Refreshing, flavorful, and sweet, ice cream is the best dessert to cool down during the hot season while satisfying your sweet tooth. These frozen desserts, we got to say it, have become so deliciously creative in their making that one can hardly refuse their temptation.
The good news is that you don’t have to avoid them if you are dieting since the choices of natural – and even vegan – ice creams are now widely available in Lebanon.
Here are 10 ice cream parlors you really would want to try to for delightful refreshing moments.
#1 La Glace de Badiane
Known for its tasty ice-creams, la Glace de Badiane offers a wide variety of unique ice cream flavors such as lavender, gardenia, gin lemon, vodka orange, and salted caramel.
Located in Naccache, Metn, the place is mostly known for its healthy ice cream as it doesn’t include any artificial flavors nor added essences. The place smells like flowers and it has a super friendly ambiance and staff. Plus, you get to shop for flowers while there!
#2 Hilmi’s House of Lemonade
Located in Batroun district since the late 19th century, Hilmi is mostly renowned for its juices and lemonades, however, it also offers a wide variety of ice creams, especially delicious sorbets.
It’s an interesting place to visit as well for its lemonade museum that exhibits old equipment used in the production and sale of lemonade in the past.
It also has a cute gift shop to buy a souvenir or a gift for yourself or for your loved ones.
#3 Helado
Found in Sahel Alma – Jounieh, this ice cream shop is the perfect go-to place for a cute rendezvous. The place has some edgy, retro ambiance that makes you feel like you’re in some kind of fashionable movie.
It offers a wide variety of ice creams such as dark chocolate, prickly pear, and avocado, which the friendly staff serves in generous portions.
#4 Orso Bianco
For over a decade, Orso Bianco has been a leading gelato maker in Lebanon. Renowned for its artisanal gelato, it offers a wide variety of flavorful, healthy, and vegan gelatos.
The place is located in Mar Mitr street next to Spinneys Ashrafieh. Other than serving traditional ice-cream scoops, it also offers tasty and aesthetically pleasing ice cream sticks with unique flavors such as choco whisky and coffee.
Some sticks are sugar-free for the ones wanting to guiltlessly indulge in a flavorful gelato.
#5 Frooza Booza
This cool ice cream shop is found in the heart of Mar Mikhael in Beirut, serving their booza as handmade ice cream rolls.
Frooza Booza is an experience in itself: You can opt for the shop’s signature items, such as transforming cookies into a “Frooza” cookie sandwich. Or, you can choose to create your own “Frooza” from three types of low-fat homemade yogurt, booza, or sorbet, and their mix of fruits and confectioneries.
A plus: It’s a cool place to enjoy ice cream with friends and get to take a souvenir picture that gets hanged on the wall; a nice way to create a community feeling.
#6 Cold Stone Creamery
Located in Minet El Hosn in Beirut, Cold Stone Creamery has some chill ambiance to spend the afternoon with your relatives or friends.
The ice cream shop allows you to create your own ice cream by first choosing a flavor that ranges from sorbets to confections, then you get to choose your toppings, and add a waffle for a sweeter delight.
#7 Oh My Gelato
A hidden gem in Hazmieh, Beirut, Oh My Gelato is known for its artisanal, natural, and flavorsome ice cream that is free of additives and food coloring.
This friendly frozen dessert parlor is a must-try, especially for their delicious sorbets.
#8 Le Flocon Artisan Glacier
Located in both Ashrafieh in Beirut and Naccache in Metn, Le Flocon took the lead in producing fresh, healthy, and delightful ice-creams.
Mostly renowned for its unique sorbets such as passion-fruits, and ice-cream flavored with alcohol such as their famous Rum-raisin, Le Flocon is also a dessert place where you can delight in French and Lebanese sweets.
#9 Bouzet Hanna Mitri
Bouzet Hanna Mitri is one of the oldest still-operating dessert shops in Beirut. One cannot visit Lebanon without trying the renowned Almond Ice Cream and Lemon Sorbet of this ice cream parlor.
Dubbed as “one of a kind experience” for their top quality, the ice creams of Bouzet Hanna Mitri continue to be served in generous portions and are worth a trip to Ashrafieh if you don’t live in the area or are just visiting Lebanon.
#10 Awad Ice Cream
Located in both Ghazir and Ashkout in Keserwan, Awad casual dessert parlor serves natural, organic, and tasty ice-creams, such as avocado, strawberry, and ashta that have been the favorites of many.
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