Ice cream in Barcelona

A second DelaCrem has opened, this one on the tree-filled, wide avenue of Passeig de Sant Joan. On first glance, DelaCrem Obrador looks like nothing more than a narrow shop front with a crowd of people shifting their weight from one foot to the other until it’s their turn at the counter. Behind the counter of gleaming sliver tops, however, there is a narrow seating area with a few tables, and behind that, the glass-fronted workshop.

As before, the flavors change to reflect the seasons, and there is a handy flavor wheel pinned up for reference. This is natural ice cream, meaning no additives or stabilizers. The ice cream will seem colder than usual, since it hasn’t had volumes of air beaten into it, and will melt quickly. Not that this will be a problem, as DelaCrem make the kind of ice cream that is wolfed down greedily, with one eye on the line as you consider whether you should dip back in for seconds.

The answer, by the way, is yes.

Anita’s world-famous boutique ice cream had modest beginnings in a small Mediterranean kitchen, almost 20 years ago. Now they have ice cream parlors across the world from Australia to New York. You’ll find Barcelona’s very own Anita’s sitting on a corner in Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia.

The ice creams are 100% hand-made and there are around 150 different kinds of frozen yogurt, sorbets, and organic sugar- free, fat-free, soy-based and real cream-based ice creams to choose from. Tempting toppings include fresh fruit, syrups, premium chocolate, and in particular, the jams. Each new flavor still has to get Mama Anita’s personal stamp of approval, and her heavenly touch can be tasted in every scoop.

Anita is an ice cream lover’s paradise and the secret to its success is that the focus remains on bringing friends and neighbors together for really great, lovingly prepared ice cream.

Ice cream shop Natas is painted the same shade of pink as the strawberry-flavored ice cream made by Manuela, the store’s young Venezuelan co-owner.

Formerly the pastry chef at Satan’s Coffee Shop for a while, Manuela dreams up tantalizing flavors like vanilla ice cream with candied lemon peel (made from the lemon tree in the courtyard of the building) folded through, or mint chocolate chip ice cream with a hint of salt. Even pedestrian flavors like strawberry taste different at Natas, partly due to Manuela’s demanding palette, but also because of her focus on tasty primary ingredients: a lot of the fruit and herbs used come from the shops of Joaquín Costa around the corner.

Along with cones, there are ice cream sundaes and banana splits. With ice cream this good, you would be a fool to settle for a single scoop.

What a charmer this place is. This petite ice cream shop in Sant Gervasi is owned by childhood friends Matteo, Gianluca, Marco and Francesco, bringing the traditions of their hometown of San Remo to Barcelona.

Named “street gelato” for their cute-as-a-button ice cream trolley, which they take on the road to local festivals and events, whips up artisanal gelatos, sorbets, and popsicles quirky enough to cater to everyone’s tastes. Using seasonal, local and organic ingredients, they offer an amazing rainbow of unusual savory and sweet flavors: saffron, yogurt with curry, Parmesan balsamic, licorice, cava peach, vermut, pineapple basil, and clara (lemon beer!), just to name a few. There are also the classics for the less adventurous.

Paral·lelo is definitely worth the trip above Diagonal, but if you can’t make it all the way up there, one click on your Glovo app is all it takes to get some of the best gelato in town to your doorstep.

Poblenou may be best known as Barcelona’s forward-thinking barrio, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll still find untouched relics of the past. El Tío Ché is a fine example: a centenarian horchatería loved for its artisanal icy treats.

The historic, open-fronted façade retains its mosaic tiles and vintage signage. Let Tere pour you a refreshing cup of horchata and be sure to order a bag of deliciously dunkable fartons (pastry fingers sprinkled with powdered sugar) to nibble on too. And don’t miss the rich and creamy homemade ice cream and sticky slabs of turrón.

There are plenty of savory options too – this was one of the first few places in Barcelona to import German sausages. Their hotdogs are nothing short of scandalous!

Located in the secluded Plaça dels Traginers, overlooking the old ramparts that used to encircle the city, Swiit is an indulgent sanctuary of peace in the heart of the Barri Gòtic.

Upon discovering its unfathomably ancient façade, all worn wood and scarred stone, it is at once apparent that this is not your average ice cream store. You won’t find any artificial colorings or preservatives here, no hurried flurry muck, no mass-manufactured Magnums. No, Swiit is all about artisanal ice cream made in Barcelona using organic milk from local dairy farms.

Flavors reflect whatever’s happening in nature, with seasonal fruits blended with only the most natural of ingredients. Get your tongue dug into flavors like Mascarpone & fig, ginger & pear or rum raisin. As Swiit’s motto so eloquently states, “Life is better with ice cream.” Words to live by, indeed.