Sundaes and Cones

Ideally located where NoHo, the East Village, and Nolita meet, this hotel's bright bedrooms and contrastingly cavernous bar attracts the rockstar set—for scene, but also for comfort. The rooms feature classic New York apartment touches like marble bathtubs and hardwood floors—combined with high-end linens and plush velvety touches, this makes for an ideal stay. Downstairs, Gemma is a good spot for a drink (it’s also a good dinner option for bigger groups), though the hotel is so well-situated to some of the city’s best restaurants, consider taking your meals out.

In the Lower East Side, Hotel Indigo stands out, literally, as one of the tallest buildings in its radius, which translates into unparalleled views of the neighborhood and beyond. Not surprisingly, the hotel has a rooftop bar (Mr. Purple) and a modestly sized pool—not necessarily for doing laps, but it adds to the atmosphere. The rooms are modern and the best ones have floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The duplex penthouse suite might be the biggest splurge, but the outdoor terrace room on the seventh floor is pretty special, too.

From hoteliers behind the likes of The Bowery and Jane, The Ludlow hotel has become a favorite destination for locals thanks to the popularity of its excellent off-lobby restaurant, Dirty French. The hotel itself makes for a really lovely stay for visitors—particularly if you're looking for a place to post-up during the day and get some work/reading done: The lobby is a gorgeous lounge space with a distressed limestone fireplace, cozy leather couches mixed with vintage furnishings, Moroccan-style rugs, and chandeliers with a romantic glow. Adjacent to the lobby is a bright garden space with ivy walls and hanging greenery that's covered and heated in the winter so guests can eat/hang at the tables here year round. Up above, there are about 180 sophisticatedly decorated rooms across the 20-story hotel. The terrace rooms come with a 215-square-foot, furnished outdoor patio; and many others have balconies with views of LES and beyond. Some of the best views can be glimpsed from window-side soaking tubs in Ludlow's chic bathrooms, which are outfitted with marble mosaic floors, industrial brass fixtures, rain showerheads, and bathrobes from Paris-based Maison Margiela.

In what used to be the Jarmulowsky Bank, Nine Orchard is a gem of a hotel in a beautifully preserved and restored Neo-Renaissance building. The Swan Room—gathering space by day, cocktail lounge by night—occupies the former teller room, and it’s gorgeous, with marble walls and sky-high ceilings. There’s also a warm and homey tavern, Corner Bar, for breakfasts and dinners that far exceed the casual neighborhood vibe: Here, it’s 56-dollar steak au poivre and rare bottles of Burgundy. There are 113 guest rooms, all simply and thoughtfully appointed with a minimalist mid-century vibe. One more thing: Nine Orchard is smack in the middle of the sceniest part of the Lower East Side, across the street from the café that became the namesake for Dimes Square. Whether that’s a pro or a con, we’ll leave to you.

Like all of Andre Balasz’ hotels, The Standard East Village, a tall glass building looming above Cooper Square, is a haven for travelers as much as it is a local, neighborhood establishment. Upstairs, hotel guests enjoy a little respite with rooms that boast picture window views, high above the city streets.

Casino, which occupies the old Mission Chinese space, became the “it” restaurant on the Lower East Side as soon as it opened. If you’re looking for a night out for espresso martinis, dim lighting, and people watching, it’s great for that. When your server asks if you’re interested in dessert, the answer is yes, and the correct order is the dark chocolate cake.

Portuguese and Spanish vibes take center stage at this cozy Lower East Side spot from restaurateur Nialls Fallon and chef Nick Perkins, partners known for their Bed-Stuy restaurant, Hart’s. The menu is simple but satisfying, with a seafood bent: Manila clams with Vinho Verde and garlic; Crispy shrimp heads; platters of Cape Cod and Washington State oysters. And the dishes pair well with a glass of unfortified white from the Iberian peninsula. There’s also a juicy grass-fed lamb burger and a roasted half chicken with piri piri.

Che Li does classic Shanghainese food (soup dumplings, braised pork belly, green beans, crispy eel, garlicky eggplant...) in a space inspired by old markets, with wood roofs and lots of paper lanterns. The vibe here is gold—the servers are friendly and helpful, and everyone’s having a good time.

Situated on the basement level under its sister restaurant Penny, Claud serves excellent French-inflected food like cod croquettes, béarnaise beets, and paté-packed pasta. Get whatever seasonal-produce mille-feuille is on the menu; you’ll dream about the puff pastry for the rest of forever.

There are often lines around the corner to get in but it's worth it for the legendary pancakes. Plus, take-out is always available if you don’t have time to wait for a seat.

This is definitely one of the best soba joints in the city: We like the Nolita location the best, but this one on the LES is very cozy. Go for the Mera Mera Dip Soba, with minced chicken and a fiery broth: The noodles are packed with flavor, chewy, and perfectly al-dente. Don’t miss the homemade silky tofu, sprinkled with grated ginger, scallions, nori and bonito flakes, which is as creamy and delicious as a hunk of fresh burrata.

Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick, and Rich Torrisi's restaurant group first got attention for Torrisi, an Italian joint that re-imagined classic dishes. As its name suggests, their second venture, Dirty French, does the same for French food. The thing to order is definitely the millefeuille (it's a riff on the original dish that substitutes paper-thin mushrooms for puff pastry), but the whole menu—and, by the way, wine list—is excellent. You'll only need a group of 30 to justify an entire buy-out of the space, which gets really dolled up around the holidays.

Fun fact: Amanda Cohen was the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef America—and she also wrote the first graphic novel cookbook published in North America. Unsurprisingly, her restaurant is insanely delicious, whether you’re a veg or not.

There is nothing fancy or gimmicky about chef Alex Stupak’s third south-of-the-border-inspired restaurant. What separates Al Pastor from the other restaurants are the modest prices and super approachable vibe—everything is served on paper plates, the seating is first-come, first-served, and tacos start at $6. The taco al pastor is stuffed with spit-roasted, chili-spiced pork and pineapple, and the guacamole is really good, too. Plus, there’s a giant mural on the ceiling that’s essentially the East Village equivalent of the Sistine Chapel—a must-see if you’re into gigantic llamas.

Fiaschetteria is a casual spot turning out authentic Tuscan food. (The owners still run the original location in Pistoia, Italy.) You come here for handmade pasta, which contends for NYC’s best. There are two locations in New York: In the West Village, it’s first come, first served. In the East Village, you have to call (not email, not Resy) for a reservation.

This homey, neighborhood joint churns out delicious and affordable Italian comfort food. Frank Prisinzano, for whom the restaurant is named, developed a menu comprised of his family's best dishes and continuously sources top-notch ingredients, which makes for a pretty excellent meal any day of the week. Plus, his wine cave downstairs boasts a vast array of regional Italian wines from Piedmonte to the Veneto.

Nestled in a back alley that's decorated overhead with twinkle lights and on the sides with greenery, Freeman's is still going strong after all these years. The classically eccentric interior is dark and cozy, making it best suited to warm winter meals. Food-wise, the menu is simple but never boring. Sitting in the private wine room, tucked away in the back, feels a bit like eating a meal in a family member's kitchen.

