The 31 Best Ice Cream Shops In New York

Part of the glamor of visiting New York City in the summer is basking in the East Coast heat while enjoying a stroll through one of the many beautiful parks. This summer feeling is one to remember for a lifetime. So why not embrace it with a delicious ice cream cone in hand? 

Whether you enjoy the summer sun or are disgruntled by the coastal humidity, there is nothing an ice-cold, rich, and creamy ice cream can’t fix. So without further ado, here are the top best ice cream shops NYC!

One more thing: if you love ice cream like we do you will love the Museum of Ice Cream in NYC!

My 31 Favorite Ice Cream Shops in New York

We used the summer to filter out the hippest and tastiest New York Ice Cream spots for you and tried the craziest flavors. These are my recommendations 👇

  1. 01

    Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

    Ice Cream in Chinatown
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    One of our favorite things to do in Chinatown NYC is grabbing an ice cream from here and stroll through the busy streets. With amazing flavors and many unique ones at that, this is a must-try! The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory offers some of the most unique ice cream flavors in New York City!

  2. 02

    Sugar Hill Creamery

    Ice Cream in Harlem & Washington Heights
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    Harlem’s most unique, family-owned ice cream shop in Sugar Hill Creamery. This ice cream shop is inspired by the husband and wife’s Caribbean, Midwestern, and Harlem culture. Flavors such as “The Darkest Timeline” are unforgettable as they feature licorice-flavored ice cream. You can experience the culture, diversity, and creativity of NYC all in one lick of ice cream. 

    Sugar Hill Creamery’s top flavors include “Nunu’s Peach Cobbler” and vegan “Yellow Diamond Ring,” which is made with roasted pineapple and caramel infused with an Ethiopian spice called Berbere. The menu items rotate daily and change based on seasonal ingredients.  

  3. 03

    Davey’s Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    Davey’s Ice Cream shop is known for its iconic cookie sandwich. At Davey’s, you can get your favorite ice cream flavor wrapped between two crispy, freshly baked cookies. They also have the most amazingly soft and made-to-order waffle sandwiches. These are a heavenly treat worth visiting New York on its own. Also, don’t miss out on their freshly baked homemade pies, fudge brownies, and cookies.

    The cookies and cream ice cream flavor was also notably mentioned as a classic creamy flavor in The Zagat review of best ice cream shops in New York. All ice cream flavors are entirely locally sourced with local ingredients found in the Farmer’s Market and dairy from New York Creameries 

  4. 04

    Emack & Bolio’s

    Ice Cream in Midtown Manhattan
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    Let’s rock and roll with Emack & Bolio’s funky ice cream! Emack & Bolio’s was created by Bob Rook, a music lawyer, who wanted a fun and creative atmosphere for musicians to hang out in after jamming out. 

    Emack & Bolio’s is most famous for their Invention of the flavored cone. These super special cones are covered with melted marshmallows and a crushed topping of choice. The cones can have crushed Oreos, Rice Krispies, fruit loops, fruity pebbles, and many other topping choices. You can also get cones covered in crushed nuts or shaved coconuts. Their top flavors include space cake, a red velvet-based ice cream, and S’moreo, a mix of s’mores and Oreos.  

  5. 05

    Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

    Ice Cream in West Village
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    If you are looking for the best New York Ice Cream, you definitely can’t miss this store: “The Big Gay” offers delicious soft ice cream. The most popular flavor in this New York Ice Cream store is the soft ice cream “Bea Arthur”, but there are also the classics. Vanilla ice cream is especially delicious here, as it is enhanced with dulce de leche. To top it off, there are chocolate wafers on top and around the ice cream. You can already hear it out, Big Gay is a hype spot in New York – that means long lines and it’s worth the wait!

  6. 06

    Surreal Creamery

    Ice Cream in Midtown Manhattan
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    Your ice cream dreams will come true at Surreal Creamery! Surreal Creamy is known for its Instagrammable boba ice cream floats called Floteas. These floateas are made with a beautifully swirled soft-serve ice cream on classic tea flavors such as brown sugar, Thai milk tea, earl gray, and matcha. You can also get a mason jar filled with ice cream, syrups, and all sorts of crazy toppings. Surreal Creamery is a sugar-lovers dream. 

