Food Editors' Picks: The Best Ice Cream Spots in the U.S.

By Food & Wine
July 21, 2016
Credit: Kelly Bazely
This story originally appeared on foodandwine.com 

Whether it's a Good Humor bar, a $10 sundae, or a scoop of basil and pine nut, Americans love ice cream — and fantastic parlors are creating brilliant flavors with ultra-creamy textures to entice us. Here, Food & Wine presents the top artisanal, exotic and nostalgic frozen desserts across the country.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

Traverse City, MI: Moomers Homemade Ice Cream

Credit: Courtesy of Moomers Ice Cream

Signature Item: Cherries Moobilee ice cream (made with local cherries)

The hands-down favorite of locals. The deck offers views of grazing dairy cows. moomers.com

Related: Great Ice Cream Sandwiches

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

Sharon, MA: Crescent Ridge Dairy Bar

Credit: Erin Nichols

Signature Item: Black Bear (red raspberry ice cream with chocolate chips and chocolate raspberry truffles)

The ice cream here is made in small batches from a 40-year-old recipe. crescentridge.com

3 of 10

Portland, OR: Cool Moon Ice Cream

Credit: Stacy Swartz

Signature Item: Wicked Chocolate ice cream

Among the local ingredients used at this Pearl District shop: Oregon bing cherries for its Bing Cherry Almond Chip and hazelnut butter and toasted hazelnuts from orchards 20 miles away for its Willamette Valley Hazelnut. coolmoonicecream.com

Advertisement

4 of 10

Missoula, MT: Big Dipper Ice Cream

Credit: Kristen Taylor

Signature Item: Huckleberry ice cream (made with local berries)

The inspired flavors range from El Salvador Coffee to Honey Porter. bigdippericecream.com

5 of 10

Hillsborough, NC: Maple View Farm and Dairy

Credit: Allison Hemler

Signature Item: Carolina Crunch (vanilla ice cream with bits of Heath Bar, Butterfinger, caramel cups, and a caramel swirl)

This family-owned dairy farm just outside Chapel Hill opened its ice cream shop in 2000. mapleviewfarm.com

6 of 10

Portsmouth, NH: Annabelle's Natural Ice Cream

Credit: Madeleine Severin

Signature Item: Mint Summer Night's Dream (mint chocolate ice cream with dark and white chocolate chunks)

This hugely popular shop right on the Portsmouth waterfront serves all-natural ice cream in more than 30 regular flavors, plus rotating seasonal ones. annabellesicecream.com

Related: Crazy Things People Do to Ice Cream

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

Kansas City, MO: Glacé Artisan Ice Cream

Credit: Courtesy of Glacé Artisan Ice Cream

Signature Item: Goat Cheese and Honey ice cream

Christopher Elbow is just as boundary-pushing with his ice creams, in flavors like Salted Pretzel and Persian Spice, as he is with his stellar artisan chocolates. glaceicecream.com

8 of 10

Bainbridge Island, WA: Mora Iced Creamery

Credit: Dadi Marinucci

Signature Item: Swiss Chocolate ice cream

A Bainbridge Island favorite owned and operated by two Argentinean expats; the superb ice cream, made in small batches, comes in flavors like Dulce de Leche and Gianduja. moraicecream.com

Related: Amazing Ice Cream Sundaes

9 of 10

Seattle: Molly Moon Ice Cream

Credit: Joanna Lee

Signature Item: Theo Chocolate (dark chocolate ice cream made with melted Theo bars)

Molly Moon Neitzel uses mostly local fruit to flavor her ice creams—the farthest south she goes for fruit is Napa Valley for blood oranges. mollymoonicecream.com

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

Brooklyn: Blue Marble

Credit: Kelly Bazely

Signature Item: Strawberry ice cream

All the ice creams here are certified organic from the milk to the fruit blended in. bluemarbleicecream.com

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Food & Wine