Happy January everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and that you’re looking forward to a great 2017.

My family back in the UK have had some super cold, frosty days recently, while in contrast we’re experiencing the hottest January for 19 years I believe!! It’s crazy hot and humid and the only thing that makes it bearable is ice cream. A lot of ice cream!

So, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite spots in the Lima area and a few flavours I would recommend to try when you go. There are 6 favourite spots altogether, plus a few wild cards at the bottom

Enjoy!

BLU

Location: Barranco

Top Flavours: Maní (peanut), Cioccolato (chocolate), Maracumango (passionfruit & mango)

BLU is probably my favourite gelateria in Lima and I try and visit as often as I can. The people that run the store head to Italy for research trips and it certainly pays off, as their gelato is super scrumptious. They also tell you where in Peru (or the world) the main ingredients in each flavour come from, which is always so good to know. For example, their banana comes from San Martin in Peru and their cinnamon is from Sri Lanka!

Bosco Magico

Location: Barranco and other locations

Top Flavours: Chocolate, Manzana y Kion (apple & ginger), Piña y Menta (pineapple and mint)

I love this little ice cream store, which is located on Avenida San Martin in a shared building with a book shop, a branch of La P’tite France and a restaurant. Bosco Magico started out with a refrigerated ice cream bike and now I’m so happy they have their own brick and mortar location so I don’t have to keep track of where their bike is! They also still have their ice cream available in other places, including a new favourite of mine, La Gastronoma in Miraflores. In there, the ice cream comes stored in a jar in individual scoops

Laritza D’

Location: All over Lima

Top Flavours: Laritza (their namesake flavour which we think has caramelised pecans in!), Chocolate Amaretto, Pistachio.

Laritza D’ is an ice cream chain available all across Lima, and they make such a fabulous variety of flavours. To be honest it was quite hard to pick my favourite 3 above! They also offer sundaes and banana splits, where you can choose one of their combos or pick your own favourite scoops to put in. The cafes always have great service and who doesn’t love a trip to get a sundae on a hot day!

Crem de la Crem

Location: Barranco

Top Flavours: Lúcuma, Chocolate

The independent gelato/ice cream revolution has exploded in Barranco, and Crem de la Crem has a great location right on Barranco’s main square. They have a number of flavours to choose from including ones that, although popular here in Peru, may not be common in other countries, such as lúcuma and uva borgoña (a grape variety). If the rest of your party isn’t interested in gelato, then they also have an adjoining cafe selling cakes, milkshakes and coffee.

Heladeria UZAL 

Location: San Bartolo

Top Flavours: Camu Camu (a fruit native to the Peruvian Amazon that has an extraordinarily high Vitamin C content) – my absolute favourite flavour of all time. It’s quite sour but it is balanced with a gorgeous sweetness. Also, they once had Quito Quito which is another sour fruit that is very delicious too.

San Bartolo is a beach town in the south of Lima, so it’s not super easy to get to if you’re just spending time in the city. However, if you are spending time at the beach I highly recommend searching this place out, as you won’t be disappointed! Heladeria UZAL is located on one side of the market/main square with comfy sofas and chairs outside to sit in whilst you enjoy your ice cream. The main reason I am recommending them is because they make a camu camu ice cream/sorbet which is amazing and is a really, really rare ice cream flavour. I have never seen it elsewhere but it’s my absolute favourite fruit and so when I tried it at Uzal, I knew I would be returning again and again. I literally dream about it, it’s that good!

Anelare

Location: All across Lima including individual and large pots in supermarkets and other delis.

Top Flavours: Menta Fudge (mint fudge

I haven’t tried a huge range of flavours here, but their mint fudge is really great. Anelare also have ice cream sandwiches (at least in the Jockey Plaza branch), which I haven’t really seen in any other ice cream stores here in Lima. I need to try one of these, as they always look so delicious and the cookies come in various flavours too. I love that you can now buy tubs in some supermarkets (I’m looking at you Plaza Vea) because it means that enjoying Anelare from the comfort of your own home is now so much easier!

Bonus: Cosme

COSME is a restaurant, and not an ice cream spot, but I had to include their mint chocolate ice cream ‘paleta’ on my list. It is so delicious and full of flavour and probably one of my favourite restaurant desserts. The mix of chocolate and mint is always a winner and it’s just so beautifully presented. COSME itself is a great restaurant (check out my review), so you should obviously go for more than just the ice cream!! However, it’s a perfect ending to a lovely meal.

Bonus: Alaska

So, Alaska isn’t a destination, but instead one of the ice lollies that is made by the brand D’onofrio. You can find them in any of the yellow D’onofrio freezers in supermarkets, corner shops, petrol stations, and the  refrigerated bikes that are ridden around the city. They’re made with real fruit (you can taste it) and they come in 6 yummy flavours. My favourite is definitely the strawberry but the mango and passionfruit are super good too!

Bonus: Ovni

This is slightly out of Lima Province so I shouldn’t really include it. However, Ovni has the best lúcuma ice cream I have ever eaten, and they are famous for it. Plus, it’s on the coastal route of the Panamericana which takes you down to Asia, one of the main nearby beach destinations of many Limeños.

 

I hope this list keeps you cool during this sticky, hot Lima summer and if you have any recommendations of ice cream spots in Lima that you think I would enjoy, please let me know below. I’m always excited for ice cream!

E x