  7. 07

    Amorino Gelato and Cafe

    Ice Cream in Theatre District
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    New York has been home to many Italian immigrants since the 1860s, so of course, a gelato place has to be included on the list of best ice cream shops NYC. Amorino Gelato and Cafe was established by childhood best friends Cristiano Sereni and Paolo Benassi. Their dream was to recreate a piece of their homeland in New York by serving authentic gelatos and sorbets. Amorino is known for its rose-shaped gelato cones, which can include up to 7 flavors in a small cone – one for each petal! These flavors include the traditional stracciatella, pistachio, amarena, hazelnut, and blueberry cheesecake. 

  8. 08

    Stuffed Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    Do you love doughnuts? What about ice cream? If the answer is yes to both, Stuffed Ice Cream is the answer to all your dessert cravings. Stuffed Ice cream is known for its cruffs, which is a glazed doughnut stuffed with various ice cream flavors and toppings. The warm and toasted glazed doughnut makes the perfect bun for milky ice cream. Popular flavors at stuffed include white chocolate lavender, cookie monster, and red velvet cookie dough crumble. 

  9. 09

    Mikey Likes It Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    Get in tune with pop culture at Mikey Likes It Ice Cream. The ice cream flavors are celebrity-inspired. There are even flavors for Hilary Clinton and Jay-Z. Mikey says his inspiration behind the ice cream shop was his Aunt Lucy. After she passed away, he found her cookbook and made her vanilla ice cream recipe. That recipe is the same one used for the base of all of his ice cream flavors. When you visit Mikey Likes It, try their signature Daddy Mac which is a waffle ice cream sandwich.

  10. 10

    Ample Hills Creamery

    Ice Cream in Dumbo
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    The ice cream shop in Brooklyn has the best ingredients for ice cream: hormone-free milk, cream from exclusively grass-fed cows and organic cane sugar. Here, in addition to the classic ice cream varieties, there are also toffee nut, cheesecake, cookies & cream varieties and much more. The ice cream really tastes very very delicious! Definitely a New York Ice Cream highlight: The variety “the Munchies,” with chips, pretzels, Ritz cookies and mini M&Ms – such crazy combinations are only available at Ample Hills.

  11. The 50 Absolute Best Things to Do in New York (90+ pages)

    TOP 50 Things to Do in NYCWe’ve chosen the 50 best spots, events and activities to showcase the full diversity of New York City. Even after more than 20 visits, the city never gets boring for us. And with our recommendations, you’ll have a really good time in New York, too, and you’ll have plenty left for your next visit. If you’re not planning a trip yet, you’re sure to get wanderlust after perusing this list!

  12. 11

    Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

    Ice Cream in Brooklyn Heights
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    During a walk along the promenade and through Brooklyn Bridge Park, you should definitely stop here. The homemade ice cream is sensationally delicious! After closing their first location nearby, they’re back just a few feet away. Attention: be sure to take cash with you, because you can’t pay with a credit card here.

  13. 12

    il laboratorio del gelato

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    This science-themed gelateria is considered one of the best ice cream shops in New York. You can geek out over the large variety of chef experiments and enjoy unique flavors such as ricotta, ginger, or wasabi. Il laboratorio del gelato takes high-quality, traditional gelato. It makes interesting flavors and categories, including cheese, chocolate, fruit, grain, nut, spice, liquor, tangy, sweet, and herbal. Each of these categories has plenty of unexpected flavors that end up working well together. 

  14. 13

    Alphabet Scoop

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    Alphabet Scoop is one of the most honorable missions. Not only do they serve delicious ice cream, but they are also a job training program that trains and invests in the futures of local youth who have faced difficulties. They even donate their profits to help fund other Father’s Heart Ministries programs. Alphabet Scoop has monthly flavors such as mango to make you come back for more. Stop by to support the future of promising teens. 

