Classic Trieste cafe scooping cremolato, a chunky, intensely flavored cross between granita and ice cream. Cups of icy fig or pomegranate piled with whipped cream go straight to the terrace on warm afternoons.
Polished, pastel-walled boutique scooping traditional Italian gelato from sunken counters. Running taps of white and milk chocolate sit behind the marble bar to coat fresh wafers for every order.
Small-batch gelato counter tucked behind a Convent Road coffee bar. Fresh, preservative-free scoops with irreverent names rotate biweekly, served in custom cups and taken upstairs to a warm mid-century lounge.
Tiny Södermalm gelato counter running a fast, hop-in-and-out takeout operation. Complex, small-batch flavors like brown butter and baklava are scooped straight from classic metal cylinders.
Italian-style gelateria and cafe across from Vasaparken. A steady line stretches out the door on warm afternoons for fresh focaccia and daily gelato batches in rotating flavors like burnt butter and pistachio.
Small, retro gelateria serving traditional flavors from hidden tubs. The standard order is an affogato – a flower-shaped scoop drowned in hot espresso – eaten standing out on the piazza.
Compact Prenzlauer Berg cafe serving traditional Italian gelato layered with a spatula. Steady lines spill out the door on warm afternoons for fresh pistachio, Basque cheesecake, and rich espresso poured over cold gelato.
Small Friedrichshain ice cream shop serving traditional Argentine dulce de leche and inventive flavors like lime, coriander, and chili. Space is tight, leaving just two sidewalk benches for late-night scoops and tasting bowls.
Plant-based Prenzlauer Berg scoop shop serving raw, soy-free ice cream made from nut milks and natural sweeteners. Pastel benches line the sidewalk for eating scoops of hazelnut baobab and blue coconut.
Busy Overtoom gelateria and espresso bar spinning fresh seasonal flavors daily in a back lab. Classic Italian scoops and hot affogatos cross the counter in a compact room with a steady line stretching out the door.
Busy Lebanese parlor serving organic ice cream with the chewy texture of mastic. The signature Ashta scoops are rolled in a thick layer of crushed pistachios.
Black-fronted glacerie on rue des Martyrs serving offbeat, rock-themed ice cream and seasonal sorbets. Staff scoop inventive pairings like wasabi dark chocolate and hemp vanilla alongside hot sweet waffles.
Colorful ice cream shop turning out mix-in-heavy scoops and fresh brown butter waffle cones. Fast-moving lines wrap past the yellow metal benches outside, with most heading down to the nearby Canal Saint-Martin to eat.
Compact Soho gelateria serving traditional Italian ice cream and gelato-stuffed brioche buns. Flavors are ordered from a wall menu instead of a display case, and usually taken to go with a chocolate-filled mini cone on top.
Division Street counter serving ultra-rich, French-style frozen custard. The dense base uses a dozen yolks per quart, with a short list of rotating flavors served in Roman cones or pints to go.
Cozy Mississippi Avenue pizzeria splitting its menu between sourdough pies and house-made ice cream. An open kitchen bakes pizzas topped with local produce and edible flowers, while a rolled-up garage door lets in the evening air.
Narrow, glass-fronted soft serve shop spinning single-origin milk from regional Japanese dairy farms. The tiny four-seat counter serves side-by-side tasting flights comparing the subtle flavors of different cow breeds.
Bustling Circular Quay shop serving 40 flavors of gelato made entirely from scratch. The cabinet mixes classic scoops with five creative weekly specials loaded with house-made cake and brownies.
Minimalist lab serving daily batches from deep chrome Pozzetti cabinets. The organic, seasonal scoops melt fast, often keeping a line spilling out the bright yellow door onto King Street.
Tiny Thai Town storefront serving rich gelato and massive, bingsu-style shaved ice. The small room stays busy with orders of candle-smoked salted egg yolk and mango sticky rice bowls large enough to share.
Compact Atwater Village scoop shop serving globally inspired ice cream late into the night. The menu leans on Filipino and Asian ingredients, with scoops of ube malted crunch and sticky rice mango heading out to the shared patio.
Inventive scoop shop where lines move slowly because tasting is half the point. Staff hand over endless samples of Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons or Arbequina Olive Oil before packing generous waffle cones.
Takeaway dessert counter serving massive ice cream tacos and thick milkshakes. The family-run shop runs strictly as a grab-and-go stop for heavy, loaded sweets like banana pudding shakes and strawberry crunch balls.
Small North Park gelato shop keeping the name and decor of the dry cleaner that came before it, right down to the ironing board tables. Every order starts with a full tasting of all seven fabric-named flavors.
Pacific Beach walk-up window serving classic soft-serve and milkshakes. Fast-moving lines wrap the corner building for dipped cones, hot fudge sundaes, and simple chili dogs eaten at a few outdoor tables.
South 1st Street bungalow churning small-batch Italian gelato from scratch. Lines regularly spill out the door for rotating flavors like ricotta and honey, with most scoops heading straight to the front patio.
East Austin walk-up window blending frozen fruit straight into vanilla ice cream for a custom New Zealand-style soft serve. The large yard has plenty of picnic benches for eating outside.
Family-run ice cream trailer tucked in a parking lot behind a North Lamar ramen shop. The walk-up window scoops small-batch dairy and vegan flavors alongside thick homemade milkshakes.
Retro-style walk-up stand and fast-paced drive-thru slinging thick frozen custard concretes and sundaes. Bright neon lights glow over the patio while staff blend fresh desserts behind wide storefront glass.
St. Clair dessert counter swirling unsweetened frozen Greek yogurt. The tangy, protein-packed base comes layered with fresh strawberries and pistachio sauce alongside hot Colombian coffee.
Compact gelateria churning daily batches with ingredients imported straight from Italy. Lines for Sicilian pistachio and espresso often spill onto the sidewalk, leaving standing room only.
Tiny, busy West Village frozen yogurt shop serving dense, tart swirls of imported Greek kefir. Monthly rotating flavors get piled high with dozens of Mediterranean toppings like pistachio paste and baklava crumbles.
Upper East Side counter serving creamy soft serve and Greek yogurt strained to an ultra-dense thickness. Bowls get heaped with textural toppings like raw honeycomb and gooey kunafeh-filled cookies.
Minimalist West Village parlor serving matcha gelato in five distinct intensity levels. Crowds pack the petite room to test the scale, moving from mild sweetness to the deep, grassy punch of ceremonial grade.
Bright, modern Long Island City gelateria scooping Asian-inspired flavors and tea-infused gelato. Late-night orders run through touchscreen kiosks for jasmine tea floats, roasted oolong, and black sesame.
Bright SoHo corner shop running a self-serve, pay-by-weight frozen yogurt counter using upstate dairy. A massive toppings bar fills the minimalist room, loaded with seasonal fruit, pistachio sauce, and Swedish candy.
SoHo gelato shop spinning fresh batches daily in an on-site lab. Flavors stay tucked under traditional metal pozzetti rather than open display cases, keeping scoops of dense pistachio and dark chocolate perfectly soft.
Slim, unfussy Lower East Side parlor serving generous scoops of old-school ice cream churned right in the back. The cozy counter fills with kids grabbing after-school milkshakes and classic sundaes loaded with house-made toppings.
Walk-up Bronx factory window serving tropical water ices straight to the sidewalk. Cash-only lines move fast for paper cups of coconut and mango, alongside heavy half-gallon tubs hauled away for summer parties.
Palermo ice cream workshop and open kitchen serving a tight menu of seasonal, culinary-driven flavors. The small-batch cups are kept slightly warmer than usual to bring out the flavor, meant to be eaten right at the counter.
