The Top 5 Ice Cream Shops in New York

The first iced cream parlor was open in 1776 in New York when the cold dessert was still considered a luxury item and could only be afforded by those who were the equivalent of today’s Park Avenue.

Have you ever wondered, which are the best places in New York to pick up exquisitely crafted, unique ice creams that will make your heart flutter? In answer to this question, we selected five of the finest shops in town that offer the widest and most varied range of flavors. From a Soprano Spumoni, a Ginger Crème Brule to a Wasabi, a Honey Lavender or a Tarragon with pink pepper, these shops bring tasty, original and healthy to a new level.

Serendipity 3

Serendipity is one of those establishments that don’t need any introduction for the versed New Yorker, as it has been providing an offbeat haven for dessert indulgers for many years. The three owners of the place (Calvin, Patch and Steven) owe their success to their understanding of what constitutes good cooking, good serving and a fantastic environment. All sorts of celebrities get their ice cream fix at Serendipity, where they can be spotted by tourists that saw the movie starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale and came to see what the fuss was about.

The sundaes at Serendipity are like a pyramid, a large base of ice cream and then toppings tumbling down in huge quantities. You can taste an Outrageous Banana Split, a Coward’s Portion (not for me), ice cream crepe (the more calories the merrier) and a Forbidden Broadway sundae (and I thought only those Outrageous ticket prices should be forbidden on Broadway). But if you really don’t feel like an ice cream while you are there, you can try a Chocolate Blackout Cake (what happened?) or some Cheesecake Vesuvius. Check out our Byte Size section to find their All-American Sundae recipe, the best way to celebrate 4th of July. http://www.serendipity3.com/

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

Located in the heart of Chinatown as its name points it out, this ice cream shop was founded by five brothers thirty years ago. Henry Seid, the current manager, opened a larger retail and wholesale store in Flushing and a smaller retail in Manhattan (Nolita Ice Cream) two years ago. This new space allows them to work on creating new exciting flavors. And by exciting I mean truly quirky! The newest additions to the family of desserts are "Aprikot," which is an Indonesian dessert drink made of avocado, sweet cream and laced with chocolate, the "Kiwi with Strawberry Swirl" ice cream and the "Winter Melon" sorbet. Yes, I always think of avocado when eyeing a sweet cold drink. Other enticing products include Asian Pear Sake Sorbet, Wasabi Ice cream (a hit overseas) and Mango Cheese Cake, but the best sellers, according to Henry Seid remain the original ones: Lychee, Mango, Green Tea (not to be mistaken for Japanese Green Tea), Red Bean (Azuki), Ginger, and Almond Cookie. And because no one likes to be left out, the people at Chinatown Ice Cream devised a few ice creams especially for the diabetics: Black Sesame, Mango Ginger, Pistachio (with real pistachio), Coffee, and Chocolate Chip. These sugar free products are sweetened with Splendor and have a low fat dairy base. http://www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com/

Ronnybrook Farm Dairy

Their story begins in 1941 when the Oslofsky family started a small dairy farm and they named it after their eldest son, Ronny. The extended family continues working in the business providing fresh, quality products in the tri-state area. Apart from the ice cream that is involved in our top 5, they also sell organic milk, yogurt, cheese and butter.

The ice creams are rich and natural and include such delicacies as Ronnyberry, Toasted Hazelnut (I am sure the squirrels in Central Park would love this one), Columbia County Coffee (I would love this one), Lola’s Mint Chocolate Lace, Coconut "To Die For" and Ginger Crème Brule. Their range is not extensive, but what they have is so good that it gets you coming back for more. http://ronnybrook.com/site_new/home_start.html

Uncle Louie G’s

Uncle Louie G decided a long time ago to make the best Italian ices and ice creams, but he only opened the first store in Brooklyn in 1999. Now it boasts almost 50 locations and it’s still growing, due to the delicious concoctions that founders John Russo and his sister-in-law Carmen Barrios keep on coming up with, but also keep a secret.

The Italian ices include flavors like Cantaloupe Balls (that’s a ballsy name to go with), Coney Island Cotton Candy for the child in you, Bubbly Bubble Gum for the ballsy kid in you and many more fruity tastes. The ice creams take over the same flavors and then add some more. Who wouldn’t like a dreamy Brooklyn Cheesecake, or a fierce Soprano Spumoni (pasta and meatballs, anyone?), a Creamy Cremolata that’s creamier than any cream, or a Rocky Road Rage appropriate for a New Yorker always in a hurry. http://www.unclelouieg.com/

Il Laboratorio de Gelato

The Lower East Side shop was started a few years ago by Jon Snyder, a man who was born into an adventurous family with a penchant for ice cream, a man who before the age of 25 started and sold another ice cream business, the Ciao Bella. The Laboratorio was initially created to cater the sizzling dessert to chefs and restaurants and to work with those who wanted to come up with customized flavors. But it soon included a retail side to it, as the products are excellent.

Who can say no to a Honey Lavander ice cream? Or to a Ricotta flavor? It’s like eating dessert for lunch and not feeling guilty at all. Maybe you’ll like the Malt ice cream instead, all you beer lovers. Tangerine sorbet takes the coolness factor to another level. These are just some of the flavors you can order in four pint boxes and you can actually mix and match four flavors in one box.

The rest, that are available just for wholesale include some things you can only see in your dreams, like Thai Chili Chocolate, Earl Grey (especially created for the Brit in you), Apple Calvados, Prune Armagnac and Rum Raisin (for all the boozers out there, that would be the staff here at Chocolate Zoom) and to top it all, Champagne Sorbet. We may actually decide to move office and set camp inside the store, if Mr. Snyder allows it. http://www.laboratoriodelgelato.com/