  15. 14

    Sundaes and Cones

    Ice Cream in NoHo
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    Wasabi, ginger, corn, and black sesame may not sound like ice cream flavors, but somehow Sundaes and Cones make it work! Sundaes and Cones have been one of the most famous ice cream shops NYC for the past two decades. Customers have loyally lined up to try their new and innovative flavors for years. They even make beautiful ice cream cakes for every occasion. If you go in the winter, make sure to try their gooey hot fudge sundae for a chocolatey treat. 

  16. 15

    Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    In 2008, the founders started selling their ice cream in a yellow truck on the streets of NYC. Today, they have several stores, including one in the East Village. Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream has vegan ice cream flavors, but also more unusual New York Ice Cream, such as peppermint chip, pistachio, vanilla bean, chocolate cake or black sesame. 

  17. 16

    Amorino Gelato and Cafe

    Ice Cream in Theatre District
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    New York has been home to many Italian immigrants since the 1860s, so of course, a gelato place has to be included on the list of best ice cream shops NYC. Amorino Gelato and Cafe was established by childhood best friends Cristiano Sereni and Paolo Benassi. Their dream was to recreate a piece of their homeland in New York by serving authentic gelatos and sorbets. Amorino is known for its rose-shaped gelato cones, which can include up to 7 flavors in a small cone – one for each petal! These flavors include the traditional stracciatella, pistachio, amarena, hazelnut, and blueberry cheesecake. 

  18. 17

    Soft Swerve Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in Lower Manhattan
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    Soft Swerve Ice Cream is a tasty, Asian-inspired soft serve ice cream shop. Their soft serve is creamy, smooth, and has amazing flavors, such as Ube, matcha, Thai tea, and black sesame. You can order the ice cream in a cake cone or a waffle cone, and the waffle cones come in a fun red velvet color or black chocolate. Soft Swerve Ice Cream has the most eccentric ice cream colors that brighten up any day. If you are feeling extra enthusiastic about the soft serve, try the Broadway Sunday, which is ube ice cream with fruity pebbles and a ring of cereal marshmallows on the base of the swirl. 

  19. 18

    Kaylee’s Creamery

    Ice Cream in NoMad
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    This traditional creamery serves solid, high-quality ice cream without any gimmicks. With all of the over-the-top Instagram ice creams, Kaylee’s Creamery is refreshingly simple, making it one of the best ice cream shops in New York. They perfect the creaminess and sweetness of each ice cream flavor. Aside from their classics, such as chocolate chip cookie dough, they also experiment with artisanal flavors such as ‘Yes We Corn!’ which is made from sweet summer corn cream and freshly made blueberry jam. You can also get your ice cream in vanilla, chocolate, or match cone so that the cone’s flavor matches your ice cream.

  20. The Perfect Itinerary For Your New York Trip

    Itinerary New York 4 to 6 days

    This itinerary contains over 50 spots and highlights of the city, including a map that shows you the best way to travel each day, taking you to or past the many big attractions. In addition, we‘ve added our favorite places, from great breakfast spots to start your day right to small bars and restaurants and hidden insider spots.

    What awaits you here now is the perfect New York week, because this is what my itinerary would look like if I were visiting the Big Apple for the first or second time right now!

  21. 19

    Screme Gelato Bar

    Ice Cream in Upper West Side
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    Screme Gelato Bar serves some of the best gelatos in New York! With more than 350 flavors, there is always a flavor for even the pickiest eaters. All of the flavors are made from their gelato factory, which is certified kosher. Screme Gelato Bar makes all of the gelatos from whole premium milk instead of cream, making it rich and flavorful. All sorbets and gelatos are entirely free of preservatives, and they are all made with entirely natural ingredients. Whisky chocolate and Mojito sorbet are considered some of the more popular flavors.

