Rejoice, D.C., for our long national frozen yogurt nightmare appears to be drawing to a close. Froyo may be marginally healthier, but nothing beats the decadence of real ice cream on a hot day. That sweet, sweet combination of sugar and milk fat hits all the right notes in our tastebuds. There’s a good reason people eat ice cream when they’re in a bad mood—it’s happiness in scoop-form. To celebrate the start of summer, we’re collectively screaming about our favorite ice cream spots below.
Photo by Eric Sidle
DOLCEZZA FACTORY: Dolcezza has been serving up gelato and coffee since 2004, but last year brought a new factory location just north of Union Market. You can buy scoops or pints of rotating flavors like Salted Caramel and Valrhona Dark Chocolate. I love the gelato push pops, which can be re-purposed into popsicle makers at home. Also: sorbet, espresso, and sundaes. And the working factory offers 20 minute tours on Saturdays and Sundays that start at 2:30. —Josh Kramer
Dolcezza has seven locations in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The factory is located at 550 Penn St. NE.
DOLCI GELATI: You may have spied Dolci Gelati’s neon green and pink pints in the grocery store case, but the gelateria also has two retail shops and an ice cream truck that crawls the city in the summer months. Stop by their Shaw outpost for inventive flavors like orange saffron, lavender, or olive oil, as well as fun treats like miniature popsicles, mini cones, and sundaes. Dolci Gelati takes a page from the hand-dipped Dairy Queen cones of our youth with their customized gelato popsicles which are enrobed in chocolate to order. Because the only thing better than gelato is chocolate-covered gelato on a stick. —Alicia Mazzara
Dolci Gelati has locations in Shaw (1420 8th St NW) and Takoma Park (7000 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, Md.).
ICE CREAM JUBILEE: “Delivering happiness” may be trademarked as a marketing slogan, but Ice Cream Jubilee considers it its raison d’être. This popular, new riverfront shop serves a mashed-up menu of boozy, nostalgic, seasonal, and whimsical flavors, the brainchild of owner Victoria Lai. “Each flavor tells a story and follows an arc,” said Lai. “It becomes a game you play with your taste buds.” Lai illustrates the theory with the seasonal mango habanero flavor, which starts sweet and creamy like a mango lassi then turns devilishly spicy with a kick of peppered syrup. If the business is about delivering happiness, it’s also delivering political humor. The butt of the joke is Marionberry, “ice cream for life” infused with Oregon-grown berries, sweet cream ice cream. and graham cracker crumbs. When customers make the association, they often laugh out loud. —Andrea Adleman
Ice Cream Jubilee is located at 301 Water Street SE.
KREIDER FARMS ICE CREAM: The Amish serve up buckets of fresh ice cream, including a rich and creamy peach with big chunks of fresh fruit. Even better, Kreiders supplies ice cream for the fantastic milkshakes at Lantz Restaurant next door in the Amish market. These huge $3 cups blow away shakes twice the price. Try the intense chocolate peanut butter, the decadently buttery butter pecan, or the fresh strawberry. And if you have room left, grab a dozen of the fluffy, fresh donuts at the Stoltzfus Bakery stand. —Pat Padua
Kreider Farms Ice Cream can be found at the Dutch Country Farmer’s Market, 9701 Fort Meade Rd, Laurel, Md. Thursday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Photo via Ice Cream Jubilee’s Facebook page.
PITANGO: It’s all good at this local chain of five gelateries. The rotating menu features the classics as well as some slightly offbeat flavors, and they are each done perfectly. My favorites include the mojito—plenty of mint, not overly sweet—and the crema, a simple Italian custard. But it is the coconut that I absolutely can’t resist ordering when it is on the menu—even when I’m just stopping in for a latte. I’ve never experienced one better. —Rachel Sadon
Pitango has locations in Penn Quarter, Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Reston, and Baltimore.
LARRY’S HOMEMADE CUPCAKES AND ICE CREAM: Despite its name, the ice cream comes first at this Dupont Circle mainstay. Larry Cenkci has been serving scoops out of this basement shop for 30 years, He’s a curmudgeonly flirt who’s earned himself the nickname “scoop Nazi” for his sometimes brusque manner with those who can’t make up their mind about which of his more than 25 flavors to order. If he’s not running a line, though, he’s generally happy to accommodate tasters. In addition to the classics and several types of sorbet, you’ll find flavors like cinnamon cookie dough, Cleopatra (spice ice cream with dates and coconut), and Fred and Ginger (vanilla ice cream with pecans, peaches, and brandy). Prices are similar to what you find at local gelato spots but the portions are slightly larger. Larry’s liqueur-infused flavors don’t hide their alcohol. Try Jack on the Rocks (dark chocolate with a punchy aftertaste of Jack Daniels) and Kahlua chocolate chunk.—Jenny Holm
Larry’s is located at 1633 Connecticut Avenue NW.
TRICKLING SPRINGS: If you see a glass bottle of milk being poured from a distance, you can safely guess it’s from Trickling Springs Creamery before you get close enough to read the label. This Pennsylvania-based dairy is an ever growing presence in the D.C. region. When it first opened at Union Market in the fall of 2012, this reporter was silently observing the ebb and flow of shoppers when a total stranger made eye contact and spontaneously exclaimed, “this is the best ice cream ever!” Prepared in small batches, Trickling Springs ice cream is unapologetically full fat. This not only gives flavor but also structure, helping to maintain consistency and prevent ice crystals from forming. The honest-to-goodness flavors are made without food coloring or artificial ingredients. Seasonal red raspberry trumpets the genuine taste of fresh fruit. Salted caramel appeals to the pro-umami set. Chocolate peanut butter operates smoothly, blending the ingredients into a nuttiness that can be tasted but not seen, given that it’s made without the familiar chunks. In addition to the cone or cup options, ice cream is available as milkshakes and prepackaged pints and gallons to go. —Andrea Adleman
Trickling Springs is located in Union Market at 1309 5th NE.
THOMAS SWEET: Good luck passing up Thomas Sweet if you find yourself in Georgetown on a summer day. Their colorful menu is super inviting with all the ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet flavors you could ask for&mdashlclassics like pistachio, butter brickle, and mocha chip, and the more unique cotton candy, hazelnut, and lemon custard. But I strongly suggest crafting one of the shop’s signature “Blend-Ins”, consisting of your choice of ice cream and toppings, blended together to indistinguishable, delicious perfection. —Nicole Dubowitz from our previous best ice cream list
Thomas Sweet is located at 3214 P Street NW.
Photo by Rachel Sadon.
UPWICH AT UPRISING MUFFIN: It’s easy for ice cream sandwiches to escalate from creatively delicious to downright ridiculous. But Shaw muffin shop Uprising’s unique take on the ice cream sandwich is as close to frozen divinity as one can get. A healthy amount of vanilla ice cream sits between two chocolate-chip muffin tops. It’s a hefty ice cream sandwich, but one that Elaine would surely approve of. —Matt Cohen
Uprising Muffin is located at 1817 7th Street NW.
