Ice cream has regained its old-school glamour for 2025; this is where to find the best ice cream in London this summer.
We’re infatuated with flaky sea salt and olive oil drizzled over vanilla ice cream, as well as Florence’s viral affogato at Gran Crema Caffè Vivoli (worth the hype, we can confirm). Clever ice-cream makers are back and part of London’s trendy foodie spots, from Happy Endings’s iconic ice-cream sandwiches to the viral Anya Hindmarch pop-ups.
A renaissance of sorts, but also a return to the retro – excellent gelato joints are popping up across every borough. Many of these spots are taking us back to the 1930s, with a resurgence in old school classics from soft serve to the trusty Neapolitan. At others, off-the chart flavours are taking centre stage on the menu.
Including soft serve, sandwiches, sugar-free, and vegan scoops, these are the tastiest spots for ice cream in London this year.
The Dreamery
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The Dreamery is testament to ice cream’s rise to cult classic status. No longer just a park stop-off or child-friendly day out, ice cream is at the heart of our date nights too. Opened last December by Alex Young and George de Vos, aka the team behind Islington’s trendy Goodbye Horses wine bar, The Dreamery offers scoops of classic flavours alongside seasonal specials served up in old-school silver sundae dishes and glasses of natural wines. Sip on a chilled red underneath the otherworldly murals by artist Lucy Stein, that reference British folklore and mythology in a technicolour of hues.
Birley Chocolate Shop
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Fancy heading to France this summer? Without actually hopping onto the Eurostar? Modelled off Paris’ prized boulangeries, Birley Bakery in Chelsea serves freshly baked patisseries and viennoiseries to an eagerly awaiting crowd, and has garnered its reputation for good reason. However, Birley Bakery’s expertise doesn’t end here. The chefs at the Birley Chocolate Shop next door are just as well-versed in ice cream and sorbet, with a special selection of brand new flavours introduced to the menu for the summer. Enjoy refreshing citrus and herbs sorbet or a new honey, almond and nougat ice cream as the sun starts to appear again.
Soft & Swirly
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No need to chase the twinkling tune of the local ice cream truck down the road to get your soft-serve fix. The sunny terrace of one of East London’s favourite weekend haunts, E5 Bakehouse, is playing host to ice cream pop-up Soft & Swirly this summer. Soft & Swirly are pioneers in the flavours you’d never think of yourself, but that will quickly rise to the top of your favourites. By that, we mean you can enjoy the likes of rhubarb with cream cheese, malted milk, strawberry and kumquat, fragola, matcha and more.
Anita Gelato
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According to Anita Gelato, summer 2025 ice cream trends are all about “flavourful adventures and feeling good about your choice”. Where better to feel good about what you’re ordering – no matter what crazy combination you decide to go for – than with the connoisseurs themselves, where no choice of flavour is the wrong one. Anita Gelato predict that this summer we will see more plant-based ice cream options, and they’re leading the way with a vegan cookie and cream flavour to enjoy in store. There are sugar free options too, so you can forget about the guilt.
The Ice Cream Project By Anya Hindmarch
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Anya Hindmarch’s outrageous summer ice cream pop-up has become something of a London summer staple in recent years. 2025 is no exception: the artist’s Kensington & Chelsea installation is back with a whole range of new flavours. Now, how brave are you feeling? A few of the favourites are back including Maldon Salt and olive oil. Copella ice cream as the new cooling cider? Instant gravy as a summer snack? Irn Bru in solid form? We say grab a selection of tubs and do a blind taste test with friends.
Soft Serve Society
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Soft Serve Society’s buzzy outposts in Seven Dials and Liverpool Street are proof that soft serve is well and truly having its comeback. Go classic, Mr Whippy style, with a vanilla cone soft serve, or branch out to a charcoal coconut flavour, topped with Dubai chocolate – the choice is yours. One star of the menu is the soft-serve sundae cups; buildable pots of a soft-serve ice cream topped with the likes of crumble and coffee-soaked sponges. Both branches also offer a weekly special flavour so keep an eye out for that too.
Romeo & Giulietta
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Northeast London neighbourhood favourite, Romeo & Giulietta is a sweet gelato joint to add to your list. The spot has made a promise to only use the finest quality ingredients in their ice cream, and it shows: creamy textures and lots of fresh flavours sing in every scoop, from pistachio & ricotta topped with caramelised figs or the dark chocolate sorbet drizzled with black cherry praline (this one is vegan!). Oh, and they serve a mean affogato too.
Badiani
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Born in Florence in 1932, it’s safe to say Badiani knows a thing or two about gelato. Their iconic artisan-made Italian gelato stores are scattered across central London, each painted in a vibrant hue – from electric blue to sunshine yellow or candyfloss pink. The store designs tease what awaits on the menu: row upon row of ice cream trays (including this summer’s newest flavour, Cinnamon Social in collaboration with Danish bakery Ole & Steen); a creperie to make the sweet treat a dessert; an espresso machine for deluxe affogatos; gelato shakes; gelato cakes; and even a gelato burger made with a lightly toasted brioche bun. The ice cream itself is so good you’ll want to take it home – and you can with take-home thermal tubs.
Lead image credit: The Dreamery by Harriet Langford
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