocked in more than a hundred South African stores. This Jozi boy sure knew what he was doing when he experimented with Nutella-swirled milk chocolate and Oreo cookie chunks in his parents’ kitchen.

Contact: 011 485 0104

Moody Cow

Craving some sweet stuff? Moody Cow in Clearwater Mall, Roodepoort is the brainchild of Jose dos Passos and it is definitely the place for sweet stuff. They’ve got Italian Gelato and cookie sandwiches to die for.

Contact: 010 5932740 / clearwater@moodycow.co.za

Createry Co

Perfect for the times we live in, Createry Co delivers artisan ice cream to your door! Their ice cream is packaged in a 150ml glass recyclable jar, which means that when you’re not feeling like washing dishes, there’s no need for scooping and serving. Think Belgian Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Cheesecake, London Fog, Rooibos & Condensed Milk and French Vanilla. If you’re in Joburg, be sure to try them out!

Contact: 082 281 2586 / info@createry.co.za

 Harolds Bay Beach

Ice cream at the Harolds Bay Beach has been a thing for many years and many people talk about it with nostalgia. We’ve also been and it truly is a great ice cream experience – complete with sugar cones and sandy toes. Another similar favourite among South Africans is a caramel-dipped ice cream in Gordon’s Bay.

There you have it, ice cream lovers! An ice cream for almost every city.

XOXOXO