The 8 Best Ice Cream Shops in Lisbon
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Are you craving ice cream in Lisbon? Discover our eight favorite ice cream shops in Lisbon plus a bonus beach pick and our recommendations for each shop.
Our unrelenting obsession for creamy gelato has fueled our travel around the globe. We’re not exaggerating. Thanks to this sweet obsession, we’ve licked luscious ice cream cones in cities like Cincinnati, Girona and Cape Town as well as in Bologna, gelato’s motherland.
But what about Lisbon? Before we moved to Portugal’s capital in 2019, we weren’t sure if we’d find great ice cream in our new home city. After all, the pastel de nata is the number one Portuguese dessert in Lisbon, one of Portugal’s most culinary cities.
Planning a Lisbon Trip?
Book these early. Lisbon is a popular destination.
- Food Tours: Undiscovered Lisbon Food & Wine Tour with Eating Europe or a Food & History Tour of Baixa and Chiado with Devour
- Local Experiences: Lisbon food experiences with locals on Airbnb or Devour’s Bairro Alto food and wine tour
- Day Trip: Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais tour from Lisbon
- Places to Stay: Hotels at all price points or an Airbnb apartment with a kitchen
- Rental Car: Rent a car for trips to destinations like Comporta and the Alentejo. There’s no need to drive in Lisbon.
Our worries were unfounded…
Lisbon has great ice cream if you know where to find it. After licking cones all over the city, we found eight spoon-worthy ice cream shops that we keep returning to again and again.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Nivà serves our favorite gelato in Lisbon. It’s made with imported ingredients like Sicilian pistachios and Piedmont hazelnuts.
- Gelato Davvero and Nannarella share a founding partner, and both top their gelato with free whipped cream upon request.
- A Veneziana opened in 1936 and is Lisbon’s oldest operating ice cream shop. Order the spaghetti sundae or cassata.
- Dairy-free eaters have options. Nivà and Santini offer dairy-free fruit flavors. Gelateria La Verde serves vegan gelato.
- Anara is worth a visit if you’re spending the day at the beach. It’s located across the Tagus River in Costa da Caparica.
Eating Ice Cream in Lisbon
After more than seven years and many scoops eaten for ‘research’ purposes, we’re happy to report that Lisbon’s ice cream and gelato scene is booming. Locals and tourists queue for sweet treats both on weekends and during the week. We often join the queues since we like ice cream too.
Read our Lisbon restaurant guide with our dining tips and our Lisbon cafe guide with our favorite coffee shops.
When we think about it, this popularity makes sense. Not only does an ice cream cone make an ideal treat after a day of walking up and down Lisbon’s hilly streets, but it also serves as a cooling antidote to warm Lisbon temperatures.
Fun Fact
The Portuguese translation for gelato is gelado. This translation is as easy to remember as it is to pronounce.
The Best Lisbon Ice Cream Shops
While the city has more pastelarias (bakeries) than gelaterias (gelato shops), finding ice cream in Lisbon is the opposite of a challenge. The key is knowing where to achieve gelato bliss while avoiding wasted calories.
Many tourists flock to global chains like Grom and Amorino. However, as Lisbon locals, we prefer eating artisan ice cream and hand-crafted gelato. You can call us ice cream snobs. We’re okay with that label.
Lisbon has dozens of ice cream shops and we’ve tried a lot of them. The shops below are our favorites.
1. Nivà
Daniel Rivolta brought his family’s gelato traditions to Lisbon when Nivà opened in 2015. An Italian gelateria with serious craft and sourcing behind its wonderful creamy gelato, it wins our title of best ice cream in Lisbon.
Nivà’s roots are in Turin and date back to 1988. The original shop, located in Lisbon’s upscale Príncipe Real neighborhood, channels the family’s Italian heritage with its serene fresco ceiling and serious approach to the craft of making gelato.
As Rivolta explained to us, Nivà’s hand-crafted gelato is more expensive due to the cost of importing quality products to Lisbon. These products include milk from Trentino, chocolate from Switzerland, hazelnuts from Piedmont, pistachios from Sicily and coffee from Turin. Trust us, the small extra cost is worth paying once you taste flavors like chocolate ganache, white chocolate with crocantes and pistachio fig.
Pro Tip
With the exception of coconut, Nivà’s fruit sorbetti are dairy-free. Seasonal flavors include lemon, mango, melon, peach and fig.
Nivà has two locations in Lisbon. We typically visit the gelato shop located at Rua da Escola Politécnica 41, 1250-099 Lisboa, Portugal.
2. Gelato Davvero
Filippo Licitra, an original partner of Nannarella (see below), opened the original Gelato Davvero with partner Riccardo Farabegoli in 2015. The duo now has several locations in Lisbon including one at the Time Out Market.