  22. 20

    Dubl Twister

    Ice Cream in Upper East Side
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    Located inside Soho Pizza, Dubl twister serves some of the best ice creams in the city. Dubl Twister is a famous family-owned ice cream shop that makes homemade hard and soft-serve ice cream. Although they have plenty of classics, they work hard to keep up with ice cream trends. With a large variety of ice cream flavors, it can be difficult to choose a favorite, but some of the most popular flavors include an oatmeal cookie, cherry vanilla, and peppermint. You can get your ice cream in a bowl, regular cone, chocolate cone, or an egg waffle cone. The egg waffle cones are soft, fluffy, and custard-like. Don’t miss out on trying these delicious flavors. 

  23. 21

    Taiyaki

    Ice Cream in Chinatown
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    Taiyaki NYC was the first creator of the iconic Japanese-style taiyaki fish filled with ice cream. This iconic dessert has a warm and crispy waffle-like fish that pairs perfectly with creamy soft-serve ice cream. Each waffle is made onsite, and the store also smelled like freshly baked taiyaki. You can order various soft serve ice cream flavors, including black sesame, matcha, strawberry, and mango. The taiyaki is typically filled with custard or red beans. Choose from the signature taiyaki options, which include pre-selected flavors and toppings, or create your own taiyaki ice cream. 

  24. 22

    Sam’s Fried Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in Lower East Side
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    Fried ice cream is a culinary masterpiece that takes the best of the desert world and combines it with the best of savory food. Sam’s Fried Ice Cream mixes salty with sweet to make a hot fried crust with a softened, rich, and decadent ice cream. Each fried ice cream is rapidly made to order. The ice cream is first dipped into flour and batter and then into the selected coating. These coatings include bread crumbs, frosted flakes, or Oreos. Once the coating is on, the ice cream is deep-fried until golden brown and crispy. The most popular fried ice cream is the oreo crust which has an oreo coating and is sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

  25. 23

    Whipped Urban Dessert Lab

    Ice Cream in Lower East Side
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    Located in New York’s Lower East Side, Whipped Urban Dessert Lab is the world’s first oat milk soft serve ice cream shop. Not only is Whipped Urban Dessert Lab an innovator of the ice cream world, but it is also one of the best ice cream shops in New York. This black, female-owned ice cream shop serves high-quality dairy-free ice cream that is as dense and creamy as regular ice cream. Their most popular flavors include strawberry shortcake and cinnamon apple crisp. The ice cream can also be coated with a crumb coat of choice with options including waffle cone pieces, pretzels, strawberry crumble, or chocolate cookie crumble. 

  26. 24

    A La Mode Shoppe

    Ice Cream in Midtown Manhattan
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    A La Mode Shoppe offers rich and tasty ice cream without any worries of allergies from products such as nuts, sesame seeds, and eggs. All the ice cream is created in a manufacturing facility that is completely free of nut dust or traces of any products that produce allergies. A La Mode Shoppe makes a trip to the ice cream shop a fun and safe experience for everyone who enters. They also have an onsite kitchen where they produce seasonal flavors. Their most popular flavors include wired, which is coffee ice cream with chocolate chips, and cooks, which is a mix of vanilla and chocolate cookies with chocolate fudge. 

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    Minus Celsius Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in Lower East Side
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    What better way to eat ice cream than to eat it rolled up? Minus Celsius Ice cream is one of the more inventive ice cream shops NYC. They serve ice cream that is made by adding the liquid ice cream onto a cold metal sheet and stirring and smoothing out to incorporate it into an ice cream texture. Rolled ice cream is fun to watch and eat! At Minus Celsius Ice Cream, you get to choose your flavor, sauce, and toppings. They also offer unlimited toppings. Their number one seller is the crazy cookie, which is a vanilla ice cream with Oreos. 

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    Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    Ralph’s Famous Italian Ice is a classic summer treat in New York. In fact, it was created by Italian immigrant Ralph Silvestro all the way back in 1928. Since then, there have been over 80 new locations on the East Coast. They are most famous for their Italian water ices, which include berry burst, lemon, passion fruit, and cherry. These ices are refreshing and have become a significant part of American-Italian tradition. At Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices, you can also get sherbert, soft serve, and twisters, which is any flavor of Italian ice layered between soft-serve ice cream.

