September is our favourite time of year in Shanghai. The humidity that necessitates a change of clothes by the time you arrive at the office has finally blown over, but the days are still hot and the evenings warm and long. In other words, it's perfect ice cream weather.

We’re talking real ice cream and sorbet here – cones, scoops, the works. China has a fine tradition of crushed ice desserts, but there’s times when only some cioccolato bianco gelato, or perhaps triple strawberry cheesecake ice cream, will do. So, without further ado, the eChinacities guide to Shanghai’s seven best ice cream parlours, one for every single day of the week (plus a secret bonus at the end of the level!).

7  Andersen'sView In Map
Andersen's Raffles City location suffers somewhat from being only yards away from rivals Coldstone (see number 2).  And though their ice cream won't set your world on fire (that's kind of a big ask for any ice cream) it is still made fresh, comes in 16 flavours (of which the mango sorbet is a highlight), and, as a bonus, they'll even dip the cone in Belgian chocolate for you. How sweet. 

Scoops are ¥25-¥40-¥50
B1 - K15, 268 Xizang Zhonglu (Raffles City, Huangpu Distric ) 黄浦区西藏中路268号来福士广场B1楼, and locations around town

6  Häagen-Dazs Cafe View In Map
Easily the most popular premium brand among local fans, the US chain with the Scandinavian-sounding name (interesting fact:  the letter combinations "äa" and "zs" are in fact impossible in all Scandinavian languages) now has some 25 stores in Shanghai alone.  It certainly looks the part: huge tubs, two dozen flavours (including their trademark green tea variety), all presented with plenty of TLC.  But the scoops seem small, it's hardly cheap, and we just bring can't ourselves to order ice cream on a plate.  Do yourself a favour and buy it from a freezer at Lawsons instead. Eating luxury ice cream by the side of the road at two in the morning is one of Shanghai's most underrated pleasures.

1 scoop-2-scoop-3-scoop ¥28/¥53/¥78
Rm 157-160 Grand Gateway, 1 Hongqiao Lu, near Zhaojiabang Lu 虹桥路1号港汇广场内街157-160室, and locations around town

5  Baskin Robbins View In Map

A new arrival in Shanghai, but already familiar to fans worldwide, the Baskin Robbins stores are - in truth - a little too sterile for our tastes. Sure the walls are painted pink, but there's still a whiff of the Golden Arches to them. Thankfully the ice cream is better, just the way you remember it from childhood - Very Berry Strawberry, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Raspberry Cheese Louise, Rainbow Sherbert. They're not wrong when they say, "We don’t sell ice cream. We sell fun!"

Single scoop: small ¥16, large ¥25; Double scoop: small ¥28, large ¥42
1 Wanhangdu Lu, near Beijing Xi Lu 万航渡路1号(近北京西路);
900 Tianshan Lu, by exit 1 of Loushanguan subway stop 天山路900号;
1155 Wu Zhong Road, near Jinhui Lu 吴中路1155号 

4   La PerlaView In Map
This is more like it: a stand inside one of our favourite bookstores, selling 24 flavours of hand made ice cream.  It's also the cheapest of all the places we tried (we work hard on your behalf...), and has some of the most unique flavours: we haven't seen kiwi, bush fruits, or After Eight anywhere else.  Best of all, thanks to the benches in the walled yard at the back and the tables up on the first floor patio, you can pretend to anyone that saw you go in that you were simply taking a really long time choosing a book.

3 scoops: ¥25
325 Changle Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu (inside Garden Books) 长乐路325号韬奋西文书局内(近陕西南路), and locations around town

3  Le Creme Milano View In Map
A classy space among Shaanxi Lu's stretch of flower stalls and home furnishing stores, La Creme Milano serves a wide selection of homemade gelato (19 varieties on a recent visit), and counts many homesick Italians among its regulars. It's rather lacking in the devil-may-care approach that you see elsewhere - they're quick to point out that this is low-fat, and that is lactose-free. But what they do, they do extremely well: superbly fresh flavours, from the classic (panna cotta, tiramisu) to the local and even seasonally-inspired: yangmei earlier in the summer and, so hot right now, sweet yellow honey peach.

1 scoop-2-scoop-3-scoop ¥25/¥35/¥45
 434 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Yongjia Lu o 卢湾区陕西南路434号(近永嘉路, and also at Voila! Bistro - 173 Fumin Lu, near Julu Lu 富民路173号(近巨鹿路).

2  Coldstone CreameryView In Map
There’s no denying the sheer gluttonous appeal of the Arizonan chain - "Coldstone, you're at Coldstone, we're a Scooper Dooper Family!" - which now has several locations around town. The ice cream is as creamy as the name, and the production theatrics – any combination of the 12 flavours, 6 sizes and 28 toppings, mixed to order on the eponymous cold granite plate by a singing staff member – are enough to make you forget what you’re about to do. Our tip: go for the Candy Land special – sure it’s cake batter ice cream mixed with Kit Kat, M&Ms, and Snickers but, in a place like this, what’s the point pretending to watch your waist?

From ¥27 to ¥168
B1 - K13-14, 268 Xizang Zhonglu (Raffles City) 西藏中路268号来福士广场地下一层B1 - K13-14, and locations around town

1   Amorino View In Map

If you want the best chocolate ice cream in town, head to Awfully Chocolate (at either 174 Xiangyang Nan Lu, near Fuxing Lu, or out in Hongqiao). If you’re in the mood for any other flavour, hunt down an Amorinos. It’s not really fair to put them head-to-head with some of the other contenders on this list – there’s no signature creations and strictly no singing - but they qualify by virtue of having real ice cream cones (no waffly substitutes here), and 22 varieties of the most authentic gelato this side of The Colosseum. Just saying the names out loud – lampone, baci, biscotti – made our mouths taste sweeter. (They used to have the best spot in town, too, right on the Bund promenade, but it had closed even before they started tearing that whole area up.) They even let you try before you buy – we tried and tried and tried. Their crema di limone sorbet practically fizzed on the way down. Trust us – that’s a very good thing.

Scoops go for ¥28/¥38/ ¥48
268 Shuicheng Nan Lu, near Yanan Xi Lu (inside Gubei Carrefour), and locations around town 水城南路268号古北家乐福1楼(近延安西路) 

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