Time for yet another dessert trial! When I finished up the croissant project I had already decided that my next project would be ice cream. I’ll start off by saying that ice cream is harder to “judge” than the other desserts. I searched for some criteria and came up with the following: 

Criteria

  1. No use of artificial flavors/colors. The color/flavor of the ice cream should correspond to its content. 
  2. Crumbly and/or fluffy ice cream indicates a high amount of air. It may be considered a sign of cheap, lower-quality ice cream. 
  3. Quality ice cream should generally be smooth and soft. 
  4. Flavors ought to be both identifiable and “natural/pure”.
  5. This is a very personal one. Ice cream should not feel heavy and difficult to digest.

With those criteria in mind I embarked on my journey to discover the best ice cream in Athens. This time I decided upon visiting 10 places. Most of them are between Syntagma and Monastiraki squares. A few of them are further away but still reachable either on foot or using the metro.

Disclaimer: The prices mentioned in the post were valid in summer 2022 when the post was written.

Bon Bon Fait Maison

Tastes tried: Caramelized pecans, chocolate brownies Price: 5€

Final Score: 4,8/5

You might remember Bon Bon from my macarons challenge. When I wrote down the list for this one I remembered that they make ice cream too! The ice cream is smooth and soft and doesn’t feel fatty and creamy.

Both flavors were true to taste. I also liked the amount of brownie chunks and pecans that I found inside the ice cream. The ice cream has no artificial colors and flavors. Most importantly (for me) it didn’t feel heavy. It covered all my criteria. 

Conclusion: I’ll definitely eat ice cream from Bon Bon again.

Dickie Dee

Taste tried: Fior di latte (in Caramel Pavlova cup) Price: 5€

Final score: 4,5/5

Dickie Dee differs from the other places I’m featuring in this post as they started out as a soft serve ice cream. That’s what I re-tasted for this challenge. They do have gelato flavors but their soft serve ice cream is the clear winner for me.

I usually go for pistachio but decided to get the Caramel Pavlova cup this time with fior di latte. The ice cream is VERY creamy for starters. And yes the flavor is “pure”. There is no artificial taste here.

The only con (for me) is that it needs toppings (esp this flavor) to counterbalance the density of the cream.

Conclusion: I’ll definitely eat ice cream from Dickie Dee again.

Related:  Dickie Dee Athens: not another ice cream parlor

Sugar Killer

Tastes tried: Pistachio, snickers  Price: 5? €

Final score: 2/5

I discovered Sugar Killer last year in Voula. It offers vegan and sugar free ice cream. I was rather disappointed because the flavors were artificial. Especially the pistachio one, which is usually the telltale flavor for purity. The color was true to the flavor though. It is creamy and smooth. The Snickers one was pleasant but I expected more nuts inside and some caramel.

Their ice cream is much heavier than cow milk derived one in my opinion. I had a hard time finishing it. I bit more than I can chew with 2 scoops of ice cream, but in any case it was heavy and difficult to digest.

Conclusion: Unfortunately I won’t be buying ice cream from Sugar Killer again.

Le Greche

Tastes tried: Pistachio, mascarpone with caramelized figs Price 6€

Final score: 5/5

Both tastes were creamy and smooth. The mascarpone one is very light. You can taste the caramelized figs which go perfectly with the cheese. In the pistachio ice cream both taste and color are true to the flavor. 

At this point I should add that mascarpone with caramelized figs is my favorite flavor eve

I’m not a big cheese fan and that’s coming from a chocolate lover.

Conclusion: I’ll definitely buy ice cream from Le Greche again. They have a store near my house and I do buy 1kg boxes to eat at home occasionally.

Kayak

Tastes tried: Jivara milk chocolate, parfait cream with quince Price: 5,7€

Final score: 4,8/5

Ι remember reading about Kayak some 20 years ago when the company first started out. Back in the day I tried out flavors like lemongrass and Madagascar Vanilla. Since then they’ve opened up many ice cream parlors/cafes where you can eat their ice cream. For this project I tasted the Jivara milk chocolate. It contains 40% Vahlrona Jivara chocolate. It was very creamy and melted quickly because it’s not very aerated. The cream parfait with quince was also very nice. It has more chewy texture. 

