North Wales has an excellent reputation when it comes to ice cream parlours. With tourists flocking here in their thousands during the summer months, they can rest rest assured that they won't be too far away from a top quality vendor when it comes to seaside snacks.
One place which has become a Welsh institution is Parisella's in Llandudno. Situated in the Happy Valley area of the town, they were recently named by The Times as one of the tastiest seaside ice creams in the UK.
Parisella's traces its history in North Wales back to the 1950s when Domenico Parisella, originally from Italy, opened the Continental Ice Cream Parlour in Lancaster Square, Conwy in 1952. In April, Domenico's son Joe, a "legend" in the ice cream trade who ensured the business carried on making ice cream the "Italian way", sadly passed away.
By the time of Joe's death the family had a parlour on Conwy High Street; a kiosk on Conwy's Lower Gate Street and it won a tender to take on the Horizon Shine kiosk on Colwyn Bay promenade. It also has a head office in Conwy.
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Armed with this information I decided to head to Llandudno to try the place out. I arrived at around 3pm on a warm Thursday afternoon and the Happy Valley was packed with tourists.
The cafe itself is in a beautiful spot, overlooking the nearby pier and at the foot of the imposing Great Orme. The cafe offers a wide selection of meals, treats and of course ice cream and the seating area was full to the brim - thankfully there are plenty of nearby benches with a beautiful view out to the Irish Sea.
After overcoming the difficult task of choosing which ice cream to go for from a plethora of options - I decided to go for the 'here come the reds' ice cream. As a Wrexham fan, it had to be done.
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Service was a little bit on the slow side but to be fair it was busy. It was well worth the wait however - I wholeheartedly agreed with The Times.
Deliciously creamy with sublime strawberry sprinkles on top - this was one of the best ice creams I have ever tasted in my long and distinguished ice cream tasting career! The beautiful surroundings were a mere bonus, but it's clear to see why Happy Valley and Parisella's is such a hugely popular spot.
Prices
Chocolate 'Fundae': £7.95
'Here come the reds' ice cream: £4.00
Total: £11.95
Opening times
Open seven days a week: 10am - 4pm