Chef Flynn McGarry opened the original Gem restaurant at just 19 years old, and Gem Wine at 25. If you’re wondering how that’s possible, some context: McGarry started his first tasting restaurant at age 11, and he’s since trained at Alinea, Eleven Madison Park, and Noma, among others. Gem Wine has a great wine list, but McGarry’s menu, which changes weekly, is still the main event. The space (on a mostly residential block on the Lower East Side) is breezy and spacious, and it’s great for impressing a date.

While NYC has its fair share of Vietnamese restaurants, what's great about this cozy St. Mark's spot is the mix of inventiveness and authenticity: the pho is extremely rich and layered and served sans the traditional American side of lime, and the spring rolls have an unexpected crunch thanks to fried wonton shells.

The food here is full of flavor and spice (the dan dan noodles are particularly insane). It's a no-frills kind of place, but the reasonable tabs make it a great place to go with a group on a budget.

The only thing keeping up with Ippudo's sterling reputation for Japanese comfort food is its growing list of U.S. locations (11 and counting). The need-to-knows: The noodles are hand-pulled on-site and cooked perfectly al dente. Broths are slow-boiled for up to 20 hours. They're known for the super-flavorful tonkotso ramen, but we love the miso ramen and yuzu shoyu. They have some more contemporary restaurant-style dishes here, but the traditional ramen bowls are really where it's at. Prices are low, and it's first come, first serve, so be prepared to wait.

As its name would suggest, when it comes to ramen, Ivan and company know what they are doing. The cold spicy sesame noodles topped with prawns are a great option on hotter days. If you go for dinner, they’re most famous for Triple Pork Triple Garlic Mazeman—the Tokyo Shio Ramen, loaded with egg, pork chashu, and roast tomato is a bit lighter.

A legendary Jewish deli, Katz’s originally opened in 1888 under a different name, and across the street from its current location on Houston and Ludlow. It was an institution long before the iconic orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally, although it didn’t hurt. Most people come for either the hot pastrami or corned beef sandwich, or the Reuben version, which adds Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. Katz’s credits its slow curing method, which can last up to a month, for the meat’s superior taste. (You’ll also find matzo ball soup on the menu, along with everything else you’d expect/want, as well as less traditional offerings for a Jewish deli, like NY-style cheesecake.) For those outside of the city, note that Katz’s ships across the States.

This understated Italian trattoria isn’t reinventing the wheel; it just does candlelit dining and wood-oven roasting very well. Regulars come for their millionth order of sausage rigatoni and the rabbit pappardelle.

The team behind Frank bring the same homey, rustic appeal to this pizza and pasta spot, where you can grab a great Italian meal and wash it down with a regional wine. There's a covered garden in the back.

Here’s one way to transport yourself to Paris: a yellow-walled boîte, tight bistro tables, a wooden bar, and a menu of French classics. Order a bottle of wine from Bourgogne or the Loire valley, then go in on pan-seared foie gras, steak au poivre, and profiteroles.

For years, the Lower East Side has played host to the New York dumpling craze, of which we were avid participants from the start. We loved when Mimi Cheng’s came along and began serving up delectable Taiwanese-style dumplings made with antibiotic-free, local meat and fresh veggies. And, their hole in the wall is beautiful, whitewashed and dotted with bright yellow stools.

David Chang's Noodle Bar is a laid-back, no-reservations, ramen-specific restaurant. Chang, who is now legendary, does pretty revolutionary food, whether it’s noodles or pork buns, meaning that if there’s just one must-try foodie experience downtown, one of his restaurants would probably be it.

Four months after Auckland-born chef Matt Lambert opened the doors of the Musket Room, he earned himself a Michelin star. Every detail at the New Zealand–inspired restaurant is perfect: Many ingredients are grown in the courtyard behind the restaurant, the interiors are modern and rustic (with a musket over the bar, naturally), and the dishes are artfully plated.

Naks is a Filipino spot by the same people who run the regional Indian restaurants Dhamaka (in the East Village) and Semma (in the West Village). Here, chef Eric Valdez makes food he grew up eating in his mom’s house in Makati, plus dishes inspired by his travels across the Phillipines. You can order à la carte—but the most special meal here is the kamayan dinner, where fried duck, lemongrass-stuffed pork belly, and pancit batil patong (ground wagyu and egg noodles) are spread out on banana leaves for you to eat with your hands.

Penny is a raw bar that takes “bar” literally; it’s all bar and counter seating, with most spots reserved for walk-ins. They serve great oysters and crudo, garlicky periwinkles, caviar service, and house-made sesame brioche, with good wine to wash everything down.

While take-out from the 1914 original on East Houston is an unparalleled New York City experience, the wonderfully turned-out, old-world café is about a ten minute walk from the mothership, with waits that are two or three times that long. We heartily recommend the classic open-face sandwich, the super heebster nosh with wasabi roe, and matzo ball soup. Dying to try next: Chocolate babka french toast, along with their potato latkes.

Chef Helen Nguyen isn’t going for traditional, and you’ll notice some twists on her menu (like pickles in the bánh xèo). But she does traditional Vietnamese food beautifully, and you should load your table with steamed dumplings, imperial rolls, garlic noodles, oxtail fried rice, and sauteed pea shoots.

At this quaint, no-frills shabu spot, you dip thinly sliced beef, tofu, and vegetables in boiling water placed right in the middle of the table. And for those seeking vegetarian options, their menu extends far beyond their specialty shabu shabu, and includes awesome bibimbaps.

Superiority Burger made a name for itself with chef Brooks Headley's (formerly the pastry chef of Del Posto) rakish take on vegetarian fast food. The menu is brief, but you can't really make a bad choice—the small-but-mighty veggie burger, a Sloppy Dave (their version of a Sloppy Joe), and burnt-broccoli salad are stand-outs. Daily specials range from soarana beans with parsley to kabocha squash with pea shoot pepita pesto. Grabbing one of the few seats is basically a competitive sport, so better take your food over to Tompkins Square Park and grab a bench.

This relaxed, affordable Italian place in Alphabet City has a menu that reads like a greatest hits list of Italian classics. Their private rooms (you'll need at least 15 people) are perfect for a big family birthday party, with a prix-fixe menu served family style.

Neapolitan pizza pioneer Anthony Mangieri makes incredible wood-fired pizza with crust we can only describe as dazzling: perfectly puffy and leopard-spotted. Reservations, which max out at four diners a table, are necessary and worth battling it out on Resy to get. Una only makes so much pizza dough a day, and the pies reserved for walk-ins usually sell out to those who line up before the shop opens.

Chef duo Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra of Contra opened a more casual wine-bar-meets-restaurant spot a couple doors down on Orchard Street, which has proven to be an LES standout. All of the seating is at high-top, communal tables. The wine list is first-rate, but this isn't just a spot for drinks, so come hungry and attempt to order as many of the very shareable plates as you can.

