2026 Toronto's Best: Gelato

The "CHOPSBOOK Golden Chopsticks Awards," a public poll series hosted by CHOPSBOOK on Threads, has officially announced the winner for its 2026 "Gelato" edition in Toronto! After several rounds of enthusiastic voting, the citizens of Toronto have chosen Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe as the 2026 publicly voted best gelato shop. Curious why it stood out, and which other 15 popular nominees are also worth a try? Read on!

• Winner: Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe
• Nominated Restaurants:
• Love Gelato
• Moss Park Espresso
• Bar Ape Gelato
• Futura Granita + Gelato
• Death In Venice Gelato
• Hollywood Gelato
• Dolce Gelato
• Gemma Gelateria
• XO Gelato
• Nani's Gelato
• Gelateria Dolce Mia Bloor
• Venerosa Gelato | Cafe
• Gelato North
• Pretty Sweet Gelato

The "CHOPSBOOK Golden Chopsticks Awards" is a publicly voted restaurant awards series created by CHOPSBOOK for the Canadian foodie community. Through Threads, we invite netizens to actively participate in selecting the "Publicly Voted Best" eateries in each "edition" (food theme) and city. This 2026 "Gelato" edition focused on Toronto, seeking out the city's most beloved Italian gelato shops.

The voting process began with netizens nominating their favourite restaurants, gathering a list of Toronto's outstanding gelato establishments. This was followed by daily elimination rounds, starting promptly at 8 PM each evening, where diners cast their votes for their favoured spots. After several rounds of selection, the final list of nominees was revealed, and netizens cast their votes in the final round to determine the publicly voted winner. Thanks to the enthusiastic participation of our online community, this year's Toronto Gelato event was a resounding success!

Emerging as the publicly voted best in the 2026 CHOPSBOOK Golden Chopsticks "Gelato" edition (Toronto) is Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe, located at 2375 Yonge St. This establishment not only offers Italian gelato but also strives to bring the passion and flavour of Italy to Toronto.

Brand Insights: A Gelato Story Woven with Love and Passion

The story of Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe began with the shared love for gelato between its founders, Paolo Di Lallo and Denise Pisani. Paolo hails from the Abruzzo region of Italy, while Denise comes from the vibrant island of Sicily. The couple met in Canada and, driven by their longing for authentic Italian gelato from home and a shared dream, decided to open a gelato shop in Toronto that truly embodies Italian flavour. They established Mizzica in 2020, and the name "Mizzica" is an Italian colloquialism meaning 'wow!' or expressing astonishment, reflecting the reaction they hope customers have when tasting their products. Denise, an artist, personally designed the shop's blue and white Mediterranean-inspired decor and its heart-shaped gelato scoop logo. Their philosophy is "We make Gelato, not Ice Cream!" — emphasizing traditional Italian craftsmanship and carefully selected ingredients.

Signature Offerings: Upholding Tradition, Innovating Flavours

Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe adheres to traditional gelato-making methods, crafting fresh batches daily in-house to ensure a smooth texture and rich flavour. Many of their ingredients are imported directly from Italy, such as pistachios from Bronte, Sicily, and fresh lemons from the Amalfi Coast. Paolo and Denise have even participated in an international artisan ice cream festival in Italy, where they won third place for a unique flavour combining saffron from Paolo's home region of Abruzzo and pistachios from Denise's native Sicily.

The shop's flavours rotate regularly, offering new surprises with each visit. Signature flavours include the rich Sicilian Pistachio, renowned for growing in the fertile volcanic soil near Mount Etna. They also offer a variety of vegan and dairy-free options, such as refreshing raspberry (Lampone) gelato and flavours made with fresh fruits like passion fruit and mango. Beyond gelato, Mizzica serves a range of classic Italian desserts, including freshly made-to-order Cannoli, Tiramisu, and various coffee beverages like Affogato (gelato topped with espresso). Their goal is to provide a dining experience that makes you feel as though you've been transported to Italy, encouraging customers to sample multiple flavours and embrace Italian hospitality.

Love Gelato (Markham)

Love Gelato, located at 116 Main Street Markham N in Markham, has been serving artisanal gelato and desserts to the Markham community since 2013. They specialize in Italian-style gelato, offering a wide range of classic and seasonal flavours, as well as vegan, keto, and sugar-free options to cater to various dietary preferences. Notably, they introduced the "Love Box" during the pandemic, allowing customers to choose from 9 to 32 single-serve gelato cups to enjoy a variety of flavours at home. Love Gelato also offers gelato cakes and seasonal treats like Zeppole Gelato.

Moss Park Espresso (Toronto)

Moss Park Espresso at 185 Queen St E in Toronto is a coffee shop that also offers gelato. Known for its quality coffee, it provides traditional Italian gelato, offering a pleasant retreat for customers in the busy downtown core.

Bar Ape Gelato (Toronto)

Situated at 283 Rushton Rd, Bar Ape Gelato originated as a food truck and is known for its handcrafted gelato bars and soft serve with seasonal, inventive flavours. The name "Bar Ape" comes from a three-wheeled Piaggio Ape Italian motorcycle, a favourite of one of the founders. Their flavours feature seasonal and innovative combinations, such as pistachio, chocolate hazelnut, and creamsicle. Bar Ape also offers vegan soft serve and sorbetto, operates on a cash-only basis, and has limited hours, primarily during the summer.

