Enjoy delicious, cool gelato and sorbet at 5 handmade ice cream shops in Saigon.
‘Ice cream’ is a common noun for cool dishes made from cream, milk, and sugar. Ice cream includes many genres, including gelato and sorbet. It can be said that at present, in Saigon, two types of ice cream are quite new but are enthusiastically ‘sought after’ by young people.
Gelato has a smooth, silky texture and is thicker than regular ice cream because it is stirred slowly, resulting in less air. In addition, gelato is stored at a higher temperature so that the finished product does not become too hard. Thanks to that, when enjoying gelato, diners can fully feel the flavor without having their tongue numb.
Most Vietnamese people classify it as ice cream, but in reality, sorbet only contains fruit and sweeteners (sugar, syrup, or flavored wine) and no milk or cream.
Eating a spoonful of sorbet, you can feel the texture similar to shaved ice and the fruity flavor ‘exploding’ in your mouth. Therefore, sorbet is a friendly dish with many tastes. It is even popular with some dieters.
So where should you go to enjoy these valuable experiences? Below are 5 places to enjoy handmade gelato and sorbet that have left you with many unforgettable sweet impressions.
1. Osterberg Ice Cream Vietnam
As a famous ice cream shop chain in Copenhagen, Denmark, and coming to Saigon in 2016, Osterberg always knows how to score points with local diners by cleverly keeping a balance between strange and familiar feelings.
It took Osterberg 2 years to perfect the first menu with about 150 ice cream recipes. Osterberg stores in Denmark and Vietnam constantly exchange typical flavors and ingredients for diners of the two countries.
For example, black currant flavor was added to the ice cream menu in Vietnam, and durian flavor was boldly but cleverly introduced by the brand to Western consumers.
Don’t stop there, the shop regularly updates ‘unique’ ice cream flavors: avocado and date sorbet, ginger and chili, apple and cinnamon, sea buckthorn, and elderflower.
Address: 94 Xuan Thuy, District 2.
2. Puppy & Cesar
Puppy & Cesar is one of the rare ice cream shops in Saigon that serves high-quality ice cream at an affordable price.
When you come to the shop, you can enjoy strange-sounding ice cream flavors: apple pie, pink guava sorbet, or popular flavors like matcha, sea salt caramel, or black sesame.
Puppy & Cesar encourages diners to combine gelato with homemade waffles. The crispy crust just out of the oven combined with the soft, cool ice cream will surely remind you of the precious flavors of your carefree childhood.
Address: 35 Tong Huu Dinh, District 2.
3. Ralf’s Artisan Gelato
If you want to find traditional gelato flavors, Ralf’s Artisan Gelato is an option not to be missed. Shop owner Ralf Ehresmann is the only member in Vietnam present in Gelatieri per il Gelato (Handmade Gelato Making Association).
Because the flavors often change weekly, it seems that customers never stop being curious and excited when visiting Ralf’s Artisan Gelato.
Many ice cream flavors here are hard to find elsewhere: chocolate sorbet, orange blossom, and stracciatella (vanilla and shaved chocolate). In particular, Ralf’s is also proud to introduce to customers pure Vietnamese flavors such as black sticky rice yogurt, fish sauce gelato, or pho sorbet.
Address: 17 Le Van Mien, District 2.
4. Fior Di Saigon
Located in the heart of Saigon city, Fior Di Saigon easily attracts the eyes of anyone passing by because the overall space is filled with sweetness from pastel tones.
Inspired by ‘fior di latte’ (flowers made from milk), the original milky gelato flavor, Fior Di Saigon promises to be a ‘memorable’ place for many sweet lovers across Saigon.
Coming here, you will probably be a little overwhelmed by the creative ice cream dishes. Therefore, for those who love the strong aroma and strong aftertaste of wine, you should not ignore the brown fairy (Whiskey) or Bailey wine flavor. As for those who prefer lightness, maybe blue jasmine is a flavor worth trying when you go to the store.
Address: 19 Huynh Thuc Khang, District 1.
5. Maison Marou
Maison Marou is a familiar name to gourmets, associated with the title ‘The best chocolate bar in the world’. In addition to the chocolate and cakes that have made Maison Marou famous, the gelato here also leaves diners with a rich impression by prioritizing the use of ingredients made entirely from fresh fruits and Vietnamese chocolate.
Address:
167-169 Calmette, District 1.
90 Xuan Thuy, District 2.
