Last week, Star food reporter Karon Liu tracked down Toronto’s best soft serve, from a Chinatown chocolate shop swirling lemongrass and cucumber jelly to an Etobicoke spot that’s been serving cones since 1969.
But we wanted to know if there were any hidden gems that we missed, so we asked readers where they get theirs — here’s what you had to say.
Dairy Cream, 715 Lakeshore Rd. E., Mississauga
This one came up again and again. Martin wrote: “Dairy Cream at 715 Lakeshore Rd East in Mississauga is by far the best soft serve you’ll ever have. Great funnel cakes too!” He recommends the “twist ice cream on a homemade waffle cone dipped in peanut butter and rolled in pecans.”
Arn backed him up, naming specific menu items: “Dairy Cream at 715 Lakeshore Rd E, in Mississauga, just east of Cawthra Rd. The classic banana split is huge and the cheesecake delight sundae is awesome. You can’t go wrong with anything there.”
Mikal has history with the place: “Definitely! Dairy Cream is the best. Been going there for 30 years. Tried others, but keep going back to this gem of soft ice creams.”
iHalo Krunch, 831 Queen Street West
From inside the First Up inbox, Liz said: “I’m a huge fan of iHalo crunch on Queen West. Their soft serve has an icy edge that most don’t, and they offer flavours like ube, coconut, and matcha! Be warned: their black carbon cones will change the colour of your poop, which freaked me out at first.”
Hassan’s ice cream truck, Christie Pits Park
Jenny had a special shoutout when nominating this truck: “Hassan’s truck beside Christie Pits — he’s the nicest man, and the ice cream is fresh!”
Sweet Jesus, several locations
Cyndy remembered an old favourite and a 2015 classic: “My favourite used to be Sweet Jesus. I loved their soft ice cream.”
Harrison’s Ice Cream, 100 Princess Blvd.
First Up reader Harrison went further afield with this nostalgic pick, noting the vendor has multiple booths on the CNE grounds: “Harrison’s Ice Cream, 100 Princess Blvd. I’m sorry, I looked and can’t find a photo or anything at all. They have three-plus booths: one outside the Food Building, one near the fountain south of the Press Building, and one at the southwest corner of the Queen Elizabeth Building.” On the flavour itself, they wrote: “The chocolate flavour has the right taste and texture, and it hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years.”
La Crème de la Crème Creamery, 389 John St, Burlington, ON
Kim called this Burlington gem “a must stop.” The business boast 18 different flavours of dip, including salted caramel, Oreo, mint and even lemon poppyseed.
Do you have a favourite cold sweet treat that didn’t make this list? Let us know in the comments section below.
