The Best Ice Cream in Berlin

I was first introduced to Vanille-Marille last summer, by a dear friend who lives near the tiny, pink Steglitz location of this homemade ice cream manufactory. We were gathered around her dining table for lunch when her husband slipped out the door and returned, 15 minutes later, with little cups filled with mango sorbet, dark chocolate ice cream, raspberry sorbet, pink grapefruit and more. We all - aged 74 to 3 - fell silent as we spooned up dessert. My mouth sort of glowed from the inside out - the flavors of the fruit sorbets were clear as bells. The dark chocolate was silky, but not too rich, and packed a huge wallop of pure, well, chocolatiness.

I went back several times last summer, even brought Molly with me when she came to visit. I decided eventually that pear (Birne "Gute Luise") was my favorite flavor of all, having long been smitten by the fruit flavors in particular. Berthillon and Grom may be famous worldwide, but Vanille-Marille could absolutely beat them.

Vanille-Marille opened for the season a few weekends ago so this past weekend, I finally took Max to see what all the fuss was about. We drove to the Kreuzberg location, just around the corner from Mehringdamm, and found a big line. But undeterred, and thrilled to be in the sunshine, we stood and waited our turn. It's just as well to have a little bit of extra time, after all, how could you choose your flavors properly otherwise?

I got Marille aus der Wachau (apricot from Austria) and strawberry with mascarpone, both ice creams, not sorbets. The strawberry was very nice, creamy and speckled with little seeds, but the apricot instantly shot to the top of my list, surpassing even the pear. You know how when you eat a great sorbet, you think to yourself that it tastes even better than the actual fruit its based on? That you'd rather be eating that than the fruit? That's what the apricot ice cream was like.

Max got caramel beurre salé, Madagascar vanilla, and sesame ice cream with caramelized honey. The sesame, in particular, was fabulous. Roasty-toasty, shot through with honey, it was complex but still delicious, a grown-up dessert masquerading as an afternoon snack. I also loved the salted caramel.

There are still so many flavors I want to try, like elderflower-mint or Sicilian pistachio (can it top Grom's stellar pistachio, I wonder?) or marzipan with chocolate, plums and a shot of Schnapps or rhubarb-strawberry with vanilla. But I also just want to keep eating the ones I've already fallen for, to faithfully order apricot and pear each time I return.

What a conundrum, I know. Thank goodness for ice cream season!

Vanille-Marille now sells pint containers filled with single flavors to take home (or bring to a dinner party, lucky ducks).


Vanille-Marille
Hagelberger Straße 1, 10965 Berlin
or
Leydenalle 92, 12165 Berlin
(030) 789 54 731

Comments

[Framboise sauvage]

I love the phenomenon of European ice cream shops closing for the winter. Who would want ice cream in December? It just isn't practical. Sesame ice cream sounds so wonderful. Should you find yourself in Geneva, I commend Gelatomania to you-- the best ice cream I've had, better than Berthillon; utterly transporting.

[Ellie]

Best ice cream in Berlin - them's fighting words... After living in Berlin, I am dumbfounded every time I go back to the U.S. and get a hankering for ice cream there. Why are there so few good ice cream shops? And why does good ice cream in America cost $3.50 a scoop? I'm going to have to try Vanille-Marille one day. You should try AnnaMaria. http://www.tip-berlin.de/essen-und-trinken/restaurants-und-bars/eiscaf-annamaria

[Foodieinberlin]

Really enjoyed the salted caramel and pear, looking forward to trying the apricot.

[Lena]

Hope I could find an icecream like that here. Max had a combination I would try too. But almost everything you listed sounds so darn good.
At least I found out, that there is a Frische Paradies in Stuttgart, too. And it is even near our home! After Easter I will make an attempt to go there. Although it shall be a very small Frische Paradies in comparison to the others, I heard. We'll see.

[Sylee]

(swoon) How I wish this place was next door right now!

[My Kitchen in the Rockies]

Wird sofort notiert fuer unseren Berlinbesuch im Sommer. Thanks. Kirsten

[Bori]

I have already tried this place and I can agree: it is outstanding! Can't wait to go back soon :-)

[Julia of Randomly Yours, Julia]

Mmm, mouthwatering. The gelato shop nearest to me is a half-hour walk, but they have mango with lime!

[Chris Tonnesen]

Look good! Can you maybe start labelling where the places are located, so that it is easier to check out a certain area :)

[Crumpeats]

I'd just like to say thankyou for your great blog! I am coming to Berlin next week and now have some brilliant ideas about where to go (although can't decide between Little Otik and Renger-Patzsch for a special meal option??). Am now even more excited about my trip. Thank you!

[Luisa]

Crumpeats - I'd go with Renger-Patzsch.

[Johanna]

Luisa,

I tried to post this over on the other blogs, but the comments were closed already, so I'll leave it here.
I don't normally comment either, but there are a few things coming together here that I feel compelled to do so today.
I love to cook/bake/make and my cupboards and counters are a mess and not the cleanest either. A visit last weekend to my younger brothers' new house and kitchen with the vast storage space and clever drawers either side of the cooker for oils/spices/condiments didn't really help much with my shame about that.
Regarding the writing, it took me 4 1/2 painful years to finish a PhD which I don't consider to be a work of brilliance, but it moved me on: with work, with life and with a greater sense of perspective. The one thing which helped in those final dark, depressed and self-doubting weeks and days was the mantra: "Good enough is good enough."
And you know what? It was! More than good enough and I am sure your book will be too.
I got married during that time as well, it was a great day, not perfect, but great and in the end it's the marriage that counts, not the wedding.
Thank you so much for writing here, I so very much enjoy reading your posts and they tangibly add to my enjoyment of life. Who knew making pizza was so easy and such fun? I have that Jamie Oliver book with the recipe in it, but his writing somehow never inspired me to make pizza dough, yours did.
I am German, but live abroad, so I do feel along many of your comments about the difficulties of being at home in many places and always missing at least one. Last week I was in Berlin for the first time in six years and met an old friend at the S-Bahn station at Rathaus Steglitz. Coming through the tunnel I saw a sign for Vanille-Marille, remembered your post and so it happened that my friend and I excitedly caught up on our news while eating delicious ice-cream in the sun, a perfect hour which you helped create for me, thank you for that too.
Good luck with the book, the wedding and the juggling of life with it.

[Apples for Eve]

Went here today and then went and sat in Victoria park. Best ice-cream I've had in Berlin so far, and I've eaten quite a lot of ice-cream! I'm going to take all my friends here when they come to visit. Thanks Luisa!

[Sylvia]

Been there this weekend thanks to your blog. Really loved the icecream especially pear and Strawberry-Mascarpone.