Gelato Davvero lives up to a name that directly translates to really gelato. This gelateria stands out thanks to the quality of its traditional Italian-style gelato served with a spatula into crunchy cones. Free whipped cream and a comfortable dining room are two more reasons why we return again and again.
Expect to choose from dozens of flavors ranging from the traditional (chocolate, pistachio and stracciatella) to the sublime (basil, cassata and ricotta with walnuts and fig). Since Davvero sources fresh fruit at the nearby Mercado Ribeira, fruit flavors like strawberry, melon and avocado are also worth a try.
Pro Tip
Gelato Davvero serves several sugar-free gelato flavors including almond, hazelnut and vanilla.
Gelato Davvero has multiple Lisbon locations. Our favorite is the shop located at Rua Ribeira Nova 36, 1200-377 Lisboa, Portugal.
3. Nannarella
Popular with locals since it opened in Lisbon’s São Bento neighborhood in 2013, Nannarella achieved international fame when Phil Rosenthal filmed a segment of Somebody Feed Phil at the gelateria in 2018. The opposite of a hidden gem, crowds queue all day, every day to eat this popular gelateria’s Italian-style gelato.
The gelato here rivals the scoops served at Gelato Davvero (see above), which isn’t surprising since Costanza Ventura opened the shop with former partner Filippo Licitra, who now co-owns Davvero. The two shops are similar in many ways including their natural flavors, spatula serving techniques and complimentary puffs of panna montata (Italian whipped cream).
We’ve never eaten a bad flavor at Nannarella whether we’ve ordered Italian classics or seasonal flavors. During our most recent visit, seasonal flavors included chocolate sorbet, cheesecake, banana, blueberry and fig. Not surprisingly, many locals consider Nannarella’s ice cream to be the best gelato in Lisbon.
Pro Tip
You can book a 1.5-hour gelato class with Costanza Ventura. You’ll learn how to make gelato from Lisbon’s gelato queen. You’ll also eat gelato during the class.
Nannarella is located at Rua Nova da Piedade 64A, 1200-299 Lisboa, Portugal.
4. Gelateria La Verde
Gelateria La Verde churns Italian-style gelato in big machines you can watch from the counter. Just a short walk from Praça do Comércio, the shop is located on a quiet corner in the Baixa neighborhood.
Gelato flavors range from classic to curious. Salted caramel is a crowd favorite, while blue cheese with pear pushes the envelope. La Verde also makes vegan and sugar-free flavors plus a detox peach sorbet.
The cozy gelato shop doubles as a brunch spot by day and a bar at night. Drink options include craft cocktails, matcha lattes and specialty coffee. And, since this is Lisbon, wine is on the menu too.
Pro Tip
Go big and order an XXL cone. It currently costs €12 (about $14) and holds up to six scoops.
Gelateria La Verde is located at Travessa das Pedras Negras 18, 1100-404 Lisboa, Portugal.
5. A Veneziana
In the 1930s, Giovanni De Luca stopped in Lisbon on his way from Italy’s Veneto to America. He never left. Instead, he started selling gelato from pushcarts with his cousin Luigi Sala and opened A Veneziana on Praça dos Restauradores in 1936. While it’s debatable if A Veneziana was the city’s first ice cream shop, there’s no debate that it’s the oldest ice cream shop that’s still operating today.
The Sala family still runs A Veneziana, which the city has designated a Loja com História (i.e., historic shop). Those original pushcarts now decorate the shop. We kept meaning to visit A Veneziana. When we finally did, we shared a spaghetti sundae with extruded vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, meringue and a cookie. That sundae, which looks like saucy pasta, is the ice cream shop’s best seller, followed by cassata.
Ice cream flavors like maraschino cherry and hazelnut skew classic here. According to our server Claire, who’s part of the Sala family, the most popular flavor is the house almond made with caramelized almonds.
Pro Tip
Stop by A Veneziana after you visit Sintra. The ice cream shop is a short walk from the Rossio train station.
A Veneziana is located at Praça dos Restauradores 8, 1250-187 Lisboa, Portugal.
6. Santini
Known for its red and white striped decor, Gelados Santini has been a local ice cream favorite since Attilio Santini channeled his Italian heritage and opened the original Estoril location in 1948. Yes, Santini is yet another Portuguese ice cream operation with Italian roots.
Today, Santini has multiple Portuguese locations in the Lisbon metropolitan area and as far north as Porto. Each shop serves a dizzying number of artisanal flavors, all of them 100% natural and prepared without preservatives. And, as a bonus, all fruit flavors except coconut are dairy-free.
