NATURALS
 

Shop no. 77/1A, Park Street, opposite Allen Park, next to Manyavar showroom

Open: 11am to midnight.

We’d been waiting for Naturals so we could finally stop asking friends and family travelling to Mumbai to fly home tubs. The 1,800sq ft store opened on Calcutta’s dine-and-dance corridor Park Street in October and serves up scoops of fruit-flavoured ice creams. Pass by the store any day around 10pm and you’ll see it filled with after-dinner family crowd. While the Tender Coconut and Sitaphal ice creams are our ‘flavourites’, there are some hidden gems like Watermelon and Jackfruit too.

Pop picks: Tender Coconut and Sitaphal.

Pocket pinch: Rs 65 for one scoop.

FROLLZ
 

10 Wood Street

Open: Noon to 2am.
One of the firsts in the city to usher in the concept of frozen ice cream rolls, this chill zone has flavours and toppings of your choice. See your ice cream being made right in front of you!

Pop picks: Chocolust, Nolen Gur and Paan. 

Pocket pinch: Rs 500-plus for two.

N2ICREAM
 

62/7 Ballygunge Circular Road (near Azad Hind Dhaba)

Open: 11am to midnight.
Watch your dessert emerge from a haze of liquid nitrogen smoke in your favourite flavour and with toppings at this 10-seater liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour that opened in February. 

Pop picks: Banarasi Paan, Italian Chocolate, Strawberry Cheese and Romanian Chocolate.

Pocket pinch: Rs 69 for a regular cup and Rs 25 per add-on or topping.

WAFFLE WALLAH

Q court (Quest mall food court), fourth floor, 33 Syed Amir Ali Avenue; 18G Stephen Court, Park Street.

Open: 11am to 10.30pm at Quest; 8am to 11pm on Park Street.
A kiosk, shaped like a cart, opened in Quest mall on September 11, soon followed by a store-in-store on Park Street. It serves sweet and savoury waffles, wedges and soft beverages. 
The waffles are made on the spot and you can pick your toppings. 

Pop picks: Smoky Sausage Wala, Chatpata Paneer and Nutella & Nuts Wala. The Park street outlet also serves an all-day Egg & Waffle breakfast option. 

Pocket pinch: Waffles start at Rs 70 and go up to Rs 340.

HAAGEN-DAZS
 

The House of Haagen Dazs — The Experience Shop (58/1 Sarat Bose Road, Maanheruka Building, first floor, near Health Point hospital); Haagen-Dazs Cafe (Quest)

Open: Noon to 1am (Sarat Bose Road); noon to 11pm (Quest).

Calcutta got the first scoop in February at the Sarat Bose Road outlet. The chocolate is sourced from Belgium, vanilla from Madagascar and strawberries from Poland. Next, they opened in Quest — a 40-seater cafe done up in red and black, serving all the flavours that make this brand famous. 

Pop picks: Summer Berries and Cream, Cookie Sundae, Chocolate Almond Stick Bar, The Eiffel Tower, Classic Fondue, Paradise, Party Hat, Seventh Heaven and Caramel Crunch.

Pocket pinch: Begins at Rs 195-plus for a single scoop.

The Belgian Waffle Co.
 

7B Allenby Road, the road opposite Forum.

Open: 11am to 11pm.

Hot-off-the-iron waffwiches (waffle sandwiches), slathered with a filling of your choice — choose from Nutella, maple syrup, dark chocolate and more — which can be had on the go. It’s crispy, it’s chewy and oh-so-divine! This Mumbai-based brand came to Calcutta late this year but has already become a crowd favourite. 

Pop picks: Red Velvet, Vanilla Ice cream Waffwich and Chocolate Overload.

Pocket pinch: Rs 93 onwards.

DARIOLE
 

42A Shakespeare Sarani (near Kookie Jar) 

Open: 8.30am to 9pm.

This patisserie from Speciality Restaurants (which has under its umbrella Mainland China to Mezzuna) opened doors in August with cakes, pastries, croissants and puffs on the shelves. It has a small seating area for about 18 and serves both sweet and savoury snacks.

Pop picks: Brownies, Chocolate Doughnut, Kosha Mangsho Puff.

Pocket pinch: Goodies start at Rs 25. 

Bake O Cake
 

8/1 Loudon Street

Open: 7am to 11pm, open every day.

This 20-seater vegetarian patisserie-cum-cafe offers baked goodies, along with coffee and mocktails. There’s a live kitchen too. Done up in white and pastel hues, this is the third outlet from home baker Manisha Khaitan, after one each in Kankurgachhi and Bangur.

Pop picks: Red Curry with Rice, Pizza Alla Napoletana, Mixed Berry Tunnel, Almond Apple Tart and Madagascar Chocolate Shake.

Pocket pinch: Rs 800-plus for two.

KOOKIE JAR
 

18 Hindusthan Park (near Fabindia)

Open: 10am to 10pm.

An addition to the bite-and-buy corridor of Hindusthan Park on September 1, KJ is spread across 900sq ft. High bar tables to enjoy (not a cocktail but) a Chocolate Pyramid, natural light and green foliage wallpaper that brings in the outdoors, and intricate design detailing on the panels make this outlet stand out from the other KJs.  

Pop picks: KJ all-time faves like Lemon Tart and Chicken Puff and newer ones like Strawberry Crumble Pie and Salted Caramel Chocolate Pastry. 

Pocket pinch: Pastries start at Rs 48-plus.

Mama Mia! 
 

22A Cockler Lane; opposite Nazrul Mancha gate on Southern Avenue

Open: 11am to 1am.

This one’s the first franchise store of the gelato chain in the city. The 15-seater opened in October and introduced us to the Mama Mia! milkshakes. 

Pop picks: Belgian Chocolate & Sea Salt milkshake, Stardust Vanilla gelato, Belgian Dark Chocolate gelato.

Pocket pinch: Rs 190 for milkshakes

Drunken Monkey
 

Ground floor, Sukh Sagar Building, 2/5 Sarat Bose Road, Minto Park

Open: 8am to midnight.

From meals in a bottle to loaded shakes and detox juices, this juice and smoothie bar has it all.

Pop picks: Dry Fruit Meal, Cucumber Cooler, Oreo Red Velvet.

Pocket pinch: Rs 500 for two.

KEVENTERS
 

City Centre Salt Lake, Sector V, Mani Square, Quest mall, Avani Riverside Mall, Nandan Building (17/1D Alipore Road), 10 Wood Street, 44A Sarat Bose Road

Open: Timings differ for each outlet.

What makes a great dessert, beverage, snack and meal? Milkshake, of course! There’s never a bad time to gulp down one from Keventers, the Delhi-based milkshake label, that boasts 11 outlets in the city now. 

Pop picks: Butterscotch Classic Shake, Mint Oreo Crumble, Soulful Salted Caramel Warm Shake (warm shakes available in Quest mall basement only) and Sector V.

Pocket pinch: Shakes begin at Rs 150-plus.