Dairy Bar The brilliant food minds behind Manual Food & Drink Co. and Dartmouth's Cafe Good Luck also know how to make magic with a soft-serve machine. Swing by Stillwell Beergarden's roomie for creative flavour combos (blueberry lavender) and sundaes heaping with next-level toppings like lemon curd, cookie chunks and cereal. See ya, DQ. 5688 Spring Garden Road
Sugar Fix The Daily Grind crew has expanded its brand to include this dentist's nightmare (jk), a whole shop dedicated to moon mist, rainbow-dipped cones, cotton candy and the like. Taking over the former Lululemon location, Sugar Fix is dripping in cuteness, with dessert-patterned wallpaper, racks of sunglasses for sale and scads of folks practicing their best selfie faces. 5486 Spring Garden Road
Taiyaki 52 This cafe's taiyaki lineup—perfectly golden, fish-shaped waffles filled with delish stuff like custard and red bean—is worth a trip on its own, but Sophie Lee spends the summer filling them up with soft serve. They call it The Jaw Dropper for a reason. 2009 Brunswick Street
Dee Dee's Ice Cream Handmade ice cream and sorbet made with all-natural ingredients and no preservatives in small batches is what helped this neighbourhood ice cream shop secure its reputation as rock solid. Dee Dee and co. are always experimenting with seasonal flavours, but old favourites like Mexican chocolate, Dreamsicle and buttered almond bring the regulars back. 5668 Cornwallis Street
Portland Street Creperie Downtown Dartmouth's breakfast and lunch joint does something different with its griddles come summer: Bubble waffles—filled with ice cream and dressed with candies, sprinkles and other sugary things—are the name of the game. Starting July 1 you can have one every day, until then it's a weekend thing. 55 Portland Street
Black Bear Ice Cream Sorry Cows, we appreciate your puns and the wafting waffle-cone smell you bring to the waterfront but this no-frills food shack has been winning our hearts for summers on end. Head here for lots of hard ice cream options, sundaes, splits, slushies and dips. Halifax waterfront
