Mission: Find the tastiest, creamiest ice cream in west Cairo.
Contenders: Stavolta, Baskin Robbins, Mövenpick, Cold Stone Creamery, Fresh Food Market.
Baskin-Robbins
West Cairo Branches: Americana Plaza, Mall of Arabia, gate 19, Dandy Mall, Mall of Egypt, level 2
East Cairo Branches: Road 9 Maadi, El Tessaen Street 5th Settlement, Merghany Street, El Serag City Mall off Makram Ebeid Street.
Baskin-Robbins is synonymous with ice cream. With plenty of now classic flavors like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Gold Medal Ribbon, and Rainbow Sherbet; it is a brand that immediately pops into your head when you feel a craving for a scoop or two. Because the ice cream is readily imported, you can be sure there will always be consistency of flavor.
Two rich classics we always seem to end up ordering on every one of our Baskin-Robbins visits – and those are plenty – are Jamoca Almond Fudge and Pralines ‘n Cream. Pralines ‘n Cream has caramel ribbons in a thick cream with (sugar-coated) praline pecans. Jamoca Almond Fudge is also made with cream, chocolate, roasted almonds, and for the kick: Jamoca coffee extract. Two go-to’s that never disappoint.
In Sa7el: Find Baskin-Robbins in the entrance of the Diplomats Village.
Mövenpick Ice Cream
West Cairo Branches: Mall of Arabia, gate 23.
East Cairo Branches: City Stars and Sun City Mall
Mövenpick ice cream is marketed as a refined culinary creation, inspired by gourmet desserts. The brand claims “natural” processing, without artificial flavors, artificial colorings, or artificial additives. Pure Swiss cream is used in the making of this ice cream, rendering it extra rich. Some of our favorites are classics like Carmelita, Espresso Croquant, Swiss Chocolate and Crème Brûlée. But even Mövenpick’s fruity flavors reserve a bit of creaminess too, the Mango as well as the Blackberry sorbets are thick and velvety due to their high fruit content.
Cold Stone Creamery
West Cairo Branches: Mall of Egypt, level 2, Mall of Arabia, gate 3
East Cairo Branches: Maadi and Sun City Mall, New Cairo
Cold Stone is as fun to order, as it is to eat. From ice cream, to shakes, smoothies, yogurt and sorbet, this brand holds no bars on ingredients and flavors. The ice cream is made fresh every day in the store; ingredients are churned daily. When you order – and here’s the fun part – you can choose any number of toppings like candy, cakes, fruits and nuts, these are all mixed together with your choice of ice cream on a frozen granite stone. What you get is a mound of creaminess and bites of all your favorite toppings. This ice cream is no joke!
Start with the Raspberry flavor or the Coffee flavor as a base and take it from there! Cookies, gummies, brownies mixed in with either of these flavors on the cold granite, topped with chocolate fudge sauce! Yumm!!
Fresh Food Market
West Cairo Branches: Palm Hills Street 88, Sheikh Zayed across Greens compound.
East Cairo Branches: Point 90 Mall, 5th Settlement
Fresh Food Market makes its’ own ice cream. The ice cream is freshly churned every day. When you order, you will see that the ice cream is continuously being churned before your eyes throughout the day to retain freshness of flavor. Flavors are basic and practical: Chocolate, Vanilla, Lemon Sorbet, Mango Sorbet, Mixed Berries, and Yogurt. Slightly less sweet than traditional ice cream, Fresh Food’s take is a no-frills ice cream that hits the spot just right. It’s quite velvety, with a creamy pull to it!
Stavolta
West Cairo Branches: Westown Hub, Sodic.
East Cairo Branches: Korba, Heliopolis and 39 Road 23, Maadi.
Ahhhh… saving the best for last. The word creamy was invented for Stavolta ice cream, creamy creaminess galore! And not only creaminess, but taste as well! Stavolta is Italian Gelato, no wonder! What you’ve got to love about Stavolta is the element of surprise. Every visit brings with it surprise new flavors, flavors you never imagined before. Like Hibiscus, Halawa, Basbousa, Rice Pudding, Dates and Roasted Almonds, and more! This is the real stuff! Gelato contains 90% milk, whereas ice cream contains a 50/50 mixture of milk and cream. Also, gelato contains less air than ice cream, making it thicker and richer. It’s just smoother texture, fuller flavor, and bigger smiles!
Each branch makes their own flavors, normally 24 different flavors rotate continuously, depending on the season’s ingredients, as Stavolta uses locally grown ingredients for the seasonal flavors. Conceived in Cairo by two friends, Stavolta is an Egyptian brand that utilizes time-honored artisanal techniques in gelato making.
