[FOOD COURT] I scream, you scream, here's Seoul's best ice cream

K-campus

Published: 12 Oct. 2022, 15:49 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 17:59

[FOOD COURT] I scream, you scream, here's Seoul's best ice cream

Gelato in a cone at Zenzero [LEE SUN-MIN]

Just because the weather is getting cooler doesn’t mean ice cream lovers are stop hitting up their favorite sweet treat. Whether its a traditional gelato or a full-fat ice cream, frozen dessert lovers all know which flavors are their flavors. While some spots like Ice Cream Society in central Seoul’s Hannam and Gyeonggi’s Pangyo have American classics, Zenzero in southern Seoul’s Gangnam takes a more adventurous approach to choosing its ingredients.

Zenzero

[LEE SUN-MIN]

Out of all the gelato or ice cream parlors in Seoul, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Zenzero is one of the most adventurous, unveiling many different flavors that are difficult to find elsewhere. Its signature is gamtae caramel is similar to the more common salted caramel, but uses a type of seaweed called gamtae to add the salty kick.

Zenzero has also collaborated with French butter brand Lescure to make butter gelato, and also offers Korean ginseng and lambik beer. For the more adventurous, it has turned a variety of vegetables into icy dessert such as cabbage, carrot and green pea and asparagus.

@zenzero.seoul
14 Seolleung-ro 126-gil, Gangnam District

[NUVOLA INSTAGRAM]

Nuvola

Nuvola breaks out of the stereotype that most ice cream shops are usually located at street level where passersby can easily spot them. It is on the third floor of a building that has offices and residential units near Gangnam Station, so most of the visitors make this a destination after they see it on social media. The menu mostly focuses on fruity gelato using apple mango, grape, melon, orange and some other classics like chocolate, pistachio and coffee. Depending on the supply and the season, the menu changes often.

@nuvola_gelato
3rd floor, 12 Gangnamdae-ro 53-gil, Seocho District

Ice Cream Society

[ICE CREAM SOCIETY INSTAGRAM]

Ice Cream Society offers a lot of American classics like birthday with lots of sprinkles, fudge brownie, maple pecan, strawberry shortcake, red velvet and peanut butter and jelly. It recently unveiled a new Twix-flavored ice cream inspired by the chocolate bar, with milk chocolate ice cream and a chewy milk caramel topped with shortbread cookies.

It also caters to coffee lovers with ice cream that tastes similar to affogato using mascarpone ice cream and Nexpresso coffee. For those who want something lighter, it has many fruity flavors such as jasmine, mango and passion fruit and chestnut with earl grey tea.

@icecream__society
47 Hannamdaero 20-gil, Yongsan District
Unit 5-1, 131 Bundang Naegok-ro, Bundang District, Seongnam city

Gelati Gelati

[GELATI GELATI INSTAGRAM]

One of the longest lasting gelato shops in Seoul, Gelati Gelati first started by Hongik University in western Seoul’s Mapo District in 2012. After it opened its second shop in 2014 at Famille Station in Shinsegae Department Store’s Gangnam branch in Seocho District, the shop has continued to expand and has 10 different locations now. It carries classic flavors including rice, plum, hazelnut and chocolate, as well as some special ones like chamoe, or Korean melon, and caramel crumble. Each store usually has about 20 flavors available.

@gelatigelati_official
Multiple branches in Korea

BY LEE SUN-MIN [lee.sunmin@joongang.co.kr]