By Addison Aloian By Addison Aloian | May 30, 2023 | Food & Drink Guides
Whether you’re a proud vegan and need to try that new Van Leeuwen flavor, or a die-hard cereal fan who just discovered the Milk & Cream Cereal Bar, we guarantee our list has your ice cream fix and then some.
See also: Top 10 Pie Shops in NYC
Morganstern’s Finest Ice Cream
2 Rivington St.; 88 W. Houston St. | Website
Morganstern’s has perhaps some of the most unique ice cream flavors in the entire city. While they carry traditional flavors such as Cookies N’ Cream and Rockiest Road, they also reinvented the concept of ice cream through their nonconventional flavors of Salted Egg Yolk Chili Crisp, Pickles N' Mayo, and Raw Milk.
Van Leeuwen
Multiple Locations | Website
Van Leeuwen started in NYC in 2008 with a mission to make ice cream that makes you feel good. They focus on natural ingredients in both their dairy and vegan flavors. While it can be shipped to your doorstep nationwide and bought in local grocery stores, you’ll likely find a location down the street from your NYC apartment. With flavors like Honeycomb, Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Chunk and Buttermilk Berry Cornbread, it's a source of local pride.
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
4 Pennsylvania Plaza; 207 Front Street; 516 Columbus Ave. | Website
Starting as a seasonal food truck in 2009, Big Gay Ice Cream has developed into a creamy empire. Some of their flavors include Shortberry Strawcake, Salty Pimp and Monday Sundae. Yum!
Taiyaki
119 Baxter St.; 294 Bedford Ave. | Website
The goal of Taiyaki is to help bring Japanese culture to the Big Apple by serving fish-shaped ice cream cones. These picturesque cones have blown up on social media and come in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, matcha and more. You can either create your own cone, or order one of their signature cones.
Milk & Cream Cereal Bar
159 Mott St. | Website
Revisit childhood by dropping into SoHo and exploring the Milk & Cream Cereal Bar! Offering an ice cream swirl, cereal bowl or ice cream milkshake, there are plenty of options to mix your dairy cravings with your favorite cereals. They've got Apple Jacks, Cap’n Crunch, Cookie Crisp and more. With toppings like cookie dough, fruity pebbles and toasted coconut flakes, you'll swear dessert is for breakfast.
See also: The 10 Best Bakeries in NYC
Sugar Hill Creamery
Locations in Central Harlem, West Harlem, East Harlem and Brooklyn | Website
Sugar Hill Creamery claims to be a “love affair between community and food." With three locations in Harlem (and one in Brooklyn), this ice cream shop pride itself on coming up with creative names for its flavors. "Fly Girl" is a honeycomb and vanilla ice cream seeped with lavender flowers and "Chairperson of the Board" is a rich blueberry cheesecake flavor layered with graham crackers and jam. That's about as original as it gets!
Sam’s Fried Ice Cream
37B Orchard St. | Website
This shop serves sweets as delicious as its name. At Sam’s, you can create your own ice cream confection by choosing from a variety of ice cream flavors, a fried crust and drizzles or toppings. Some of their flavors include vanilla, strawberry cheesecake and salted caramel, while their crusts include bread crumbs, Oreos and more.
Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain
513 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231 | Website
For a classic diner ice cream dish, check out Brooklyn Farmacy. This place serves a variety of ice cream treats, from sundaes to cones, floats and more. Some of their sundaes include the Cookie Monster and Sir Twix-A-Lot, while they also serve ice cream sandwiches and milkshakes. Satisfy your dairy cravings in a laid-back setting, sort of just like the old days.
Davey’s Ice Cream
309 9th St., 212.228.8032; 421 8th Ave., 212.786.7808; 74 Meserole Ave, 718.609.6066 | Website
With three NYC locations, Davey’s proudly serves a variety of ice cream flavors as well as sundaes and signature treats, such as homemade ice cream sandwiches. While every item on the menu sounds fantastic, we encourage you to try the Speculoos Chocolate Chip and Roasted Pistachio ice cream flavors first.
Photography by: Photo by foodandstyle/iStock
