It’s that time of the year again when a scoop of ice cream could bring a smile to 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 parlours in Mumbai. Bookmark this list and try all of them this summer. 

Coppetto Artisan Gelato

With three outlets, Coppetto is, Pearl Fernandes’ (ex-restaurant & bar manager at Sorrentina All Day Dining) and Aishwarya Paul’s (food stylist and photographer) pick. Offering artisanal gelato, Coppetto serves up scoops of Sicilian Pistachio, Stracciatella, Tiramisu, and sorbet, too, in lemon and other seasonal flavours like mango and musk-melon. 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 500 for two

Rating: 4.5/5

Timing: 12 PM to 12 AM

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, sees 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

Rating: 4.4/5

Timing: 10:30 AM to 11:30 PM

Kulfi Hub

Recording and mixing away in his home studio, music composer and vocalist Harpreet Singh 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 450 for two

Rating: 4.5/5

Timing: 11 AM to 12 AM

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

Rating: 4.4/5

Timing: 9:30 AM to 11 PM

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

Rating: 4.3/5

Timing: 10 AM to 1:30 AM

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

Rating: 3.9/5

Timing: 6 PM to 12 AM

Giani’s

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. She swears, it’s the best cassata ice cream she has ever had; slightly expensive but worth it.

Price: INR 250 for two

Rating: 4.3/5

Timing: 12 PM to 3 AM

Amul

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 a simple and nostalgic ice cream sandwich from Amul. And to be honest, which Indian wouldn’t love it? A layer of fresh vanilla cream between two chocolate biscuits, and that too for just INR 30. The couple also mentions that they like ice cream sandwiches from Mother Dairy and Kwality Walls.

Price: INR 200 for two

Rating: 4.4/5

Timing: 2:30 PM to 1 AM

Naturals Ice Cream

I have been following the Instagram page of Mahima Dhoot for such a long time, always admiring her easy, vegetarian recipes. When asked about her favourite ice cream, she swears by Naturals! An iconic place that most of us probably grew up eating from — and it still hits just right. Their Tender Coconut ice cream is creamy, coconuty, and packed with real bits. So fresh, so delicious, and so so worth it – once you try it, there’s truly no going back. Some classics just never go out of style – and this one’s the GOAT, according to her and honestly, we cannot argue with that.

Price: INR 150 for two

Rating: 4.4/5

Timing: 11 AM to 1 AM

Bono Boutique Ice Cream

This recommendation comes from Sahil Makhija, or as some might popularly know him as @headbangereats. A chef, musician, and a big-time meat-lover, he is not someone who eats a lot of ice cream as a stand-alone item, but prefers it as a dessert. He has been quite a regular customer of Bono ice cream. Their dark chocolate sea salt and lotus Biscoff flavours are his recommendations.

Price: INR 500 for two

Rating: 3.9/5

Timing: 11 AM to 11 PM

Baskin Robbins

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.

Price: INR 250 for two

Rating: 4.2/5

Timing: 11 AM to 2 AM