gelato – Michael Eats

Tasty Gelato at Kati Thai Gelato

Published on February 25, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 567 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/katitoronto/

Note: This location has closed since I visited, but you can check their Instagram for other locations.

As you’d guess from the name, Kati Thai Gelato serves gelato that’s infused with Thai flavours. As you probably wouldn’t guess from the name, they also serve a variety of savoury Thai snacks like grilled pork skewers and bao buns.

I stuck to the gelato side of things, and had a scoop of the Milo: “A nostalgic childhood favourite, featuring the rich, chocolatey taste of Milo (chocolate malt powder).”

They certainly have more interesting flavours here, but I have a hard time saying no to anything Milo-related. It’s malty, chocolatey, and delicious.

It’s predictably tasty in gelato form. Why wouldn’t it be? The gelato itself is maybe a bit thin, but it’s very smooth with zero iciness, and has a nice hit of Milo flavour.

Good Quality Gelato at Il Gelato Di Carlotta

Published on December 27, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 17 Lock Street, St. Catharines
Website: https://www.gelatodicarlotta.com/

Il Gelato Di Carlotta is a delightful gelato shop that started out in Niagara on the Lake, but has since expanded, with several locations in the area (apparently they used to have one in Vaughan Mills, but currently, the closest one to the GTA would be in Oakville).

The flavours pretty much just stick to the classics (stuff like pistachio, stracciatella, hazelnut, etc.) — this isn’t the most exciting thing ever, but hey, they’re classics for a reason.

I went with gianduia (chocolate and hazelnuts — Nutella, basically), and yeah, they know what they’re doing. The gelato is incredibly smooth and creamy, and I don’t think I need to tell you that the combo of chocolate and hazelnuts is a winner. I wish the sweetness were dialed back a notch or two, but it’s otherwise so delicious that it’s easy enough to overlook.

I should note that I checked out the Oakville location a couple of months after this visit and tried the pistachio gelato bar, and was somewhat less impressed — most pressingly, the pistachio gelato had very little pistachio flavour, and was completely overwhelmed by the chocolate exterior.

Quick Bites: Ramen Ryu, Matt’s Burger Lab, Lola’s Gelato

Published on March 16, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Ramen at Ramen Ryu in the Well

I mentioned, a few years ago, that Ryu’s Noodle Bar serves some of the best ramen in the GTA. Well, they’ve got a quick-serve outpost in Wellington Market in The Well, the fancy new food court (sorry: food hall) downtown, and it’s quite tasty. The depth of flavour isn’t quite there and the noodles were a bit on the soft side, but for something from a food court, it’s satisfying. The broth may not be up there with the best in the city, but it’s creamy and tasty. It’s a solid bowl of ramen.

Classic Smash Burger at Matt’s Burger Lab

Though Matt’s Burger Lab has a surprisingly deep menu, with a whole bunch of creatively-topped burger and fried chicken sandwiches, I figured the Classic Smash was probably the thing to get: “4 ounce prime beef patty, fresh onion, iceberg, pickle, Lab Sauce.” I skipped the onion, but otherwise got this as-is. It’s pretty tasty. The patty has a decent amount of crust on it, a nice coarse grind, and a mild beefy flavour. The bun (potato bun, I think) is nice and fresh, and the toppings suit it well. The Lab Sauce is basically like a sweeter, zestier version of the typical Big Mac-style sauce you’ll find on so many burgers in the GTA, and it works. There’s quite a lot of it, which in this case is a very good thing, because the well-done burger patty is quite dry. The sauce basically balances things out, but the dryness holds it back from being much better than pretty good. Still, I enjoyed it.

Almond Raspberry gelato from Lola’s Gelato

This is going to be a quick one. I’ve written about Lola’s a few times before on this blog, and it pains me that it doesn’t always come up when people are talking about the best gelato in the city, because it’s a strong contender for that crown. But I think maybe the word is finally getting out, because on my most recent visit, the place was absolutely packed. Of course, it’s just as delicious as ever. This particular flavour had a great almond flavour, which works surprisingly well with the raspberry sauce they have swirled throughout. And it’s just as creamy and luxurious as always. Good stuff.

Quick Bites: Venerosa Natural Gelato, Stacks, Blackbird Baking Co.

Published on March 2, 2025March 2, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Sicilian pistachio gelato at Venerosa Natural Gelato

Venerosa is a relatively new gelato spot on Queen, and it’s quite good. I don’t really have a ton to say about it. It’s gelato! It’s good! It’s not the best or the worst gelato I’ve had in the city, but it’s leaning much, much closer to “best.” I got the Sicilian pistachio, and it’s nice and creamy, and it has a great pistachio flavour. I will almost certainly be back, though I wish the variety of flavours were a bit more interesting (it’s pretty much all standard-issue stuff).

Classic pancakes at Stacks

Stacks is one of those restaurants at the bottom of a condo tower where you have to pay for parking in an area where paid parking isn’t the norm; that’s a bit of a bummer, but they seem to be doing okay regardless. They have an assortment of sweet and savoury items on the menu; I tried the scrambler wrap, which was fine, and the classic pancakes, which are clearly the thing to order (no surprise at a restaurant called “Stacks”). They’re no-frills pancakes done very well, with a great texture that features a delightful balance between substance and fluffiness.

Jam croissant at Blackbird Baking Co.

The jam croissant at Blackbird is basically an almond croissant, but with the addition of jam. I’ve never had that combo before, but as you’d expect, it’s delicious. It works so well, you have to wonder why you don’t see it more often. The last time I had the almond croissant from Blackbird, I found it to be a bit too subtle in its sweetness, but clearly things have changed because this one had a generous amount of sweet almond filling that’s kicked up by the addition of jam. It’s really tasty, though the croissant itself was a bit on the dry side.

Solid Gelato at On Third Thought

Published on December 5, 2024September 14, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 6 Markham Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.onthirdthought.com/

I recently saw On Third Thought on a list of the best gelato in the city, and I thought, wait — this place serves some of the best gelato in the city? And I haven’t heard of it??

Obviously I needed to try it ASAP.

They have about a dozen flavours on the menu, mostly fruity. Interestingly, they have a handful of booze-infused scoops for a one dollar upcharge. I went alcohol-free and got chocolate and caramelized fig.

It’s not bad at all. I personally wouldn’t put this in my top 10, but I’m certainly not mad I ate it. The gelato is served at the perfect temperature and is decently creamy, and while the fig flavour was more tart than I was expecting (and both were leaning a bit sweeter than I prefer), the chocolate had a richness to it that I found quite enjoyable.

They also serve the gelato in a glass bowl with a metal spoon if you’re eating on the patio, and I found this to be unexpectedly delightful. You wouldn’t think it would make a difference, but there’s something about it that just feels better than eating out of the usual disposable cup.