Best Ice Cream Spots In The U.S.

Ice cream shops and parlors across America are offering incredible takes on the quintessential summer dessert. Here, Food & Wine presents 25 of the nation’s best spots for cool, creamy blends—from an artisan’s boundary-pushing flavor combinations to a New England dairy’s superb small batches.

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Columbus, OH: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

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Signature Item: Salty Caramel ice cream

Jeni Britton Bauer creates some of the country's best ice creams, sorbets and frozen yogurts in imaginative flavors like wildberry lavender and Thai chili. jenisicecreams.com

Photo © Andie Diemer.

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Signature Item: Salty Caramel ice cream



Jeni Britton Bauer creates some of the country's best ice creams, sorbets and frozen yogurts in imaginative flavors like wildberry lavender and Thai chili. jenisicecreams.com



Photo © Andie Diemer.




Plus: More Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Comments

[foxfroggy]

09:11 PM on 06/27/2011

We have Amy's in Houston as well and their Mexican Vanilla on a slice of hot apple pie cannot be topped.

[Mandles99]

11:52 AM on 06/27/2011

...Bi-rite's Salted Caramel is one of the best things since sliced bread, and I live around the corner from Ici... BUT this article seems lacking as it doesn't share how the ice creams were judged and on what criteria.

[ceilsthebomb]

08:44 AM on 06/27/2011

I can't believe that with San Francisco and Berkeley mentioned you missed Fentons Creamery in Oakland!! an old ice cream parlor - quite famous and wonderful! It stands out as my favorite of all times.

[chickeyd]

08:01 AM on 06/27/2011

The Door County Ice Cream Factory in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Yum.

[treasuredtrophie]

07:56 AM on 06/27/2011

Sundae School in Cape Cod

[coblstone]

04:51 AM on 06/27/2011

the best ice cream in the u.s. doesn't even come close to the best frozen custard in the u.s.
#1 Leon's and #2 Kopp's

[Dan Stauffenberg]

12:01 AM on 06/27/2011

Ok, so everyone has thier best ice cream shop! All good! But I'm voting for Planet Ice in Ocean City, NJ.
This place is not your old fashioned Ice Cream Shop. It is more like the local ice companies delivery truck ran into an Ice cream store and an Italian Ice shop and shook things up a little....check them out when your on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ or visit them online at www.myPLANETice.com.

[MilkShakeWerks]

11:45 PM on 06/26/2011

Don't forget MilkShake Werks in Redwood Shores, CA! :) We make yummy homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt with fresh local ingredients. Come visit us! :)

[SlapMeBum]

03:30 AM on 06/27/2011

Any locally grown herbs in your icecream?

[mgibson421]

11:18 PM on 06/26/2011

i always find it funny on national rankings when people comment saying that they missed the ice cream shop they know or thing they locally know. I'm sure all of these places in the rankings are great

[Nancy dalessandro]

11:06 PM on 06/26/2011

The best...and I have to say...in the WORLD...(and I mean better than Italy too) is the Bent Spoon in Princeton, NJ...Gabrielle Carbone is like a fine vintner...she magically weaves 1st rate and often locally sourced flavors to produce the most wonderful gelatos and sorbets...chocolate earl gray, lavender mascarpone, vanilla seasalt caramel, the most fantistic coconut sorbet and sometimes coffee coconut...each trip into the Bent Spoon offers new and enticing possibilities!!

[vahawkeye]

10:51 PM on 06/26/2011

Doumars of Norfolk Virginia should have been named one of the ten best of all time. They invented the ice cream cone back in 1907 and they still make cones the same way they made them since 1934. Hands down the best there is when it comes to ice cream. You haven't had a cone until you had a Doumars cone.

[judyrower]

10:36 PM on 06/26/2011

It seems every nation and every state in our Union has a great ice cream parlor.....but Findlay, Ohio has Dietsch Brothers' Ice Cream...the place every Presidential candidate has to come to be photographed in order to offically be running for office.....yes, Dietsch's buckeye ice cream with chocolate and peanut butter buckeye oozing out of chocolate ice cream. wow!! Ohio does it right!!!

[maternatura]

10:31 PM on 06/26/2011

We just moved to Boca Raton. Can anybody recommend a great ice cream parlor? Thx

[SlapMeBum]

03:31 AM on 06/27/2011

Move to NYC

[Ron Delay]

10:09 PM on 06/26/2011

You missed Frati Gelato Cafe. Voted LA HOT LIST "Best Ice Cream Shop in Orange County, Ca" in 2009, 2010 & 2011.

[mbluetyphoon]

09:55 PM on 06/26/2011

What!? Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco?

What about Mitchell's Ice Cream in San Francisco?

Mitchell's has been around since 1953 (being an offshoot of a family's small dairy farm in San Francisco, and is still owned by the same family since the late 1800's). I have not ever seen their mom and pop ice cream shop empty, even on cold days in the City.

Mitchell's has won over 50 gold, silver and bronze ribbons, and 2 gold medallions at previous California State Fairs.

Mitchell's has 33 standard flavors, 12 tropical flavors, 23 sorbets, 8 seasonal flavors, their sundaes and milkshakes are to die for....And, they make Thee Best non-alky egg nog in the World at Christmastime.

I'm sorry...I'm biased, but Mitchell's is the absolute best ice cream in San Francisco!

http://www.mitchellsicecream.com/html/welcome.htm