Ideally located where NoHo, the East Village, and Nolita meet, this hotel's bright bedrooms and contrastingly cavernous bar attracts the rockstar set—for scene, but also for comfort. Downstairs, Gemma is a good spot for a drink (it’s also a good dinner option for bigger groups).

New York is full of prohibition-themed bars, but this one stands out for its incredible drinks. The space, dark and intimate, is meant for small parties to enjoy their drinks and snacks over quiet conversation (make a reservation as seating is scarce). The drink menu is sorted by themes, from light & playful to rich & comforting, so you're bound to find something that meets, and then exceeds, your very particular expectations. Don't miss the incredible food, which justifies arriving with an empty stomach.

This ‘70s-inspired Lower East Side bar-slash-restaurant is one of our favorite spots. Upstairs there are comfortable booths to melt into after a long day, short day—or anytime you just really need a cocktail. The bar snacks are good, especially the cauliflower steak on a bed of quinoa. Downstairs feels like a tricked-out version of your cool neighbor’s basement—pool table, sunken fireplace, and jukebox included, plus walls covered with tapestries and kitschy-cool posters.

Lullaby is the kind of place you can order boozy punch and Dole whip cocktails. It’s dark. There’s a guy spinning vinyl at the end of the bar. People get up and dance, even though there’s not much space. It’s a great party—in the most low-key way.

With its extensive tequila and mezcal menu, this bar intends to enlighten us all about the two great Mexican imports, and it works: They make some great cocktails from each. There's also a surprisingly lengthy menu of inventive small plates, meaning that a trip here is an education in modern Mexican cuisine, too.

Criff Dogs—a hot dog joint—was an institution even before PDT (Please Don't Tell) came onto the scene. It's one of the best bars in the city for fantastic cocktails and has brought good, old fashioned cocktails back into the modern lexicon. Plus, there are deluxe hot dogs on the menu to accompany your drinks. It's a tiny, dark space, and the setting is intimate on purpose, so it can be hard to get a seat. Drop by early to put your name on the list—they're great about giving you a call when a table is available.

Ruffian serves natural wine and vegetarian food inspired by some of the world’s oldest wine regions, and they’ll often fly in their winemakers, who might drop by your table to talk about the qualities of the air and soil that make this particular bottle so good. You can grab plates to share or opt for a four-course tasting menu; the menu shifts focus to a different part of the world every season.

If In-N-Out has an East Coast equivalent, it’s 7th Street Burger, which has a cult following for juicy smashburgers and crispy fries slathered in sauce. (Vegetarians: They do have Impossible burgers here.) Depending on the location—there are nearly a dozen in Manhattan alone—they stay open late; this one’s open until 3 a.m. on weekends, and it’s a beacon of grease and cheese on a boozy night out.

Abraço roasts all their own coffee, and it’s better than what you’ll find almost anywhere else. It draws a loyal clientele for that, but also for the great pastries, vinyl records, and European vibe. Keep in mind they don’t offer alternative milks here—just whole milk, half and half, and whipped cream.

Apollo serves warm, fresh bagels with a chewy inside and crusty exterior, well-coated with sesame seeds or everything spice, if you choose. Their menu is simple, with a few types of bagels and a few types of schmear, plus tomato, whitefish, lox, and the typical bagel fixings.

This bagel shop is drawing big crowds, which we totally get: The hand-rolled, wood-fired bagel sandwiches are actually easy to eat (they’re much smaller than their brethren), and for the most part, they’re great—particularly for those times when the only thing that will satisfy is a bagel sandwich. Favorites include: the salmon classic, a basic tuna salad, and the egg salad.

For many years Mark Israel’s plain glazed doughnut recipe was enough to draw crowds to this Lower East Side foodie destination, but more recent additions, like sourdoughnuts, house-made jelly filled doughnuts, and cake doughnuts have made Doughnut Plant legitimately legendary. While you can find Doughnut Plant on the menus of many hotels and restaurants throughout NYC, we like to make an early morning pilgrimage to their original, Grand Street location.

You wouldn’t know it from the cute, unassuming exterior, but Erin McKenna revolutionized healthy baking (sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true). Inside the bubble gum pink, ‘50s-inspired interior, you’ll find punk rock girls serving delicious cupcakes, cookies, and pastries, many of which are gluten-free, vegan, and Kosher.

This chai shop, owned by brothers Ayan and Ani Sanyal, makes traditional masala chai inspired by the summers and winters they spent in Kolkata as kids. They also sell chai concentrates and mixes you can whip up easily at home.

Morgenstern’s still does traditional ice cream in a parlor in Greenwich Village, serving up scoops, pies, and cakes made without anything artificial. This second outpost, Bananas, is dedicated to non-dairy soft serve made with a frozen-banana base.

This coffee spot is known for its fruit lattes, which you’ll either love or hate. They’re made with just espresso, milk, and fresh fruit, which cuts the bitterness from coffee.

This long-standing, family-run institution on Houston Street draws huge crowds for smoked fish, bagels, and other exquisite deli items. Besides doing great catering, they now have a café deeper south in the Lower East Side.

Imaginative pastries are the specialty at this Lower East Side bakery, where owner and baker Ry Stephen dreams up unexpected croissant pairings. Favorites include the ube eclair and the passionfruit curd doughnut.

This tea shop is named for a Led Zeppelin album—it’s on the basement level of the building on the cover of Physical Graffiti. It doesn’t offer much by way of atmosphere, but you come for a cup of hot tea or a tin of loose-leaf to take home; they have a whole wall of oolongs, green teas, pu-erhs, and medicinal herbal blends. If you’re looking to try something new, the shopkeepers are friendly and knowledgable guides.

Sure, “grocery” is in the name, and there are shelves of Italian-American kitchen staples on the wall, but mother-and-son operation Regina’s Grocery is a sandwich shop. Every sandwich is named for a real-life family member (there’s an Uncle John, an Uncle Phil, an Uncle Rocco, an Uncle Chubby...). And everything’s made with great ingredients sourced from around NYC—fresh bread from Parisi, mozzarella from Loni’s—or imported from Italy. The shop is low-frills and intentionally a little kitschy (see the paper-plate signs in the window, and the disco ball over the counter), but that’s part of its charm.

Whether you’ve had Van Leeuwen on the streets of Brooklyn or in Culver City, it’s instantly recognizable. They’re particularly famous for their vegan ice cream, a combination of cashew milk, coconut milk, cocoa butter, and carob beans that’s incredibly creamy and indulgent (and a major victory for the dairy-sensitive).

In the last few years, Westvilles have popped up all over Manhattan, which is probably a good thing since the original West Village outpost was way too tiny. You’ll find every variation of comfort food, from mac and cheese to the hot dogs that made them famous. Beyond myriad toppings and preparations, they offer vegan burgers, too.

From owner/designer Greg Armas' own line of subtly-destroyed basics to lesser known designers like Correll Correll and Amomento, we rely on this boutique for a dose of luxe, deconstructed fashion.

