Best Ice Cream in the Caribbean
A day of the white sand beaches and crystal blue waters in the Caribbean. It can’t get better than that, right? Wrong! How about cooling it off with some delicious ice cream. Now that’s heaven !
Thanks to a mix of a bunch of great cultures, innovative people, and well the necessity because it’s hot, the Caribbean has a pretty awesome ice scream scene. The next time you go, check out some of these local favorites.
Fred’s Belgian Waffles and Ice Cream (Antigua)
What’s the first thing you should do when you step off your cruise in Antigua? Get some amazing ice cream of course. With their freshly made waffles and rich creamy ice cream, Fred’s in Antigua is a hot spot for cruise passengers arriving in Redcliffe Quay, St. John’s.
Popular with locals and tourists alike, everything is fresh and homemade. Grab one of their famous Belgian waffles and top it with some mouth-watering ice cream. Of course, they have the staples like vanilla and chocolate, but it’s worth trying some unique flavors like papaya or macadamia nut. And if you are on a health kick (or just ate too much on the cruise), they even serve low fat and diabetic ice cream.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/FredsBelgianWafflesIceCream/
Maranne’s Homemade Ice Cream (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
We can’t recommend taking a trip to the scenic Bequia in the Grenadines enough. It’s the second biggest island in the chain and a popular location for boaters. It also has amazing beaches, marine life, people and….ice cream.
On this otherworldly tropical paradise, you’ll find the amazing Maranne’s. Located in the Gingerbread Hotel near the harbor, Maranne’s serves a wide variety of flavors from nutmeg to mango to its famous rum raisin. Everything is homemade and delicious, with many of its flavors using local fruits. Its ice cream is even served on a few restaurants on the island.
So the next time you are in Bequia, enjoy the amazing view and great ice cream.
Island Scoop (Turks and Caicos)
Our website is named CoffeeMeetsBeach because we love coffee and beaches, but we love ice cream just as much. So great ice cream and coffee right next to an amazing beach is truly heaven. Island Scoop checks all those boxes and then some
Located in the Grace Bay, tourists and locals come to Island Scoop for both their homemade ice cream and great coffee. Taking a look at the ice cream sundaes on their facebook page might cause you to book a plane ticket to Turks immediately.
Along with its friendly staff and great atmosphere, Island Scoop has a wide selection of flavors, from staples like chocolate and strawberry to the innovative like nutella and butterscotch. And if you really want to make your friends back home jealous, take some Instagram or Facebook photos eating ice cream next to the giant cow statue out front.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Island-Scoop-248145163212/
II Gelato (Curacao)
The thing we love about all the islands in the Caribbean is the infusion of so many different cultures especially when it comes to food and drink. On the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, you’ll find some authentic Italian gelato.
II Gelato in Willemstad is a true Italian ice cream shop by Italians in a Caribbean paradise The mouth-watering Gelato is always fresh and homemade using local fruits. Better yet all of the gelato is gluten-free.
Locals and tourists rave about the wide variety of flavors from the Italian Fragola and Amarena to the fun stuff like Snickers and Oreo. The owners are super friendly and even have a lab in the back of the shop where they experiment with new flavors.
Website: http://www.ilgelato-curacao.com
Carousel (St. Martin)
Before we even get to the ice cream, Carousel in Simpsons Bay is truly a masterpiece. It’s like jumping into some sort of ice cream time machine. The big open-air building is shaped like a carousel with mosaic tiles on the wall which are a gallery of beautiful photographs telling the history of ice cream. With a handcrafted Italian carousel overlooking the water, a dedicated children’s area and a lot of space, it’s also a perfect place to take the kids.
Now to the ice cream! It’s creamy, always fresh and of course homemade. They have a large variety of ice cream, gelato, and sorbet to choose from. Visitors we talked to kept raving about the signature “Carousel” flavor ice cream. If you aren’t in the mood for ice cream, they also have frozen desserts and hand-made cakes. For the adults, they also serve some fancy alcoholic drinks.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/carouselsxm/
Lighthouse Cafe and Ice Cream Parlour (Bahamas)
Located right near the beautiful Cocoa Plum Beach in Exuma, the cozy Lighthouse Cafe and Ice Cream Parlour sports amazing views and friendly service. They are a small cafe with a full menu of great food, but visitors constantly are raving about the ice cream here so we put them on our list.
The ice cream is very reasonably priced and a perfect way to top off a great meal or simply day swimming with the Exuma pigs. They have the staples like chocolate and vanilla, but also some unique ones like the superman and rainbow flavors. Lighthouse Cafe is definitely a “must visit” the next time you go to Exuma.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Lighthouse-Cafe-Ice-Cream-Parlour-829687223771938
St. John Scoops (St.John)
“The best ice cream in the Virgin Islands”, and “You can smell waffle cones in the parking lot” are just some of the things we often hear about St. John Scoops. Located in Cruz Bay’s Mongoose Junction shopping center, everything is fresh and homemade on site. There are so many unique flavors that everyone seems to have their own favorite. With flavors ranging from salted caramel and chocolate banana to honey lavender and cookie monster, they have something for everyone.
For those of drinking age, they even offer alcohol infused versions of their ice cream. We keep hearing about a cult favorite named “The Painkiller”. Popular with locals and tourists alike, Scoops also offers dairy free and vegan ice cream.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnscoops/
Gio’s Gelateria & Caffe (Bonaire)
In our recent article, Best Food Trucks in the Caribbean, we featured an amazing truck in Kite City. Well after you after a great meal on the beach, head on over to the nearby Gio’s Gelateria and Caffe for some dessert
A favorite of divers, Gio’s large scoops are reasonably priced, they have inside and outside seating, free wifi and are even open on Sundays. All of their gelato is low fat and they feature a wide variety of flavors from the traditional to the unique. The dark chocolate and coconut gelato seem to be the rockstar of the menu, but you won’t be disappointed with whatever you choose. They also have a great selection of coffee and milkshakes.
Website: http://www.gioscaribbean.com