Founded in 2011, this local favorite makes their ice cream in a 15,000-square-foot factory in Red Hook and has nine scoop shops across the city (seven of which are listed in this Guide, plus outposts at Essex Market Line and DeKalb Market Hall). Their best selling flavor is the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake made with vanilla ice cream and butter cake that’s created in-house from scratch (similar to all mix-ins in each flavor).

The Chelsea Scoop Shop for local favorite ice cream–maker Ample Hills.

The Fireboat House Scoop Shop for local favorite ice cream–maker Ample Hills.

The Gowanus Scoop Shop for local favorite ice cream–maker Ample Hills.

The Prospect Park West Scoop Shop for local favorite ice cream–maker Ample Hills.

The Prospect Heights Scoop Shop for local favorite ice cream–maker Ample Hills.

The Astoria Scoop Shop for local favorite ice cream–maker Ample Hills.

The Upper West Side location for Big Gay Ice Cream's signature soft serve.

When Brooklyn Farmacy first opened its doors in Carroll Gardens in 2010, one of its many goals was to offer Brooklyn’s best egg cream. Not only is egg cream available in both chocolate or vanilla, but the self-proclaimed soda “jerks” behind the counter will also serve you other delights like floats, milkshakes, and specialty sundaes with potato chips or chunks of buttermilk biscuits.

This iconic, family-owned shop has been scooping up homemade ice cream in Chinatown since 1978. With locations now also in the Lower East Side and Flushing, the second generation purveyors of Chinatown Ice Cream Factory have made it easier to enjoy its regular flavors like lychee, pandan, black sesame, and more, in addition to a rotation of special appearances like cherry vanilla, jelly doughnut, and banana durian.

The Flushing location of the iconic, family-owned Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

The Lower East Side location of the iconic, family-owned Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

The corner location of Eddie’s Sweet Shop has been a Queens staple serving up sweet treats in Forest Hills since 1925. Made with homemade ice cream and overflowing with toppings and syrups, enjoy classics like sundaes, banana splits, and more from a quintessential New York ice cream parlor where respect for old-school traditions is the cherry on top of every dish.

Made on premise in small batches and with limited quantity, Lady Moo Moo operates out of a walk-up window in Bed Stuy every April to November. Open only from Fridays to Sundays, this year marks their sixth summer season and in addition to their classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, and butter pecan, a rotating set of menu items include the popular Rooftop Honey made with locally-sourced Brooklyn honey.

This ice cream shop born out of Carroll Gardens offers eggless scoops inspired by Southeast Asian ingredients. Founder Pooja Bavishi started Malai in 2015 with the notion that her favorite childhood spices (like rose petal and nutmeg) could be used to create these cold delights, and has since become known for signature flavors like Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds and Masala Chai.

After discovering their grandfather’s ice cream recipe book, two brothers opened Max and Mina’s in Flushing in 1997. Since then, the Queens spot has been serving inventive ice cream flavors that include everything from pickles to blueberry pancakes. The duo is also known to draw inspiration from different types of cereal.

Michael “Mikey” Cole still lives two blocks away from the East Village ice cream shop he first opened in 2013. In addition to a second store in Harlem and a shop inside Gotham West Market, Mikey Likes It’s pop-culture inspired flavors are regularly available through collaborations with cultural icons like Jay-Z or at newly opened bars like Thief in Williamsburg. Signature scoops include the Ice Ice Mikey, a blend of triple vanilla.

The Harlem outpost of pop culture–inspired ice cream shop Mikey Likes It Ice Cream.

With its flagship location on Houston Street (the LES storefront remains temporarily closed), the menu at this “new American ice cream parlor” offers up to 88 flavors, with some favorites being American Egg, Burnt Sage, Chocolate Oat, Green Tea Pistachio, and Salt & Pepper Pine Nut.

The phrase “East Village institution” is often associated with Ray’s Candy Store, a 24-hour spot where beloved owner and local legend, Ray Alvarez, can most likely be found working the night shift. Since 1974, this adult version of a candy store has been a favorite stop for barhoppers looking to scarf down on both savory and sweet treats alike. For your ice cream fix, go for a sundae or some soft serve and add on an order of the popular beignets or deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos.

At Sam’s Fried Ice Cream, toppings aren’t the only element that enhance the ice cream experience. Here you choose from different crusts—bread crumbs, Frosted Flakes, or Oreos—for your ice cream to be breaded and deep fried in, adding a crunchy and oh-so-good layer that can then be drizzled with caramel, condensed milk, honey comb, and more.

At Soft Swerve, the ice cream here is all about a dazzling signature swirl that’s especially a big hit on Instagram. Founded in 2016 by friends (and Chinatown natives) Jason Liu and Michael Tsang, the central flavors include frozen hot chocolate, black sesame, and the popular Ube Purple Yam, in addition to options like Thai tea, Vietnamese coffee, and matcha.

As longtime Harlem residents, the husband-and-wife team behind Sugar Hill Creamery opened their popular shop in 2017 to be a place for the neighborhood to grab a seat and enjoy artisanal ice cream made from scratch. In addition to offering an array of flavors like the Chairperson of the Board (blueberry cheesecake), Nunu’s Peach Cobbler (peach with cobbler crumbler), and First Day Out (corn jalapeño with hibiscus blackberry), they also regularly host community based programs.

The Central Harlem location of neighborhood favorite Sugar Hill Creamery.

The Time Out Market Dumbo location of Harlem-born Sugar Hill Creamery.

What started as yellow ice cream trucks roaming the city back in 2008 has grown into an empire with scoop shops nationwide and 17 alone across Manhattan and Brooklyn (including this outpost in Boerum Hill). Best selling flavors include cookies & cream, Sicilian pistachio, earl grey tea, honeycomb, and mint chip. Vegan products made with oat or cashew milk are also available.

The East Village location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Greenpoint location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Hudson Yards location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Lower East Side location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The MacDougal Street location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Murray Hill location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Nolita location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Prospect Heights location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Rockefeller Center location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Seaport location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Soho location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Upper East Side location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Upper West Side: Amsterdam location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Upper West Side: Columbus location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The West Village location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

The Williamsburg location of ice-cream empire Van Leeuwen.

With up to 75% of the African American community being lactose intolerant, sisters Courtney Blagrove & Zan B.R. initially founded Whipped Urban Dessert Lab on the Lower East Side as an ice cream option for those in search of dairy-free choices. The result is a creamy and wonderful treat made solely from oat-milk and offered in menu items like Salted Pecan (coated with crushed salted pecans) and Strawberry Shortcake (coated with strawberry crumble & strawberry sauce).