Best ice cream in Vienna: 21 salons you must know!
Tested and found to be good: Good ice cream throughout Vienna.
Ice cream parlors are the real hotspots on hot summer days. But you should know where they are. If the queue is too long in one place, you can always switch to another district with our list of the best ice cream stores in Vienna.
Vienna may not be Rome, but gelato is also available in the Austrian capital. And has been since the 19th century! In the meantime, the descendants of the Italian ice cream makers have long since been joined by other parlors – all the better, as competition stimulates business. Plus: for the Viennese, it means that there is supposedly the highest density of ice cream parlors in Europe! Around 150 ice cream stores in Vienna vie for our favor with their deliciously cool products in sticks or cups.
And ice cream is always a good idea – as a dessert at lunchtime, with the children in the playground or in the evening just before the sun goes down. Whether it’s traditional ice cream classics such as chocolate, vanilla, lemon or stracciatella or unusual creations with pumpkin seed oil or basil: if you know the right hotspots on the ice cream parlor menu, you’ll find the right flavor in every district of Vienna. Perhaps you’ll taste your way through Vienna – and discover these insider tips along the way.
It’s a good thing our overview exists, because it takes you to the
- Ice cream parlors in Vienna’s inner districts (1st – 9th)
- Ice cream stores in the outer districts (10th-20th)
- Ice cream parlors in the green foothills of the city of Vienna (21st-23rd)
Because let’s be honest: the best ice cream in the city can also be enjoyed near the banks of the Danube or in the shade of the Vienna Woods. Or how about an ice cream after your next visit to the flea market in Vienna?
You can get gelato in these ice cream stores in Vienna’s inner districts (1st – 9th district)
The city center and the adjoining 2nd – 9th districts are not necessarily among the greenest, even if there are a few parks and shady spots. But if the sun beats down mercilessly, cooling off with ice cream won’t hurt. Here are the best ice cream parlors in the inner districts.
Vienna’s 1st district: The best ice cream in the inner city
Eis-Greissler
At Eis-Greissler, modernity meets traditional craftsmanship, with an unmistakable focus on regionality. Like the other four ice cream parlors in Vienna, the pretty branch in Rotenturmstraße not only impresses with its cute interior design, but also with its constantly changing range of unusual milk ice creams (e.g. pumpkin seed oil) and sorbets.
Rotenturmstraße 14
1010 Wien
2nd district – The best ice cream in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt district
Helli und Leo
Helli & Leo offer more than 25 different types of ice cream – and all of them are organic. In addition, their unusual store design transports you into a French 2D world that could have come from a fashion designer’s pen and ink. And if that’s not crazy enough: there’s also a special ice cream for dogs – woof!
Obere Donaustraße 101
1020 Wien
Eisliebe
Same district, different corner – just as good! At Eisliebe, the name says it all, which is why we had to include the store in our list. Because when fresh waffles are rolled up and filled with ice cream, fruit and whipped cream or your choice of toppings, our mouths water just saying the word “bubble waffle”. Or would you prefer just a scoop of semolina pancake?
Prater Hauptallee 124
1020 Wien
3rd district – Vienna’s best ice cream in Landstraße
Eissalon Bartolotti Osvaldo
What else can you do but make ice cream when your parents, uncle and brother are already making ice cream? Exactly, make ice cream! But Andrea Bortolotti didn’t decide to come to Vienna 20 years ago and open an ice cream parlor out of generational duty. Ice cream is simply close to his heart and runs through his veins, so to speak. A passion that you can taste.
Landstraße Hauptstraße 12
1030 Wien
https://www.eissalon-bortolotti.at/
4th district – The best ice cream in Vienna-Wieden
Schelato
The name alone is a sign of creativity and shows how close Vienna is to Italy. A visit to one of their now three locations shows what the Schelato ice cream crew can conjure up if you give them free rein. From Peruvian chocolate and French salted caramel to their classics, Sicilian pistachio and Alphonso mango: every variety tastes delicious, and vegans are also well catered for.
