In Barcelona, ice cream has long ceased to be just a summer whim. The openings of this 2026, added to very recent projects that have already found their place in the city, share shorter and changing menus, workshops that work every day, and a careful eye on the origin of the ingredients. Fruit enters the display case when it is at its best; flavors appear and disappear following the season and, behind each recipe, there is a story that can speak of Sicily, of the Mediterranean, of a Catalan after-dinner conversation, or of a Colombian coffee farm.
There is, however, no single formula. Bibì e Bibò and Paral·lelo Gelato start from the Italian tradition and update it from the product; El Gelat turns the territory into a gastronomic journey; Vibra vindicates a Catalan imaginary from a young project, and Fonik brings together ice cream, specialty coffee, and vinyl culture. In all these projects, ice cream ceases to be a secondary product to become the center of the proposal and a way of talking about origin, season, and identity.
El Gelat: territory and creativity in a living menu
"Not everything goes when it comes to making ice cream," defends Albert Roca, Spanish Ice Cream Champion 2022 and creator of El Gelat. "We need product and traceability: to know where it comes from, who produces it, and why they do it in a certain way. The relationship with the person behind it is very important to me. When we talk about territory, we talk about ingredients and people." This philosophy guides his ice cream parlor, located at Rambla de Catalunya, 2-4, where ice cream is understood as a gastronomic elaboration linked to the seasons and the natural calendar of ingredients. In just one year, the project has worked with seventy to eighty different flavors, with a selection of eighteen in the display case.
"We want you to be able to take a gastronomic journey, but also to transmit culture; that's why we make honey and ricotta, Catalan cream, Lleida pear sorbet or Reus hazelnut ice cream," explains Roca. These flavors are joined by Vanilla 3 Origins, with vanilla from Mexico, Tahiti and Madagascar; Mango Campeón, which combines mango, rose tea and almond nougatine, or Citric Games, made with citrus, milk chocolate and ginger. Cocoa opens another field of exploration, from Kankel's 100% Peru chocolate ice cream to cocoa husk ice cream, while the detox line incorporates fruits and vegetables in lighter proposals. Each flavor remains in the display case only while the main ingredient is at its best.
Bibì e Bibò: Italian gelato finds a home in Sants
"For us, ice cream is a nutritious and delicious food if it is made with quality ingredients and respecting the traditional way of making it," explain Carlo and Sofía Luppi, the siblings who today run Bibì e Bibò. "Our project wants to make known and disseminate quality ice cream that can be eaten all year round because it provides nutrients, proteins and vitamins, but, above all, because it is truly enjoyed." Founded in Madrid in 2018 by their parents, Mar Areosa and Stefano Luppi, the brand arrived in Sants in October 2025 with its first ice cream parlor outside the capital. Its trajectory is also linked to Palmiro Bruschi, a Tuscan master ice cream maker with more than forty years of experience.
In the premises on Sants street, the menu combines classic flavors with seasonal creations that change every month. In the display case, an ice cream made with Sicilian pistachios from Feudo di San Biagio coexists with proposals such as Alphonso mango with lime, salted caramel, passion fruit or Brownie BEB. They also offer their own formats such as Bibì, ice cream bites covered in chocolate, and Crì Crì, mini cream cones dipped in chocolate, as well as Italian desserts such as tiramisu and panna cotta. "Our younger vision wants to build on these bases of quality and tradition and give it an innovative twist, because the world of ice cream offers great versatility," add Carlo and Sofía.
Fonik: when coffee and ice cream share a soundtrack
At Fonik, ice cream is not a summer complement, but one of the two pillars on which the project was built from the beginning. At number 104 Tamarit Street, the place brings together specialty coffee, an ice cream workshop, and an atmosphere linked to vinyl culture. On one hand, Juanita Arroyave brings the knowledge of the family that founded Café Granja La Esperanza, in Colombia; on the other, Nino Parrilla, a third-generation ice cream maker, directs a production that changes with the seasons. "I believe the difference is not only in the product, but in how we want people to feel. We try to build a place where people want to stay, where vinyl music, service, and small details make time go a little slower," explains Parrilla.
