Best Ice Cream in NYC (Parents Share the Scoop)
Parents are submitting their picks for the best ice cream in NYC to our interactive list - with a handy map so you can easily find a spot near you!
Review your favorite NYC ice cream shops below and help other parents find a new place to score a cool treat with the kids.
Our list of favorite New York dessert spots has plenty of sweet ideas, too.
Something Sweet Homemade
This is a traditional ice cream parlor and it satisfies Staten Island's sugar craze! Perfect for giving your kids a treat after the big game, post graduation, on a birthday, or simply because it's Tuesday. You and the kiddos will enjoy the wide variety of ice creams and cakes on offer, and the laid-back setting. Plenty of room for strollers, and never a tantrum in sight. Who has a tantrum when ice cream is in the room?
Snowdays
Juan L.: What child doesn't love a snow day? Kids will especially love the Asian-inspired shaved frozen ice-cream concoctions at Snowdays NYC. Children will go wild over the colorful, delicious offerings and wide range of toppings that are just delicious. The store design, decorations, and containers are super adorable as well.
Ample Hills Creamery
Ample Hills uses hormone free milk and cream from grass fed cows and organic cane sugar and pasteurizes their ice cream on site. Most mix-ins are also made on site from scratch. The delicious concoctions include Snap, Mallow, Pop!, Cotton Candy, and PB Wins the Cup.
Big Gay Ice Cream
Kelly R: Big Gay Ice Cream brings a modern spin on old fashioned ice cream, and is loved by both kids and adults. They're best known for their soft serve cone creations that are as fun to order as they are to eat - like the Dorothy and (my personal favorite) the Salty Pimp.
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
Jennie Utsinger: For your kids with allergies: Van Leeuwen serves both classic ice cream and vegan ice cream - made with housemade cashew milk and organic coconut milk. All ice cream is made from scratch in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. All stores also offer coffee, tea, espresso, and pastries.
Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain
Jennie Utsinger: Best known for their charming decor and extensive selection of specialty sundaes, floats, shakes and cocoas, Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain is housed in a historic 1920s apothecary. Sit at the counter for an old-fashioned soda fountain experience or snag a table in back and play a few board games while you wait.
Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream
Jennie Utsinger: For the classic flavors (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), take the kids to Morganstern's, where several varieties of each flavor are offered. The kids' menu includes kid-sized portions of popular sundaes.
Emack & Bolio's
Jennie Utsinger: Kids will love the variety of flavored cones offered at Emack & Bolio's, including oreos, rice krispies, fruit loops, or chocolate sprinkles. Or how about an ice cream pizza, made with a brownie crust, vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge and marshmallow? The enormous array of flavors includes Space Cake (cake batter ice cream with short bread cookies pieces and chunks of red velvet cake) and Caramel Moose Prints (butterscotch ice cream, a caramel swirl and chocolate peanut buttercups).
il laboratorio del gelato
Jennie Utsinger: To view ice cream making first-hand, visit il laboratorio del gelato and peer into the open kitchen. All ice cream (and sorbet) is hand-made in small batches, and ingredients are sourced locally and organically when possible. A stunning array of flavor options are offered every day, out of the approximately 300 total flavors created.
Davey's Ice Cream
Jennie Utsinger: Davey's focuses on classic flavors with bases made in-house using milk and cream from local New York State creameries and other ingredients sourced seasonally as available. Peek through the window to view the production equipment in the back!
Eddie's Sweet Shop
Jennie Utsinger: Kids will love the 1960's ice cream parlor feel of Eddie's, which has much of the original decor and signage from the 60's. Almost all ice cream and toppings are made on site with fresh ingredients. In additional to classic ice cream, Eddie's also serves sundaes, malteds, shakes, and egg creams.
Primary photo: Jenny Smith on Unsplash
Upparent collects community-submitted recommendations and reviews, and any ideas that are shared reflect the opinions of individual contributors.