There’s certainly no shortage of ice cream shops throughout the city, but there are quite a few that stand out from the crowd as must-tries.
We’ve made finding all of these deliciously sweet spots even easier by creating a map of all of them that you can save and turn to when you’re looking for a new ice cream shop to check out (just scroll to the bottom of this article!).
Our mapped out list has everything from paletitas at La Newyorkina to the vegan ice cream at Van Leeuwen’s to the boozy sundaes of Tipsy Scoop:
1. Ample Hills Creamery, Various Locations
Get your fix at Ample Hills Creamery for some of the richest churned ice cream NYC has to offer. This creamery boasts the largest ice cream production factory in all of NYC and offers tons of mouth-watering flavors it can be hard to pick. Plus, they even have store-specific flavors in their Gowanus, Red Hook, and Astoria locations! In our opinion, their Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is an absolute must!
Where: Various locations, see here
2. Mikey Likes It, Lower East Side & Harlem
Mikey Likes It is owned by New York native Michael “Mikey” Cole, a master mixer of all things ice cream. He has created custom flavors for the likes of Hillary Clinton and Jay-Z, and will even make you your own if you ask! He uses fresh, locally-sourced ingredients to create the most delicious and original creations, like the “Brady Brunch” with banana pudding, Vienna Fingers, and crushed vanilla wafers. And don’t miss his ice cream waffle sandwiches!
Where: Lower East Side at 199 Avenue A and 2500 Frederick Douglass Blvd in Harlem
3. Minus Celsius Ice Cream, Chinatown
For starters, if you’re looking for fun scoops hand rolled ice cream, you should absolutely check out Minus Celsius Ice Cream on Grand Street where you can get this Thai specialty with SO many topping choices!
Where: 302 Grand St.
4. OddFellows Ice Cream Co., DUMBO
The story of OddFellows’ quirky beginning gives this ice cream shop a flair that matches its ice cream flavors. Originally started by Mohan Kumar to fix his wife’s ice cream craving during pregnancy, Kumar’s vision of an “ice cream empire” soon unfolded in Williamsburg. They’ve created over 500 wacky flavors since their opening in 2013, and have a constantly rotating flavor list. Be sure to stop by to see what’s currently on the menu!
Where: Multiple locations
5. Whipped Urban Dessert Lab, Lower East Side
The time has come! Oat milk ice cream is now a very real thing that you can get here in NYC. The Boston-based cake shop Whipped Urban Dessert Lab opened the world’s very first all-oat milk ice cream shop in the Lower East Side, following a pop-up in Williamsburg. The idea behind this shop began with their popular oat milk soft serve in their Boston shop, and has now grown from a concept to a real place—and we’re so glad they chose to bring it to NYC.
Where: 95 Orchard St.
6. Morgenstern’s, Greenwich Village
Now featuring 55 different flavors, expand your palette at Morgenstern’s and try some of their more adventurous flavors like Pineapple Salted Egg Yolk, Olive Oil Eggplant, Honey Lavender Peach and so many more! Not to mention, when you max out on sugar you can order a juicy burger for a ~balanced~ diet.
Where: 88 West Houston Street, New York
7. Sugar Hill Creamery, Harlem
Inspired by both Harlem and the Caribbean and Midwestern cultures of its two owners, Sugar Hill Creamery has been serving top-notch ice cream since 2017. Offering artisanal flavors like the Nunu’s Peach Cobbler (peach ice cream with a dash of cinnamon) and the Chairsmen of the Year (blueberry cheesecake ice cream), they also serve a variety of rotating seasonal flavors to choose from!
Where: 184 Lenox Ave
8. Van Leeuwen’s, Multiple Locations
Van Leeuwen is known for some of the creamiest artisan ice cream in the city, and has totally mastered the richest flavors that are completely vegan as well! We definitely have our eye on that caramelized banana praline.
Where: Multiple locations see here.
9. Tipsy Scoop, Kips Bay & Williamsburg
This liquor-infused ice cream shop, which “blends the magic of an artisanal, hand-crafted ice cream with the mastery of a perfectly mixed cocktail,” is continuing to sell its spiked ice cream sundaes, sandwiches and cakes to-go. Booze + sweets = quite a heavenly combination right about now.
