ANYONE THAT SAYS ICE CREAM IS NOT THE BEST DESSERT IS WRONG (sorry–I thought you had to scream for ice cream). There are few things better than having a lick of a cold, creamy scoop of ice cream, especially on a hot summer’s day. And how many of us remember ice cream as a kid? Maybe it was a SpongeBob popsicle from the ice cream truck, maybe it was a walk to the local parlor, or maybe it was a snack at camp. Regardless, the mix of happiness, nostalgia and sugar is undefeated.
I make it a point to try an ice cream parlor in every city I travel to; here are my favorite ten in the US. Let me know if there are any I’m missing or ones I should I go to on a future city visit!
1. An’s Dry Cleaning (San Diego)
The first question I get about An’s is always “Why are you trying to go to the dry cleaner?” to which I always have to reply “It’s not actually a dry cleaner, it’s an ice cream shop. If you visit their website, you can read about the history of the shop on the “Confused?” page. Essentially, the owners loved the location of their current building, which used to be an actual dry cleaners’ named An’s; they decided to preserve the history, and thus An’s Dry Cleaning (ice cream) was born.
The second question I get is “You’re not serious that you think a place called An’s Dry Cleaning has the best ice cream in the country, are you?” And you’d be right, because it’s technically gelato, but we’re going to save that fact for a different discussion. So yes, I do think An’s has the best frozen dessert/ice cream/gelato/ whatever in the country. I’m not alone, either; An’s recently was named the best ice cream in the US by USA Today.
Three things make An’s stand out: the people, the creativity, and the quality. People-wise, the staff at An’s are simply awesome; they’ll happily share the thought process behind each flavor, take you on a tasting tour (complete with palate-cleansing sorbet between flavors), and painstakingly answer any questions you have. The flavors rotate weekly, but are clever and well-thought through.
On today’s menu, the “least creative” flavor is “Box of Chocolates”, which is crimson cocoa gelato with white chocolate bark made with dehydrated strawberry dust. You could also try the Bouquet of Flowers, a vanilla gelato with almond sponge cake and raspberry rosewater jam. And every flavor is like this–incredibly creative, different, and complex. And the quality is incredibly high; you get a rich, silky base that somehow isn’t terribly heavy but is still filling. They’ve nailed the perfect medium between too watery and too heavy. There aren’t topping options because this gelato doesn’t neeed them; the texture and flavor is already built in to the base.
The line for An’s often travels down the block, and it moves slowly as customers try each and every flavor, but no doubt it’s worth the wait. The longer you wait, the more hungry you’ll be anyway…
2. Big Spoon Creamery (Birmingham)
What started as a pop-up in Geri-Martha and Ryan O’Hara’s driveway turned into a ice cream cart, then an ice cream truck and finally three brick and mortar locations in Alabama. In addition to their creative flavors like apple fritter–which features a cinnamon frosting base with housemade apple fritters–and exquisite toppings like malted fudge, Big Spoon may be the only shop on this list to employ a full-time Pastry Director (just kidding–Coneflower has one too!).
On my first visit, the menu featured chocolate chip cookie dough (sweet cream base with malted fudge and housemade cookie dough) and Lemon Buttermilk Poppy Seed Poundcake (lemon buttermilk base with poppy seeds and buttermilk poundcake pieces). This may have been the very best combination of ice cream I’ve ever had. The bases are complex, creamy, yet somehow not too heavy. The mix-ins are truly on a different level–these could easily be sold on their own and they’d hold their own against most bakeries. This may have been the only time I considered returning to a shop and getting a second helping.
Just like at An’s, the folks working couldn’t be nicer and the Homewood location is in a cute, walkable neighborhood perfect for enjoying a cold treat on a warm night.
3. Ice Cream Social (Madison)
In a state known for dairy, I’ve been bitterly disappointed by many a ice cream in Wisconsin. Not the case at Ice Cream Social, though. The buttermilk-based ice cream flavors have a noticeable tang, offsetting much of the sugar and taking what is often a “meh” vanilla or chocolate base to a legendary one. The texture is a perfect balance between light and full-bodied, and the temperature is that just right–not too cold, not too warm. They also serve creative flavors like a Lucky Charms base with white chocolate Lucky Charms pieces and “Brookie of the Year”. Cookie sandwiches are also on the menu for a handheld treat. Make it a part of a long summer weekend in Madison, one of my favorite US cities!
4. Mitchell’s Ice Cream (Cleveland)
Mitchell’s is something of a Cleveland institution, scooping at a dozen or so locations in the metro area. They serve about two dozen flavors at a given time; while none of them are quite as wild as what you’d find at Big Spoon or Ice Cream Social, they’re packed with flavor, the toppings are great, and they’re perfectly creamy. The Caramel Fudge Brownie and Wildberry Crumble are standouts, and bonus points for being able to watch the ice cream being made at their Ohio City flagship location.
