Eat Chic: NYC's Best Ice Cream Shops
You've worked hard all winter long to deserve the right to indulge in a shake, cone or bowl of soft serve-all while in your chicest swimwear. With warm weather upon us, there's nothing better than a cool treat on a hot summer day. Here, the top spots for ice cream in New York City to ensure that you'll have something sweet all season long.
Black Tap
With shake concoctions ranging from caramel to nutella, Black Tap puts a decadent spin on old-fashioned favorites. Adding full pieces of candy like lollipops and Reese's cups to top it all off, Black Tap's desserts look more like works of art than a simple shake.
Black Tap, 529 Broome St.
Big Gay Ice Cream
Starting as a soft serve ice cream truck in 2009, Big Gay Ice Cream has since expanded to two locations in New York City. Known for putting a unique spin on simple soft serve, like the 'Salty Pimp,' which includes vanilla and dulce de leche ice cream with sea salt dipped in chocolate, this is one sweet spot you don't want to miss.
Big Gay Ice Cream, 125 E. 7th St. & 61 Grove St.
Chloe's Soft Serve
Featuring soft serve completely made out of fruit, this is the ideal treat for anyone looking for something sweet sans dairy or with a lower calorie count. Surprisingly rich and creamy despite only containing fruit, water and a touch of organic cane sugar, Chloe's is something you can't go wrong with. With additional fruit toppings and a pretzel cone option, this is the perfect summer treat, guilt not included.
Chloe's Soft Serve, 25 E. 17th St.
Il Laboratorio del Gelato
A small walk-up cafe in Lower Manhattan, Il Laboratorio del Gelato sounds exactly what it's name suggests; a "lab" producing the finest gelato and sorbet, and encouraging various chefs and caterers to concoct their own unique flavors. Featuring all locally and organically sourced desserts, and a rotating assortment of 48 flavors each day, all we can say is molto bene.
Il Laboratorio del Gelato, 188 Ludlow St.
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
Fashioning all of their ice cream from scratch in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, these guys serve both "classic scoops" and "vegan scoops," all of which contain only a handful of fresh, organic ingredients. From classic flavors like mint chip and pistachio, to special flavors like Meyer lemon meringue tart and Mexican chocolate birthday cake, this spot is as close as it gets to a true American creamery, celebrating the art of traditional ice cream making.
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, 48 E. 7th St.
Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream
Putting a "new" spin on on a quintessential ice cream parlor, Morgenstern's prides themselves in paying attention to flavor, all while being very texture-driven. Each flavor of ice cream attempts to give you a unique experience through a nostalgic treat, and with options like banana curry and black strap rum, this ice cream parlor does just that.
Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream, 2 Rivington St.
Snowdays
Making a name for "shaved cream," which is the combination of Taiwanese and Korean shaved ices, Snowdays features a fluffy, snow cone texture that tastes exactly like ice cream. Making all of their shaved cream with organic dairy from New York's Hudson Valley, they also only use seasonal ingredients, like hand-roasted seeds for their black sesame flavor, or real cream cheese in their NY cheesecake. This is definitely a new type of treat you need to try.
Snowdays, 241 E. 10th St.
Popbar
Showcasing gelato on a stick, Popbar is one genius to-go treat. With flavors like green tea dipped in white chocolate, hazelnut dipped in chocolate and sorbet options that are lactose-free, this is the perfect way to enjoy your gelato sans spoon.
Popbar, 5 Carmine St.
Dominique Ansel Kitchen
Coming out of a side window at Dominique Ansel's bakery, the chef launched his own iteration of soft serve last summer with two flavors; burrata served with balsamic caramel and strawberry confit, and a chocolate hazelnut served with salted-hazelnut brittle, orangecorn, and sea salt for toppings. And what does the man known for his inventive cronut serve it in? Light, homemade cones with a touch of butter and honey, of course.
Dominique Ansel Kitchen, 137 7th Ave S.
Sundaes and Cones
Founded in 1991 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Sundaes in Cones continues to reinvent what it means to make homemade ice cream. Now located in the East Village, the establishment not only nails the classic chocolate and vanilla flavors, but also strikes new notes with wasbai, ginger and tiramisu mixtures.
Sundaes and Cones, 95 E 10th St.
