Summer scoop: Prague’s tastiest ice cream treats

The debate over Prague’s best ice cream and gelato joints are as heated as a tram in July. In recent years the market has been flooded with contenders for the title making the Czech capital the stuff of frozen-dairy (and non-dairy, don’t worry vegans) dreams.

A quick lick of news for Prague ice cream lovers: Puro has opened two new locations this summer (Slovanský Dům Na Příkopech and on Rybalkova in Vinohrady). A new contender, Zmrzlinárna Braník, is conveniently located on the cycling path between Mánes to Zbraslav Bridge. Confectionery IF Café has also gained a reputation for having one of the city’s best pistachio scoops.

(For a roundup of other notable Prague ice cream parlors see here.)

Given that the Czech capital loves a good pop-up, many of the city’s most fabulous frozen treats can be found at the farmer’s markets and food festivals that populate the river banks, islands, and parks of summertime Prague. These are some of the more delicious we’ve come across, share yours in the comments:

Rolled ice cream from Roll Bros.

This Thai-style rolled or stir-fried ice cream in which cream or coconut milk and add-ins like fruit, chocolate, candy, or nuts are slathered onto an ice pan and rolled with a spatula, has come to Prague courtesy of Rolls Bros. Try tubular treats topped with Oreos, Kinder Eggs, Nutella, or even avocado at their recently opened a shop on Wenceslas Square; you can also find them at Manifesto Market.

“Clay” ice cream from Zmrzlina Hlína

Prague’s most sustainable scoop? This collective of art students from Slaný craft handmade sorbets and ice cream from goat, sheep, and cow’s milk, using a process of spattering at a low temperature. The resulting ice cream is thick and creamy and has the consistency of clay (“hlina” in Czech). Refreshing flavors like poppy, grapefruit, lavender, and mint are available at  Kavárna Hlína (Kampus Hybernska) also serving refreshing smoothies, espresso tonics, and frappes.

Ice cream cocktails from Crème de la Crème

Ice cream + booze, what’s not to love? This summer Crème de la Crème has offering ice-cream versions of popular summer cocktails (mojito sorbets, Sicilian bloody orange with Campari or Aperol, Malaga ice cream with Marsala wine or prosecco with fruit sorbet. Visit their Národní ice cream “salon” which opened to packed crowds last summer or find them at major Prague events throughout the summer. 

Homemade popsicle from Lunar Nanuky

Handmade popsicles from Lunar Nanuky are almost too beautiful to eat. Out-of-this-world flavors include space, a chocolatey, salty caramel swirl studded with a constellation of berries. Try their artfully dipped and playfull shaped, frozen treats on a stick at smaller shops and cafes around town including Donuter and Leli’s Cupcakes.

Soft serve cones at Antonínovo pekařství

Though this bakery-cafe with multiple locations throughout Prague is best known for its bountiful selection of bread, rolls, and stodgy Czech buchty, come summer the soft-serve window is swinging. And for its generous portion size, price, rich chocolate-and-vanilla flavor, and optional nuts or sprinkles this soft serve cone hits all the right notes.

Freeze-dried raw ice cream donuts from Rawito

While many of the above-mentioned ice cream operations offer a vegan zmrzka, Rawito has an entire line of lactose-, gluten- or sugar-free ice cream treats based on coconut, peanut or cashew milk. Their self-proclaimed “new-age” ice cream maker’s raw freezed-dried ice cream “space donut” (a box of three mini donuts in flavors like vanilla and date, peanut butter, and pineapple is worth seeking out See where to buy it here.