You can't get a much more perfect location for an ice cream shop than by the grassy expanse of Clapham Common, particularly when the gelato on offer is as good as Nardulli's, which has worked its authentic Italian magic on every flavour from fior di latte to licorice and After Eight. It does damn good coffee, too, along with paper-thin crepes, cakes and semifreddi – semi-frozen mousse-like sweet treats made of eggs, sugar cream. Like its traditional Italian counterparts, it's open until well into the evening, making it the perfect pit-stop on the stroll home from dinner.
The ice cream 'chefs' at Chin Chin Labs cook up a whole host of madcap flavours on a weekly basis, using liquid nitrogen create silky smooth, crystal-free serves. Recent varieties have included tonka bean vanilla; burnt butter caramel; avocado and tequila curd; and – our particular favourite – peach, blue cheese, whipped cream and balsamic nuts, and they have vegan options, too. If you don't fancy trekking to Camden to try them, you'll also find Chin Chin at Street Feast's Hawker House.
When it comes to good gelato-making techniques, the proof is in the pudding – or in this case, the ice cream. 3BIS knows this, which is why it makes two to four-litre batches of its flavours every day, from morning to night, using raw ingredients which it sources from around the world. You can count on the result being deliciously fresh, creamy gelato in traditional flavours like stracciatella and pistachio, and you'll also find Instagram-worthy cakes and other sugary delights. Get a proper Italian espresso, too, for added authenticity, and sit on the mint-green chairs outside enjoying the sounds and smells of Borough Market.
We know, we know, another Italian ice cream place, but the country is known for its gelato for a reason. This particular place belongs to the Bocca di Lupo stable, so you know it's going to be good. The flavours are made fresh daily and you'll find your usual culprits alongside more unusual offerings like honey with black pepper. Yuuuuuum. If you really, really like Gelupo's ice cream, you can even hire out a mini ice cream cart for events. It can serve up to 300 people an hour, making it perfect for your hordes of friends, naturally.
