By Amelia Mola
Italian lifestyle isn’t just about the food—it’s about the slow joy of savouring, of gathering, of living with intention. In Italy, gelato isn’t just a dessert. It’s a ritual, a social moment, a symbol of summer evenings and strolls through piazzas after lengthy dinners with loved ones. In Toronto, a city thousands of kilometres from Rome or Palermo, a handful of passionate artisans are recreating that same spirit of Italian culture. From Queen West to Kensington Market, these gelaterias aren’t just about frozen treats—they’re about connection, heritage, and the kind of emotional warmth that defines Italian culture. Come with us on our gelato tour across Toronto visiting Mizzica, Death in Venice, Dolce, and On Third Thought to taste the best scoops with the most beautiful stories.
Mizzica – Queen West and Uptown
Passion is the first thing that comes to mind when I recall my experience at Mizzica Gelateria & Cafe. Mizzica owners Paolo and Denise have not only mastered the art of gelato making, but exude love as they do it. Both Denise and Paolo grew up around the gelato business, with Denise getting her first job in a gelato shop at age 14. Originally from Abruzzo, Paolo moved to Canada over 10 years ago, meeting his wife Denise, originally hailing from Sicily. Missing the gelato of la patria, the couple put their creative minds together, and came up with the idea of starting their own gelato shop right here in Toronto that emulates the Gelateria’s of Italy. Two locations and multiple award wins later, Mizzica is scooping some of the best gelato in this city. What makes it so great? Besides the creativity in flavour choice, the experience Paolo and Denise provide to their customers is just as impressive.
“We want people to come in here and have an experience – just like when you go to a wine bar and try different things, we want you to do the same thing when you come to Mizzica, try a few flavours and decide what you like, or tell us what you like and we can recommend some flavours to you,” says the couple.
One of my favourite flavours was the Sicilia, which featured a beautiful union of pistachio and ricotta. For the people who tend to lean on the fruitier side, the pink grapefruit or the classic lemon is a bright and refreshing choice for the summer. All fruit-based sorbettos are made dairy-free with 100% fresh fruit depending on what’s in season. Their commitment to fresh ingredients is so strong, they even use la scorza di limone (lemon skin) to make their lemon flavour. If you’re visiting over a weekend, you might be able to try the signature flavour of Mizzica, one that Paolo and Denise created in honour of their wedding last year. Pistachios from Sicily and saffron from Abruzzo come together to create something as beautiful as this couple’s love, a flavour unique to this gem of a business. If you’re uptown around Young and Eglinton, or downtown near Queen and John, be sure to stop by Mizzica for your gelato fix.
Death in Venice – Dundas West
Planted just west of Little Italy may be the most innovative and whimsical spot for gelato I have come across. Death In Venice Gelato Co., born from the imagination of Kaya – a chemical engineer turned chef turned gelato maker, originally from Turkey – offers varietals with the most interesting set of contrasting flavour profiles. After moving to Canada to study engineering, Kaya was looking for a more creative field to work in. After enrolling at Stratford culinary school, Kaya wasn’t keen to pursue the path of restaurateur, and instead looked to the gelato business as a place to utilize his chemical engineering skills to craft beautifully balanced gelato recipes that are made of the freshest ingredients.
Death in Venice makes 16 flavours at a time, rotating them roughly every two weeks. Through partnerships with other local businesses and producers, Kaya frequently does collaborations to make unique flavours. Rhubarb was in season when I visited the shop, so Kaya featured a gelato with rhubarb sourced from a local farmer in Ontario. Lovers of olive oil will adore the olive oil sea salt flavour, a perfectly balanced scoop of gelato that features the hindering bitterness of olive oil with a classic vanilla profile, married together with sea salt. Then, the boozy tiramisu variety. Each bite tastes like the iconic dessert, gelato-style. Lovers of tiramisu – this one is for you. Perhaps the most interesting, and for Death In Venice, their most notable – is the cheeseboard flavour. Featuring white wine, brie, pears, honey, and berry jam – this award winning variety won over my palate by balancing sweet and savoury seamlessly.
Dolce – Greektown and Kensington Market
Those living in the city’s east end can rejoice at the fact that a fantastic, family-run gelato shop lives in the area. Pino and Ivone Luca started Dolce Gelato in 2006, with their first location on College Street in Toronto’s beloved Little Italy. Quickly, the business expanded to their storefronts on Danforth in Greek Town, and to Kensington Market. While their College Street location closed its doors in 2022, their two locations continue to provide incredible gelato flavours and fantastic customer service to all their guests who walk through the shop’s doors.
