With the summer solstice done, the year's hottest days are upon us. And while it's hard to believe that the British capital has any more Mediterranean-style summer nights in store for us, the reality is you never know when the next heatwave will strike, so better be ready for it.
No, I am not talking about fans or last-minute home upgrades; I focus on the 'etc' side of Livingetc for a reason, after all. This year, true London insiders are turning to an unusual, yet instantly addictive, combination — ice cream and wine — to keep things cool in the city, whether temperature or style-wise.
The latest in a series of nostalgia-soaked leisure trends, this season, trendy wine bars in London appear to have stepped in to serve the dose of lightheartedness, sheer taste, and bubbles we all need to get through our day. You are not the only one to have either heard about it via word of mouth or seen it take over your social media, let alone if you are Gen Z: 2025 is having an ice cream scoop and 'skin contact' (read orange wine) summer, and we are all equally deep into it.
Whether you are an artisanal gelato connoisseur, know your Albana from your Albariño, or thrive on imaginative design, you are in for a treat. What does that mean? That much of the best ice cream in London has left traditional parlors to land on the menus of your favorite London bars, making your evening catch-ups with friends as sweet-tooth-friendly, buzzy, and playful as they have ever been.
1. The Dreamery
20a Halliford St, London N1 3HD
If there's a place that deserves to be credited with kicking off the ice cream and organic wine revolution, it's The Dreamery. Unveiled last December in De Beauvoir Town, north London, this small, boxy-looking bar took everyone by surprise when, at the dawn of winter, it began selling hyper colorful ice cream by the scoop, served in silverware, alongside a selection of natural, biodynamic, and organic wines.
Seven months on, I can't name a single day when a single picture or video of The Dreamery hasn't reached me on social media. Hannah Crosbie, Wine Critic at The Guardian, mentioned the establishment in her very own edit of must-visit, ice cream-filled London wine bars. From it girls Charlie XCX and Dua Lipa to Joe Jonas, celebrities seem to love it, too (if in doubt, the evidence is all over the internet), and while far less newsworthy, so do we. From the outside, you might mistake this boozy gelato parlor for any other Victorian terrace, except artist Lucy Stein's expansive ceiling mural — the ultimate highlight of this co-authored Ltd Ltd and Studio Bates Rai design — belongs to another universe.
Dressed for the night in sleek mirrored walls with a dramatic matte chrome bar counter as its centerpiece and magical hand-painted motifs to get lost in, The Dreamery is the place to be. But let's not allow the transportative interiors to distract you from its unmissable flavors: currently, I can't do without the nutty fig leaf and the spiciness of its oolong and prune ice cream, while the pear and verjus sorbet is my go-to when I crave something fresher.
2. Bar Crispin
19 Kingly St, Carnaby, London W1B 5PY
Say what you will, but I am yet to find another ice cream-meets-wine bar in London with an atmosphere as cinematic and full-on mesmerizing as that of Bar Crispin in Soho. The mastermind behind it, local trailblazing dealer, interior and product designer Jermaine Gallacher, has carved himself a name for disrupting the aesthetic canon through boldly irreverent projects that marry the best of innovation with steeped-in-history tradition.
At the sculptural, emerald-tinted Bar Crispin, this spirit imbues everything — from the zigzag shapes of its cartoony sitting area to the vivid, contrasting hues and textural materials that detail anything from its drink counter to the restrooms. This urge to move beyond what's deemed possible, or acceptable, taste-wise spills into its natural wine and ice cream curation, too. When I visited last, the summer-ready melon sorbet with cookie dough, crème freîche, and mezcal brought me back to life.
3. The Quality Chop House
92-94 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3EA
Savory ice cream lovers, unite, as Farringdon's favorite wine bar and dining room, The Quality Chop House, situated inside a stunningly revamped, 19th-century Art Deco man's 'eating house', is here to take gelato experimentation to brand new grounds. Already known for their lingering Capezzana olive oil ice cream, a silky, packed-with-spice alternative to the traditional thing, the establishment, helmed by Head Chef Shaun Searley, has recently brought in more flavors, including the pistachio one incorporated in the cakey dessert captured above, into their à la carte menu, so head there to try it yourself when you can!
While we haven't done so ourselves as of yet, it's on Livingetc's interiors editor and Farringdon local Emma Breislin to eat at list. Equally praised for its fine dining reinterpretation of quintessentially British cuisine (vegetarian readers, beware; the eatery falls on the meaty and fish-heavy side of things), The Quality Chop House's Instagram account alone is every gastronomy insider's daydream.
4. Camille
Head on any day to London's Borough Market and you'll be met with a hot (these days, literally) mess. People seem to reunite from every corner of the city to join in the taste extravaganza embodied by the stocked-up stalls of the storied foodie institution. Since February 2024, though, part of the frenzy has gravitated around one of the many establishments that dot the adjacent roads, Camille, and rightly so.