Futura Granita + Gelato (Toronto)

Futura Granita + Gelato, located at 964 St Clair Ave W, offers not only traditional gelato but also granita, an Italian crushed ice dessert. Futura Granita + Gelato is committed to providing freshly made Italian treats, bringing a refreshing Italian experience to Toronto residents.

Death In Venice Gelato (Toronto)

Death In Venice Gelato at 1418 Dundas St W was founded by Kaya Ogruce, a chemical engineer turned chef. It is renowned for its innovative and eclectic flavours, including "Everything Bagel" and even flavours inspired by hay and peanut butter croissants. Kaya employs a farm-to-scoop philosophy, utilizing local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Their flavours rotate frequently, and they offer numerous vegan options, such as mango coconut lime leaf and blueberry lavender lemonade. Death In Venice has also won awards for flavours like their cheeseboard gelato.

Hollywood Gelato (Toronto)

Located at 1640 Bayview Ave, Hollywood Gelato is a popular gelato shop in Toronto's Bayview area. They offer a variety of classic Italian gelato flavours, making it a favourite spot for locals to enjoy sweet treats.

Dolce Gelato (Toronto)

Dolce Gelato at 234 Augusta Ave was founded by husband and wife Pino and Ivone Luca in 2006. With locations in Kensington Market and Danforth, they are known for their freshly made gelato daily. Dolce Gelato offers around 48 flavours, with Ivone's Ecuadorian background inspiring some options like maracuyá (passionfruit) and tamarind.

Gemma Gelateria (Toronto)

Gemma Gelateria is situated at 2076 Yonge St. As a gelato shop, it offers a variety of flavour choices for diners near Yonge Street, making it a popular spot for locals to cool down.

XO Gelato (Toronto)

Located at 647 Mt Pleasant Rd, XO Gelato is a gelato shop in the Mount Pleasant area. They offer a diverse selection of Italian gelato flavours, aiming to provide a sweet experience for their customers.

Nani's Gelato (Toronto)

The story of Nani's Gelato, located at 6 Charles St E, begins with family, as "Nani" means grandmother in many South Asian languages. Founder Parry Sohi started with a food truck in 2019, before opening a brick-and-mortar store in Toronto in 2020. Their gelato blends Asian, Indian, and Italian flavours, handcrafted fresh daily with a focus on quality over shortcuts. Nani's Gelato has developed over 200 flavours, but offers a rotating selection of 8-12 at a time, including chai tiramisu, mango passion fruit, Vietnamese coffee, and malai kulfi.

Gelateria Dolce Mia Bloor (Toronto)

Gelateria Dolce Mia Bloor is found at 690 Bloor St W. This gelateria offers traditional Italian gelato to customers on Bloor Street, bringing a cool and sweet Italian delight to the area.

Venerosa Gelato | Cafe (Toronto)

Located at 801 Queen St W, Venerosa Gelato | Cafe is a casual spot that combines gelato with coffee. They offer a variety of gelato flavours alongside a selection of coffee beverages, providing Queen West customers with a comfortable space to enjoy Italian sweets and coffee.

Gelato North (Toronto)

Gelato North, at 5510 Yonge St, serves high-quality Italian gelato to residents in the northern Yonge Street area. They are dedicated to crafting traditional and delicious gelato, making them a choice for local dessert lovers.

Pretty Sweet Gelato (Scarborough)

In Scarborough, Pretty Sweet Gelato at 110 Silver Star Blvd Unit 116 is a family-owned artisanal gelato factory and shop. Their gelato is handcrafted in small batches using premium, natural ingredients, many sourced from Ontario. Pretty Sweet Gelato is known for its creative and rotating flavours, particularly Asian-inspired options such as Rose Thai Milk Tea, Yuzu, Hokkaido Milk, and Coconut Purple Sticky Rice, alongside classics. They also offer gelato with less sugar, as well as vegan and dairy-free choices.

• Which Gelato is best in Toronto?
  According to the publicly voted results of the CHOPSBOOK Golden Chopsticks Awards 2026 "Gelato" edition, Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe was selected as Toronto's best gelato winner. They are known for adhering to Italian traditions, using high-quality imported ingredients, and constantly innovating their flavours.
• What are the CHOPSBOOK Golden Chopsticks Awards?
  The CHOPSBOOK Golden Chopsticks Awards is a publicly voted restaurant awards series organized by CHOPSBOOK on Threads. Its purpose is to select the "Publicly Voted Best" restaurants across various regions and food themes in Canada through online community voting.
• How can I participate in the Golden Chopsticks Awards voting?
  Voting for the CHOPSBOOK Golden Chopsticks Awards primarily takes place on our Threads platform. You just need to follow CHOPSBOOK's Threads account (@chopsbook) to participate in nominations and daily voting to support your favourite restaurants!
• What is the difference between Gelato and Ice Cream?
  Gelato is the Italian word for "ice cream," but it differs significantly from typical American ice cream in preparation, ingredients, and texture. Gelato usually contains more milk than cream, has a lower fat content, and is churned more slowly, resulting in less air. This makes its texture denser, smoother, richer, and its flavours more intense. Gelato is also served at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream, which allows its flavours to be more readily perceived.

Congratulations again to all the nominated Toronto Gelato shops, and especially to our publicly voted best winner, Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe! What are your thoughts on these gelato spots? Or do you have other favourites you'd like to recommend?

Head over to the CHOPSBOOK website and sign up to become a member! Leave your reviews on each restaurant's dedicated page, share your dining experiences, and help discover more hidden culinary gems across Canada! Your authentic reviews will be the ultimate guide for the next diner looking for a great meal.

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