Along with their now-famous pre-packaged sammies, which you can find in the freezer aisle of hundreds of grocery stores across the country, Coolhaus sells dairy and dairy-free pints in a range of crowd-pleasing flavors. For the true Coolhaus experience, a store visit to the Culver City or University Park location to create a bespoke sandwich—consisting of a freshly baked cookie, ice cream, and toppings—is a must.

The University Park location of cult-favorite ice-cream sandwich maker Coolhaus.

A former tattoo artist and reality TV star, Happy Ice founder Lemeir Mitchell has enjoyed an unconventional path to becoming a purveyor of water ice—a type of Philly-style Italian ice that’s rarely found its way out of its hometown. As a born-and-raised Philadelphian, Mitchell was determined to introduce the iconic treat to Los Angeles, which you can now find at his roaming food trucks and Melrose storefront.

This Fairfax neighborhood Italian market is one of LA’s best undercover places to get the richest, creamiest gelato. Their farmers'-market-driven flavors—including Amarena cherry, saffron rosewater, and lavender poppy seed—are made with natural ingredients, using secret recipes and techniques they’ve perfected to keep you coming back for more. Pro tip: Don’t sleep on the chocolate, a luscious combo of dark and milk chocolate that’s packed with depth and intensity.

Founded by Jeni Britton Bauer in 2002, Jeni’s now has locations in Larchmont, Venice, Playa Vista, and Los Feliz. Here, it's less about crazy, out-of-the-box flavors and more about interesting pairings—often inspired by her childhood memories—that ice cream consumers find unequivocally delicious. Most of all, they’re known for ice cream with unparalleled texture—thanks to a buttercream-like body, it’s got a smooth-yet-slightly dense and chewy consistency.

The Los Feliz location of Jeni's, where you'll find staples like brambleberry crisp (which is peppered with oat streusel chunks based on a family recipe) and gooey butter cake (a riff on the the moist yellow cake Jeni’s mom would bake for special occasions).

The Playa Vista location of Jeni's, the unequivocably delicious scoop shop.

The Venice location of Jeni's, which first opened in Ohio.

This Filipino fast-food joint, often dubbed the McDonald’s of the Philippines, is perhaps most famous for its hand-breaded fried chicken. But don’t sleep on Jollibee’s colorful take on halo-halo, a traditional Pinoy dessert that means “mix-mix” in Tagalog and offers up a hodgepodge of flavors in one plastic cup. Cold fruits, jellies, sweet beans, and coconut meat are layered with shaved ice and topped with creamy caramel flan and a heaping scoop of ube ice cream.

This South Bay gem churns ice cream fresh five days a week. While they’ve experimented with dozens of flavors over the years—many of them Asian-inspired, like Japanese barley tea, black sesame, and kumquat marmalade—they only carry about five a day, as well as a handful of parfaits. At Kansha, which means “gratitude” in Japanese, the focus is always on giving back to the community.

Owners Warren and Rose Schwartz are professional chefs who wanted to create an elevated take on Dairy Queen. Magpies (which has a location in Silver Lake) is their brainchild—featuring a made-from-scratch ice cream base, and flavors that remind you of the classics but are infinitely more sophisticated, like malted milk chocolate. If you’re lucky, their famous fried ice cream pie will be available.

Magpies also hawks its elevated takes on soft serve at this location in Highland Park.

Long-standing Mashti Malone’s is a direct rival of Westwood’s Saffron & Rose, but we’d be remiss not to mention both on this list. Like its competitor, Mashti makes scrumptious Persian ice cream in flavors like rosewater, lavender, and orange blossom—all colored and flavored naturally using herbs and spices—and, if you so desire, topped with sour cherry syrup or lemon juice. Ask for a “Mashti” instead of a cone, and you’ll get a fat scoop sandwiched between two crisp, paper-thin wafers.

The Hollywood location of scrumptious Persian ice cream maker Mashti Malone's.

Founded by the late Oaxacan native Priciliano Mateo, beloved Mateo’s has made the fruity, Mexican-style popsicles called paletas for years, and its brightly colored passionfruit, guava, tamarind, and soursop treats match the vibrant interiors of its shops, including this location in Mid-City.

The Pico-Union outpost of beloved paleteria Mateo's.

The Culver City outpost of beloved paleteria Mateo's.

The Sawtelle outpost of beloved paleteria Mateo's.

McConnell’s isn’t just an ice cream shop with cool flavors like Eureka lemon and marionberries—it’s an actual dairy located in downtown Santa Barbara that’s been around for decades and now has locations in DTLA, Studio City, and Pacific Palisades. Instead of slapping its brand on an outside manufacturer’s ice cream, McConnell’s makes everything from scratch, using grass-grazed Central Coast milk and cream and working exclusively with local farms.

The Studio City of McConnell's, a Santa Barbara–based dairy that's obsessed with creating perfectly balanced scoops.

The Pacific Palisades location of McConnell's, a Santa Barbara–based dairy serving a magnificently creamy product.

This Little Tokyo cafe only has a few soft-serve flavors—matcha, black sesame, and hojicha—but they do all three exceptionally well. Their matcha uses organic, ceremonial-grade, Japanese green tea that gives it a rich yet subtle flavor that tastes legit, while the hojicha has an earthy, roasted quality for a bolder appeal. If you can’t decide, opt for a swirl!

