Best Ice Cream in Basel
- Alison Waterfield
- Jun 19
- 4 min read
The Swiss summer is well and truly in full swing. As temperatures soar, so does our desire for the good stuff: ice cream, Eis, or Glacé (as it is called in Swiss German). Basel can certainly call itself a Glacé-Stadt, with no less than 21 gelaterias tested in 2021 by BaZ online. So when the urge strikes, where are the best places to go?! Here are our top picks.
Prize Winners
And the winner goes to....Basel! According to Gault Millau, the prestigious French restaurant guide (think Michelin, but with a focus purely on food), the Basel area has three out of the top ten best ice cream places in Switzerland. You can practise your German and read all about it here: Top Ten Gelaterias in Switzerland.
Mörsbergerstrasse 2, 4057 Basel
St. Johanns-Park, Elsässerstrasse 34, 4056 Basel
(second place on Gault Millau)
Acero is a Basel legend, as you will see by the long queues on hot days. With an Eiscafé in Kleinbasel and a Glacé-Kiosk in Grossbasel, Acero offers a diverse selection of flavours, including several vegan options.
Markthalle Steinentorberg 20, 4051 Basel
(third place on Gault Millau)
Eisuru pairs traditionally-made Italian ice cream with intensive flavours, and unique creations with a Japanese twist. Here you will find matcha green tea, earl grey, and kuro-goma (black sesame) alongside more traditional flavours and smooth sorbets.
Hauptstrasse 36, 4104 Oberwil
(sixth place on Gault Millau)
In Oberwil (and my personal favourite) is Gabriella Gelato Artigianale. Gabriella’s passion for quality ingredients, alongside her joyful customer service, makes for a memorable experience. Flavours change daily, often showcasing experimental options alongside tasty sorbets and regular favourites. My personal favourite is the chocolate sorbet, followed by hazelnut, pistachio, and Baileys. Well worth venturing outside of the city and making the trip to Gabriella!
Italian-Style Gelato
Sapori del Sud 2
Rheingasse 23, 4058 Basel
Rheingasse 47, 4058 Basel)
If it’s authentic Italian gelato you are looking for, you are spoiled for choice. Two places traditionally known for their savoury dishes also serve up some fantastic sweet treats. Sapori del Sud 2 best (known for its delicious Pastrami sandwiches) and Gabri’s Pasta (known for its fresh pasta, also have a number of delicious, Italian gelatos and sorbets to finish your meal.
Rheingasse 13, 4058 Basel
Bruno Lorenzo has become a firm favourite, offering super tasty homemade gourmet-quality gelato and sorbets, with interesting combinations like pear and lavender.
Gerbergasse 58, 4001 Basel
Another great choice, Gran Gelato is just a stone’s throw away from Barfüsserplatz, with a good selection of flavours, including vegan gelatos and sorbets. One of my favourites is the vegan chocolate orange gelato - so delicious and so smooth!
Steinenvorstadt 53, 4051 Basel
If you are looking for something worthy of Instagram (which tastes as good as it looks), head over to Amorino, where Italian gelato is presented to you as an ice cream rose with a fantastic selection of flavours to choose from.
Swiss Ice Cream Legends
Hutgasse 4, 4001 Basel
Cuckoo is one of the more recent additions to the Basel ice cream scene, coming to us originally from Bern. Cuckoo (the Bern location placing fourth on the Gault Millau list) prides itself on producing ice cream that is less sweet than regular versions, focusing entirely on the intense flavour of the ingredients.
Offenburgerstrasse 32, 4057 Basel Bruderholzstrasse 45 4053 Basel
Originally started in a converted cheese factory in Bern-Mittelland, Gelateria Di Berna has opened several locations around Switzerland over the years, including two in Basel. Known for having the longest queues, rest assured, it is worth the wait. My personal favourites here are the coconut and stracciatella ice creams and the chocolate sorbet.
Vegan Ice Cream
Klybeckstrasse 58, 4057 Basel
For a vegan treat, be sure to try Enila Plant Based Ice Cream, which produces exclusively vegan ice cream using homemade coconut and cashew milks and tantalizing cookie chunks that are all made or baked on-site. Think of Enila as a vegan take on Ben and Jerry’s. They offer eight standard flavours, such as mocha almond fudge, salted caramel macadamia cookie, and apple crumble, as well as four additional flavours that change monthly.
Frozen Yogurt
Blumenrain 3, 4051 Basel
If frozen yogurt is more your thing, then head to Yogurt Now. With its generous toppings selection spanning fresh fruits, sweets, chocolates, crunchies, and a range of different sauces, there is plenty of choice for any palate.
I hope you have enjoyed this ice cream review as much as I did doing all the research for it! But don't just take my word for it, do some 'research' of your own 😉. Let us know your favourites in the comments and enjoy your Glacé-time! :)
Alison Waterfield
Alison is a Brit who has been in the Basel area for over a decade. She currently resides in Oberwil, where she enjoys having countryside on her doorstep as well as town being only a short tram ride away. She loves cooking, baking and anything food-related and is a beginner food stylist and photographer. She enjoys being in nature and relaxing, doing anything wellness-related, as well as engaging in creative activities such as abstract and fluid art and crochet.