When temperatures rise above 30°C, the lines at certain Parisian spots grow visibly longer. This is particularly true of JJ Hings Ice Cream, a small shop on Rue Bichat, just a few steps from the Canal Saint-Martin.
Behind this ice cream shop, which has become a cult favorite among Parisian foodies, is Julia Bell, a New Zealand-born pastry chef who previously worked at Ten Belles. When she launched JJ Hings in 2023, her goal wasn’t to replicate the Italian recipes already found all over Paris, but to offer a much freer and more creative take on ice cream.
The most indulgent Parisian ice cream shop of the summer
The first surprise comes when you look at the menu. Here, there are no set flavors year-round. The recipes are constantly evolving based on the seasons, available fruits, and the chef’s whims. One week, you might find caramelized rhubarb ice cream. The next, a creation featuring nectarines, apricots, or sweet corn.
Another unique feature of the shop is the way it presents ice cream in all its forms. Alongside classic scoops, JJ Hings offers soft-serve, ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, and even floats—drinks where several scoops of ice cream float in homemade soda.
Made fresh every morning on-site, the cone is crafted from einkorn wheat flour and brown butter. This detail frequently comes up in customer reviews, with some saying they come almost as much for the cone as for the ice cream itself.
Its success has been such that the shop is now among the capital’s most highly recommended ice cream shops. Several food guides regularly list it among Paris’s current must-visits, praising in particular the quality of the ingredients, the use of seasonal fruits, and the originality of the recipes.
And when you step out of the shop with a freshly made ice cream before heading to the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin, you quickly understand why so many Parisians now consider JJ Hings one of the summer’s must-visit gourmet destinations.
JJ Hings – 46 Rue Bichat, 75010