Schleifmühlgasse 11
1040 Wien
5th district in Vienna – The best ice cream in Margareten
Veganista Ice Cream
Two sisters, many passions and one vision: to create the best vegan ice cream in town without ignoring the diversity of the ice cream world. The two convinced vegans have been living meat- and animal product-free for more than 20 years and, in addition to the 18 different types of ice cream, also offer extravagant treats such as the “Inbetwiener”, a sandwich consisting of two vegan cookies and an ice cream of your choice.
Margaretenstraße 51
1050 Wien
6th district – Vienna’s best ice cream in Mariahilf
Eiskarussell
For us, too, summer is all about ice cream, just like at Eiskarussell. The family business has been in the ice cream business since 2018, with owner Stefanie, a trained ice cream maker, being the creative head of the whole thing and her husband and children being above all critical and passionate ice cream testers. The classic ice cream flavors are always joined by “adventurous flavors such as rose saffron, cucumber lime, spirulina or poppy seeds with honey.”
Linke Wienzeile 40
1060 Wien
7th district – The best ice cream in Vienna-Neubau
Gelateria Romana dal 1947
Anyone who says gelato when talking about ice cream should definitely stop by this upscale gelateria. Here, ice cream is still made in the traditional way, with cakes, muffins, crêpes and waffles to satisfy the needs of other sweet tooths. Allegedly, none of their 24 ice cream flavors are older than 2 to 3 hours – except that they don’t last that long here anyway, yummie …
Stiftgasse 15-17
1070 Wien
https://www.gelateriaromana.com
8th district – The best ice cream in Josefstadt
Leones Gelato
Of course, the south, Italy. This is where it all began, in “one of those small, family-run ice cream parlors where the ice cream simply tastes different”. This is how Lisa and Giorgio Leone themselves describe the story of how their love of ice cream came about. Today, you can try the result in their lovingly decorated store in Lange Gasse, where you can choose between 12 freshly produced flavors that vary daily depending on the availability of ingredients.
Lange Gasse 78
1080 Wien
9th district – The best Viennese ice cream in Alsergrund
Vanella – bar del gelato
Daniele Valentino has brought his craft and passion for ice cream from Naples to Vienna, where he and his mother-in-law, Lea Panella, create ice cream of different varieties and free from additives. And of course, their café in the immediate vicinity of the Franz Schubert House also serves other Italian delicacies, such as tramezzinis, toasts and the obligatory Aperol Spritz.
Nussdorfer Straße 47
1090 Wien
Vienna’s outer districts: ice cream stores from classics to table ice cream (10th-20th district)
Adjacent to the inner districts, the districts between the 10th and 20th districts extend far beyond the city limits. They are some of the most populous, which is why it should be clear: A good amount of ice cream is needed here!
10th district – The best ice cream in Vienna-Favoriten
Eissalon Tichy
Ice cream cakes, ice cream apricot dumplings, classic scoops in a Stanitzel – at Tichy, ice cream has as long a tradition as there are variations on offer. It all started with a small ice cream van and five different flavors, with which Kurt and Marianne Tichy traveled through Vienna in 1952. Three years later, the salon on Reumannplatz, which still exists today, was established. A Viennese institution with a rich selection of ice creams.
12th district in Vienna – The best ice cream in Meidling
Zuckero
At Zuckero, each letter has a precise meaning, but the most fitting for Vienna is probably the letter U, which stands for delicious ice cream and cakes. Since 2012, Zuckero has been producing many vegan alternatives alongside traditional ice cream varieties, with ice cream cakes and other pastries rounding off the range. And for those who prefer to eat ice cream in cozy togetherness, there is also an ice cream picnic to order.
Breitenfurterstraße 1
1120 Wien
13th district – The best ice cream in Hietzing
Anton’s Tafel
Yes, there is even a university where you can learn the art of ice cream making. It is located in the Italian city of Bologna – and Anton Rusnak and his wife Iran Rusnak visited it. What they learned there: To use as little sugar as possible and instead use the natural sweetness of ripe fruit. The taste explosion free of colorants, additives and preservatives is free on top, so to speak.
