10 of the Best Ice Cream Shops to Visit This Summer
July 6, 2018
Ice cream isn’t something you ever grow out of—but that doesn’t mean your tastes can’t change. This summer, graduate beyond ice cream trucks and supermarket popsicles, and seek out the best ice cream shops in your city. From throwback soda fountains to liquid nitrogen ice cream makers—and everything in between—we’ve picked 10 of our favorite scoop shops to see you through the sunny days.
1. MILK BAR, WASHINGTON, D.C.: Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi was recently featured on Chef’s Table Pastry, and for good reason: her kooky creations, from crack pie to compost cookies, have charmed New Yorkers since 2008. Nowadays, D.C. also has several Milk Bar locations to call their very own, complete with local menu exclusives. Browse the shakes, malts, and “milkquakes”—and don’t forget to order a cup of the now-iconic cereal milk soft serve.
2. AMPLE HILLS CREAMERY, NEW YORK: Founded by a former sci-fi screenwriter, and named for a line in a Walt Whitman poem, Ample Hills isn’t your average scoop shop. It serves up wonderfully weird, playful flavors, from Ooey Gooey Butter Cake to the irresistible Sweet As Honey, which is studded with pieces of honeycomb. As a bonus, many of its mix-in ingredients are baked in-house.
3. LULU’S NITROGEN ICE CREAM, MIAMI: Given how high the thermostat can climb in Miami, it only makes sense that Lulu’s ice cream is colder than cold. Order your cup or cone and watch as it freezes in front of your eyes with liquid nitrogen, which billows around the room in white nimbuses. Given that Lulu’s is just minutes from the water’s edge, it’s worth trying one of the shop’s tropical flavors, from guava and goat cheese to piña colada.
4. THE ICE CREAM BAR, SAN FRANCISCO: At the opposite end of the frozen treats spectrum from liquid nitrogen is San Francisco’s old-timey Ice Cream Bar. Wander inside, and you might as well have stepped in a time machine back to the 1930s. At this throwback soda fountain, servers wearing jaunty caps and bowties whip up floats and malts, and create picture-perfect hot fudge and banana sundaes.
5. SWEET ROSE CREAMERY, LA: Los Angeles is a city that takes its ice cream seriously. The fact that Sweet Rose Creamery is widely considered one of the best ice cream shops in town, therefore, is testament to the impeccable quality of its scoops. (It doesn’t hurt that it sources ingredients from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.) Stop in to try a range of flavors, which change every month, or go big with an ice cream cake—sharing recommended, but not required.
6. QUEEN OF CREAM, ATLANTA: The dairy is sourced from a family-run farm in Georgia, and the ice cream is made entirely from scratch, in small batches, on-site. No wonder Queen of Cream is one of the most popular ice cream shops around town. On the days when Hotlanta more than lives up to its nickname, settle in for a scoop of brown butter pecan ice cream, or nosh on a homemade ice cream sandwich.
7. BIG GAY ICE CREAM, PHILADELPHIA: Born in New York, Big Gay Ice Cream has since expanded to the City of Brotherly Love. The shop is best known for its soft serve, which is especially good when coated in rainbow sprinkles; other decadent offerings range from hot fudge sundaes to Nutella milkshakes. Its rainbow ceilings and unicorn-bedecked front window are nearly as festive as its frozen treats.
8. SALT & STRAW, PORTLAND: Salt & Straw frequently collaborates with esteemed local chefs on its ice creams, which means you can expect to encounter some pretty inventive flavors. Think: duck crackling and cherry preserves ice cream, or scoops mixed with ras el hanout and pickled rose petal jam. After something slightly more pedestrian? Don’t worry; its chocolate gooey brownie and double-fold vanilla are also killer.
9. JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS, CHICAGO: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams was born several decades ago in Ohio, when founder Jeni Britton Bauer decided to take her hobby—casually churning up ice cream for her friends—pro. Today, Jeni’s operates a number of scoop shops, with five in Chicago alone. That means five different opportunities to try flavors like churro, salted honey pie, or brandied banana brûlée.
10. FRANKIE & JO’S, SEATTLE: Frankie and Jo’s makes ice cream that’s so creamy, so decadent, so gosh-dang delicious that you’d be surprised to discover it’s exclusively plant-based. One of the best ice cream shops around, whether you’re a vegan or otherwise, Frankie & Jo’s makes clever use of coconut cream and nut milk when crafting ice cream recipes. Their waffle cones and toppings are all vegan and gluten-free, too.