Where: 217 East 26th St. in Manhattan & 270 Metropolitan Ave. in Brooklyn
10. Davey’s Ice Cream, Greenpoint
After closing its East Village location a short time ago, Davey’s Ice Cream is still going strong in Greenpoint. Davey’s menu consists of the classics like pistachio, caramel, chocolate chip, and more. Don’t forget about their best known secret as well, their ice cream cakes.
Where: 74 Meserole Ave
11. Soft Swerve, Lower East Side
Although soft serve ice cream never really went away, it seems that there’s recently been a resurgence in its popularity. And Soft Swerve is one of NYC’s best, known as the city’s “yammiest ice cream shop” for how it uses the Southeast Asian ube yam to make a vibrant purple swirl! Other flavors include matcha green tea, black sesame, and frozen hot chocolate, with loads of equally colorful topping options.
Where: 379 3rd Ave & 85B Allen Street
12. Milk & Cream Cereal Bar, Little Italy
You can probably guess the theme of this ice cream joint! Serving up nostalgia at its finest, Milk & Cream specializes in blending cereal-infused ice cream with different toppings that are the perfect compliment to each flavor. How gorgeous is that Fruit Loops cone?
Where: 159 Mott St.
13. Big Gay Ice Cream, Multiple Locations
biggayicecream
Big Gay Ice Cream started as an ice cream truck, and now has multiple locations in New York City and Philadelphia, a cookbook, and launched a limited run line of ice cream pints that are available in stores and markets from coast to coast. They’re known for their unexpected flavor combos for “both kids & for those of us who are kids at heart.”
Where: See location list here.
14. Caffè Panna, Gramercy
With an ever-changing menu, you could never order the wrong thing at Caffè Panna. The location got a recent renovation and is back and better than ever. Stay tuned on their Instagram for updates on their daily flavors and pints available.
Where: 77 Irving Pl, New York
15. Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Chinatown
If you’re looking to try something more cultural head to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory for a delicious treat. They specialize in Asian-style flavored ice creams with some traditional flavors as well! We recommend the zen butter!
Where: 65 Bayard St
16. La Newyorkina, NoHo
La Newyorkina is a woman-owned Mexican sweets company that serves delicious frozen treats like paletas (similar to ice pops), horchata milkshakes, and ice cream in mouthwatering flavors like tres leches and Mexican coffee-salted cajeta (caramel). Oh, and you can get your scoop topped with spicy crickets if you really want to!
Where: 240 Sullivan St.
17. Mister Dips, Williamsburg
What started as a burger and chicken truck back in 2016, Mister Dips is one of the best spots for ice cream in Williamsburg. This food/ice cream truck sits outside the The Williams Vale Hotel from Wednesday-Sunday at 12pm-9pm. Here you can get a complete meal from a tasty sandwich to a “Dairy Dip” ice cream that is constantly changing with the season. We also really love the soda floats! Plus, they even now have a brick and mortar in Seaport if you find yourself in Manhattan.
Where: 111 N 12th St, Brooklyn
18. Surreal Creamery, Midtown & Greenwich Village
This ice cream and bubble tea shop combination whips up one of a kind creations that combines both of their specialties! Pick up one of their Maison Jar Specials that use all sorts of crazy ingredients like matcha ice cream, fruity pebbles, and more. Or, opt for one of their Floteas (pictured above) which combine ice cream and boba into one delicious treat! The one above combines Taro Bubble Tea and either Matcha or Taro Swirled Ice Cream. We promise you won’t find anything like it. Check out their options here!
Where:
Midtown – 538 2nd Ave
Greenwich Village – 126 MacDougal St
19. Emack & Bolio’s, Multiple Locations
Boasting a few locations around NYC, Emack & Bolio’s wacky flavors like Space Cakes and Trippin on Espresso have kept the story of their ice cream shop alive after all of these years! They also serve lots of vegan ice cream options too as well as sorbet, which are equally tasty. If you want to feel like a kid again, we suggest heading here since you can dowse your cones in toppings like Fruit Loops and Rice Krispies.
Where:
UWS – 79th St & Amsterdam Ave
UES – 81st & 1st Ave
Midtown – 1005 2nd Ave
Fort Greene – 741 Fulton St, Brooklyn
Also published on Medium.