Marine Ices

Great Italian ice cream. Happened to be passing with my 3 year old daughter and decided to pop in for a quick ice cream fix. I used to go to the old Marine Ices further up the road which has now been turned into a Salvation Army centre.
The quality of the ice cream hasn’t changed a bit from what I remember years ago and my daughter loved it.
Its not somewhere I would go out of my way to go I don’t think but next time I’m passing I would defiantly come back. Also I noticed that the coffee I had there was very cheap in comparison the Costa, Starbucks etc.

Having lived locally to Marine Ices since I was a child, I was delighted to be able to bring my own daughter here for a cheap and cheerful pasta and ice cream, in the past few years.
The old premises, located at the very start of Haverstock Hill, adjoining Chalk farm Road, were basic, but the staff was always friendly and particularly so with kids and families. We had some great meals here, also with friends and their kids, over the years. Pastas were good quality and, being Italian myself, I can say they were genuine home-​from-​home.
Ice cream has always been fabulous and a north London institution, somewhat.
Imagine mine and my family’s shock then, when we visited Marine Ices at their new HQ last weekend (they are now a bit further up the road toward Camden, in Chalk Farm).
We were greeted by a rather swanky but very small shop front, which instantly made us suspicious — surely it couldn’t be large enough to house a restaurant?
CORRECT.
The newish management has apparently, in the face of public opinion and love for the food here, done away with the restaurant COMPLETELY.
You have heard correctly! Marine Ices as we knew it has GONE.
It now only serves ice cream and sorbets. You can sit in or take out.
We left disgusted.
Incidentally, a mention on your new website to let people actually know that you no longer serve food, would have been much appreciated — it would have saved us a trip and a very cross and hungry little girl.
How, when the restaurant was always doing a roaring trade, could the new owners be so totally shortsighted and give that rather massive side of the business its last orders?
To them I say this: BIG mistake. There are plenty of other Italian gelaterie in London and the fact you used to also run a family friendly Italian restaurant as well as the gelateria, made you rather unique.
Watch your sales drop and weep.
RIP Marine Ices…

Very generous — my medium cone had at least three scoops’ worth on it (though I suspect it is technically a two scoop option — they just pile it on though).
Mint choc chip was a winner, beating the odds on favourite Ferrero Rocher.
A great stop for lovely ice cream — a local icon.