Philly’s Best Ice Cream Shops
From soft-serve to ice-cream sandwiches to gigantic sundaes, our favorite places to eat cold, pure dairy in and around Philadelphia.
Photograph courtesy of Weckerly’s
While we consider ice cream to be a year-round food, society deems it a hot-weather specialty. It’s true that nothing hits quite like a frosty double-scoop in a crisp waffle cone or a fudgy, overloaded sundae on an 80-degree day. But we think you should be visiting these Philly-area ice cream shops often and always. Keep our guide bookmarked and you’ll never have to Google “peanut butter ice cream near me” again.
Best Ice Cream Shops in Philly
Photograph courtesy of Franklin Fountain
Franklin Fountain, Old City
Eric and Ryan Berley’s ice cream parlor recreates a 1900s-style vibe with old-timey uniforms, decor, and even equipment. From the giant Vesuvius brownie sundae you could only finish with assistance to floats made with house-made soda (they also have phosphates), it’s an essential Philly ice cream experience — waiting line included.
Bassetts, Market East
The O.G. of Philadelpia-style (egg-free) ice cream — and the oldest ice cream brand in the country — still serves up shakes, cups, and cones from its longtime stall in Reading Terminal Market.
Milk Jawn, East Passyunk
Milk Jawn’s Philly-style, egg-free ice cream is made in small batches by Amy Wilson, Ryan Miller and Cathryn Sanderson. Their flavors — like Earl Grey ice cream studded with honeycomb candy, lemon curd with blueberry-basil swirl, and a perfectly minty stracciatella — are served out of their little corner scoop shop on East Passyunk Avenue. (You can also order pints on DoorDash in a pinch.)
C & C Creamery, Manayunk
This seasonal spot on Ridge Avenue has been serving up frozen treats and baked sweets for several decades. Head there for house-made water ice, soft serve, shakes and malts.
Arctic Scoop, East Passyunk
In addition to flavors like neon-green pandan, lavender-hued taro, and perfectly pink lychee rose, Arctic Scoop gets extra points for presentation. They’ll put your selection in an actual coconut shell or folded into a bubble waffle. Then they pile high with fruit, Pocky, boba and whatever else you can dream up.
Weckerly’s, Fishtown
When Jen and Andy Satinsky announced they were closing their ice-cream shop after 11 years, fans of their French-style ice cream — and especially their ice-cream sandwiches — mourned. But then, the Satinskys sold their shop to Cristina Torres, and stayed on to help ensure a smooth transition. They’ve still got the sandwiches that started it all — including the popular black-and-white — as well as scoops of their ice cream in flavors ranging from vanilla to Càphê Roasters coffee to lemon-lavender.
Weckerly’s coffee ice cream gets its flavor from Philly favorite Càphê Roasters. And you can get it in scoop or sandwich form. / Photograph courtesy of Weckerly’s
Vanderwende’s, Old City
Leave it to the youngest member of an acclaimed Delaware dairy family to bring his family business to the big city. Homemade in small batches using dairy from their farm, Vanderwende’s Philly location serves ice cream that’s about as classic as can be. (Think: flavors like mint chip, black raspberry, and peanut butter fudge crunch.) It’s available as scoops, shakes, sundaes and, even ice cream tacos. Bringing the pups? They’ve got ice cream for them, too.
Zsa’s, Germantown
A cheery shop that boasts home-made seasonal scoops and sandwiches (like salted-caramel and strawberries-and-cream) to cones that come in all kinds of flavors and are baked by Brooklyn company The Konery.
Tubby Robot Ice Cream Factory, Manayunk
A Best of Philly winner, Tubby Robot makes all their flavors in-house, using locally sourced ingredients. Can’t decide? Go for an ice-cream flight with four or six flavors. They’ve also got sundaes, splits, and Belgian waffles made from scratch.
Scoop DeVille, Midtown Village and Queen Village
Whenever you’re in need of late-night ice cream, rely on Scoop DeVille. Their Midtown Village location is open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. (The South Street one goes till midnight.) Come for sundaes and scoops with your choice of over a hundred toppings — or get them blended in for a custom soft-serve. They’ve also got sundaes, milkshakes and more concoctions.
Vita, Rittenhouse
Matt Cocco makes his gelato and sorbetto from natural ingredients, so the flavors at this tiny Rittenhouse shop rotate often based on what’s in season. Standbys like creamy green pistachio and vibrant mixed berry could be joined by lavender one day and pink grapefruit the next. And they’re all incredible.
