Ice Cream Bucket List

It was my friend Pascale's birthday a little while ago and for her special day I gave her a little card with a sweet surprise on the inside. It's no secret that we both love ice cream so I dreamed up a map of the ultimate Ottawa ice cream bucket list! I figured I could turn her birthday into a lifestyle for all of summer 17 and treat her to 10 of the city's best ice cream spots.

I thought I would share the list if you would like to have a peak...

1. Pascale's Ice Cream・Stroll through Lansdowne Farmer's Market on a sunshiny day and enjoy some of Pascale's homemade ice cream. She has a stall set up with the loveliest flavours like Honey Ginger Rhubarb, Malted Milk Chocolate, and my favourite, Lavender.

2. Carp Custom Creamery・Take a mini road trip to the nearby town of Carp to this classic ice cream counter. They have huge cones at a good price and tons of flavours. Plus they have a cute patio with picnic tables (also, did I mention the ICE CREAM TACOS!?!).

3. Merry Dairy・Tweet the ice truck for a totally 21st century frozen custard experience, if you're lucky they'll come right to your door in the summertime! I also just found out they're opening a permanent location in Hintonburg.

4. McDonald's・Pascale and I can attest that the best combo for a summer night is dancing at Babylon's 90s night and then post clubbing ice cream at McDonald's... for this one I'll have to put all my #shoplocal values aside! (side note: the new skor mcflurry is everything)

5. La Cigale・Take a summer hike in Gatineau Park or go for an afternoon swim in Wakefield. On the way back to the Capital be sure to pop by La Cigale in Chelsea for mouthwatering homemade ice cream and waffle cones.

6. Strawberry Blonde・Got a vegan in your life? Love animals? You're in luck! Strawberry Blonde has the smoothest vegan soft serve ice cream and all the baked goods you could ever dream of.

7. Mooshu・Stop by this super sweet shop for a taste of Asian inspired ice cream with flavours like Hong Kong Milk Tea and Black Sesame. Mooshu has been named one of the trendiest/hipest/most instagrammable little eateries in town with its cute logo and ice cream wallpaper. They're homemade cones are also vegan + gluten free.

8. Piccolo Grande・Ottawa has countless gelato places but Piccolo Grande has a special place in my heart because we used to walk here from my high school on warm early summer/late fall days. They also load on the gelato unlike most places which means it's likely the best bang for your buck.

9. Holland Cake & Shake・After picking up some fresh fruit and veg from the Parkdale Market, or strolling through Hintonburg, get some of Chef Holland's famous from-scratch soft serve. Devour it in a cone, sundae, shake, or paired with their beautiful cakes.

10. Beach Shack・I love me a good picnic on the beach! Head to Mooney's Bay Beach and soak in some rays while snacking on some of Beach Shack's mouthwatering ice cream cones. With toppings like caramel corn and oreo you really can't go wrong.

Pascale and I re:how much we love ice cream  ↴



Although I listed 10 fun ice cream adventures above, I'd also like to give a special shoutout to Oat & Mill vegan ice cream that can be found in some local Metros, The Beachoners microcreamery near Britannia Beach, and the new Stella Luna location in Hintonburg. You can be sure to find me at these sweet spots on this summer's hot summer nights.