Everyone’s sweet tooth goes on overdrive during Ramadan, as in every household, there’d be a plate or bowl filled with a rich and heavy dessert. This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, though, as many crave a lighter, sweet treat after iftar, and that’s how ice cream comes into the picture.
Across Cairo, ice cream shops have been whipping out Ramadan-themed creations, and these are our top picks:
Dolato
This ice cream shop has been on everyone’s radar because of its unique mini popsicles, which come in all kinds of flavors, including mastic pistachio and Oreo.
With Ramadan, they’re once again keeping things mini with their small Konafa cones topped with mango or cream-flavored ice cream covered in a pistachio or vanilla-flavored coating. They also serve their mini popsicles with edible Konafa sticks for that fun Ramadan twist.
Stavolta
Every year, one of Egypt’s most popular ice cream shops, Stavolta, taps into its creative juices to churn out exciting new local flavors, whether it’s harankash (gooseberry) ice cream or Basbousa Chai. With Ramadan in full swing, they have pulled out all the stops to serve up a taste of the festive month.
At their shops, you can taste their unique flavors, including their crunchy Om Ali, creamy Sobia, and sweet Asaliya. Knowing that Eid is just around the corner, they got an early start and already prepared a unique Kahk flavor.
Dara’s Icecream
From the day they opened their doors, Dara’s Icecream has always known how to attract flocks of people. Arriving at the shop, you’ll either snap a fun photo next to their neon ice cream cone sign or get a taste of their coolest flavors.
For Ramadan, they’re bringing over a completely new creation, their Ice cream mille-feuille. Picture this, a mille-feuille with layers of vanilla ice cream and layers of caramel, with a coating of icing sugar on top. It truly is the best of both worlds.
Gelato Mio
This is the ice cream shop that knows how to keep it simple and playful at the same time. On the safe side, they have flavors like watermelon, while on the creative side, they’ve got baklava with rose water. They also know how to keep it festive and traditional for Ramadan.
This season, they’ve got everything from malban with eshta and semsemaya to fulleya, true flavors of Ramadan and the perfect way to celebrate the month.
Snö Gelato
First, they were in Sweden, and now they’re in Cairo; Snö Gelato is an ice cream shop inspired by Scandinavian flavors. Every day, their ice cream gets freshly made in-shop and then gets served in their signature Swedish-style waffle cones.
Knowing that they’re now in Cairo, they also celebrate the flavors and traditions of the country. In Ramadan, they have a special dessert: a three-tiered cake with Konafa at the bottom, a layer of mango ice cream, and a layer of vanilla ice cream. With three flavors packed into one, it’s the ultimate Ramadan dessert.
Seeing how temperatures are getting higher as we approach summer, these ice cream desserts can be a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth this Ramadan.