The full ranking
From farmers-market gelato at a Gramercy walk-up window to durian scoops at a Chinatown institution open since 1978, New York's ice cream scene rewards the curious. This list blends modern icons churning olive-oil and miso-caramel flavors with old-school parlors and Italian gelaterias. Every spot is a counter-service scoop shop, and every one is open for the summer.
Caffè Panna (Gramercy)
Hallie Meyer's joyful Gramercy walk-up window, where small-batch gelato and soft serve in flavors like coffee chocolate chip and seasonal fruit draw lines down the block all summer.
Salt & Straw (West Village)
The Portland cult favorite's West Village scoop shop, known for adventurous, story-driven flavors and a rotating menu that leans on local farms and pastry collaborations.
Sugar Hill Creamery (Harlem)
A husband-and-wife Harlem creamery making small-batch ice cream from scratch, with neighborhood-named flavors and a warm community feel that keeps it on the city's best-of lists.
Ample Hills Creamery (Prospect Heights)
The storybook Brooklyn creamery, revived after bankruptcy and scooping again at its Vanderbilt Avenue flagship, famous for marshmallow-and-cookie flavors like Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.
Malai (Carroll Gardens)
Pooja Bavishi's Carroll Gardens shop layering South Asian spices and aromatics into ice cream, with signatures like masala chai, golden turmeric, and rose with cardamom.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (Chinatown)
A family-run Chinatown landmark since 1978, beloved for Asian-inflected scoops like black sesame, durian, lychee, and almond cookie served from a no-frills Bayard Street counter.
Il Laboratorio del Gelato (Lower East Side)
A Lower East Side gelato laboratory with one of the city's deepest flavor benches, churning everything from classic stracciatella to wasabi and thai chili in small daily batches.
Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream (Lower East Side)
Nicholas Morgenstern's rebel parlor, reopened on Rivington Street in 2026, still scooping the cult flavors like salted pretzel caramel and pineapple salted-egg-yolk that made it famous.
OddFellows Ice Cream Co. (Williamsburg)
A Brooklyn-born creamery, now scooping at Domino Park in Williamsburg, known for inventive flavors and a willingness to push into savory and seasonal territory.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream (Boerum Hill)
The Brooklyn brand that started as a bright-yellow truck, scooping rich French-style ice cream and a celebrated vegan line from its Boerum Hill shop on Bergen Street.
Ranked across 5 sources: Time Out New York · Best Ice Cream Shops in NYC (2025); The Infatuation · The Best Ice Cream Spots In NYC (unordered roundup, 2026); Beli · NYC's Top-Rated Ice Cream Shops (2025); Yelp · Ranked by Rating (June 2026); Google Reviews · Ranked by Rating (June 2026). Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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