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    The Merry Dairy

    4.4 (37 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Two scoops: peach sweet tea, ube macapuno.
    Joshua C.

    Honestly surprised I hadn't heard about this joint until I arrived in a big group to try it out. I had excellent ice cream here. The ice cream's homemade. There seem to be a lot of great vegan options, many of them unique to this store. I was fearing that this would compromise the texture, but this was fortunately not the case. I got for myself two scoops of peach sweet tea and ube macapuno (vegan!) served in a waffle cone (not vegan). The peach scoop is a very good flavour that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a fruity taste. The ube was more alien to me, but when I tried it out, it was very similar to a taro milk tea that you'd get in a boba store (they're both tubers, right?) Very outstanding. The staff were very patient in taking our orders, given how many of us were in line. Solid recommendation from me.

    Mai T.

    Today was my first time trying this ice cream shop. The reviews speak for itself. I cannot speak for service or ambiance since my order was delivered. My oh my it was decadent!!! Everything at the shop is homemade and doesn't taste processed. All the ingredients are locally grown. I had the ice cream sandwiches. Chocolate, snickerdoodle and oatmeal with raisin. The cookie was soft and easy to chew but held the ice cream perfectly. Each ice cream sandwich was not dry and the flavours were textbook. The ice cream was not sweet and you could taste the hints of vanilla. I'd buy from here again without hesitation. Definetly I'll be back!!

    a hand holding a cone of ice cream
    Michael L.

    Simply amazing local-made ice cream! You can really taste how rich the flavours are and how thick and creamy the chew is, without any crystals forming from over-freezing. Exactly what I was looking for in a local ice cream shop. You really can't get these flavours and texture in any store-bought ice creams and for a decently priced scoop (or two)! I got some berry flavour (it was like a vanilla ice cream with cranberry swirl, cheesecake flavoured and blondie bits) and it was amazing. It tasted so fresh and delicious, making me want to go back before they change their flavours again. Highly recommend. Ps - check out their Facebook page in December! They offer a free cone for anyone whose name is the "name of the day"

    Ube macapuno - before scooping
    Amanda B.

    I have to admit, Merry Dairy isn't a go-to of mine. I've only really had their ice cream once, years ago from their food truck in sandwich form - vanilla (I think it was actually frozen custard) in between two ginger molasses cookies. Their ice cream and cookies are homemade, so that was the biggest draw for us at the time. This time around I saw that they had an ube flavour, which is a purple yam that is super popular in the Philippines and in Filipino cuisine. As a Filipina myself, I had to have it. I had never seen anywhere, especially in Ottawa, serving up this flavour other than maybe T&T, but definitely not homemade. I'm not sure if Moo Shu has had it before, but if so, I totally missed it. After parking on the street, we noticed there was a drive-through pickup around the building that seemed to be popular. The take-out window also had a small line-up, but both lines looked like they were moving pretty quickly. I asked for one pint of the ube flavour and one pint of the ube macapuno (ube + coconut "sport", kind of like jelly strings?). They were sold out of the ube, which surprised me. I guess all of the fellow Filipinos and other ube lovers scooped it right up (see what I did there? haha). While slightly disappointed, it was actually kind of cool that it was so popular. Wonder how many they made. There was still some ube macapuno left, so I definitely took a pint of that, and I was also surprised they called it by the right name and not just some super simplified English version like "purple yam and coconut" or something, which I've seen before and isn't completely accurate. Although it's gotten better over the years, Ottawa still seems to be lacking Filipino cuisine, so I was really happy just to see something like this on any menu. Another surprise - it was totally vegan! I think the ube is the same as the ube macapuno in that it's labelled plant-based and dairy-free, and all-natural, too. I'm not sure if other ube ice creams are dairy-free, but it's a great option for something different that more people can try. I wasn't sure what to expect flavour-wise, but it was really great! Easy to scoop, smooth, not too sweet, and not a food coloring kind of neon purple that a lot of ube products usually have. Really hit the spot for me and super satisfying! Bonus points for the ube on the menu, but sorry folks, they're closed now until February!