Bonnie Slotnick’s hole-in-the-wall bookshop stocks rare and out-of-print cookbooks from as far back as the early 19th-century, and she finds every single one herself. In fact, she’s a one man show, so store hours can be erratic, making it all the more special on the days when the shop is indeed open. You’ll find vintage cookbooks and kitchen paraphernalia appealingly displayed in the cramped little store, which is as entertaining for foodies as it is for design aficionados who love old books. If you’re looking for something in particular, Bonnie will track it down.

Café Forgot’s tiny-designer emporium embodies “if you get it, you get it” Lower East Side–cool. Even if their stuff isn’t your style—it leans avant-garde, and some of it is transgressively difficult to wear—you’d struggle to flip through their racks without finding something totally unique and special.

David Cafiero (as seen in House & Garden and Apartamento for styling Chloe Sevigny's East Village apartment) is the interior designer behind Cafiero Select, the super inspired antiques shop in the East Village. There's a mix of mid-century furniture, area rugs, mirrors, aspirational objects, and more.

The people who started Colbo went out of their way to make this more than a clothing shop. They carry men’s streetwear from Gramicci, Meals, and Small Talk Studio, plus Tejesta eyewear and ceramics from Danny D’s Mud Shop. Their in-house brand is designed and produced right here in New York. But as you’re browsing—or after you’re done—hang around a while to flip through design magazines and listen to their collection of rare records. The staff isn’t just helpful, but hospitable; take them up on their offer for a tea or an espresso, which comes from LA-based Canyon Coffee.

For serious vintage lovers, a trip here feels less like shopping and more like stepping into a vault. Desert is a destination for rare and antique fashion—specifically, pieces from the turn of the century through the 1970s. What’s exceptional is how modern it all feels; owners Salima Boufelfel and Roberto Cowan meticulously curate the assortment to work in contemporary wardrobes.

Ariane Goldman had her lightbulb moment five years ago when she was pregnant with her daughter and couldn’t find many fashionable options for her growing size. Her months of searching resulted in Hatch, an easy-to-wear line geared toward mothers before, during, and postpregnancy. There are staples, like a striped bateau and chambray tops, as well as special pieces, like the Noa Jumper, a versatile linen jumpsuit with adjustable knotted straps, and the Ziggy Pant, which features a stitched smocked waistband to accommodate an expanding waist. Dressing rooms have a size chart to help you figure out how a piece might fit, depending on where you are in your pregnancy and—best yet—there’s a cravings bar stocked with candy, pickles, you name it.

Beyond being the best resource in New York for Astier de Villatte’s stunningly hand-turned plates, bowls, and glasses, John Derian's instantly recognizable decoupaged glass plates and paperweights have a unique old world appeal that also applies to the small objects, furniture, and curiosities he stocks in his iconic East Village shop. It's a small microcosm packed with antique objects and hand-made works by artisans with a similarly whimsical aesthetic, from Leanne Shapton's painted wooden "books" to Hugo Guinness' drawings and prints. Derian also designs his own line of furniture which mixes right in with the flea market finds and printed fabrics at his dry goods shop next door.

Located in a gallery-like space in the LES, Maryam Nassir Zadeh is more like a gallery than a boutique. You’ll find really stunning jewelry that you don’t know if you should wear, or just display, and plenty of up-and-coming labels. MNZ has put designers like Dieppa Restrepo, Bernhard Willhelm, and Rafael Indiana on the map.

Off the beaten path on a Manhattan side street called Extra Place, Stevenson Aung and Angelique Chmielewski, opened a brick and mortar showcase for their shop, full of off-the-beaten-path extras. In their careers as industrial and fashion designers, respectively, they’ve spent years amassing quite the collection of Japanese design, and finally have the perfect glass-fronted location to showcase it all, from Azmaya tea accessories to Sunao cutlery, to Fog Linen baskets.

If you’re wondering where your coolest friend gets their heavy silver rings and chunky chains, it’s probably Old Jewelry Store on the Lower East Side. Founder Sarah Burns finds the most unique vintage pieces, curating for old-school craftsmanship with contemporary wearability. She also makes a small house collection and showcases other indie designers—like, in one past pop-up, sculptural pins and earrings from Paris-based Zoé Mohm.

Joseph Artale and his team of talented stylists do absolutely brilliant hair—perfectly sun-kissed highlights, razor-cut layers—that’s both easy to maintain and amazingly natural-looking.

Christine Chin is a celebrity in the realm of skin care, and with good reason. Her sessions are intense in the best way: She will target every pore on your face, delivering the sort of thorough cleanse that has some clients digging their fingers into their palms. Steaming, rigorously energizing facial massage, extractions, a variety of detoxifying masks, glycolic peels, and collagen treatments are her specialties.

As its name implies, Gravity East Village specializes in gravity-based colonics, which means that the in-flow and out-flow of water is simultaneous. Gravity also has a far infrared sauna, which is a nice complement for a full detox.

Each 45-minute class at this weight-lifting studio is designed to chisel and strengthen. The classes run the gamut—there’s Legs, Butt & Back; Chest, Shoulders, Abs & Core; Full Body—and the playlists are mood-boosting mashups of radio hits that make the dumbbell drills fly by. The instructors are thoughtful, patient, and, of course, enviously toned.

Owner Tai Kim creates delicious and imaginative flavors every day, always accommodating for four vegan options—our faves are maple Oreo and lychee grapefruit sorbet. One flavor that's always on the menu is brown bread, made from Grape-Nuts and caramel; it's creamy and amazing.

Coolhaus makes handmade ice cream sandwiches in crazy (and crazy-good) combinations: Flavors like Beer & Pretzels and Milkshake & Fries are wedged between Chocolate Brownies with Maldon Sea Salt and Fruity Pebbles & Marshmallow. To make it even weirder (in a great way) they're served in edible, calorie-free wrappers. Oh, and there are options for vegans. They have locations in Culver City and Pasadena, along with four trucks, though you can always find their treats at Whole Foods.

While there’s no dearth of ice cream shops in LA, somehow quality soft-serve is still difficult to find. Honey Mee not only fills the hole in the market but it does so in a way that’s just a little bit healthier. There are no unnecessary flavors added to make the ice cream taste like vanilla, which results in an exceptionally creamy consistency that’s slightly less sweet than the traditional stuff. What’s more, in lieu of sugary toppings there’s granola, honey oats, slivered almonds, and real honeycombs, meaning that both kids and grown-ups can get their fix without going into a full-on sugar coma. There's another outpost on Sawtelle.

The small-batch ice cream business cousins Kim and Tyler Malek launched out of a single neighborhood ice cream parlor in Portland has grown into a family of shops, including two in LA—the original on Larchmont, and a second on Abbot Kinney. The focus at S&S is on inventive flavors: salted caramel cupcake, pear & blue cheese, avocado & strawberry sherbet. On the flip side, the single-origin vanilla is some of the best we’ve ever had. For those who aren’t fortunate enough to live near a shop, the seasonal Pints Club, which sets you up with five unique pints every month and delivers them right to your door, is an excellent option.