1. MILK BAR, WASHINGTON, D.C.: Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi was recently featured on Chef’s Table Pastry, and for good reason: her kooky creations, from crack pie to compost cookies, have charmed New Yorkers since 2008. Nowadays, D.C. also has several Milk Bar locations to call their very own, complete with local menu exclusives. Browse the shakes, malts, and “milkquakes”—and don’t forget to order a cup of the now-iconic cereal milk soft serve.
2. AMPLE HILLS CREAMERY, NEW YORK: Founded by a former sci-fi screenwriter, and named for a line in a Walt Whitman poem, Ample Hills isn’t your average scoop shop. It serves up wonderfully weird, playful flavors, from Ooey Gooey Butter Cake to the irresistible Sweet As Honey, which is studded with pieces of honeycomb. As a bonus, many of its mix-in ingredients are baked in-house.
3. LULU’S NITROGEN ICE CREAM, MIAMI: Given how high the thermostat can climb in Miami, it only makes sense that Lulu’s ice cream is colder than cold. Order your cup or cone and watch as it freezes in front of your eyes with liquid nitrogen, which billows around the room in white nimbuses. Given that Lulu’s is just minutes from the water’s edge, it’s worth trying one of the shop’s tropical flavors, from guava and goat cheese to piña colada.
4. THE ICE CREAM BAR, SAN FRANCISCO: At the opposite end of the frozen treats spectrum from liquid nitrogen is San Francisco’s old-timey Ice Cream Bar. Wander inside, and you might as well have stepped in a time machine back to the 1930s. At this throwback soda fountain, servers wearing jaunty caps and bowties whip up floats and malts, and create picture-perfect hot fudge and banana sundaes.
5. SWEET ROSE CREAMERY, LA: Los Angeles is a city that takes its ice cream seriously. The fact that Sweet Rose Creamery is widely considered one of the best ice cream shops in town, therefore, is testament to the impeccable quality of its scoops. (It doesn’t hurt that it sources ingredients from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.) Stop in to try a range of flavors, which change every month, or go big with an ice cream cake—sharing recommended, but not required.
6. QUEEN OF CREAM, ATLANTA: The dairy is sourced from a family-run farm in Georgia, and the ice cream is made entirely from scratch, in small batches, on-site. No wonder Queen of Cream is one of the most popular ice cream shops around town. On the days when Hotlanta more than lives up to its nickname, settle in for a scoop of brown butter pecan ice cream, or nosh on a homemade ice cream sandwich.
7. BIG GAY ICE CREAM, PHILADELPHIA: Born in New York, Big Gay Ice Cream has since expanded to the City of Brotherly Love. The shop is best known for its soft serve, which is especially good when coated in rainbow sprinkles; other decadent offerings range from hot fudge sundaes to Nutella milkshakes. Its rainbow ceilings and unicorn-bedecked front window are nearly as festive as its frozen treats.
8. SALT & STRAW, PORTLAND: Salt & Straw frequently collaborates with esteemed local chefs on its ice creams, which means you can expect to encounter some pretty inventive flavors. Think: duck crackling and cherry preserves ice cream, or scoops mixed with ras el hanout and pickled rose petal jam. After something slightly more pedestrian? Don’t worry; its chocolate gooey brownie and double-fold vanilla are also killer.
9. JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS, CHICAGO: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams was born several decades ago in Ohio, when founder Jeni Britton Bauer decided to take her hobby—casually churning up ice cream for her friends—pro. Today, Jeni’s operates a number of scoop shops, with five in Chicago alone. That means five different opportunities to try flavors like churro, salted honey pie, or brandied banana brûlée.
10. FRANKIE & JO’S, SEATTLE: Frankie and Jo’s makes ice cream that’s so creamy, so decadent, so gosh-dang delicious that you’d be surprised to discover it’s exclusively plant-based. One of the best ice cream shops around, whether you’re a vegan or otherwise, Frankie & Jo’s makes clever use of coconut cream and nut milk when crafting ice cream recipes. Their waffle cones and toppings are all vegan and gluten-free, too.
