15 Best Ice Cream Shops in NYC for the Perfect Scoop

1. Sugar Hill Creamery

Best Overall

First on our list has to go to Sugar Hill Creamery, the husband-and-wife-owned shop that’s served locally sourced, small-batch, handmade scoops since 2017. In addition to scoops in several sizes—kids’, single, split, double and triple—they also sell malted shakes, brownie sundaes, ice cream sandwiches (a new one each month!) and ice cream cakes. Are Harlem and DUMBO too far from you? No worries, the cakes and pints are available for purchase online, for in-store pick-up, NYC local delivery and on Goldbelly.

Multiple locations; (212) 634-9004

2. Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream

Largest Flavor Selection

If you’ve seen a line halfway around the block and kiddos trying to lick up melted drips before they hit the ground, it was probably Morgenstern’s. With a whopping 55 available flavors—including 40 new flavors that were just introduced this spring—this is the spot if you’re looking for an eclectic array of avant garde flavors, like pineapple salted egg yolk, olive oil chocolate eggplant, tahini and jelly, toasted rice yuzu swirl and cardamom lemon jam, just to name a few. But that’s not all. They also serve Smashburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, ice cream sandwiches and bars, shakes, floats, boozy shakes and floats, pies, sundaes and ice cream cakes.

Multiple locations; (212) 209-7684

3. Soft Swerve

Best Soft Serve

Looking for premium soft serve ice cream in specialty flavors? Look no further. With locations in Chinatown and Kips Bay, Manhattan locals can try Asian-inspired flavors like ube purple yam, Thai tea, matcha and black sesame, or keep it simple with classics like vanilla or frozen hot chocolate. With 14 yummy toppings like toasted coconut and crushed vanilla cookies, plus six drizzles, there’s something for everyone. All of the flavors and toppings can also be made into sundaes or shakes.

Multiple locations; (646) 476-6311

4. Ample Hills Creamery

Most Unique Flavor Selection

Open for just over a decade, Ample Hills grew rapidly from its first cart, boasting storefronts on both coasts, and is sold in supermarkets nationwide. All of their pints and ice cream cakes are made from scratch by hand in their 15,000-square-foot factory in Red Hook, earning them the nickname, “Brooklyn’s Freshest.” Ice cream enthusiasts will enjoy the pizzazz in their fun flavors, like ooey gooey butter cake (cream cheese ice cream with pieces of homemade butter cake), breakfast trash (Cap’n Crunch, Frosted Flakes and Corn Pops-infused ice cream with Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loops), and the munchies (pretzel-infused ice cream with Ritz crackers, potato chips, pretzels and crushed M&M’s).

Multiple locations; (718) 483-8199

5. Tipsy Scoop

Best Boozy Ice Cream

You heard that right: boozy ice cream! You do have to be 21 to visit or order from Tipsy Scoop, so you’ll have to leave the kids at home, but trust us, it’s well worth it. Their liquor-infused ice cream flavors are all inspired by classic and contemporary cocktails and are made with local and seasonal ingredients right here in the Big Apple. They offer pints, scoops, sundaes, cakes, sandwiches, pies, ice cream flights and even vegan and dairy-free flavors—all with just the slightest amount of booze. If you’re not close enough to taste their collabs with your favorite liquor brands in-store, they offer 30-minute delivery in select zip codes nationwide.

Multiple locations; (917) 388-2862

Best Gelato

We know it’s technically a gelateria and not an ice cream shop, but it definitely fits the bill. If you can’t swing a trip to Italy this summer, Sant Ambroeus is the next best thing. Next to their Soho Italian fine-dining establishment lives the sweetest little slice of the city, serving up all of your classic gelato and sorbet flavors, as well as toppings like shaved milk chocolate and salted caramel hazelnuts. They also serve affogatos (coffee with ice cream), coffee, small savory bites and more.

267 Lafayette Street; (212) 203-8176

7. Oddfellows Ice Cream Co.

Best Sundaes

If you’re in Williamsburg, DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park or Rockaway Beach, you’ve got to check out OddFellows. Since opening in 2013, they’ve concocted over 500 wacky, weird (and mostly delicious) flavors—which happen to make for the wildest, yummiest sundaes when topped with offerings like peanut butter brownie bites, chili crisp, hazelnut butter, pecan sticky buns, freeze-dried strawberry cheesecake… and pretty much anything else you can dream of.

Multiple locations; (718) 683-5755

11. A La Mode Shoppe

Best Allergen-Free Ice Cream

If someone in your family has a severe food allergy, you know how important it is to be cautious about ingredients—that’s where A La Mode comes in. All of their products exclude major allergens (such as nuts, sesame seeds and eggs), without sacrificing flavor. They also sell dairy-free and gluten-free options, as well as creating all options to be both Kosher and Halal. The storefront even offers kids’ classes and includes a kids’ boutique with toys and clothes. Talk about one-stop shopping.

360 E 55th Street; (917) 639-3401

12. Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

Best Ice Cream Cakes

This family-run ice cream shop has been scooping and serving ice cream to New Yorkers for four generations (they’ve been around since 1978). Though their unique flavors, like red bean, coconut fudge, sweet ginger, chocolate bacon and jelly doughnut, are all delicious, we have to highlight their three-layer ice cream cakes. Choose from lychee, red bean and mango; lychee, green tea and mango; and lychee, red bean and green tea; or go for Neapolitan with a chocolate cookie crunch layer. While this is technically the only Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, they also have locations in LES and Flushing, Queens.

65 Bayard St.; (212) 608-4170

13. Milk Bar

Best Ice Cream Sandwich

Yes, Milk Bar is worth all the hype. What happens when you mix world-renowned cookies with the most decadent, flavorful ice cream that has all the tastiest mix-ins? The best ice cream sammies of all time. Stop by a flagship shop or a bakery throughout the U.S. and Canada, or get a build-your-own kit sent straight to your door. Our personal favorite? Birthday cake ice cream sandwiched between a cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie and a compost cookie (a chocolate chip cookie with pretzels, potato chips, graham crackers, coffee, oats and butterscotch).

Multiple locations; (347) 974-4975