Dolce is a product of Pino and Ivone Luca’s marriage, with the help of their three sons: Luigi, Nicolas, and Giuseppe. You can often find their expert taste-testers running around the shop, happily enjoying their parent’s creations. Sometimes their eldest, Luigi, helps out behind the counter. Pino, an electrician by trade and originally born in Calabria, emigrated to Canada as a young boy with his family.
Like many Italian-Canadian families at the time, summers were spent visiting Calabria, and for Pino, working in a relative’s gelato shop. “Working in my uncles gelato shop really stuck to me, but I never thought I’d own a shop of my own”, said Pino. Ivone, originally from Ecuador, met Pino here in Toronto. “When we started dating, Pino always talked about opening up a coffee shop – we wanted to call it Dolce Cafe. Then, somehow, we got gelato in the mix of this idea – and the rest is history!” Ivone explained.
Each day, fresh batches of gelato are churned out and made with love at both the Kensington and Danforth locations. Ivone’s Ecuadorian background inspires many of the flavours on Dolce’s menu, like their delicious maracuyá (passionfruit) and tamarind. The day I visited their Danforth shop, 48 stunning flavours were on display – from sweet and traditional Nocciola (hazlenut), to the tangy and bright pompelmo (grapefruit) – perfect for a sweltering hot Toronto summer day. And for an extra treat on Pedestrian Sunday’s outside of the Kensington market location – you might catch a performance from Luigi, Nicolas and Giuseppe’s band.
On Third Thought – Queen Street West
When Jade Lalonde and Joey Ottaviano started dating, going out for gelato was always a challenge. Jade, who at the time was vegan, always struggled to find flavours that met her dietary restrictions while still tasting great. It was during the pandemic, that the couple decided to learn how to make gelato, that was both vegan and free of common allergens such as nuts. Through a connection, Jade and Joey met a man who used to own a gelato shop in Niagara-on-the-Lake who taught the couple how to make gelato using rice milk, a common product used to make the dessert in Europe. “Because I don’t have any dietary restrictions, and because I love gelato, I wasn’t going to make a product that didn’t taste as good as the real thing”, said Joey. After a few iterations, the couple nailed their recipe to create the most delicious flavours, and now offer those with allergies, intolerances, or mere dietary preferences, incredible gelato that certainly does not compromise on flavour.
After spending time making their gelato out of a rented commissary kitchen where they would fill mobile orders, the couple found the space that would eventually become their brick and mortar store that they operate out of today. With this new space came a liqueur license inherited from the previous owners – which gave this duo an idea: pair gelato with wine. Working closely with wine expert Lauren Power of Tre Amici wines, the couple thoughtfully crafted gelato flavours that were complimented and enhanced by beautiful wines from around the world, especially Italy. On the day of our tasting, we were treated to three fantastic wine and gelato pairings. A caramelised fig gelato – an ode to Joey’s Calabrese roots, coupled with a Cabernet Sauvignon. A Zesty lemon gelato with a Tenuta Santomè Prosecco, and a classic chocolate gelato with a Tenuta Santomè Raboso blend. All of their gelatos are rich in flavour, yet light on the palate – a defining feature of their rice milk-based product.
The namesake of On Third Thought gives reference to how allergen safe desserts are often not prioritized by business owners. Jade and Joey rise above and beyond this by providing an incredibly unique and delicious gelato experience for those who want to enjoy this classic treat without a worry.
Each of these shops offers more than a scoop—they tell a story. Whether it’s Paolo and Denise sharing a piece of their love through a saffron and pistachio-kissed creation, Kaya transforming local produce into bold flavour experiments, the Luca family turning their shop into a joyful multigenerational hub, or Jade and Joey building an inclusive gelato experience from the ground up—what binds them all is heart. This is the essence of Italian culture: food that carries meaning, served with intention, and always rooted in connection. Through gelato, Mizzica, Death in Venice, Dolce, and On Third Thought aren’t just feeding us—they’re inviting us into something deeper. A moment to pause, to savour, and to feel. That’s the Italian lifestyle. And somehow, here in Toronto, it’s alive and well. – VV
