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Today is arguably the best day of the year: National Ice Cream Day. We’re celebrating with an ode to our favorite spots around town. When heat and humidity strikes, there’s only one treat frosty enough to cool New Yorkers down. Whether you prefer a couple of scoops in a cup or swirled soft serve in a cone, the city (and surrounding boroughs) is replete with creative concoctions to satisfy your sweet tooth. Here, the parlors that have perfected the art of everyone’s favorite frozen dessert.
 
Cronut creator Dominique Ansel’s latest culinary venture comes in the form of a delicious soft serve, that’s available alongside his downtown bakery. 
You’ve undoubtedly seen 10Below’s deliciously captivating videos, featuring the ice cream shop’s signature roll-up style treats. Paired with mouthwatering toppings and sweet treats, this is one spot you won’t want to miss out on. 
Situated in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is conveniently set at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. And while they only offer a curated sampling of flavors, each one is so robust and deliciously creamy, you’ll be hard-pressed only settling on two. 

Milk & Cream Cereal Bar

Milk & Cream Cereal Bar is quickly winning over hearts and stomachs for its cerealiously fun creations, like Froot Berry Bliss (cereal soft serve, blended with Froot Loops, strawberries, and blueberries, and topped with Fruity Pebbles and gummy bears all on a birthday cake cone).

 

Max and Mina’s

Dubbed the “Willy Wonka of ice cream,” this Flushing institution is famed for its whimsical homemade ice cream. Think: cotton candy pop rocks, Cookie Monster, SpongeBob, and peppermint marshmallow. Be sure to bring your appetite because the scoops keep coming.

 

Ice & Vice

Ice & Vice churns out unconventional ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Stop by for outrageous, seasonal scoops like Ants on a Farm (raisins, celery, and gianduja chocolate chips) and Pickles of the Caribbean (rum, coconut, and pickled pineapple jam).

Ample Hills Creamery

Located in Gowanus, Brooklyn, Ample Hills Creamery is a true neighborhood shop, beloved for its playful, nostalgic scoops—like Ooey Gooey Butter Cake (vanilla ice cream with chunks of St. Louis-style Ooey Gooey Butter Cake) and The Munchies (pretzel-infused ice cream with Ritz crackers, potato chips, pretzels, and mini M&Ms)—plus scratch-made mix-ins.

Soft Swerve  

When you’re craving ube (purple yam), there’s only one place to go. Self-proclaimed “New York’s Yammiest Ice Cream,” Soft Swerve swirls up 20 pounds of ube everyday—plus other equally exotic flavors like macapuno coconut, matcha green tea, and black sesame soft serve.

 

OddFellows Ice Cream Co.  

The art of small batch ice cream is alive and well at OddFellows (both the OG Williamsburg location and East Village outpost). A rotating roster of creative flavors—from buttermilk honey blueberry and Thai ice tea to black pepper fig and juniper grapefruit—means, on any given day, you could very well find your new favorite.  

 

Taiyaki NYC

And the award for the cutest darn cones goes to Taiyaki NYC. This Chinatown sweetery is renowned for its fish-shaped cones (known as taiyaki). Try it with sweet azuki red bean filling, matcha, and black sesame soft serve, colorful mochi, and a wafer.

 

Van Leeuwen  

With multiple trucks and brick and mortar shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn (as well as Los Angeles), Van Leeuwen is quickly becoming an artisanal ice cream empire. The menu features classics and seasonal specials—both vegan and regular—like honeycomb, earl grey, turmeric, and passionfruit layer cake.

 

Bingbox Snow Cream

Bingbox Snow Cream specializes in contemporary Korean-style shaved ice (known as bingsu) and soft serve. Do yourself a favor and order a red velvet waffle bowl with Thai tea and lychee swirl, rainbow mochi, and a waffle cookie.

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream

Morgenstern’s is a retro ice cream parlor with new school flavors. You may have noticed people are posting pics of goth-like frozen goodness all over Instagram. That’s the buzzy black coconut ash ice cream, which debuted last summer.

Emack & Bolio’s  

This rock ‘n roll-inspired ice creamery has been satisfying Bostonian’s sugar cravings since 1975. With locations on the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Brooklyn Heights, New Yorkers can get in on the sweet action, too. Try a scoop of signature grasshopper pie ice cream in a Fruity Pebbles cone.