  29. 27

    Downtown Yogurt & Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in Tribeca
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    Froyo is the perfect snack for a hot summer day, and Downtown Yogurt & ice cream is the best place to get frozen yogurt. This self-serve frozen yogurt shop allows you to choose exactly how much of each flavor you want. They have plenty of flavoring, including vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, strawberry, and more! You can also add whatever toppings you want, from pretzels to nerds candy. If you are not in the mood for a bowl of frozen yogurt, they also have a classic chocolate sandwich that has vanilla yogurt in between two chocolate wafers rolled in rainbow sprinkles. Downtown Yogurt & Ice Cream is also well known for its edible cookie dough creations and its dole whip floats.  

  30. 28

    Ray’s Candy Store

    Ice Cream in East Village
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    Ray’s Candy Store is an iconic piece of New York City. It has been famous for its soft-serve ice cream, beignets, egg cream, frozen yogurt, and Belgian fries. Ray’s Candy store is open 24/7, and it has been serving those in New York for over 50 years. In fact, this store has been featured in many films, books, and TV shows. His soft serve is one of the most famous in the city. The vanilla and chocolate soft serve cone is one of the milkiest, creamy soft serves to ever exist. 

  31. 29

    Bambina Blue

    Ice Cream in Lower Manhattan
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    Bambina Blue is an eccentric gelateria that serves 32 flavors of gelato. These flavors are a wild mix of all of the greatest sweet treats. Popular flavors include Ferrari Rocher, which is chocolate hazelnut gelato tossed with hazelnut crunch and drizzled with hazelnut sauce, and Brown butter & Co, which is burnt butter gelato drizzled with salted caramel sauce. Each of the gelato flavors is handmade and crafted for the complete Bambina Blue experience.  

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    Caffè Panna

    Ice Cream in Gramercy
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    This Italian-inspired ice shop is located in Gramercy Park. Each of the ice cream flavors at Caffè Panna is produced in-house and churned onsite in the kitchen. The ice cream is as freshly made as it gets. Although there are six classic flavors, the menu constantly changes to fit the seasonal ingredients available at the local farmer’s markets. Cafe Panna is famous for its caffè Bianco Stracciatella ice cream, which is a coffee bean-infused ice cream with fruity Amano Chocolate chunks. 

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    Smoove Ice Cream

    Ice Cream in Chinatown
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    Smoove’s Ice Cream is a high-quality ice cream shop that is one of the best ice cream shops in New York. They are constantly creating exciting and new ice cream flavors, including ube, earl gray, and jasmine tea. Smoove Ice Cream is the perfect spot to take a date, treat yourself to dessert, or bring your friends and family. As an Asian American-owned ice cream shop, there are plenty of Asian-inspired flavors such as matcha green tea, Thai tea, and tropical durian. Even though durian may be the most interesting, lychee rose is an excellent, well-balanced flavor that enhances the floral aspects of scent and taste. 

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    Chloe’s Soft Serve Fruit Co. x Juice Press

    Ice Cream in Gramercy
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    This ice cream shop is both healthy and delicious! Chloe’s Soft Serve Fruit Co. x Juice Press offers delicious frozen soft-serve options that are made with simply fruit, water, and cane sugar. If you are just finishing up at the gym, this is an excellent snack to try. The classic soft serve flavors include banana, dark chocolate, mango, and strawberry. There are also seasonal soft serves, including plum, pear, pineapple, cranberry, and pomegranate. You can also try out Chloe’s dipped pops, which give you the choice of fruity ice pop dipped in warm chocolate or warm peanut butter. 

Profilbild Steffen Kneist
About the author

I'm a true New York fan! Not only have I visited the city over 25 times but also have I spent several months here at a time. On my blog I show you the best and most beautiful spots of the city, so that you have a really good time! You can also find lots of insider tips in our New York travel guide. Also check out my hotel finder for New York!

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