These purveyors of ultra-creamy ice cream got their start in Santa Barbara in 1948, and the heritage of their brand is hugely important to them. Their dairy is sourced from grass-fed cows which are raised just north of LA on the central coast, and they've been working with the same creamery since they got their start (eggs are cage-free, too). This is the kind of place where classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and the not-so-classic chocolate-covered strawberry reign supreme, and it probably goes without saying that kids can't get enough of it. You can buy this creamy goodness at many upscale grocery stores, but we prefer to have it scooped for us at either their Grand Central Market or Studio City locations.

With the original '80s logo intact more than 20 years later (there are even old-school pleather chairs and a matching neon sign), walking into The Bigg Chill sort of feels like a time warp. The frozen yogurt stacks up, too, with a wide assortment of flavors and endless toppings. The location is admittedly random, but as anyone who grew up here will gladly tell you, this is the kind of place that's worthy of a drive.

Whether you’ve had Van Leeuwen on the streets of Brooklyn or parked up on Abbot Kinney, it’s instantly recognizable by its sunny yellow truck. They’re particularly famous for their vegan ice cream, a combination of cashew milk, coconut milk, cocoa butter, and carob beans that’s incredibly creamy and indulgent (and a major victory for the dairy-sensitive). They’ve got a few locations now: Greenpoint, Boerum Hill, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn; the East and West Villages in Manhattan; and the Arts District and Culver City in LA. You can always track their many food trucks on their website.

This is the kind of ice cream shop that excels at flavors the tare out-of-the-ordinary (though not too outlandish): brambleberry crisp, churro, ylang ylang and fennel, Riesling poached pear sorbet, and pink grapefruit buttermilk frozen yogurt, to name a few. Jeni's started in Ohio, founded by Jeni Britton Bauer—James Beard award-winning author of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, and has since expanded to other cities. The sole West Coast location is a bright and airy (though tiny) shop in Los Feliz that has a communal wooden bar to perch with your cone, as well as a couple of benches. There are also two shops in Chicago (Lakeview and Wicker Park).

Diddy Riese is right in the middle of Westwood near the UCLA campus, and while you’ll have to battle a block-long line of college kids to get in, their famous ice cream sandwiches are more than worth it. The ice cream they use is standard Dreyers, but the cookies are made in-house with family recipes. The employees make the sandwiches on-site, so you can pick your own flavor combinations (kids will be psyched that they can actually use two different cookie flavors if they want), and the portions are very generous. Probably the best part of the entire operation is the college-approved prices: Sandwiches are $2 each.

As far as we’re concerned, Josh and Zoe Loeb can do no wrong—their adorable ice cream shop, which is a partnership with Shiho Yoshikawa (she used to work with Zoe at Tartine), only strengthens their case. Shiho picks up ingredients for her inventive flavors at the Santa Monica farmers market, and her milk and eggs are from local purveyors as well. Favorites include matcha, fig, and goat cheese, and the old-fashioned strawberry, which tastes fresh off the vine. Because this is LA, there are dairy-free options; if that’s your vibe, definitely try the horchata. The original is at the Brentwood Country Mart, but now they have locations all over the city: Studio City, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and the Palisades.

We first discovered Rori’s ice cream years ago while exploring Santa Barbara and were understandably pretty psyched when an outpost opened right on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. Rori, the mastermind behind the ice cream, insists on using strictly organic, locally sourced ingredients from neighboring farmers and cream from the famed Strauss Family Creamery. The resulting ice cream is rich and flavorful and comes in seasonal options that range from chocolate coconut to wild-berry chocolate crisp to honey-lavender. Their three-bite mini cones are a brilliant choice if you’re looking to sample multiple flavors without going all out.

This 30,000 square-foot French-style food hall offers a bustling market divided into different “districts" (from a café and an ice cream shop to an ample salad-and-prepared-food spot), as well as multiple restaurants. There’s Le Bar, which as its name suggests is best for a glass of wine and shared plates, and then the gigantic Liberty Bistro, with standard bistro fare and a view of the water.

This is kind of foodie nirvana, care of Mario Batali. Essentially Costco-sized, this Italian gourmet grocery store stocks aisle after aisle of the best artisanal ingredients, including truly fantastic fresh pasta. Throughout the space (which also includes cookware), you’ll find plenty of places to sit down and eat. While there are several gussied-up Batali restaurants upstairs, including a rooftop birreria, we find the best way to experience Eataly it is to grab a seat at one of the many bar-size specialty eateries scattered across the main shop floor.

While working at Momofuku in its early days, Christina Tosi—office manager at the time—started baking the occasional treat for the team; her insanely sweet, totally novel confections quickly took off. Soon, she had her own shop next door (and now many more all over NYC) where she and her staff crank out ridiculously complex layered cakes, the aptly named Compost cookies, and unusual soft-serve flavors—all simultaneously nostalgic and unlike anything you've ever tasted.

Hidden on the seventh floor of Bloomingdales, back in the bedding department, Forty Carrots is still serving the best frozen yogurt in the city. An early pioneer of the fro-yo movement (it opened back in the ‘80s), they have all the classic toppings, from gummy bears to Butterfingers, and you can ask for more than one flavor swirled.

It’s not very surprising that this family-owned operation is one of Chinatown’s longest-tenured businesses—and one of its most popular. For one, ice cream flavors like lychee, green tea, mango, black sesame, and pandan are standards—they also have options like chocolate and mocha chip. If you’re trying to woo your little one to try something new, flavors like green tea Oreo just might do it.

The specialty here is handcrafted ice cream and sorbet done in small batches—made extra-delicious by the fact that Ample Hills gets its cream and eggs from local farms upstate for the freshest (and most sustainable) product possible. Offering 24 flavors that change with the seasons, they also do really delicious and beautiful custom ice cream cakes.

Big Gay Ice Cream hardly needs an introduction. This beloved soft-serve joint started off as a seasonal truck in 2009, quickly amassing a loyal fan base in NYC. Their first permanent shop was opened in the East Village in 2011, followed by a shop in the West Village the next year.

This ice cream place is run by Nicholas Morgenstern, a classically trained pastry chef (he was formerly head pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern) who turned out to be a whiz at crafting elevated flavors. Using only the highest quality ingredients, if you're craving a creamy and non-processed—treat, this is the spot. Beyond the scoops, the shop is incredibly charming: The exterior is painted royal blue and the inside is set up like an old-fashioned parlor with counter seats and a window ledge.

Whether you’ve had Van Leeuwen on the streets of Brooklyn or parked up on Abbot Kinney, it’s instantly recognizable by its sunny yellow truck. All of their ice cream is hand-made in Brooklyn, and they’re particularly famous for their vegan ice cream, a combination of cashew milk, coconut milk, cocoa butter and carob beans that’s incredibly creamy and indulgent (and a major victory for the dairy-sensitive). They’ve got a few locations now: Greenpoint, Boerum Hill, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn; the East and West Villages in Manhattan; and the Arts District and Culver City in LA. You can always track their many food trucks on their website.

