Canvas Gelateria is a small-batch gelateria on Joo Chiat Place making 100% natural gelato by hand in Singapore. The team learnt the art of gelato making in Italy, the birthplace of gelato, and brought the craft home — taking care over every step, from original recipe ideation to the sourcing of high quality raw ingredients. Nothing here comes from pre-made mixes: no artificial flavourings, no colouring and no preservatives, and the gelato is made deliberately less sweet so the natural flavours lead.
True to Italian tradition, the gelato is kept in lidded steel cans called pozzetti, which hold it at its optimum temperature, and served with flat spatulas the traditional way. Alongside the gelato, the sorbetto has earned a following of its own — customers regularly exclaim 'So Smooth!' at first taste, and seasonal lines like the Summer Sorbetto rotate through the counter.
Beyond the counter, Canvas Gelateria takes pre-orders and caters events and wholesale, with enquiries welcome at [email protected] or by text at 8797 7701. The shop also runs an online store and a Canvas Coins loyalty programme. You'll find them at 21 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427749, open Monday from 2.00pm to 8.30pm and Thursday to Sunday from 1.00pm to 8.30pm, closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Canvas Gelateria, on 21 Joo Chiat Place in Singapore's Joo Chiat neighbourhood, is a gelateria built on a single conviction: gelato should be authentic, 100% natural and made by hand. That conviction took the team all the way to Italy — the birthplace of gelato — where they learnt the art of gelato making before bringing the craft back to Singapore. As they like to say: have a taste, and let the gelato make your day.
The shop's own description of itself is refreshingly plain: all products are handmade in Singapore — 100% natural gelato that is less sweet, with no colouring and preservatives. In a market crowded with frosty showmanship, that straight talk is part of the appeal. What you read is what you taste.
Every batch at Canvas is handmade in Singapore, and the care begins long before the churning. Recipes are conceived and developed in-house, and the team takes great care over sourcing high quality raw ingredients at every step. Just as important is what never goes into the machine: no pre-made mixes, no artificial flavourings, no colouring and no preservatives.
The gelato is also deliberately less sweet than typical commercial ice cream. It's a quiet but meaningful choice — instead of burying ingredients under sugar, Canvas lets their natural character lead. When you take a spoonful, you're tasting the real thing, made fresh and made honestly. It is gelato in the Italian spirit: simple, honest and made to be eaten fresh.
One of the first things regulars notice is how the gelato is displayed. Rather than piled-high, brightly lit trays, the gelato rests in lidded steel cans called pozzetti. Keeping gelato covered this way holds it at its optimum temperature and shields it from light and air, so every scoop leaves the can at exactly the texture the makers intended. It's served with flat spatulas, the traditional Italian way — a small detail that says a lot about how seriously the craft is taken here.
If gelato is Canvas's foundation, sorbetto is its conversation-starter. The gelateria's blog, the LabLog, features a Summer Sorbetto entry whose headline says it all: so many customers exclaim 'So Smooth!' at first taste that it became the story itself. Texture is clearly a point of pride, and the fruit-forward sorbetto benefits from the same natural, less-sweet approach that defines the gelato. Fruity and refreshing, it's a natural fit for Singapore's weather.
The LabLog is also where new directions surface — the name itself suggests a workshop logbook. The team keeps developing exciting new products, and newsletter subscribers are promised the first taste of whatever comes next, along with special promotions, spam-free.
Alongside the counter, Canvas runs an online store, and pre-orders are a fixture — customers can reserve gelato ahead of pickup, with enquiries taken by text at 8797 7701. For anything bigger, the team caters events and offers wholesale supply; enquiries go to [email protected]. Regulars can also join the Canvas Coins programme, the shop's loyalty scheme, and earn as they return.
You'll find Canvas Gelateria at 21 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427749, in one of Singapore's most characterful heritage quarters. Hours are Monday from 2.00pm to 8.30pm and Thursday to Sunday from 1.00pm to 8.30pm, with the shop closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays — so time your gelato run accordingly. Walk-ins are welcome during opening hours, and the online store makes it easy to arrange gelato without a trip.
Whether you come for a scoop of naturally made gelato lifted the traditional way from a pozzetto, or a cup of that famously smooth sorbetto, you'll be tasting gelato made as it should be: by hand, from scratch, and with care.