The Mile End's Dalmata Gelateria started out with one rogue soft-serve machine

When the team behind Le Violon opened their Italianate brasserie in the old Maison Publique space, they inherited a soft serve machine. No big deal, just a small quirk of the building. But one batch of impromptu gelato turned into another, and before long, it became a signature post-dessert moment. Even The New York Times took note.

Fast forward a few months and a tiny storefront opens up on Bernard and Clark—a former barbershop, now reimagined as a 300-square-foot swirl of veined marble, pink and orange panels, stainless steel counters, and Wes Anderson symmetry.

Behind the design: Dan Climan and Dave Dworkind of Menard Dworkind, who’ve managed to turn what could’ve felt like a takeout window into a cinematic gelateria. Tucked behind the grand gates? A courtyard that feels like a secret garden, right down to the tribute sign for the original “Salon Raphael.”

This is Dalmata Gelateria, and like Le Violon, it’s built on the same ethos: take what feels familiar, and make it unexpectedly great.

The lineup is tight, but not predictable: two seasonal soft serve twists, barbotines (slushie–gelato hybrids), sundaes, and a fresh brioche con gelato that tastes like it's straight off of a Sicilian boardwalk.

All of it is made in-house from a base developed by chefs Danny Smiles and Mitch Laughren with Laura Faria and Sara Raspa using Quebec-grown ingredients and no factory-made flavour pastes found in tourist trap shops. Clean, fresh mixes that showcase whatever’s in season.

Built as a social spot to hang as well, Dalmata isn’t just a grab-and-go spot. It’s a place to pass a cone around, share a bench in the courtyard, and pretend you’ve got nowhere to be.

Open daily from 1 to 10 p.m. (or until sold out) to start, Dalmata isn’t trying to be the biggest gelato name in town, but it is trying to do things well: Something small, simple, and perfect.

Like a great scoop (or swirl) should be.