Matcha Cafe Maiko, Chinatown
As the name suggests, this is the place to go for matcha-infused treats. In addition to matcha soft-serve, they have rotating flavors like ube and black sesame, and you can opt for a cone, float, or even layer the soft-serve over kakigōri for an almost-too-pretty-to-eat sundae.
Van Leeuwen, Rittenhouse, Fishtown and Midtown Village
If you know about Van Leeuwen, you know to expect long lines and high prices at the Brooklyn-based shop’s Philly locations. But there’s a reason people still flock to their scoop shops, despite the fact that a pint will run you into the double digits. Their flavors (like earl grey tea and honeycomb) are clean, fresh and innovative. And their vegan scoops are better than they have any right to be. Coming soon: University City will be getting their own Van Leeuwen, making that the brand’s fourth Philly location.
Galen Thomas at Cloud Cups Gelato / Photograph by Kory Aversa
Cloud Cups, Fishtown and Kensington
Galen Thomas got his start selling his gelato at festivals and food-truck events, but Cloud Cups really took off when Thomas opened his first brick-and-mortar shop on Frankford Avenue last year. This year, he took it to the next level with his second location, a giant scoop shop and production facility at MaKen Studios North. The new space offer 36 flavors at a time, plus pints to go, and even gelato-scented candles for sale, so your whole house can smell delicious.
Jeni’s, Fishtown and Rittenhouse
You can always pick up a pint of this national chain’s signature Brambleberry Crisp at the grocery store, but it just tastes better straight from the source. (And with a freshly made waffle cone.) Luckily, Jeni’s has two Philly storefronts — both of which stay open until midnight (though, at Fishtown, they close at 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday).
Over the Moon, Brewerytown
We’ve talked about ice-cream sandwiches. We’ve talked about ice-cream-topped waffles in their many forms. But jump Over the Moon for … ice-cream hot pockets. This Brewerytown parlor slices a brioche bun in half, fills it with ice cream and toppings, then toasts the whole shebang in a panini press. And they make all their flavors in-house, so they’re constantly changing.
Offerings from the Waterfront outpost of Somerset Splits / Photograph by Austin Marsdale
Somerset Splits, Port Richmond
Somerset Splits scoops Bassetts ice cream into their signature cones, milkshakes, and yes, banana splits. Toppings range from potato stix to classic hot fudge. One of their splits is named in honor of Arrested Development (because there’s always money in the banana stand). They have pup cups. And, this summer, they have a waterfront outpost at Spruce Street Harbor Park. (They even have old-school push-up pops there!)
D’Emilio’s Old World Ice Treats, East Passyunk
D’Emilio’s is the spot for old-school sorbetto and a classic swirl of soft-serve ice cream coated in sprinkles and served in a cone. If you’re really going for it, you can also opt for one of their signature sundaes, which are gigantic and ever-changing. Check their Instagram page to see today’s sundae special.
Small Oven Pastry Shop, South Philly
Yes, they only have two flavors at a time, but this Washington Avenue shop’s soft-serve is worth scheduling your life around. So, keep an eye on their lineup all year long to make sure you don’t miss your chance for Cinnamon Toast Crunch or sweetpea (just a couple summer favorites).
1-900-ICE-CREAM, Fishtown and Center City
They make all of their flavors in gelato machines in their Kensington factory — super-rich, creamy ice cream absolutely packed with add-ins like Italian rainbow cake, vanilla pudding swirl, and fudgy gingerbread cubes — then distribute the goods to their scoop shops, which also have soft-serve. For even more adventure, there are sandwiches and choco-taco-type dealies.
Chamoyada / Photograph by Laura Swartz
El Pueblo Refresquería, Italian Market
This 9th Street spot offers more than 20 flavors of ice cream, plus popsicles, fresh juices, and chamoyada (smoothie-like shaved ice with chunks of fruit) sourced from La Michoacana (see below).
Fiore Fine Foods, Fishtown
One of the only silver linings of COVID was that Justine Macneil’s gelatos finally got their due. Droves of very smart people came from all over the city to stock their freezers with pints of Macneil’s perfect, homemade creations. These days, you can still pick up a pint (or three), but you can also enjoy a scoop or even a brioche con gelato in the shop.
