I scream, you scream… you know the rest. The summer season means it’s the prime time for ice cream! No matter what type you fancy, there is something sweet for everyone across Hamilton. Let’s take a look at 14 sweet spots!
The Purple Pony Ice Cream Shop (346 Wilson Street East, Ancaster)
An adorable name for an adorable spot – The Purple Pony is a tiny garage packed with Kawartha Dairy flavours. Deciding on a flavour is no easy feat – you may sample a few before choosing which to put in a cup or cone. There are a variety of sizes including the kiddie or mini cones, but who are we kidding… go big or go home!
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Big Scoops Ice Cream (2 Duke Street)
A classic for a reason! No frills, just a little take-away spot off James South offering a variety of Hewitt’s Dairy flavours. The best part – massive portions! You have been warned – the “small” is huge. Brain freeze be damned! You get an amazing bang for your buck.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Sprinkles On Top (39 King Street East, Stoney Creek)
Sprinkles is just the cutest. It has all of the innocence of an ice cream shoppe from decades past, complete with sweet pastel-coloured interior, toys, and candy. Get fancy with a different type of cone like one made of cookie or decked out in sprinkles, or go for a classic sundae, or ice cream atop a waffle.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Chocolat On James (123 James Street North)
When you get a craving for le crème glacée, Chocolat On James can satiate you. They dish it up soft serve style, so rather than having the agonizing decision of choosing from a multitude of flavours, you can stress over a menu full of toppings! Get a waffle bowl, cone, or ice cream incased in a thick layer of what this shop does best – chocolat.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Winona Ice Cream (1247 Hamilton Regional Rd 8, Stoney Creek)
We may have lost the iconic Stoney Creek Dairy, but there are still some tasty ice cream spots in the ‘Creek. Out in quiet Winona is a cute little spot with a range of delicious Chapman’s flavours. The shop also sells candy and gift items.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
AMO Gelato Caffe (171 Locke Street South)
If you’re in the mood for gelato, AMO is the place. They have one of those effective Instagram accounts that makes you instantly crave it when you see it. Owner Ally Amato is a flavour-creating machine, cranking out the most mouth-watering options using your favourite cereals, chocolate bars, fruits, and seasonal treats like Peeps and Kinder Eggs for Easter! They also offer vegan and gluten-free selections. Bonus: they are open until 10pm (check for official hours) and have a front patio.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Pane Del Sole Bakery (175 John Street North)
Another gelato spot, but I won’t turn down any icy treat! Your eyes will be bigger than your stomach at Italian bakery Pane Del Sole. It’s filled with delicious desserts and lunch items, but on this visit, it was all about their signature gelato – I went the Mojito!
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Hutch’s Harbour Front (325 Bay Street North)
Take a stroll by one of the best spots in the city, Bayfront Park, after grabbing a cone (and/or some classic fish & chips!) at iconic Hutch’s. This has got to be on your summer to-do list.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Panini & Ice Cream 1505 Main Street East
The secret may be out about east end gem Panini & Ice Cream. If you’ve been, you know why! Serving up Hewitt’s flavours, the most brilliant menu item is the Half & Half (as they like to call it, Half Shake, Half Amazing). Choose from their list of flavour combos, or go crazy and choose your own!
——————————————————————————————————————————–
The Horn Of Plenty (24 King Street West, Dundas)
This sunny Dundas staple is chock full of gourmet and healthy foods and products, and of course, ice cream! Horn Of Plenty dishes up ice cream, milkshakes, and frozen treats like ice cream cookie sandwiches and root beer floats. Their speciality, however, is their own brand – DOH! They invented their own delicious dough recipe which you can get by the cup or by the cone, or even in containers to go. Hot tip: get a 50/50 cup or cone, which is half ice cream, half DOH!
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Henry Brown’s Small Batch Ice Cream (Hamilton Farmers’ Market – 35 York Boulevard)
The Hamilton Farmers’ Market is full of delicious gems. What better way to end a shopping trip than with a sweet treat? Owner Karen Burson creates small batches of classic flavours along with imaginative combinations using natural, organic, and local ingredients wherever possible, even using ingredients right from the Market.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Ancaster Ice Cream Parlour (1075 Wilson Street West, Ancaster)
Ancaster is home to another tasty spot over at Ancaster Ice Cream Parlour. New this year, the team also acquired an ice cream truck, Awesome Yummy Treats, which serves up soft serve ice cream, sundae cones, and slushies. Keep your eyes open for these treats on wheels! They also serve dairy-free ice cream upon request and are available for events.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Paradise Smoothies & Ice Cream (919 Upper Paradise Road)
Find this delicious paradise on the Hamilton Mountain. Along with a variety of flavours, they also create sundaes, smoothies, shakes, slushies, and their signature “Paradise Storm.” On this visit I created a genius concoction, if I do say so, myself: Salty Dog and Coconut flavours of ice cream, salted caramel sauce, chocolate-covered pretzels (with whipped cream and cherries on top, but of course).
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Rush Sugar Bar (156 James Street South)
One of the newest sweet spots on the block, Rush is a candy-coated dream dessert bar dishing up various flavours of soft serve with tons of options to customize – dipped cones and toppings. They also serve coffee, cocktails, wine and beer, waffles, dessert fondue, cakes, and custard tarts. Sugar rush, indeed!
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Some images were originally published by me on I Heart Hamilton and @ihearthamont.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
What’s your go-to ice cream spot in Hamilton? Leave a comment below or tweet us @theinlet_!