5. Whit’s Frozen Custard (Various)
The only true chain to make the list, Whit’s is an Ohio-based custard chain serving up delectable custard treats in quite a few forms. You can enjoy the custard in a cup or cone (of course), but also mixed in with toppings (Whitster), as a sandwich (Whittie), in a sundae, or as a milkshake. The dizzying amount of choice is further compounded by the ability to choose from one of three bases: chocolate, vanilla, or the flavor of the week. No other custard hits quite like a Buckeye Madness (Reese’s, chocolate syrup, and peanut butter in the mini size–even a small is an insane amount of ice cream custard), and no other shop gives you as much bang for your buck as Whit’s.
6. Lovejoys Real Ice Cream (Boise)
In a city with excellent ice cream (honorable mention to THE STIL), Lovejoys stands out with their perfectly balanced flavors of ice cream. The menu is incredibly well presented on what’s essentially a grid with type of flavor on the X axis (fruity, creamy, nutty, chocolatey) and adventure level on the Y axis (for the young at heart, mature palate). Seems inconsequential, but it does help ease the ordering process. The flavors are all just a bit elevated–instead of peanut butter chocolate, you’ll find “Greg’s Birthday Bash”, a chocolate peanut butter base with peanut butter cups and chocolate chips and instead of smores, you’ll find “S’moreo”, a marshmallow base with graham crackers, Oreos, and chocolate shatter. There was also a chocolate flavor with a raspberry jam one time…I can’t find any evidence that it existed, but it was earth shatteringly good…
7. ZEDs Real Fruit Ice Cream (Austin)
We’ve made it to New Zealand Austin (the New Zealand of Central Texas?) where ZEDs serves up New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream to the approximately one million individuals who line up each summer evening. If you haven’t tried, New Zealand-style ice cream is essentially a hard vanilla base with fruit blended in. The resulting texture is incredibly light and airy, feeling like a more full-bodied sorbet rather than ice cream. For me, that means it’s a perfect after-dinner treat that won’t make you feel like you’ve overindulged.
The menu is entirely customizable; you pick a size, fruit, drizzle, and topping, and they even suggest some perfect combinations like chocolate strawberry cookie and banana pudding. Austin is blessed with an amazing culinary scene, and in the ice cream department, ZEDs is the clear winner (honorable mention to Manoli’s!).
8. Botolino Gelato Artigianale (Dallas)
There is not a single ice cream shop on this list with a more boring menu than Botolino. But that’s the point. They don’t need a whole cornucopia of toppings and exotic flavors when they have simply excellent gelato. Carlo Gattini grew up on the family farm in Tuscany watching his grandma serve gelato out of her shop before moving to Dallas. He describes his style as “Italo Texano” and prioritizes “a respect for ingredients, simplicity, and time-tested methods.” And that is simply what you get. They’ve elevated traditonal gelato, finding a balance between the creative and the traditional.
Flavors like Peanut & Jelly Sandwich and Marscarpone & Figs juxtapose the traditional Salted Caramel and Milk Chocolate but are all made with local, top-quality ingredients (check out their Partners section of the website for more details). And the ingredients shine; you get a smooth, rich base bursting with flavor that simply doesn’t need chocolate sauce or sprinkles (although I guess it couldn’t hurt), it’s simply divine on its own.
9. Coneflower Creamery (Omaha)
The second shop on this list to employ a full-time pastry chef (along with An’s), Coneflower serves up delicious, creative flavors alongside homemade toppings. They also take the farm to cone model seriously, with everything from milk to sweet corn to apples to root beer produced locally. The butterbrickle ice cream pays homage to the flavor which was first served in the area in the 1920s and features chunks of homemade toffee coated with chocolate. The shop also features seasonal flavors you wouldn’t expect in ice cream; for St. Patrick’s Day, they featured house-made Irish brown bread inside their cream cheese ice cream. Talk about unique!
10. Ginger’s Divine Ice Creams (LA)
Aside from the well…divine…ice cream, Ginger’s must serve the most flavors at one time (42 are in shop right now!). And that variety earns them bonus points because the flavors are complex, rich, and served in heaping portions. They’re the only shop on the list to have a flavor featuring roasted grapes, although their (somewhat) more traditional Billionaire Brownie (brownies, fudge and caramel with roasted and salted pecans) is a top seller. It’s also another shop proud to feature local ingredients, and the quality shows as you enjoy a scoop on a warm Southern California evening.
The Next 10 (Honorable Mentions)
Unfortunately, the top 10 must end. But there are many more ice cream shops whipping up amazing desserts and are worthy of mention here.
11. Black Cat Ice Cream (Des Moines)
12. Butter and Cream (Atlanta)
13. Andia’s Ice Cream (Raleigh)
14. Little Man Ice Cream (Denver)
15. The STIL (Boise)
16. Sweet Cow (Denver)
17. Lappert’s (Various Hawaii Locations)
18. Little Truckee Ice Creamery (Truckee, CA)
19. Vanderwende Farm Creamery (Greenwood, DE)
20. Yates Family Orchard (Hinesburg, VT)*
*Unfair advantage due to also serving a fresh apple cider donut alongside their ice cream (pictured below).
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