Although Mizala (which has multiple locations, including in West Adams) is billed as a Mediterranean grill specializing in spit-roasted shawarma and fluffy falafel, one of its best-kept secrets is the dessert—specifically the shakes. In three flavors—halva cinnamon, chocolate almond, and salted caramel—these creamy concoctions are rooted in tahina, a thick, earthy paste derived from ground sesame seeds with a peanut butter-like texture.

The Sycamore location of Mizlala, where you'll find bonafide, full-dairy milkshakes.

From six generations of ice cream makers, this unassuming Van Nuys shop turns out a massive variety of melt-in-your-mouth tropical ice cream, served in standard cones or Instagram-friendly coconut bowls. Go for the exotic profiles like lucuma, a Peruvian superfruit with a maple-like taste; sugar corn, which owner Marthin Ken (whose father-in-law operated the original Helados Pops) perfected based on an old family recipe.

Located in Westwood’s Little Tehran, Saffron & Rose often has a line of eager customers snaking out the door, waiting for its dense, gooey ice creams. If you’re into sweet-tasting scoops, they’ve got you covered with milky cookies and cream or a luscious caramel crunch, while those with a preference for fruity flavors should order the light, delightfully refreshing cucumber or watermelon.

This Portland-based, small-batch ice cream shop now has even more locations in LA than in its Oregon hometown (including this one in Larchmont Village. That’s a testament to how much Angelenos go crazy for its tasty scoops, often made in partnership with local vendors. In addition to shilling “classic” flavors which are anything but—like rainbow-sprinkled birthday cake folded with blackberry jam, or a spectacular take on cookie dough that’s made with massive, salty, malty chunks.

The Abbot Kinney location of Portland, Oregon's, phenomenal Salt & Straw ice cream shop.

The Arts District location of Portland, Oregon's, phenomenal Salt & Straw ice cream shop.

The Studio City location of Portland, Oregon's, phenomenal Salt & Straw ice cream shop.

The West Hollywood location of Portland, Oregon's, phenomenal Salt & Straw ice cream shop.

The Culver City location of Portland, Oregon's, phenomenal Salt & Straw ice cream shop.

One of the first modern artisanal ice creameries to open up shop in LA back in 2005, Scoops set the bar with their cult-favorite flavor—an innovative, Grape Nuts-based brown bread—that’s now the only one they offer daily. While the original Scoops in East Hollywood has now closed, the other outposts in Highland Park, Chinatown, and Torrance rotate between flavors like banana malt burnt sugar, almond horchata, or mint whiskey—relying on the lighter, less fatty base they’ve used for years.

The Highland Park location of artisanal ice-cream pioneer Scoops.

Part of the Rustic Canyon restaurant group—which includes Santa Monica stalwarts like Cassia, Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe, and Milo & Olive—Sweet Rose Creamery follows in the tradition of its sister eateries and utilizes the nearby Santa Monica Farmers' Market for seasonal ingredients. That’s what gives each flavor a distinct freshness, from year-round offerings (like fresh mint made with organic peppermint leaves) to seasonal options (such as stone fruit sorbet).

The Brentwood Country Mart location of seasonally-driven scoop shop Sweet Rose Creamery.

When owner Uli Nasibova traded in her finance career for frozen treats in 2014, no one could stop raving about her speculoos flavor, infused with crushed, caramelized bits of the Belgian spice cookies. Now that it’s been seven years since she opened her first location in downtown’s Spring Arcade—often credited with helping usher in the area’s renaissance—we’ve discovered that the rest of her made-on-site, silky-soft gelatos are just as delicious.

Over the past decade, Van Leeuwen has come a long way—from its humble beginnings operating out of a yellow, refurbished ice cream truck, to its now-ubiquitous pints in fancy grocery stores and expanding brick-and-mortar locations (including ones in Culver City, Franklin Village, Silver Lake, and the Arts District). Van Leeuwen still makes all its ice cream from scratch in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, using only a handful of ingredients, including fresh milk and cream, cane sugar, and egg yolks.

The Franklin Village outpost of this Brooklyn-based fancy ice cream shop, which has become well-known for decadent vegan scoops.

The Silver Lake outpost of this Brooklyn-based fancy ice cream shop, which has become well-known for decadent vegan scoops.

The Arts District outpost of this Brooklyn-based fancy ice cream shop.

What started off as a small shop in Tarzana quickly turned into a household name (to ice cream lovers at least) after partners Adrienne Borlongan and Jon-Patrick Lopez opened a booth at Smorgasburg LA, as well as locations in Atwater Village, Venice, Fairfax, and Pasadena. If you couldn’t guess, the flavors here are inspired by far-flung destinations.

The Fairfax location of Wanderlust Creamery, where Thailand’s famous dessert is channeled into a rice milk with coconut cream and swirls of mango, China gets an ice cream made from the beloved Chinese white rabbit milk candies, and the Philippines are embodied by an ube malted crunch influenced by Adrienne’s Filipino-American upbringing.

The Venice location fo Wanderlust Creamery, where you'll find flavors inspired by far-flung destinations.