The Best Sweet Spots for Ice Cream, Floats, and More...
Summer has arrived in Essex County, bringing with it sun-soaked days and of course, that classic (and oh so sticky) humidity. Looking for a delicious way to beat the heat? Nothing hits the spot better than a cool ice cream treat.
Whether you’re strolling along our scenic riverfront, exploring your neighborhood, or taking a Sunday drive through the county, there are plenty of sweet spots offering everything from ice cream and sundaes to gelato, floats, sorbet, and frozen yogurt.
Cup or cone? Chocolate or vanilla? Sprinkles or nuts? Here are a few of the most unique, iconic places across Windsor-Essex County to chill out this season:
Dairy Freez – 368 County Rd. 34, Kingsville, ON
No matter where you hail from in our region, a visit to the iconic Dairy Freez is a rite of passage. For 70 years, this family-run drive-in restaurant and ice cream stop has been a favourite among kids and kids at heart. Enjoy your ice cream with a side of nostalgia? This is the place.
Dairy Freez specializes in classic soft serve ice cream: vanilla, chocolate, or a twist of both. Get your favourite dipped in chocolate and topped with nuts, M&Ms, caramel, or blended into one of their specialty milkshakes, like the popular Boston Cooler: vanilla soft serve with Vernor’s ginger ale. If you know, you know.
Love fresh, local flavours? Be sure to try their summer feature sundae, Strawberry Heaven: angel food cake topped with soft serve and local strawberries.
Walkerville Chill – 1580 Wyandotte St. E, Windsor, ON
Sure, ice cream is great, but ice cream in a chimney cone? Now that’s next level delicious.
What is a chimney cone, you ask? Think cinnamon sugar donut in cone form. Based on a traditional Hungarian dessert, these sweet, fluffy, doughy delights are the perfect vessel for your favourite cool concoction.
Choose from a variety of options including soft serve topped with Nutella or freshly made lemon curd, or take it up a notch with one of Walkerville Chill’s loaded chimneys like the Cinnamon Bun with cream cheese frosting and cinnamon syrup, or the Strawberry Shortcake with cream cheese filling, homemade strawberry sauce and graham cracker crumble.
Dari De Lite – 2686 Howard Ave., Windsor, ON
Now in their 53rd season, Dari De Lite is another summertime staple, offering both hard and soft serve ice cream, as well as banana splits, specialty sundaes, milkshakes, and even slushies.
This is another YQG favourite steeped in tradition; ask anyone standing in line on any given day and they’re sure to recount you with stories from their youth: from after dinner strolls with the family to first dates.
While their banana splits and epic sundaes are the stuff of Instagram foodie dreams, my personal favourite is the classic dipped cone: vanilla soft served dipped in chocolate and covered in peanuts. Like a Drumstick, only a zillion times better.
Nuccelli’s Frozen Yogurt – 24 Dalhousie St., Amherstburg, ON
Yogurt and fresh fruit? Nuccelli’s Frozen Yogurt is practically a health food if you ask me.
Located just steps away from Amherstburg’s sparkling waterfront, Nuccelli’s crafts its frozen delights using real fruit, including peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and more. You can mix up to three fruits in your frozen yogurt, so choose your favorite combination and watch the magic unfold before your eyes.
For those with more of a sweet tooth, you can load up your treat with mix-ins like Oreo, M&Ms, peanut butter, and cream cheese too. More of a conventionalist? Nucelli’s also offers a variety of traditional ice creams, as well as milkshakes, sundaes, and parfaits.
Mari’s Artisan Gelato & Paletta – 9 Division St. South, Kingsville, ON
Bringing the authentic flavours of Italy to downtown Kingsville, Mari’s Gelato & Paletta is so much more than a dessert stop: it’s an artisanal experience for the senses.
The stunning new shop specializes in freshly made gelato; an Italian dessert similar to ice cream, but made with a lower butterfat content and churned at a slower speed, incorporating less air, which makes it denser and more intense in flavour.
EVERYTHING they serve is made from scratch and sourced locally. Fresh fruit from the county. Homemade caramel that is to die for. No artificial flavours, colours, or dyes either; everything is made naturally using food, like beet powder for pink colouring, or real roasted pistachio powder for rich, nutty gelato.
They also offer sorbeto; a water-based dessert made with fresh fruit puree, and paletta, a fruit ice pop that lasts longer than your traditional popsicle and is packed with fresh fruit flavours.
Trained by some of the best gelato makers in Italy, Mari is crafting something truly unique to our region and I encourage you to make a special trip to Kingsville to meet the lovely owners and sample some of the best frozen desserts you’ll ever have.
