Sign up with email

or

Already a member? Log in.

Trouble logging in?

Not a member? Sign up!

In summer, there are just a couple of things that lisboetas will queue for: the beach and ice cream. The city is blessed with good places for both, but between the two, we prefer the latter, which in Lisbon tends to be Italian-style gelato, as served in the most long-standing and successful shops in town.

Tucked away in a corner of Restauradores, A Veneziana still has the same façade and is run by the same family as when it opened in 1936. The shop is small, with a big esplanada, or terrace, on which customers can sit and enjoy their treats. Maria Odete has been working there for 43 years and still enjoys eating cassata, the house speciality, which layers together ricotta, vanilla and chocolate ice cream with strawberry sauce and candied fruit, whipped cream and toasted almonds. Another popular specialty is the “spaghetti” flavor, which is vanilla with strawberry sauce and crushed meringue.

A true institution whose original location is in the seaside town of Cascais, Santini was so beloved that lisboetas would drive 30 minutes west of the city to stand in line for ice cream at the shop. Thankfully, there is now a branch in Lisbon. Founded by Italian native Attilio Santini in 1949, the shop has churned out a great deal of joy for generations. European royalty living in Cascais were regulars at the original location and are among those documented in the nostalgic black-and-white photos in the shop. Santini is best known for its extraordinarily fresh-tasting strawberry gelato, as well as for the excellent cones made in-house.

Santini has churned out a great deal of joy for generations

Newcomer Gelato Davvero in Cais do Sodré celebrated its first birthday in July. Before opening the shop, Riccardo Farabegoli had been working in graphic design and advertising and Filippo Licitra had co-founded another great gelato shop, Nannarela, in Lisbon’s São Bento neighborhood. Davvero uses fresh fruit mainly from the nearby Mercado da Ribeira as well as almonds from Sicily and hazelnuts from the Piedmont region in northern Italy. Notable among the many amazing flavors – some, like the pistachio and almond, made without sugar – are requeijão (similar to ricotta) with walnut and fig and salted caramel. Farabegoli explained to us that the quality of the gelato comes in part from the spring water they use. They have another location in Cacilhas.

Tiny and crowded, Conchanata in Alvalade is another Italian classic. Run by the Tarlattini family, it has had the same décor since it opened in 1947. The main attraction here is the conchanata – two scoops of strawberries and cream with a lush strawberry sauce on top.

Originally from Milan, Moreno Gorrara fell in love with Lisbon on his first trip to the city and started to spend all his holidays here. In 2014 he moved here and opened FIB (Felicidade Interna Bruta, or “Gross National Happiness”) in Areeiro, a neighborhood close to the airport, with flavors including pistachio, salted caramel, lemon with ginger and tiramisu. Since then, he has introduced Portuguese flavors like Maria biscuit and rice pudding and also serves Sicilian brioche, a sandwich with gelato and whipped cream.

In the busy downtown, Fragoleto has earned a legion of fans in part through its use of organic produce and natural flavors. Owner Manuela Carabina offers distinctive scoops such as rice pudding, tea, watermelon, plum and cheesecake, and her newest creation is a range of ice cream made with Arrábida craft beer. Get in line.

Editor’s note: Since it still feels like summer in Lisbon, we thought it was worth rerunning this 2016 piece about the city’s best ice cream.

  • Hot Ticket to HatayJanuary 17, 2018 Hot Ticket to Hatay (0)
    In the years of research for their new cookbook, Istanbul & Beyond, author Robyn […] Posted in Istanbul
  • Going DeepJanuary 8, 2018 Going Deep (0)
    As the calendar year turns over, we’ve grown accustomed to the barrage of lists telling […] Posted in Naples, Special category
  • Behind BarsJune 25, 2016 Behind Bars (0)
    For every level of society inside and outside Mexico, cantinas serve as both toxin and […] Posted in Mexico City

Published on August 30, 2017

Related stories

January 17, 2018

Hot Ticket to Hatay: Q&A with Author Robyn Eckhardt

Istanbul | By Culinary Backstreets
IstanbulIn the years of research for their new cookbook, Istanbul & Beyond, author Robyn Eckhardt and photographer David Hagerman became well acquainted with Anatolia and the distinct cultural identities, landscapes and, of course, cuisines that can be found on this vast plateau. We recently spoke to Robyn about why Hatay is so special to them,…
keramikos food
January 8, 2018

Going Deep: Neighborhoods to Visit in 2018

Naples | By Culinary Backstreets
NaplesAs the calendar year turns over, we’ve grown accustomed to the barrage of lists telling us where to travel during the next 12 months. Oftentimes these places are a country or even a whole region – you could spend an entire year exploring just one of the locations listed and still barely make a dent.…
June 25, 2016

Behind Bars: The Ghosts of Drinkers Past at Tío Pepe

Mexico City | By James Young
Mexico CityFor every level of society inside and outside Mexico, cantinas serve as both toxin and tonic for drink, song, jocularity, wit, mayhem and mishap. Tio Pepe, now thought to be the oldest such bar in the old Aztec capital, has provided both in equal measure since way before it received its present name in 1878.…
Select your currency
USD United States (US) dollar
EUR Euro