Gran Caffe L’Aquila, Center City
This Chestnut Street emporium boasts espresso, a full menu, and a shop full of Italian goodies — plus some of the best gelato in the city. Pro tip: If you’d prefer to pair your gelato with al taglio pizza, they also serve Gran Caffe’s gelato at Alice on 15th and Locust streets, where you can even get it affogato-style thanks to their on-site coffee bar.
Surreal Creamery / Photograph by Laura Swartz
Surreal Creamery, University City, Chinatown, Dresher and Bryn Mawr
Get your soft-serve in bubble-tea floats (“floateas”) or one of Surreal’s over-the-top sundaes in signature mason jars, swirled so high that they defy gravity.
Best Ice Cream Shops in the Philly Suburbs
Soft-serve ice cream, affogato-style at Lu & Aug’s in Ardmore. / Photograph courtesy of Lu & Aug’s
Lu & Aug’s, Ardmore
This soft-serve spot has quickly become a neighborhood favorite since opening last year. In addition to classic cups and cones of the swirly stuff, they also encourage you to take a walk on the “wild side” with concoctions made from toppings mixed, folded and blended in.
Handel’s, Berwyn
Despite all the great city options, if you’re a true ice cream aficionado you owe it to yourself to make your way out to Berwyn for this old standby serving homemade ice cream since 1945. National Geographic named it the best ice cream on the planet in 2018, and with flavors including “Spouse Like a House” (made with vanilla ice cream and peanut butter pretzels), it’s no mystery why.
La Michoacana Ice Cream, Kennett Square
This offshoot of downtown Kennett Square’s Michoacana Grill makes more than 50 flavors of house-made ice cream, water ice, and pops in flavors like guava-guayaba and passionfruit.
Gemelli, West Chester and Phoenixville
Italian-born chef-owner Vincenzo Tettamanti has been crafting fantastic gelato in flavors like raspberry-chocolate, blueberry-mascarpone, and tiramisu since 2014. And this year, it made it to the finals of the Gelato Festival World Masters. The flavor that won judges over? “Ricotta, Rosemary & Raw Honey.”
Koffmeyer’s, Havertown
This longtime Society Hill cookie bakery moved to the suburbs in 2011 and added Pennsylvania-made Leiby’s ice cream to its offerings at the same time, somehow making an already-perfect menu even better.
Hope’s Cookies, Rosemont
Ostensibly a cookie company, the real draw here is what Hope’s does with said cookies at its Rosemont store: deluxe ice cream sandwiches, made with Delaware Valley-based Nelson’s and Jack & Jill ice creams, in so many combinations it may be physically impossible to try them all yourself.
D’Ascenzo’s Gelato, West Chester
A trip to Rome inspired owners Glen and Kristin D’Ascenzo to start making and selling gelato at Philly farmers’ markets over 15 years ago. Now, they operate out of their nationally-acclaimed gelateria, working with a local dairy to source their milk, roasting ingredients like nuts in-house, and sourcing seasonal fruit to make their rotating flavors.
Crave Creamery, Springfield
This Baltimore Pike shop stocks a slate of gelato flavors — classics like coconut, pistachio, and cookies and cream — in addition hard ice cream, water ice, bubble tea, and vegan ice cream. You can get the goods by the scoop, or opt for sustainable ice cream eating with one of their returnable logo quart jars to get a buck off your refill next time.
A mango water ice and vanilla soft serve gelati at La Morelense Plus. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
La Morelense Plus, Oaklyn
Closer in texture to gelato, Mexican-style ice cream is ultra-creamy and rich with classic Mexican flavors you don’t often find at other shops. So if you’re on the hunt for a scoop of mamey, nuez or gansito, check out La Morelense Plus. Not only do they have delicious, house-made ice cream and water ice, they also offer Mexican street snacks like elote, mangonada, and fruit sprinkled with Tajin.
Primo Water Ice, Haddon Township and Cherry Hill
A popular hangout for local kids since 1996, Primo Water Ice is where memories are made over ice cream sundaes and gelatis. And if you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion with an ice-cream cake, Primo takes custom orders with your choice of flavors and themes.
Gelato Dolceria, Haddonfield
Using traditinoal Italian methods, Gelato Dolceria makes small batch gelato in classic flavors like pistachio and stracciatella, as well as unique variations like honeycomb and a refreshing blood-orange sorbetto. It’s the perfect stop after a meal at any of the outstanding restaurants you’ll find along Kings Highway.
Additional reporting by Kae Lani Palmisano, Maddy Sweitzer-Lammé and Walden Green.