Hietzinger Hauptstraße 174
1130 Wien
14th district – Vienna’s best ice cream in Penzing
Fronza Eis
Fronza has almost 30 ice cream flavors to choose from, produced according to old Italian family recipes. In addition to the classics, you can also try the ice cream version of the famous Italian lemon cream cake Torta Della Nonna or try out new flavors such as Stracciatella Orange. And if that hasn’t satisfied your sugar craving, there are also fluffy waffles.
Hütteldorfer Straße 157
1140 Wien
16th district – The best ice cream for Viennese in Ottakring
Eissalon Mauß
An institution in Ottakring since 1969, Eissalon Mauß serves fresh ice cream in more than 30 different flavors every day. From gluten-free to vegan to low-sugar – you’ll find ice cream that is based on traditional craftsmanship but hasn’t lost touch with the times. And there are also ice cream cakes. What more could you want?
Thaliastraße 155
1160 Wien
https://www.eissalon-mauss.at/
17th district – The best ice cream in Vienna-Hernals
Eis´gschäft
Have you ever heard of ice cream doughnuts? Then it’s high time you paid a visit to the Eis’gschäft, because here you can get these special treats as well as typical ice cream varieties made with ingredients from regional suppliers. Consisting of a folded farmer’s doughnut, you can choose between 1, 2 or 3 scoops as a filling.
Kalvarienberggasse 19
1170 Wien
18th district in Vienna – The best ice cream in Währing
Gefrorenes – Eis wie damals
Iranian and Turkish pistachios for the “Pistaccio al Vaticano” variety or a traditional cream from Emilia Romagna refined with orange jam for the “Crema di Parma” variety. Those who stop by Gefrorenes – Eis wie damals can prepare themselves for a journey of the taste buds. And the salon also takes you back in time visually.
Währinger Straße 152
1180 Wien
Vacations in Vienna: Ice cream parlors in the countryside and by the water (21st-23rd district)
Not always on the radar of the tourist masses, but therefore no less worth visiting, the districts 21 to 23 impress with their closeness to nature and recreational opportunities. And there is no shortage of good ice cream stores in these Viennese districts either.
21st district – The best ice cream in Vienna-Floridsdorf
Eis Steiner
You have to become an ice cream master first, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Franz Steiner. He has already won two awards for his fruit ice cream varieties, in 2014 for the strawberry flavor and in 2012 for mango. While the master still resided in the 1st district in 1983, he has been running his ice cream parlor in Vienna-Floridsdorf since 1995. Definitely worth a detour.
Pius-Parsch-Platz 11
1210 Wien
22nd district in Vienna – The best ice cream in Donaustadt
Eismacherei
Handmade ice cream cakes and ice cream dumplings, vegan fruit ice cream varieties and lactose-free dog ice cream for four-legged friends – the Eismacherei leaves little to no ice cream wishes unfulfilled. After a long day of swimming, you can cool off and find shade in the large garden, which is why Eismacherei is probably one of the most popular ice cream parlors in the city.
Mergenthalerplatz 1
1220 Wien
Eissalon Trento
Kaiserwasser, Gänsehäufel, Arbeiterstrandbad, Alte Donau: where the Viennese spend their free time and jump into the cool water, an ice cream parlor can’t be far away. And the Trento ice cream parlor in particular impresses with a large selection of ice cream flavours and variations that even vegans won’t have to say no to. And their pistachio ice cream is almost legendary.
Schüttauplatz 2
1220 Wien
23rd district – Vienna’s best ice cream in Liesing
Das Eis
Plums, currants, walnuts and currants from the local garden, milk from the organic farm and apricots from the Wachau region – regionality is a matter of course for the Reinbacher family behind “Das Eis”. That’s why you won’t always find the same varieties, but you will find exactly what nature has to offer on a daily basis. And that means more than 60 different types of ice cream every year, some of which are served on hot Belgian waffles.
Maurer Hauptplatz 10/2
1230 Wien