There’s no lack of gelato shops in NYC, though this one is probably the best of the bunch. Handmade the Italian way, using strictly natural, seasonal ingredients, the gelato here is just sweet and creamy enough that it doesn’t feel overly heavy.

This South Brooklyn institution has been slinging their Sicilian-style "squares”—red sauce-smothered pizza with the Mozzarella cheese baked right into the fluffy, crust-y dough and sliced into, you guessed it, squares—since 1938. The only menu item that eclipses the pizza is the spumoni: a rainbow of vanilla, chocolate, and pistachio ice cream served old school, in a paper cup, and best enjoyed on the bustling outdoor patio. The L&B Italian ices (the lemon is a summertime essential) are slightly lighter than the spumoni and definitely worth sampling.

Open from the end of February to the end of November, Sullivan's on Castle Island is a Boston institution. It first opened in 1951—when hot dogs cost 15 cents—in an aluminum shack with pull-down shutters. In the late '80s it moved to its current brick building, which is a replica of the officer's quarters that were situated bayside in the early 1800s. A concession-stand-like operation, Sullivan's draws big crowds, but the line does move relatively quickly. The food menu is a mix of New England classics (lobster rolls, fried clam strips), breakfast sandwiches, burgers, dogs, and fries. And far from an afterthought, the ice cream menu has its own devoted following. The soft-serve is standout, and the specialty, called the Razzle, is a whipped soft-serve with your choice of Oreos, M&Ms, Reese’s, Snickers, or chocolate chip cookie dough. They also have Hood ice cream and Richie's Italian ice on stock.

Cabot's, located in the Boston suburb of Newton, has long been a popular neighborhood spot, though many Bostonians make the trip, too. A family-run restaurant serving diner-esque comfort food (including all-day breakfast), Cabot's is designed like an old fashioned ice cream parlor: white-and-black tile floor, red booths, rotating counter seats, paper placemats. They have a noteworthy array of ice cream sundae options (70-plus favors and 35-plus toppings), along with the kind of indulgent classics that never do you wrong: chocolate malteds, banana boats, Belgian waffles topped with a few scoops, root beer floats. They also do cakes, pies, cupcakes, and sundae catering.

Pizza and ice cream play equal starring roles at Picco in the South End, although it should be noted that they have a great draft beer list, as well. The pizza is wood-fired with Picco's signature well-done crust, and the ice cream list covers all the essentials from plain dishes and cones to brownie sundaes, plus some desserts geared specifically to the 21-and-over crowd, like The "Adult" Ice Cream Soda: raspberry Belgian Lambic poured over vanilla ice cream. There's a casual outdoor patio, along with a small interior that reads like a cozy bistro.

Founded by a team of family and friends in 1981, Toscanini's makes all their ice cream in-store, which includes a mix of permanent flavors and a rotation of ever-changing, fun options. Part bakery, part cafe, Toscanini's also does pastries, cookies, cakes, coffee, and tea. And they serve affogato (one of our all-time favorite desserts).

In 1981, at the age of twenty-six, ice cream-lover Vince Petryk opened J.P. Licks in his Jamaica Plain neighborhood outside of Boston (hence the initials J.P.). Today, there are thirteen locations in and around Boston—including Beacon Hill, Cambridge, Mission Hill, and Fenway/Kenmore—making this a go-to spot for locals and visitors alike. Part espresso bar, part bakery, part ice cream shop, J.P. Licks's awesome rotation of soft-serve frozen yogurt may be its best selling point, particularly in a city where scooped ice cream largely dominates the scene. Although...the ice cream cakes and chipwhiches are really good, too.

Bostonians are loyal creatures, and that stereotype holds true when it comes to ice cream. Christina’s has been a Cambridge institution for more than thirty years now, and it’s built up some die-hards fans who will wait out in a snowstorm for a scoop. The homemade ice cream is light and fresh-tasting, and Christina's is known for flavors that are inventive without getting too outlandish, like coffee Oreo, banana, carrot cake, and a seasonal Concord grape sorbet that’s available for only a few weeks a year. For occasions, the shop makes beautiful ice cream cakes that (blessedly) can be ordered same-day.

FoMu (pronounced like “faux moo”) is made from a coconut milk base, making it completely vegan and allergy friendly in addition to being non-GMO. If you can’t visit one of their three cozy shops in person, you’ll also find it on the menu at most of the vegan restaurants in town. They've got locations in Allston and Jamaica Plain, plus a new one in the South End.

Boston’s local counter to Pinkberry got its start long before the big frozen yogurt giants came to town—it was actually launched by two Harvard graduate students. They keep professional bakers on staff to make fresh toppings like brownies and cookies, in addition to the requisite fresh fruit and chocolate chips. There's a second location on the other side of campus.

Just like the NYC outpost, and the dozen or so locations all over Italy (as well as recent offshoots in Japan, Dubai, and Istanbul)—Eataly Chicago is a foodie wonderland. The sprawling space is packed with imported sauces, beers, sweets, and so much more. There’s even a selection of housewares and books. Stalls offering house-made breads, pastas, and cheeses are scattered throughout—we recommend doing a lap to get the lay of the land first before committing to any one spot. For more formal dining there are several restaurants that are pretty efficient about taking walk-ins. No big surprise, but they have great gelato.

This ice cream parlor and candy shop dates back to 1921 when it was founded by Peter George Poulos, but it didn't get it's name until 1933 when Poulos's son married a woman named Margie Michaels. Currently, the fourth generation is learning the ins and outs of the dessert-making biz. In addition to the original location in Logan Square, which is packed with old-timey memorabilia, there's a second location in North Center, which was opened by Christina Poulous, wife of the third Peter Poulos. The menus vary slightly between locations but include classic sandwiches (egg salad, ham, grilled cheese, PB&J), dizzying (in the best way) sundae combinations, shakes, sodas, homemade candy, and fudge.

This no-frills, walk-up window shop in Lincoln Park (with a small patio) is known in part for its wide range of Italian ice flavors (from lychee to pink lemonade and chocolate). But if Italian ice isn't your thing, the smoothies or ice cream concoctions here will do just fine.

Bobtail Ice Cream was born out of a business plan competition at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and inspired by the grandfather of one of the founders (Grandpa Wilcoxon) who sold ice cream door-to-door from a truck in his Ohio neighborhood in the 1950s. The ice cream here is hard-packed and homemade, a mix of expected flavors and specialty creations, like Merlot ice cream with dark chocolate chips. And for those cold, windy Chicago days, there are some more weather-appropriate options, like hot fudge on a warm brownie, ice cream lattes, hot chocolate, and white mocha.

This is the kind of ice cream shop that excels at slightly out-of-the-ordinary, although not too outlandish, flavors: brambleberry crisp, churro, ylang ylang and fennel, Riesling poached pear sorbet, pink grapefruit buttermilk frozen yogurt. Jeni's started in Ohio, founded by Jeni Britton Bauer—James Beard award-winning author of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, and has since expanded to other cities. There are two shops in Chicago (Lakeview and Wicker Park), which are both outfitted with modern communal areas to perch with your cones, and which also sell Intelligentsia coffee. (On that note, you should try Jeni's Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso ice cream.) On the West Coast, there is also a location in LA.