Conclusion: Kayak is definitely a brand I return to.

Zuccherino

Tastes tried: Ferrero, pistachio Price: 4,4€

Final score: 2/5

Both flavors were creamy but not very soft. The pistachio one was very dense. The ferrero was lighter. Taste is true to flavor, but didn’t wow me to be honest. Both have some elements of the flavor in the ice cream. The pistachio has a few nuts in it and the ferrero has nutella in it. It’s ok ice cream but doesn’t stand out. I should add that it’s also hard on my stomach and difficult to digest.

Conclusion: Unfortunately I won’t be buying ice cream from there again.

Bufala Gelato

Tastes tried: Salted caramel, pistachio Price: 4,5 €

Final score: 3,5/5

Bufala gelato is an ice cream parlor that I’ve visited many times. Both flavors are true to taste creamy but not very soft. In the salted caramel flavor I expected more pecans & caramel. The pistachio has pistachio pieces inside.

I like Bufala gelato flavors and it is a brand I return to many times. I find it difficult to digest so I usually buy one scoop. My all time favorite flavor is Bueno but wanted to try more for this project.

Conclusion: I will be buying ice cream from Bufala Gelato again.

Django

Tastes tried: Persian cream with figs + pistachio, smoked hazelnut Price: 4,5€

Final score: 3,5/5

A colleague of mine tipped me about this place so I added it to my list. I have to say that it’s the first ice cream parlor that states the ingredients of the ice cream on their labels

The persian cream is the best kaimaki I’ve ever tasted.  The smoked hazelnut disappointed me the most as I could not taste the hazelnut at all.

Django made their ice cream from cow’s milk and both flavors were light. It melts easily which means no additives, but I had to eat it quickly. That means it fell heavy on my stomach.

Conclusion: If I find myself in the neighborhood I might pop in for a persian cream.

Melt

Tastes tried: Bueno, Cookies Price: 4,2€

Final score: 2/5

Melt is another store that I featured in the macarons project. Its ice cream is soft, creamy and melts easily. The cookies are true to taste and if you are a fan it is a good version.

But I couldn’t tell Bueno from the cookies. Bueno is a favorite flavor of mine so I was disappointed.

Conclusion: Unfortunately I won’t be buying ice cream from there again.

Epik gelato 

Tastes tried: Rose delight, pistachio Price: 4,85

Final score: 4/5

In both flavors the ice cream was soft but not so creamy. It felt icy. But then again it could be because of the extras inside. The rose delight has lots of delight pieces inside. Likewise the pistachio one has crushed pistachio. Taste wise they were both gorgeous and true to taste. I love anything rose delight so I loved it and would love to try it again.

Conclusion: I will be buying ice cream from Epik Gelato again.

Best Ice Cream in Athens?

When I started out this project I thought that ice cream would be hard to judge. In the end after trying for different vendors it was clear which on is the best. I also realized that most ice creams are mediocre (sorry). So, without further ado, the best ice cream store in Athens is Le Greche. Apart from their Athens store, they have two more stores in Psychiko and Chalandri. Next up is a tie between Kayak and Bon Bon Fait Maison. Kayak was the first premium/artisanal ice cream I tried. Their Madagascar vanilla ice cream accompanies my desserts the best! Bon Bon is a new discovery for me. I have yet to explore their full offerings but I liked their ice cream a lot.

As for the rest they are a mix bag. Bufala gelato is an ice cream shop that I frequently visit as I like their Bueno flavor. Very conveniently they have stores in Voula and Glyfada where I spend my summer weekends. Dickie Dee is also a firm favorite since I first discovered it back in 2018.

Have you tried any of these places? Any other ice cream place in Athens I should check out?

P.S. If you are a dessert lover check out my croissant trial project and macarons trial project.