Lick Bait – Warsaw’s Top Ice Cream

Looking to make money this June? Then open an ice cream stand. The natives can’t get enough, and if any proof was needed then let the queues in Old Town speak for themselves. Yet while the historic center exemplifies the Polish love affair with ice cream, it’s also miles off the pace when it comes to quality control – at best, you’ll end up with towers of stuff that looks like radioactive waste; at worst, it’ll be about as healthy as well. Instead, those in possession of The Knowledge will be heading further afield to the zillions of artisan parlors that have popped up like pimples. Forget the Plain Jane options of yore, join the super cool by embracing the new wave of offbeat flavors made with natural ingredients.

The Ice Queens
Budka Za Lodami (Francuska 30) Natural ingredients and creative flavor combinations made this innocuous wooden cabin a legend.

La Maison (Chłodna 15) The pedestrian choice of flavors mark this out as one for the traditionalists, nonetheless, the quality is outstanding. Must try: pink grapefruit.

Limoni Canteri 1952 (various locations: lodziarnielimoni.pl) Traditional gelato matched against oddities such as cucumber, beer and, even, ice cream for your dog!

Lody Prawdziwe (Nowy Świat 22) A legitimate contender for the best ice cream in town – just wait for the cherry season for an ice cream to die for.

Lodzia (Jana Pawła II 18) One to watch, this newbie has made a promising start with natural ice cream that goes from standard to wacky: the banoffee is a winner.

Nitro Lody (Zwycięzców 11) This venture specializes in ice cream frozen with liquid nitrogen by lab-coated staff: the whole process ensures your ice cream is smoother than a pane of glass.

Sucre (various locations: sucre.pl) Others get the headlines for their gimmicky flavors, Sucre prefer to keep it simple. That works in their favor: there’s no better natural ice cream in Warsaw.

Vegestacja (Puławska 38) Vegan ice cream… Get this, flavors include Colombian muesli with yogurt.

Warszawskie Lody Tradycyjne (Jana Pawła II 38) A hole-in-the-wall whose numerous hits include the best-selling mango/papaya.