It’s that time of the year again when a scoop of ice cream could bring a smile on anyone’s face. Whether it’s a fruity-flavoured ice-cream scoop, an indulgent chocolate one, a tangy orange popsicle, a kulfi stick or perhaps something more elevated. Who doesn’t love some ice cream in Mumbai’s sweltering heat? We asked Mumbaikars (all foodies in their own capacity) to tell us all about their take on the best ice cream in Mumbai. Bookmark this list and try all of them this summer.
10 Mumbaikars Tell Us Their Favourite Ice Cream Spot In The City
Coppetto Artisan Gelato
With three outlets, Coppetto is, Pearl Fernandes’ (restaurant & bar manager at Sorrentina All Day Dining) and food stylist and photographer, Aishwarya Paul’s pick. Offering artisanal gelato, Coppetto serves up scoops of Sicilian Pistachio, Stracciatella, Amarena, and sorbet, too, in lemon, guava and raspberry flavours. The Italian flavours of their gelato will give you the feeling of licking a scoop while strolling down a piazza in Italy, even though you’re in hot and humid Mumbai.
Price: INR 350 for two
Taj Ice Cream
Co-founder of Tons Valley Shop and founder of Historywali, Shubhra Chhatterji and the man behind the Instagram account @mumbaipaused, Gopal MS - both see Mumbai and food with a different eye. We won’t dive into that at the moment, but their taste buds will lead you to Taj Icecream in Bohri Mohalla (perfect for the month of Ramzan!). Known to be one of the only surviving hand-churned ice cream makers, Taj’s ice cream made with an old sancha is unlike any other in the city. Gopal’s favourites here are the mango/alphonso and sitaphal flavours, while Shubhra swears by their guava ice cream.
Price: INR 150 for two
Baskin Robbins, Baba Falooda, Sea Lounge - The Taj Mahal Palace
Food and travel writer Kalyan Karmakar, who you may know as @thefinelychopped, has many recommendations to offer, having sampled several ice creams in Mumbai ever since he first moved to the city in 1997. But his favourite remains the Bavarian Chocolate at Baskin Robbins because he claims it’s one of the creamiest and also because he’s shared several scoops of it with his wife. He also fondly remembers the Love Boat ice cream sundae at Sea Lounge, which is no longer on the menu but the staff is happy to serve it to old-timers who remember it fondly. And, if a falooda could qualify as ice-cream, Kalyan also adds Baba Falooda on his list of recommendations, as do many Mumbaikars.
Baskin Robbins Price: INR 300 for two
Baba Falooda Price: INR 100 onward per falooda
Oh Dough
After having to scroll across social media platforms for work, it’s no surprise that Pooja Barge’s recommendation is a trendy flavour at a trendier bakery and ice cream shop in Fort. Oh Dough’s chalkboard menu reads Smoked Vanilla, Nutella Red Velvet and more, and the display at the bakery showcases an array of cookies and tea cakes worth packing for home. But while you’re here, grab a scoop of Pooja’s favourite Lotus Biscoff Strawberry ice cream. It’s worth the trip to Fort, and definitely worth posting about on the gram!
Price: INR 500 for two
Giani’s and Cream Bell
Exploring the city’s food comes naturally to Andrea Karkada, who owns and runs Home Deli in Prabhadevi. So you’ve got to trust her gut and choice when she recommends Giani’s version of an old-school favourite, Rainbow & Chocolate Cassata. 'Giani’s in Bandra is the best cassata ice cream I’ve ever had; slightly expensive but worth it', she says. If you don’t want to spend big, grab Cream Bell Bourbon Ice-Cream; 'the best of both ice cream and bourbon biscuit'.
Giani’s Price: INR 300 for two
Cream Bell Price: INR 10 upwards
Naturals Ice Cream
The duo is busy stirring up flavourful pots of Goan and Keralite food through their home-kitchen Aiyo, Patrao! But when it’s time to cool off, the couple swears by Naturals Ice Cream’s Tender Coconut flavour. And to be honest, which Mumbaikar doesn’t? The fresh pieces of coconut in the ice-cream taste better on a particularly hot day. But the couple also mentions that their go-to ice cream will always be the ice cream sandwich from Mother Dairy and Kwality Walls.
Naturals Price: INR 200 for two
Mother Dairy/Kwality Walls Price: INR 15 upwards
Kulfi Hub
Recording and mixing away in his home studio, music composer and vocalist Harpreet Singh rarely finds time to step out and explore Mumbai. But he knows his neighbourhood best and often hops to Kulfi Hub in Mira Road for dessert. The little shop offers kulfi by slice, stick, in a pot, as part of a falooda and has other special varieties too. But Harpreet recommends the classic stick kulfis, and loves the Malai-Kesar Pista and Mango here.
Price: INR 100 for two
K. Rustom Ice Cream
Mumbai-born and bred musician and vocalist Apurva Pendharkar loves Bombay as it used to be. Having spent her college years in the Churchgate area, she’s a loyalist of and highly recommends K. Rustom’s. A legendary spot for ice cream sandwiches where a thick slab of ice cream is sandwiched between crispy, thin wafer-biscuit wafers. You’ll find flavours like Coffee Crunch, Cherry, Ginger Lemon and more.
Price: INR 150 for two
New Kulfi Centre
Mumbai’s favourite kulfi spot serves up the freshest and creamiest kulfis, all of which are so good they come recommended even by a practising dentist. Vishwatmika Jadhav swears by the kulfi slices here and says every Mumbaikar must make the trip to Chowpatty to grab the Malai, Anjeer and Kesar Pista kulfi here.
Price: INR 200 for two
Rollercoaster Icecream Works
Trust Ghatkopar East to have the most unique offerings when it comes to street food and dessert. SEO analyst Pooja Guralwar, who blogs about Mumbai’s food on @foodietrendzz on Instagram, recommends Rollercoster. The little shop offers shaved ice cream, where cream and syrups are poured on an ice-cold roller and as the cream sets it’s shaved off the roller. You get strings of ice cream in a cup topped with syrups and at times a cherry too!
Price: INR 150 for two
