Whether you prefer rocky road, Thai-style rolled ice cream, fruity gelato, a thick ice-cream sandwich or a gooey soft-serve cone, nothing says “summer in Ottawa” quite like ice cream, gelato or sorbet—am I right?
Everyone has their favourites, and debates about the relative temperature, taste and texture of your preferred purveyor of dairy (or non-dairy) delights can rage far into the night. But who has time to argue when there’s ice cream to eat and summer is short?
Here are some of my own fave places for ice cream in Ottawa, Chelsea, Morrisburg and elsewhere, as well as a number of spots that have been suggested by readers that I haven’t quite gotten to yet. Hey, my waistline can only take so many treats!
Did I miss your favourite dairy bar or ice cream stand in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais or even points beyond? Send me an email or leave me a comment to let me know. I’m going to keep expanding and updating this list.
Cover photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash.
Moo Shu Ice Cream and Kitchen (477 Bank Street) is the brainchild of Liz Mok, who spent her childhood in Hong Kong and Vancouver before settling down in Ottawa. Her flavours of vegan and non-vegan ice cream are often inspired by Asian cuisines and rotate regularly; depending on the day, the shop might be scooping up lime leaf and fresh mint, sea salt and sea buckthorn, or vegan dalgona and coffee. Ice cream sandwiches, bars and pies are also available.
As well as ice cream, you can buy savoury items such as dumplings (vegan and non-vegan), chili-miso okasu (a spicy condiment) and more.
Finally, here are two other great things about Moo Shu: It’s a certified Living Wage employer, which means employees earn, well, a living wage—which is more than many food businesses provide, sadly. That means the prices are a little higher than you might see elsewhere. To compensate, the shop offers basic commercial cones (cheaper than waffle cones) and runs a “suspended scoop” program; if your budget allows, you can pay for an extra cone when you buy yours, so that a future customer on a tighter budget can have a cone for free.
The Beachconers (273 Britannia Road) is a super stop if you’re cycling the recreational trail along the Ottawa River, hanging out in nearby Britannia Park or doing some birding at adjacent Mud Lake. Intriguing flavours on any given day might include peach cardamom, bakery Xplosion, rhubarb crumble or root beer ice cream, and vegan ice creams are available.
Heading to Carp to learn about the Cold War at the Diefenbunker? You can enjoy “cold” of a different sort at the Carp Custom Creamery (3763 Carp Road), where the loaded butter-tart ice cream is TO DIE FOR. Seriously, it’s creamy, packed with chewy bits and just the right level of sweet for my tastes. (As at pretty much any small-batch ice cream shop, flavours rotate regularly, so it’s not always available.) You can get cones, pints and ice cream cakes, and vegan ice creams and sorbets are sold, too. The creamery has a second outlet with shorter hours at 100 Willand Lane in Woodlawn (Constance Bay).
Reader Terri Tomchyshyn gave a shoutout to the Mount Molson Dairy Bar (536 Laurentian Drive, Petawawa), which the mother-daughter team of Tanya and Zoe Nolan opened in 2021. You’ll find many flavours of Kawartha Dairy ice cream and a great view of a former ski hill.
“I highly recommend the ice cream flight—3 cups of ice cream—so you don’t have to choose one flavour,” wrote Terri. “Absolutely worth the stop if you are on the road in that area.”
The Docksyde (7 Canada Way, Morrisburg) isn’t fancy—it’s basically a small, seasonal snack bar in Morrisburg Waterfront Park where you order your ice cream, poutine and other snacks from keen young staffers at a window. What it does have is that real estate holy grail: location, location, location. Get your cone and hustle to a table or bench overlooking the St. Lawrence River to eat it before it melts. Summer heaven. P.S.: If you’re in the area, check out my tips on other things to see and do in Morrisburg and Iroquois.
The summer lineup may be long at La Cigale (14, chemin Scott, Chelsea), an ice cream shop opposite the entrance to the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre in Chelsea. Bring a book, bring a friend, play Plants vs. Zombies on your phone—do whatever you have to do to amuse yourself while you stand in line, because the wait will be worth it.
The fabulous ice cream sandwiches, wedged between two chewy bakery cookies, are my faves, but they’re HUGE. You might want to split one between two people. Or, you might not. 😊
The shop caters to those with allergies and other dietary restrictions with a range of products, including a nut-free ice cream sandwich, vegan ice creams, gluten-free ice creams and cones, and egg-free ice creams and sorbets. You can also order ice cream cakes, ice cream tarts and fruit pies. And if you’re planning on some outdoor fun nearby, check out my beginner’s guide to Gatineau Park.
As I said at the top, I know this is only the tip of the ice cream iceberg! Send me your tips and ideas and I’ll do my best to add them. And if you like snacking on the road, don’t miss my list of five Eastern Ontario coffee shops you must visit.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.
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