One of the newer entrants to the Chicago ice cream scene, Kilwins originated in Michigan. In addition to some of the kids’ favorite flavors like Superman and Blue Moon, they have an abundance of rich, hard-serve flavors and sorbetto. While you wait for them to scoop your ice cream, watch as they hand-craft Mackinac Island fudge and caramel apples. You’ll undoubtedly want to bring some of that home as well.

Kurimu puts an Asian spin to its ice cream flavors, from Thai ice tea to lychee pearl and purple yam. The exotic flavors are matched by the colorful, artful cones. Aside from the vibrantly color-blocked handheld desserts, you can also enjoy beautiful bubble teas.

Vegans certainly need not miss out on the joys of ice cream, and Vaca’s is making sure of it. The creamery uses high-quality, certified gluten-free oat milk for their vanilla and chocolate soft serve and have designed four specialty sundaes. They ensure all of their ingredients align with vegan values, which means there are no animal sources whatsoever, and they also have a strong commitment to social responsibility and paying their employees fairly.

Enjoy delicious ice cream while supporting a black-owned, woman-owned small business. Shawn Michelle’s signature flavors include banana pudding, bourbon butter pecan, strawberry cookies and cream, Blue Moon, Caribbean sunset (mango), Superman, lunchroom butter cookie, chocolate peanut butter and jelly, and chocolate harmony. She also has a vegan menu and five signature sundaes. Join their loyalty program and enjoy BOGO single size scoops on Saturdays and Sundays.

Pretty Cool Ice Cream launched in 2018 by founders Dana Cree, author of Hello, My Name is Ice Cream, and Michael Ciapciak, founder of Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits. They specialize in hand-made treats reminiscent of what you might find on an ice-cream truck. However, their skilled artisans work with the best ingredients to create edible works of contemporary art on popsicle sticks.

For the ultimate ice cream experience, visit the Museum of Ice Cream in the former Chicago Tribune building. Learn about the history of ice cream through 14 multi-sensory installations, take a dip in the sprinkle pool, and ride on the Chicago Sprink-L Line. Multiple ice cream treats in five different shapes and forms are included with your ticket.

It’s not simply an ice cream shop, but the Sugar Factory cannot be ignored. After all, it is home to the World Famous Sugar Factory King Kong Sundae—a 20-scoop mountain of ice cream covered with hot fudge, caramel, and strawberry sauces and topped with bananas, marshmallows, chocolate chip cookie chunks, a donut, a cupcake, gummy bears, sprinkles, graham cracker crumbs, all sorts of candy, whipped cream, and cherries. The $99 masterpiece serves 12!

Does anything say summer more than a peach cobbler concrete? It is one of the many rotating flavors available at Lickity Split. Along with ten other concrete concoctions, you can design your own using the various retro candy on sale. That’s right: with a base of either the chocolate, vanilla, or featured custard flavor, you can get anything from a simple cone to five sundae recipes, or a shake or malt. They even have warm treats including hot chocolate and affogato.

This is 95-year-old Chicago tradition: it’s a tower of five flavors that include orange sherbet, pistachio, Palmer House (otherwise known as vanilla with cherries), strawberry, and, of course, chocolate. Although you could enjoy each layer individually and work your way down, if you start from the bottom, it is the perfect lick up to the top! Also available are tiered cakes and cake rolls, as well as additional flavors like black walnut and mint flake, a perfect addition to sundaes and shakes.

Another Chicago institution, this ice-cream parlor and candy shop has been in the Poulos family since 1921 and is known to have been visited by the likes of Al Capone and The Beatles. The 57 different sundaes on the menu come with a side of hot fudge for you to drizzle yourself—so there’s a little fudge in every spoonful. Bring your children in with an “A” on their report card for a free cone. And don’t forget to bring home some decadent confections from their candy counter.

Owner Sean McGuire hails from Ireland and thus infuses little Irish twists to Cone’s menu with toppings such as Irish chocolate flake bars, Lucky Charms, and salt ‘n’ vinegar chips. Cone offers European-style soft serve in both dairy and non-dairy options. As an added bonus, Lil Cones for kids 5 years old and under are only $2!

Visitors flock to JoJo’s Shake Bar for their out-of-this-world Biggie Shakes. They are less about the ice cream blend, and more about the over-the-top toppings. For instance, The Gold Digger is a caramel toffee shake with a toffee dodo, a gold star marshmallow, a toffee pretzel, and a full size white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. The Rocky IV is a banana Reese’s Pieces shake with a toffee marshmallow, a white chocolate glove, and a full size peanut butter cookie.

Believe it or not, although it only opened in 2003, Scooters is the oldest frozen custard shop in Chicago. Vanilla, chocolate, and a custard flavor of the day are made fresh, daily, on-site. Although they have numerous concrete and sundae suggestions, you are welcome to create your own. They also serve Italian ice parfaits (half custard, half Italian ice.) Hot dogs are also on the menu.

Serving both hard serve and soft serve, shakes, cakes, and frozen lattes, Oberweis has it all. The shop is very kid-friendly with chess and checkers on the tables and more games available upon request. Plus, colorful balloons are up for grabs to any kid who wants one. If you’ve got errands to run, it’s worth noting that you can pick up some light grocery items—like milk, butter, and eggs while you are there.

Jeni’s carries some of the most interesting flavors you will find, so it makes sense that the Ohio founder, Jeni Britton, started out mixing scented oils with different foods before she began experimenting with ice cream. Where else will you find cream cheese ice cream with everything bagel gravel or goat cheese with red cherries? If the saying didn’t already exist, Jeni’s would have certainly inspired, “Don’t knock it ’til you try it.” They even have dairy-free and gluten-free flavors.