Ice Cream in NYC
- Mian Wei
- Jul 9, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 10, 2019
It's mid-summer which means I physically cannot walk 2 blocks without a cold beverage or an ice cream in my hand. Just tell yourself the calories will be burned off as you walk.
Here are my personal best ice cream and/or soft serve spots in the city that are always worth the detour no matter where you're going.


SUPERIORITY BURGER
East Village
This place is famous for its veggie burger but their gelato/sorbet combos are the BEST. There are only two flavors a day and they're curated to be eaten together (one gelato and one sorbet). Some examples are fig leaf / apricot and blood orange / star anise. They might sound weird at first but they're so specifically designed to make your taste buds happy. Always get the combination together cause one flavor might be extremely tart on its own.


SUPERMOON BAKEHOUSE
Lower East Side
Another spot that's known for other stuff besides ice cream, Supermoon does have amazing croissants and pastries in addition to these seasonal soft serves that have yet to disappoint. My personal favorites are the butter croissant and the rose pistachio (pictured above) but their flavors range from mandarin saffron to corn, all with specialized toppings that provide interesting textures as well as flavors.


ICE & VICE
Lower East Side
If you want something more daring than mandarin saffron or star anise, look no further than Ice & Vice. The seasonal menu here will probably feature the weirdest flavors in the city including cheesy peach yogurt and strawberry ghost pepper but they'll also feature some classic specials like amaretto sour that was part of their seasonal 'inspired by alcoholic drinks' menu. Note: while they have newer pop ups throughout the city now, including one in Times Square and another in LIC, the menu is not the same at each location and the seasonal menu is only available at their LES store.


DOMINIQUE ANSEL KITCHEN
West Village
Another bakery that ventures into soft serve, you probably know Dominique Ansel for the cronut at the Bakery store. The Kitchen store has seasonal soft serves only in the summer months. The burrata with strawberry compote and a vinaigrette sauce is probably my favorite ice cream or soft serve in NYC. The peach ice tea was also delicious. I would stick to their traditional soft serves and avoid the gimmicky stuff like soft serve on a watermelon slice or on a corn cob (they just don't add much beyond a cute instagram photo and cost a lot more). Just stop by this window if you're ever in the neighborhood or take a detour if you have to.


VAN LEEUWEN
Many Locations
While usually featuring a more traditional set of flavors, often with cake or pie components, Van Leeuwen is probably your best bet if you're either vegan or lactose intolerant as their vegan flavors are often the menu standouts. Their planet earth is probably the best vegan ice cream I've had. They also do a great earl grey and passionfruit cake.


MORGENSTERN'S
Nolita & NOHO
There are two Morgenstern's locations now, but the one you should always hit up is the giant flagship NOHO store where there are over 80 flavors. You'll find standard fare like vanilla or hazelnut but also... yuzu, chocolate peppercorn and french fry. I would definitely recommend sampling before making a commitment.


SOFT SWERVE
Lower East Side
There are so many great ice cream spots in the LES/Chinatown area but I always try to stop by Soft Swerve for their more Asian inspired flavors and toppings. My favorite combo here is the Ube soft serve with the almond cookie crumble. They'll always have some combination of matcha, ube and black sesame available but they also do great seasonal stuff like the hot chocolate special.
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