    One scoop of Cookies and Cream
    _Silent ..

    An easy recommend. It's obviously very popular with a line out the door but don't let that stop you. It's a hidden gem. The store has a nice look to it. The brick and mortar store has friendly staff doing their best to quickly serve the lengthy line of customers. The staff was very professional and friendly. The price is quite expensive at 9$ for two, single scoops in bowls but in my opinion it was worth it. I chose cookies and cream to get a feel for the quality and I was not mistaken. This was my favourite ice cream so far. Creamy and sweet without over doing it and not overly rich. Just enough to be refreshing and a good treat on a warm summer afternoon. I think the balance between rich creaminess and sweetness was perfect. I had to savour every bite because it was just that good. The only issue I had was the spoons for the bowl. The amount of ice cream you got from each scoop was perfect but it was a little unwieldy or inconvenient to use. It just felt a bit awkward to use the spoon so I would recommend getting a cone, however, that's my experience and might not be everyone's. A slightly longer handled spoon would have been better for me. Other than that I would rate it a solid 9.6/10. Easily one of the best ice cream places I've been to in a long while. If you want to try a unique flavour, I would enthusiastically recommend trying the ube. It's purple and not something I've seen before in Canada. Definitely worth trying though. You can also buy soft serve and pints here. Enjoy this great place if you get the chance.

    Small frozen custard $4.
    Jennifer P.

    So The Merry Dairy used to be an ice cream truck without a fixed store. They may still have a mobile truck, I'm not sure, but they now have a permanent location at Fairmont and Gladstone (where The Fairmont Confectionery and Sam's Café used to be). I went there with my husband recently and we both had their famous frozen custard. It was ok, but too sweet for my tastes. I got a small cup ($4) and my husband got a small regular cone ($4). You can upgrade to one of their waffle cones for an additional $1.50. The waffle cones had cool flavours like red velvet, and salted caramel. You can also add toppings for another $1.50 They also had ice cream sandwiches (I think they were around $4.50) and ice pops ($2 for the minis and $4 for the regulars). They have both soft serve and hard ice cream. The frozen custard was smooth and creamy, but a tad too rich and much too sweet for my liking. Perhaps I will return to try some of their other offerings. Service was friendly and efficient. The place is neat and clean. There is some seating inside (bar seating facing out the front window) and there are some picnic tables out front as well.

    Cookiesn'cream

    A long ride for a scoop ice cream? Yes! Was it worth it? Well...it's hard to say. I was expecting a wider variety of flavours for an ice cream shop with such high rating. The ice cream itself was amazing - very creamy, with fresh brownie and white chocolate. It is a real gem if you have a sweet tooth:) There are vegan options as well as regular dairy ones. If you live close to Little Italy or happen to be driving by then I recommend you to try their ice cream - it's worth your while (not if you live downtown like me cause the variety of flavours is underwhelming). I would totally return if it was closer to downtown tho.

    Angela G.

    There's good ice cream then there's AMAZING ice cream. The Merry Diary has to be one of my favourite Ice cream spots and it's really sad that it's in Ottawa ( please open a location in Toronto)!! It's also a super cute spot & they have some seating outside as well. Their ice cream is very very creamy but almost thick creamy, it has the consistency of custard and you can tell that they use high quality ingredients to make their ice cream. My favourite was the cookies & cream and the vanilla custard was pretty tasty! There was huge chunks of cookies and it wasn't soggy at all. The cone was crunchy and fresh! I would 100% come back here and a side note; the next day I came back and picked up 3 pints of ice cream to take home! Please please open a store in Toronto! Amazing quality & service! Keep Eating, Angela

    Reema D.

    I got the cookies and cream scoop and it's a must! That'll be my new go to! It was pretty busy 8 pm on a Sunday night but that's to be expected.

    Amy N.

