Toronto's best ice cream sandwich — Bang Bang makes small-batch ice cream in unexpected flavours (Hokey Pokey, Miso Caramel, London Fog) and sandwiches them between house-baked cookies in combinations that are genuinely creative. The ice cream sandwich as art form, at Ossington prices.
Neighbourhood: Ossington · Address: 93 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z2 · Hours: Mon: Closed | Tue–Thu 12:00 – 9:15 PM | Fri–Sat 12:00 – 9:30 PM | Sun 12:00 – 9:15 PM · Phone: (416) 531-1900
Why Visit
Bang Bang serves ice cream sandwiches with wild, inventive flavours and chewy, house-baked cookies you won’t find anywhere else. It’s the kind of place that turns dessert into an adventure, especially if you like trying something new every visit.
What Makes It Unique
Most ice cream spots stick to the basics, but Bang Bang’s rotating batches range from Ovaltine to Miso Caramel, plus Asian-inspired specials like black sesame. Their sandwiches let you mix and match any cookie and ice cream combo, so almost every order is unique. Few Toronto dessert shops have such a playful, ever-changing menu.
Bang Bang Ice Cream & Bakery has operated on Ossington Avenue since 2012 and built its reputation on a specific proposition: small-batch ice cream in flavours that are genuinely creative rather than merely unusual, combined with house-baked cookies in ice cream sandwiches that are assembled to order. The shop approaches ice cream with the same seriousness that better restaurants apply to pastry — flavour development, ingredient sourcing, texture engineering — and the result tastes different from generic premium ice cream in ways that are immediately apparent.
The signature flavours rotate alongside the permanent menu: Hokey Pokey (a New Zealand-inspired vanilla caramel ice cream with honeycomb toffee swirled through) and Miso Caramel (house caramel sauce made with Japanese white miso, salted and sweet in the right proportions) appear regularly and are worth ordering for on their own. London Fog (Earl Grey tea steeped directly into the cream base) is among the better tea-flavoured ice creams in the city. Seasonal additions push into unusual territory (seasonal fruit preparations, occasional savoury collaborations) and are worth following on Instagram to catch before they sell out.
The ice cream sandwich format requires choosing a cookie base (chocolate chip, double chocolate, brown butter, and others rotate through the menu) and an ice cream flavour, assembled fresh. The cookies are baked daily in the attached bakery and are properly good independently of the ice cream — crispy-edged, soft centres, made with quality butter. The combination with fresh ice cream is the product that has kept the Ossington queue running for over a decade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Bang Bang Ice Cream Toronto special?
Bang Bang makes small-batch ice cream in genuinely creative flavours — Hokey Pokey (vanilla caramel with honeycomb), Miso Caramel, London Fog (Earl Grey tea), and rotating seasonal additions — and combines them with house-baked cookies in ice cream sandwiches assembled to order. The ice cream quality is substantially above mass-produced premium ice cream; the flavour combinations are original.
What should I order at Bang Bang Ice Cream?
On a first visit: a Hokey Pokey ice cream sandwich (choose your cookie — chocolate chip or brown butter work best). On subsequent visits: check what seasonal or limited flavour is running (follow @bangbangicecream) and order that. The Miso Caramel is the best unusual flavour on regular rotation. Scoops in cups or cones are also available if you want to try multiple flavours.
Where is Bang Bang Ice Cream in Toronto?
Bang Bang Ice Cream is at 93 Ossington Avenue in the Ossington neighbourhood, a 5-minute walk from Ossington Station (Line 2). The shop is open Sunday through Thursday noon to 10pm and Friday/Saturday noon to 11pm.
How long are the queues at Bang Bang Ice Cream?
Weekend afternoon queues at Bang Bang can extend to the sidewalk but typically move quickly (10–20 minutes from the end of the queue). The busiest times are Saturday and Sunday afternoons in summer (2–6pm). Weekday visits and winter months have much shorter or no wait times.