The ice creams are made daily and the display case follows the rhythm of the fruit: this summer, peach with vanilla, melon, pineapple, and a vegan coconut version have passed through. "I wouldn't choose only the best-selling flavors, but those that best tell our story. For example, the affogato, made with our House coffee and creamy cheese or chocolate mousse ice cream, because it unites our two passions: coffee and ice cream. I would also choose the cream with extra virgin olive oil, because it represents the Mediterranean and simplicity well done. And I would finish with a changing, seasonal flavor, because Fonik doesn't want to be a static place; we want those who return to always find something new to discover," he points out.
Vibra: a young ice cream parlor with a Catalan accent
Vibra opened on May 8 at number 145 Enric Granados street and, in a few weeks, has become one of the most visible novelties of the summer on social media. Behind it are Juanjo Cantero, Marc Badia, Lydia Serrano, and Ona Montserrat, four friends and ice cream lovers who wanted to create an artisan ice cream shop with its own identity. "We bet on quality ingredients and authentic flavors," they explain. This means keeping classics like cream, vanilla, or chocolate, but also incorporating more unexpected creations, such as carquinyoli, crema catalana, pistachio cream, or a tiramisu made with savoiardis soaked in coffee.
The local focus is especially recognized in the flavors linked to Catalan recipes, but it also extends to the visual identity, with references to castellers, Barcelona tiles, and streetlights designed by the neighborhood residents themselves. In summer, the team especially recommends the more refreshing mango, strawberry, and lemon sorbets, along with options like yogurt, stracciatella, or cheesecake. "We don't want it to be just another place," they explain. The idea is to get to know the customer, let them try new flavors, and make them feel at home, making attention as important a part of the experience as the ice cream itself.
Paral·lelo Gelato: ten years of craft and a third location
Having become one of the city's reference addresses, Paral·lelo Gelato celebrates ten years of trajectory with a new space in the Time Out Market Barcelona. Opened in April 2026, it is the project's third establishment after the Gràcia workshop and the premises on Ausiàs Marc street, and allows it to reach a new audience without altering its way of working. The opening is part of the rotation of proposals with which the market expands its offer and to which Greensland, La Bikineria, La Porca, Carmen Churros, and Jon Cake have also recently been incorporated.
In this context, Paral·lelo offers a way of working that is unusual even within artisan ice cream making: the team selects the ingredients and, in the case of nuts, roasts and refines them in the same workshop to control the entire process, from origin to the moment of serving the ice cream. The menu changes with the seasons and includes the Mediterranean Garden, which combines basil, mint, thyme, lavender, and sage; Fuji apple with tonka bean; Canary banana with peanut, and a vegan pistachio sorbet that has become one of its most unique proposals. At the Time Out Market, ice cream can be ordered in scoops or in Tapa Helada format, and the offer is completed with milkshakes, smoothies, and granitas.
The movement around ice cream does not end in these five directions. In 2026, Pot has opened a second location in Sant Antoni, while recent additions such as Hijos de Nata and the French chocolatier Jeff de Bruges, which also offers ice cream, have further expanded the city's map. This vitality will also be visible from September 15 to 20, when Barcelona will host the Gelato Week for the first time. Fifteen ice cream parlors will participate, each with a limited edition flavor inspired by local ingredients, which the public can try and vote on.
The ice cream map continues to grow
The movement around ice cream does not end in these five directions. In 2026, Pot has opened a second location in Sant Antoni, while recent additions such as Hijos de Nata and the French chocolatier Jeff de Bruges, which also offers ice cream, have further expanded the city's artisan map. This growth will also be visible from September 15 to 20, when Barcelona will host the Gelato Week for the first time, an initiative born in Italy. Bibì e Bibò, El Gelat, Paral·lelo Gelato, Badiani, Da Gallo, Pot, Cloud, Tempera Gelato, Azah, Delacrem Terra, OGGI, Rocambolesc, Mamá Heladera, Gocce di Latte and Gelaaati di Marco will participate. Each establishment will present a limited edition flavor inspired by local ingredients, which the public can try and vote on.