Pulled like a magnet by the shop’s distinctive red and white stripes, we first tried Santini’s ice cream in Cascais and have since returned multiple times to the shop located a few blocks from our Lisbon apartment. Our nephew Max gave Santini a big thumbs up during his inaugural visit, validating Santini’s inclusion in this list. He liked it even more when he returned for his second and third visits.
Pro Tip
Sample a few flavors before you decide what to order. Word on the street is that strawberry is Santini’s most popular flavor. Our personal favorites include honeydew melon, pineapple, raspberry and marabunta (i.e., chocolate chip).
Santini has multiple gelaterias. Our go-to is the shop located at Rua do Carmo 88, 1100-581 Lisboa, Portugal.
7. Gelados Conchanata
Summertime is a happy time in Lisbon’s Alvalade neighborhood because this is the season when Conchanata is open for business. It’s true. The popular Lisbon ice cream shop takes a winter break every year.
Quintilio and Alfo Tarlattini (a father-and-son duo of Italian descent) opened the Italian-style gelateria more than 70 years ago. Still in the same family, Michele Tarlattini runs the shop today.
Conchanata’s flavors skew traditional compared to flavors found at other Lisbon gelato shops. Guests can choose from wholesome flavors like chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut as well as lactose-free flavors like strawberry, pineapple and mango.
Pro Tip
Splurge and order a Conchanata Cup. A party in a bowl with four ice cream scoops and lots of strawberry syrup, this dish is Conchanata’s signature sundae. If you don’t like strawberry syrup, splurge on a Banana Split instead.
Gelados Conchanata is located at Avenida da Igreja 28A, 1700-237 Lisboa, Portugal.
8. Myka
Myka is different from every other shop in this guide since it doesn’t serve gelato. Instead, it serves frozen Greek yogurt made with pasteurized milk and goat kefir. Natalia Morales and Javier Ezquerro opened the original Madrid shop in 2023 after a trip to Greece. Beatriz and Eduardo Costa brought it to Campo de Ourique in July 2025.
This frozen yogurt is thick, tangy and creamy. You can choose from more than two dozen toppings like pistachio, baklava, chocolate praline and red berry crumble. You won’t find gummy bears though, since Myka doesn’t do ultra-processed toppings. Our favorite toppings are the compota de ginja (sour cherry jam) and crocante praliné (praline crunch).
Pro Tip
For the full Portuguese Myka experience, order the Myka Special. It’s frozen Greek yogurt topped with pistachio, bitter orange jam, honey and olive oil from Beatriz’s family farm in Portugal.
Myka has multiple Lisbon locations. We typically visit the Campo de Ourique shop located at Rua Coelho da Rocha 94, 1350-078 Lisboa, Portugal.
Bonus: Anara in Costa da Caparica
Costa da Caparica is where Lisbon locals go to lie on the beach, surf and eat fresh seafood. It’s also where we’ve eaten some of the best gelato in the Lisbon area.
Anara makes gelato in small batches at its lab in nearby Charneca da Caparica. The owners trained in Italian gelato techniques and use fresh fruit that’s never frozen. Most flavors are gluten-free and lactose-free. Some have no added sugar.
Our favorite flavors are the peanut gelato with chocolate chunks and the Belgian chocolate with Algarve orange. Surprisingly, both flavors are gluten-free and vegan.
Pro Tip
Check Anara’s Instagram before you go. The shop releases one or two special flavors every week.
Anara is located at Avenida General Humberto Delgado 3, 2825-337 Costa da Caparica, Portugal. Its original shop is located at Estrada da Bela Vista 144, 2820-166 Charneca da Caparica, Portugal.
Additional Lisbon Ice Cream Shops
We totally get if you want to eat even more ice cream in Lisbon. If that’s the case, check out these additional sweet spots:
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Nivà serves our favorite gelato in Lisbon. Gelato Davvero, Nannarella, La Verde, A Veneziana, Santini, Gelados Conchanata and Myka round out our top picks.
A Veneziana opened on Praça dos Restauradores in 1936 and is still in business today.
Nivà and Santini make dairy-free fruit flavors (except coconut). Conchanata serves lactose-free fruit flavors. La Verde sells various vegan flavors.
The Portuguese word for ice cream is gelado.
Most Lisbon ice cream shops are open year-round. Gelados Conchanata is an exception and closes every winter.
Anara in Costa da Caparica is our favorite. You can also eat good ice cream at Santini’s flagship Cascais location.
🇵🇹 Lisbon Travel Checklist
Check out our guide to eating in Portugal as well as our picks for the best Portuguese foods and the best Portuguese desserts before your trip.
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