A modern French bistro by Clare Lattin and Tom Hill, the team behind acclaimed eateries Docksoup and Little Duck, this painstakingly curated restaurant and wine bar brings a slice of Parisian decor to London. Its allure begins to play on you already from outside, particularly at night, when the soft glow of candle-lit wooden tables and the spherical Art Deco lights gets passersby to peek through its ruffle curtains. With a focus on the freshest seasonal ingredients, the menu scores high on earthy, melt-in-your-mouth, and largely garlic-powered fish and meat main courses cooked in the provincial French dining style (did I say butter?), presented within a charming, stuck-in-time setting.
Clad in red-painted, textural wood, with industrial metal tables added in for a contemporary touch, it has an ice cream of the day that keeps the suspense high (favorites include the jelly-topped strawberry-flavored and a rollright cheese, deliciously savory one), along with more stellar desserts for all types of palate.
5. Lai Rai
Something I love about London is that more restaurants and bars are opening every week. Meet Lai Rai, the new "fuss-free", instantly iconic Vietnamese destined to shake things up in buzzy Peckham, South East. Launched last month by a group of young creatives active across the culinary and design scenes, the concept draws on the childhood memories of co-founders Blair Nguyen and Ivy Vo, also involved in the Y2K-style South Asian snack renaissance platformed by their whimsical food collective, 𝒱ℐ𝒩𝒜𝒳𝒪𝒜, to infuse a fresh, experimental Vietnamese fare into the British capital.
A café in the AM, serving freshly baked, crispy bánh mi, along with coffee and tea, the recent Rye Lane addition transforms into an atmospheric bar and eatery come the evening, with finger-licking-good bites, heartwarming broths, and a globe-trotting wine list. Part of the family-run Bánh Bánh group, Lai Rai is the brainchild of spatial design studio house of baby, whose playfully nostalgic vision can be felt throughout its retro-futuristic interiors. Against a cocooning palette of buttery walls and tiles, the space's electric red and chrome accents feel almost disorienting, as if inviting diners to indulge in a dimension of its own. Part French bistro, part Space Age-core, looks aside, Lai Rai is, first and foremost, a dynamic Vietnamese canteen for people to meet, share stories, and drinks.
Ice cream comes in timeless silver cups and truly surprising, seasonal flavors: think fish sauce caramel, Laughing Cow cheese & sweetcorn, and cucumber & calamansi, all freshly churned by New Cross Gate-based Clingy Wrap.
Get the Ice Cream Parlor Aesthetic
There's no single ice cream shop, restaurant, or bar in London that doesn't currently style dessert cups similar to this Louise Roe's stainless steel one. So if you're looking to bring their atmosphere home, here's your chance.
Call me biased, but to me, anything that involves hosting, desserts, and dinner parties rings synonymous with Sophie Lou Jacobsen. If you haven't her insider guide to New York City yet, well, you're missing out, as the spots she selected are just as magical as these two egg cups.
The silver masters at Alighieri know how to elevate even the most simple of serveware accessories, and these organically shaped, playful spoons are no exception. Fusing functionality with whimsical flair, they won't go unobserved.
When it comes to setting a table, there are numerous things you need. But, sometimes, it's about the subtle details you want to bring into your special occasions. These quirky Gohar World cocktail sticks in Murano glass certainly fall in the latter category.
There is something about chrome-plated cloches that instantly makes me think of the world's most dazzling design hotels. And what's so bad about that? If anything, having one in your home will prolong the feeling of your favorite holidays, extending to those who get to share the most anticipated evenings in your life with you.
The real reason why everyone is feeding into the ice cream fever in London? Ask me, and I'll tell you it's all about reacquanting ourselves with our most filterless, playful, and childlike version yet. With its funky shape, this recycled glass flute glass by Completedworks sums it all up.
Whether you have only just stumbled on the trend or are a long-term fan, the fact that the best ice cream in London now passes through some of its trendiest wine bars — and its most design-worthy ones, too — is just a fact. So no need to justify yourself next time you crave a scoop of your favorite summer flavor, as we'll be seeing you at the counter.
While exclusively serving artisanal gelato, Matter at Hand, the intersectional ice cream lab set up in Bloomsbury by artist, architectural designer, and flavor pioneer Yuqiao Guo, deserves an honorable mention. Active at the intersection of ice cream, art, and design, this small-batch production, inventive powerhouse was born of her love for the beloved snack, which she cultivated since childhood, a couple of years ago. Today, the founder brings her curated workshops, tasting experiences, and a touch of whimsy to a number of delis, grcers, and cafés in London (the hand-drawn logo of her boxes is simply iconic, too), besides collaborating with burgeoning design and architecture studios, and shipping her delicacies directly to you. Focused on fully natural, and widely vegetable-based, ingredients, the flavors available are unexpected and moreish, leaving you craving more.