    Tried the frozen custard soft serve -- although it was realllyyyy good when you first start eating it I find It's hard to come back to the taste after consistently eating the same flavour. I'll have to stick with dual flavour treats. Vanilla frozen custard : very smooth and creamy I enjoyed it Much! Price: 4$ for a small -- serving is a little on the smaller portion I'll have to come back and try other things here though !

    Mimi J.

    Delicious and perfect on a warm spring evening! I finally came to the original location (not the food truck), after dinner. I got a normal waffle cone with one scoop of vanilla custard and one scoop of strawberry (which seemed really popular)! The vanilla custard was quite soft, but not too sweet, and really creamy...super satisfying! The strawberry tasted authentic and not fake, and was dense and creamy. They also have some seating inside and outside, and my friends and I sat outside and chatted with the others at our table; really relaxing experience, and will be back to try more flavours for sure!

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    13 years ago

    Yum! This might be the best summer treat ever. Frozen custard, which is basically ice cream but even better.

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    8 years ago

    Canada Day, 35degrees...scoop of BlueberryLemon was amazingly delicious and a balm to the heat!

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    The Eight O'Nine - Smash burger with fries $15

    The Eight O'Nine

    4.0(1 review)
    0.7 km

    The Short Version: Food truck serving up burgers and…read moresandwiches with Dominican influence. The smash burger was tasty. The Long Version: I love food trucks so when I was driving home and spotted The Eight O'Nine parked at the lot at Scott Street and Stirling Avenue I knew I had to look into what it was all about. They opened recently in 2025. At first I thought the name of the food truck was referring to a time, as in 8:09pm, but when I looked at the menu and saw references to Dominican-style foods like Yaroa, I knew that 809 referred to the area code for the Dominican Republic. Very clever naming. My husband and I made it out there on a Saturday mid-afternoon and shared a smash burger and fries ($15). I love how their listed prices are inclusive of taxes. The burger was delicious. It was 2 smashed beef patties, cheese, pickles, grilled onions, ketchup and mustard. It was juicy and flavourful. I would have enjoyed some lettuce and tomatoes in the burger, but I've been finding that many smash burger joints don't serve their burgers with these fresh ingredients, likely to save costs related to wastage since these ingredients spoil faster. Anyway, I still enjoyed the burger. The fries were hot and crispy and had a bit of seasoning on them. The fries portion was pretty small. I was hoping for more fries, lol. Service was friendly. There's some picnic benches in the lot where the food truck is parked, but we took our food to a nearby park. We walked there, but there is street parking nearby. I'm not sure if you're allowed to park in the lot or if it's just for food trucks. It's in the same lot as La Troca, Si Senior's food truck. I want to try their chicken po'boy sandwich next time. Review #167 (2025)