Established in 1926, Rainbow Cone is an interesting little slice of Chicago history—it's long been the spot for family outings (and more than a few dates), and in the war years owner Joseph Sapp installed a radio so customers could get news when they stopped in. The thing to order since the early days has been their iconic rainbow cone, a pointed cake cone piled with layers of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (their blend of vanilla with cherries and walnuts), pistachio, and orange sherbet that tastes way, way better than it sounds. Their rainbow ice cream cakes, which include all five flavors layered on top of yellow cake, are nice for a last-minute celebration, as they always have a few on hand that can be personalized on the spot. FYI: They're only open in the summer months, and there's now a second location on Navy Pier.

Scooter's is a bit of a mom-and-pop shop: It's owned by husband-wife team Mardi and Denny Moore, who quit their corporate jobs in 2003 to start the family business. Mardi and Denny are both Chicago natives, so local is important to them, whether it's the milk they use (it all comes from dairies in Wisconsin) or the people who frequent their shop, many of whom they know by name. They specialize in frozen custard, which you can see pouring out of their machines all day long. The thing to order is the Boston shake, a milk shake with chocolate syrup and a mini custard sundae—whipped cream included—on top. It's fun to stop by on the last day of summer, when the whole neighborhood comes to hang out.

The concept of Killer ESP (which stands for espresso, sorbet, and pie) is random but undeniably great. The coffee is Stumptown, the sorbet is made in-house, and the pie is brought in fresh from local favorite Dangerously Delicious Pies. Don't be fooled by the teal brick façade—the interior is dark, hipster, and perfect for working or studying.

Pleasant Pops is crazy cheerful: It's bright, airy, and feels energetic without feeling too nuts. Their signature, photogenic popsicles come in a rainbow of flavors that rotate depending on what produce is in season (for fall, it's peach hibiscus, cinnamon vanilla peach, or cranberry apple). And the coffee is reliably great, too. The downtown location is probably the most convenient, but the original Adams Morgan flagship is home to their market, which showcases the best of local DC purveyors: The shelves are lined with maple syrup, honey, pickled vegetables, and more.

Thomas Sweet actually got its start in New Jersey (the first store opened there in 1979), though you’d never know it talking to someone who grew up in DC. There are lines around the block virtually year-round; it’s a universally beloved Georgetown spot. There’s nothing particularly exciting about the interior, but the ice cream is made fresh daily and there’s something indescribably perfect about it. They’re also famous for blend-ins (like a creamy, upscale version of a DQ Blizzard) and homemade fudge.

Kirk Francis (a.k.a. Captain Cookie) seems to have found a workaround for the classic seasonal conundrum of ice cream shops—locals go to him in the winter for warm chocolate chip cookies, and in the summer for made-to-order ice cream sandwiches. The superhero-themed shop—and its’ three corresponding food trucks—are famous for cookies that are made completely from scratch; he even makes his own vegan butter for vegan cookies. Note: His trucks can be booked for private events.

While it doesn’t garner nearly the lines of the more famous Salt & Straw, many locals argue that Portland's best ice cream is actually at Ruby Jewel. They have three locations (one in each major neighborhood, in Richmond, Downtown, and Boise) and while ice cream is as advertised, they’re really famous for their ice cream sandwiches, with flavors like lemon cookie with honey lavender, dark chocolate with fresh mint, and “The Chub,” their way-better take on a Chipwich.

The small-batch ice cream business, which cousins Kim and Tyler Malek launched out of a single neighborhood ice cream parlor, has grown into a family of shops, including three in Portland (here in Richmond, and in Nob Hill and Alberta), plus a stall in Pine Street Market. The focus at S&S is on inventive flavors: salted caramel cupcake, pear & blue cheese, avocado & strawberry sherbet. On the flip side, their single-origin vanilla is some of the best we’ve ever had. For those who aren’t fortunate enough to live near a shop, the seasonal Pints Club, which sets you up with five unique pints every month and delivers them right to your door, is an excellent option.

If you ask someone who lives in Seattle where to go for ice cream, Molly Moon's is likely to be one of the first places on their must-try list. Mainstay flavors here include vanilla bean, Earl Grey, honey lavender, melted chocolate, balsamic strawberry, and Scout Mint (Molly Moon's buys thousands of boxes of Thin Mint cookies each year from Western Washington Girl Scouts). They have a number of do-good policies: Everything used in the shop (from spoons to milkshake cups) is entirely compostable; their Anna Banana Milk Fund sends fresh milk to families in need every week; they source locally as much as possibly. (About 90% of their ingredients come from the Pacific Northwest. They've been working with the same organic lavender farm, Purple Haze, for several years. And the approximately 16,000 pounds of chocolate that they use annually comes from organic, fair-trade Theo Chocolate, which is made in Seattle.) The original Molly Moon's is in Wallingford, which has a parklet outside with swing seats and a baby hill for play. All of the ice cream in Wallingford is made on-site—same goes for the locations in Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and U Village. The ice cream at the smaller Madrona shop comes from nearby Capitol Hill. (And the bonus Molly Moon's spot is a seasonal window next to Hello Robin.)

An extension of thirteen-acre Kurtwood Farms, which is located outside of Seattle on Vashon Island, Kurt Farm Shop is a little store within the Chophouse Row building in Capitol Hill. It's somewhat easy to miss, which makes it all the more satisfying when you stumble inside. The ice cream flavors here are derived from the farm: lemon verbena, rose geranium, bay laurel, blackberries, tomato jam. You can get cones or pints to go—plus cheese from Kurtwood Farms and other regional creameries, along with some plants from the farm.

The name of this gelato and sorbet shop is inspired by the forested PNW and the nuts (i.e. pistachio, hazelnut) that find their way into many of Nutty Squirrel's flavors. All of the ingredients here are seasonal and the menu is consistently updated to reflect what's currently fresh. The original location is located in Maple Valley, Washington; the first Seattle location is here in Phinney Ridge, and now there's also an outpost inside the Eat Local grocery store in Capitol Hill. Plus, there is Nutty Squirrel's charming red tricycle (named Strawberry) that delivers scoops for special occasions.

Old School temporarily closed its doors in early 2016, but fortunately the shop was picked back up by husband-and-wife duo, CJ and Meg Chaney, who had long been fans of the frozen custard here. Also good news: The menu has largely remained the same, although it's reasonable to expect to see more baked goods come into play from Meg Chaney's cookie business (Meg's Retro Cookies), which were previously featured in the ice-cream sandwiches at Old School.

The owner of Parfait, Adria Shimada, got her start in the food world with an internship at Amy's Bread in New York, before she headed to the West Coast. Billed as a farm-to-cone shop, Parfait has a garden outside where they grow mint, rosemary, lavender, and berries for their ice cream. Outside of this, they source from organic Washington farms, and get cream and milk delivered from local Smith Brothers Farms. Hosting a large-ish event? Parfait has a food truck that promises to be popular.

