10 Favorite Ice Cream Shops in Paris

The scorching temperatures of recent heatwaves have left Parisians searching for respite, with cold rosé piscine sipped on terraces, dips in the Seine or the Canal Saint-Martin care of Paris Plage, and, of course, ice cream. You’ll find all manner of glaciers throughout the city, from the omnipresent Amorino with its gelato scooped into flower petals to run-of-the-mill cafés charging an arm and a leg for freezer-burnt Carte d’Or. But if you want the very best in artisanal frozen treats, here are our Parisian ice cream go-tos. 

Berthillon

Berthillon is one of the city’s most storied ice cream parlors, founded in 1954 on the luxe Ile Saint-Louis. Over 70 years later, it’s a major destination – and for good reason. The artisanal ice creams come in a range of rich, potent flavors, from a mint chocolate chip infused with real mint leaves and studded generously with chunks of chocolate to a seasonal wild strawberry sorbet – the house signature. The portions are admittedly diminutive for the price, but they definitely deliver on flavor. And while the maison mère often has a fairly long line (and completely shuts in August), you’ll have just as good an experience at any of the plentiful takeaway shops dotting the island. Our go-to is l’Ile Flottante at 29, rue des Deux Ponts, where the service is fairly friendly and the choices plentiful. Enjoy your cone sitting on the banks of the Seine a five-minute walk away for a truly Parisian experience. 

29-31 rue Saint-Louis en l’île, 75004 

L’Achta

Lebanese ice cream has taken the city by storm, beloved for its floral flavor and almost elastic texture, which has the added bonus of keeping it from melting in the heat. And while there are loads of spots where you can score this treat, L’Achta is a firm competitor for best in show. Not only are the ice creams here creamy and full-flavored, but the welcome is supremely warm. You can choose as many flavors as you like, no matter the size of your cone. The lemon sorbet is zingy and refreshing with a creaminess that belies its dairy-free nature. The pistachio has the reassuring beige tone of an ice cream with no artificial colors – and the depth of flavor that only top-quality ice cream can provide. 

167, rue Saint-Martin, 75003

Isotope

This ice cream parlor in the heart of the Haut-Marais serves extremely generous scoops of homemade ice creams in a wide range of flavors that change regularly. So far this season, we’ve already delighted in a smoky tea ice cream rippled with rhubarb compote and the best raspberry cheesecake we’ve ever tried. (The secret, British founder Frances Leech told us, is mascarpone.) Vegan options abound, from a silky apricot sorbet seasoned with cardamom to chocolate-coconut Chococo. There’s both indoor and outdoor seating, but when the shop gets rammed, you’re also just a few steps from the pretty Square du Temple – Elie-Wiesel, a park with copious bench seating and excellent people watching. 

8 Rue Dupetit-Thouars, 75003 

REŸS Glaces Éternelles

French-style gelato is the cornerstone of Reÿs, where each flavor is inspired by one of founder Jean-Pierre Braun’s travels or nostalgic childhood memories. The flavors often change, but the Indian Wedding is a delicious stalwart: a kulfi-inspired ice cream with cardamom, pistachio, and rose. Vegan options are founded in logical pairings, as with the Balade à Bangkok with a base of jasmine Thai rice and coconut milk infused with lemongrass. More “out-there” flavors like tzatziki with olive oil and garlic are joined by comforting chocolate ice cream inspired by Braun’s Grandpa Charles’ hot cocoa and a coffee gelato with the exact flavor of the best Parisian terrace café crème. 

4 rue du Bourg Tibourg, 75004 

Kosak

Hidden away on the far side of the Butte Montmartre, Kosak is technically a chocolate shop, but it’s also become an ice cream destination thanks to the artisanal glaces made with care and top-quality ingredients by Isabelle Vatinet, an artisan glacière in the Hautes-Alpes. Choose from among a host of flavors from classic chocolate and vanilla to more surprising violet. The hazelnut is exquisitely rich and nutty, and the full-flavored raspberry sorbet tastes like puréed, height-of-season berries in technicolor. The friendly welcome is just the icing on the cake. 

106 rue Caulaincourt, 75018 

Glazed

If you pride yourself on always ordering the weirdest thing on the menu, then head straight to Glazed, where the excellent ice creams come in totally rock-and-roll flavors like bone marrow or gorgonzola with walnuts and black garlic. Even if you’re looking for something a bit more tame, expect excellent quality and slight spins on classics, as with “Smoke on the Water,” which sees vanilla tempered with earthy organic hempseed or “Mister Green” with Iranian pistachio ice cream and black sesame swirl. 

19 Rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, 75005 

Sucre Glace

The Canal Saint-Martin is abuzz with ice cream parlors, but Sucre Glace remains a favorite thanks to its all-natural, lower-sugar ice creams and sorbets so creamy you’d swear they were dairy-based. Join the long but thankfully fast-moving queue for generous boules of apricot-rosemary sorbet paired with hazelnut ice cream or a deep magenta raspberry-sour cherry sorbet paired with light and creamy yogurt ice cream. The storefront overlooking the Canal means you won’t have to travel far to find a seat and devour the generous portion with a view of the water. 

61 quai de Valmy, 75010 

La Fabrique à Gâteaux

Lisa Leclerc is a pastry chef-turned-glacière who draws massive crowds to La Pampara, an Italian épicerie where she peddles her homemade ice creams. She prides herself in having something for everyone on the ever-changing menu, from classic vanilla and chocolate to more hipster choices (le quartier l’oblige…) like chai latte or a black sesame number that has quickly become a neighborhood staple. They also make homemade chocolate-covered ice cream pops and their own house play on a frozen Snickers. 

9, rue Alibert, 75010

La Tropicale Glacier

Just up the block from the bustling Aligre market, you’ll find Tropicale Glacier, the perfect ice cream parlor to sit on-site at one of multiple indoor and outdoor tables to dig into delicious ice creams developed with the tenets of perfume in mind. Each flavor boasts a balance of high and low notes for a symphony of flavor. Organic blood orange brings sweetness and brightness to a sorbet deepened with the malty, almost caramelized intensity of black Assam tea, and, and roasted hazelnut ice cream gets both texture and flavor from the addition of caramelized cacao nibs. The Vietnamese origins of owner Thai Thanh Dang are often showcased on the menu, as with a coconut sorbet with toasted sesame or the house signature: a deep, dark caramel ice cream heightened with a touch of fresh ginger. 

7, rue de Prague, 75012 
180 Boulevard Vincent Auriol, 75013

laCrèma

Influencers recently glommed onto this gelateria steps from the Pantheon – and we can see why. The plant-based gelati take full advantage of nut milks to add even more power and presence to flavors like hazelnut-chocolate gianduja or Ghanaian dark chocolate made with silky cashew milk. Is it worth waiting an hour in line? We’re not sure… but if you do manage it, order the Mediterranean pistachio, which is the most flavorsome pistachio gelato we’ve ever tried. It may prove a bit too sweet and rich for some on its own, so balance it with a perfectly puckery lemon sorbet. 

19 Rue Soufflot, 75005