    Photos
    The Eight O'Nine - The food truck

    The food truck

    The Eight O'Nine - Smash burger with fries $15

    Smash burger with fries $15

    The Eight O'Nine - The food truck

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    The food truck

    Crêpe Dadëy

    Crêpe Dadëy

    5.0(1 review)
    0.7 km

    TLDR: Food truck selling Filipino -inspired crepes and drinks. Their pulled chicken crepe was so…read moredelicious and their Gulaman Cooler was refreshing on a hot day. This food truck recently set up shop in my neighbourhood (summer of 2024). I first saw it while driving to work and made a mental note to check it out. They don't have their own website and are exclusively on Instagram and Facebook. Initially they weren't even on Google Maps, but now they are. But really, they had me at crepes and Filipino-inspired sealed the deal, lol. I love creative fusion cuisine! The Husbster and I walked over on a Sunday afternoon and the owner (I think she was the owner) was all smiles and very welcoming. I got the Walker Crepe ($16) which was pulled chicken, rutabaga, pickles and a spinach/arugula mix. It usually comes with cilantro, but my husband hates cilantro, so I asked to have it omitted, so he could try some (even though he wasn't in the mood for crepes and we knew I would be the one eating most of it, lol). I also got the Gulaman Cooler ($4.50) which is a drink made of brown sugar syrup and banana extract with jellies. I love jellies, so I asked for extra and got lots of jellies ;) I was also pleasantly surprised that the crepe came with a small quinoa salad. The crepe was delicious. The pulled chicken was dark meat and so moist, tender and flavourful. The shredded rutabaga added a nice texture, as did the pickles and leafy greens. It was a little wet towards the bottom though with liquid pooling and it eventually leaked out the bottom of the paper cone holding the crepe. Luckily I was given lots of napkins, lol. The crepe was crispy around the edges and soft with a nice amount of chew on the inside. A very tasty crepe. The quinoa salad was ok, but nothing too remarkable. It had a lot of cilantro in it, to my husband's chagrin, haha. I loved the Gulaman Cooler, especially with all the jelly I was given ;) It was sweet and refreshing on a hot summer's day. The jellies were cut very small, so they fit in the narrow straw. I had a lovely chat with the lady who I believe is the owner while she prepared my items. She was very friendly. There are picnic tables in front of the food truck for you to eat at. And since the food truck is parked in an empty parking lot, there is parking available if you drive there. Looking forward to trying their other items, like maybe their sweet crepes :) (100)

    Photos
    Crêpe Dadëy - The food truck

    The food truck

    Crêpe Dadëy - Walker (pulled chicken) crepe $16.

    Walker (pulled chicken) crepe $16.

    Crêpe Dadëy - The food truck. There are picnic tables in front to eat at.

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    The food truck. There are picnic tables in front to eat at.

    Smoke n' Steam - Reuben mac and cheese

    Smoke n' Steam

    4.5(2 reviews)
    2.7 km

    Being the glutton that I am, one of the that things I love about Ottawa is all the food festivals…read more I'm only there once a month, but I've already been to a few in the past year.  When a friend was in town visiting my wife, we were looking for some food while doing a mix of tourist-y stuff and less interesting errands that I was running while in possession of a car. Always on the look out for trying new food trucks as I am, I gave the Street Food App a look, and saw that a couple were located in front of city hall. Knowing that this is where a lot of events occur, I delved a little further and found out that there was a mac and cheese food fest going on. This was going to happen. The mac and cheese fest wasn't to the scale of poutine fest(s) or others that have been held in the same space. Maybe it was because it was just the mid-afternoon, but there was just a handful of slingers of cheese-y decadence, a couple dessert ones, and a lone leomade vendor to sate your thirst. The beergarden was empty, save one couple whose motto was likely "it's five o'clock somewhere" and the band soldiering on despite sound issues and the lack of an audience.  However, when you're there for a simple meal and not to engage in a full out day of pasta gorging, you don't need that much selection. I picked out Smoke n' Steam, a rustic-looking hut on top of a trailer, as they had several types of mac and cheese to choose from, and at a more respectable price point than some of their competitors. Among their options there was chunky bacon, shrimp, hotdog (for the young and young at heart), and what I ended up going with, the Reuben. There wasn't much of a line up, so we quickly had our orders in and then in hand, taking seat in the nearby colourful Muskoka chairs.  The container was generously filled with big hunks of smoked meat, sauerkraut, and pasta in a white cheese sauce that was presumably Swiss, in true Reuben fashion. It was the type of mac and cheese that called out to be mixed altogether, mostly since I'm not enough of a sauerkraut fan to want mouthfuls of just that. Everything came together quite nicely, as the sauerkraut cut through the richness of the cheese and smokey, tender meat, but wasn't too funky. The pasta itself was a tight spiral similar to gemelli, and was a nice al dente, which was pleasant to find, since pasta served at big events like this can often be over cooked from sitting in a heating tray. I got an order of their smoked meat mac and cheese to take home to my studious wife, and look forward to trying Smoke n' Steam's regular menu of smoked meat goodness in the future.

    Best food truck in the city! The smoked meat is out of the world. Have been looking for something…read moreto remind me of Montreal and this is above and beyond. Best smoked meat I have ever had.

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    Smoke n' Steam

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    The Merry Dairy - foodtrucks - Updated May 2026

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