What makes Bluebird more than your typical ice cream shop? They also make craft sodas and beers in-house, which means you can order things like a ginger beer float or stout-inspired scoops. Of course, there are still plenty of kid-friendly options, too. You can visit Bluebird here in Pike/Pine, or in Phinney Ridge, or Fremont.

The main reason you go to Full Tilt is for the fun of it: This ice cream shop has a mix of new and vintage arcade and pinball machines that make an entertaining afternoon outing for the whole family. As a bonus, there's also local Northwest beers here. (In addition to the original joint in White Center, Full Tilt has locations in Columbia City, University, and Ballard.)

Arguably one of the best partnerships in Seattle is the one between ice cream shop Molly Moon's and cookie bakery, Hello Robin. The result being a no-brainer: some of the very best ice cream cookie sandwiches around. You can also get cookies sans ice cream at Hello Robin, as well as pints of Molly Moon's. Plus there's the seasonal Molly Moon's walk-up window, where you can get scoops from May to September.

Owner Chad Draizin moved to Portland for the first time for an internship at Portland Brewing, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Fifty Licks is famous for its ice cream cocktails. Draizin's on the tail-end of a major menu overhaul, so it'll be a few weeks before the cocktails are back in order, but there's plenty to enjoy while you wait: We love the Cuban coffee (which is sort of a Cuban version of an affogato) and the Chocolate Porter float (which is a 21+ root beer float). All of the ice cream is made French style, using real egg yolks, and its not too sweet, so the focus is on flavor.

Bryan Gilbert made the commitment to revive his neighborhood ice cream shop by, literally signing the lease on it, the day after his mother passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. Today, he calls the business a tribute to her, featuring several flavors based on her famous desserts, like Bananas Foster, and her delicious cheesecake. The business also bears the mark of Gilbert's twin daughters—let's just say unicorns are a major source of inspiration.

Humphry Slocombe vs. Bi-Rite Creamery is an ongoing debate between locals. Jake Godby and Sean Vahey—the two dudes behind team Humphry—pride themselves on the time and effort they put into concocting flavors, which run the gamut from Elvis (the fat years) to potato chip to salt & pepper. They’re also bringing back the ice cream cake in a big way. There's an additional location in the Mission, as well as in The Embarcadero.

There's nothing glitzy or particularly fancy about this classic scoop shop, but as evidenced by the out-the-door line (don't worry, it always moves fast) the small-batch ice cream is second to none. We like that they keep it fairly simple with flavors, the most inventive of which—and arguably the tastiest—is the Black Walnut, though Avocado and Grasshopper Pie are close seconds. You can also custom order a traditional ice-cream cake (sadly, these are becoming harder and harder to come by).

A decade ago, two Bi-Rite Market pastry chefs spied a vacant space across the street from the iconic market and moved in their small-batch baking and ice cream operation. Staying true to the Bi-Rite mission, only organic local ingredients are used, resulting in some of the hands-down best scoops (balsamic strawberry, honey lavender, mixed-berry coconut in the summer; earl grey, orange cardamom, maple walnut in winter), buffalo-milk soft serve (only available in the original shop), frozen cakes, sundaes, and popsicles in the country. The original is in the Mission (and they have soft-serve).

Ice cream sandwiches steal the show at Cream, from waffle-based to cookie, brownie, mini-sized, gluten-free, and vegan. There are locations in a few states now, and in addition to this SF shop, there's also a second outpost in Stonestown Galleria. Also, note: Cream caters—and what's more awesome than an ice cream sandwich bar?

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anybody who’s more passionate about ice cream than the folks behind Smitten, who actually built and patented a completely new technology to make what they claim to be the smoothest ice cream in the world. They started in San Francisco, selling ice cream out of a little red wagon (seriously), and while they’re beloved in their hometown—there are locations in Pacific Heights, Oakland, Hayes Valley, and more—they’ve just expanded to LA with a shop in El Segundo (Silver Lake is opening soon).

Real-life couple Anthony and Chad met in New York in the early 2000s, bonding over the fact that they were both from small towns. As Chad waxed poetic about the ice cream he ate growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (a.k.a. hand-made with locally sourced ingredients), Anthony began imagining the types of flavors he could create with ingredients unique to his hometown in Texas. Today, their ice cream shop has stores in San Antonio and Austin, with inventive, Texas-specific flavors like cilantro lime, dewberry corn cobbler, and sweet persimmon.

While it’s not an ice cream shop per se, every vegan in Austin knows that Thai Fresh has the best vegan ice cream. Made with coconut milk, it’s light and refreshing, and the flavors reveal a combination of Thai and Texan influences, with options like mango lime, Texas peach, sweet potato pie, ginger lemongrass, and Texas corn. Try ordering it on top of traditional sweet sticky rice.

Established in 1984, Amy’s is a bit of a hometown hero in Austin; everybody came here as a kid. The setup is Coldstone-style, so you pick your flavor and choose from plenty of toppings or “crush’ns,” which the employees will mix in for you on-site. If you only go once, the famous Mexican vanilla is the thing to order. There are now twelve locations in Austin, but this outpost on Guadalupe was the original.

This cleverly named truck (for out-of-towners, Stephen F. Austin was a founder of the state of Texas) operates out of the exceptionally cool South Congress Hotel, and all of the treats are creations of the hotel's Executive Pastry Chef, Amanda Rockman. The ice cream itself walks a perfect line between classic and a bit innovative—try the birthday cake flavor—and they make the prettiest paletas that are perfect for littles. On Sundays in the summer, they do ice cream socials with live music and drink specials in the hotel courtyard.

This hole in the wall specializes in Mexican street food like elotes (corn with cheese and spices) and sour hot Cheetos (a bag of Cheetos smothered in onions and other sauces—we dare you). In the summer, the lines build up for their mangonadas, which are frozen mango towers topped with strawberries, sour power belts, and a drizzle of Chamoy—a savory Mexican condiment that adds loads of complexity. None of it is like anything you’ve ever tried before.

Any time you visit Pokey O’s, it’s likely to be crowded with SMU students vying for a place in line—but don’t let that deter you. They’re famous for made-on-the-spot ice cream sandwiches, which they make with chewy chocolate chip cookies and Texas Blue Bell ice cream.

Francesca and Marco Silvestrini are Italian immigrants (Francesca’s fiancé Leo is also involved in the business; he’s another Italian native) who were dismayed that they couldn’t find great gelato in the states. One hot summer in Columbus, Ohio, Francesca quit her doctoral program and bee-lined it for Bologna to attend the Carpigiani Gelato University, which is, in fact, a real place and every bit as wonderful as it sounds. Francesca makes authentic, Italian-style gelato using the mantecazione vertical batch method, which contributes to its creamy texture. While she does the basics like chocolate and stracciatella really well, there are some great Texas-inspired flavors like peach and sweet potato on the menu too.