From inventive flavors to vegan soft serve, Los Angeles ice cream shops have it all. Here are some of the best ice cream shops in town.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SALT & STRAW
L.A.’s favorite grocery store serves it all—and more. On your next visit, be sure to stop by the Tonic Bar for a Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve. Order it traditional style, with just the coconut milk and vanilla base, or opt for Hailey Bieber’s version: vegan chocolate chips, sweet strawberry glaze, coconut whip and a drizzle of Spread The Love peanut butter.
Located all across the United States, America knows and loves Van Leeuwen’s addicting ice cream. Served as scoops, bars and sandwiches—with an entirely vegan menu, too—you’ll have plenty of options for a summer afternoon treat. Our recommendations? Vegan peanut butter brownie honeycomb, praline butter cake and buttermilk berry cornbread. Yum!
Tucked off the bustling streets of Beverly Hills sits the adorable Cassetta ice cream and tea shop. In addition to boba black milk tea and vanilla lattes, Cassetta frequenters enjoy soft serve served in a croissant, doused in passion fruit jam, topped with cereal or cookies or drenched in espresso for an affogato-style creation.
With locations in Brentwood, Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades, you’re never more than a few steps away from delicious frozen yogurt on the West Side. Pump your own flavors, from custard vanilla to pineapple sorbet, before piling on toppings of all varieties. For the dairy-free ice cream crowd, try the non-dairy Shoppe Peanut Butter, and thank us later!
If you’re craving an indulgent vegan and gluten-free treat, look no further than Awan, now open in Larchmont. The innovative Indonesian ice cream brand serving eccentric flavors like Saffron Pistachio Medjool Date and Blood Orange is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and change the idea of ice cream, thanks to chef Zen Ong.
Gelateria Uli puts a twist on an Italian classic. With the intention of creating flavors that everyone can enjoy, Gelateria Uli offers flavors like stracciatella (chocolate chip) as well as more quirky flavors like banana white chocolate chip or black sesame. Portions are on the smaller side for a reason: The gelato’s dense and creamy texture means you don’t need as much. Plus, it’s encouraged to pair flavors like the Jamaica agua fresca mint sorbet with the chocolate sorbet for a refreshing and super-tasty bite.
PHOTO BY TARYN CARLSON
Get yourself over to this L.A. gem that serves some of the best handcrafted, artisan ice cream in town. The Culver City flagship and West 3rd Street spot are home to a variety of ice cream flavors like black raspberry chip, butter pecan, and a variety of vegan options—all made on the premises with the freshest ingredients hand-selected by the owner, Margaret Schniderman.
With various locations around L.A., Jeni’s is the perfect place to grab a quick scoop packed with flavor. Choose between options such as blackout chocolate cake or wedding cake and strawberry jam to satisfy that sweet tooth. Stock up at the scoop shop or at the grocery store, where pints are now available.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGPIES SOFT SERVE
If you're looking for a dairy-free sweet treat, stop by Magpies Soft Serve and discover a wide variety of vegan and dairy soft serve options. Owners Rose and Warren Schwartz tapped into their own backgrounds to create the menu, which includes flavors such as horchata and chili mango. For special occasions, spring for the incredible pies, made with mouthwatering flavors and various toppings that elevate the standard ice cream cake from basic to unforgettable.
For more than 40 years, Mashti Malone’s has been one of Los Angeles’s most loved and highly talked about ice cream shops. Home to unique flavors like saffron rosewater, Persian cucumber and rosewater sorbet, Mashti Malone’s promises nothing but the best quality ice cream without artificial flavoring or food dyes. This extraordinary spot also offers more conventional flavors, including cookies and cream and rocky road.
Known for mouthwatering unique scoops, Salt & Straw is a must-visit for locals and visitors alike. Out-of-the-box flavors like honey lavender and pear and blue cheese have curious customers waiting in lines wrapped around the store. For those with a less daring palate, Salt & Straw also offers more traditional flavors like double-fold vanilla and sea salt with caramel ribbons.
Inspired by the flavors of places they have visited or want to visit, Adrienne Borlongan and Jon-Patrick Lopez created Wanderlust Creamery to extend that sensory experience to their customers. The sticky rice and mango ice cream brings the tastes of Thailand to life, while the Earl Grey transports customers to England—no passport required.
A true ode to authentic Greek cuisine, this yogurt bar and café is an iconic spot for locals and tourists alike to indulge in fresh frozen yogurt. This original creation is a special spin-off of authentic Greek yogurt and offers visitors a delicious, sweet treat while still maintaining a classic savory tart – making this the perfect delight for any mood! Originally founded in 2012 by three people of Greek descent, the shop is decorated with traditional Mediterranean blue tiles, self-serve yogurt machines with additional seasonal flavors and a toppings bar that includes options for many dietary restrictions.
The Bigg Chill has served as a staple destination for classic frozen yogurt lovers since their opening twenty years ago. Located in a nondescript strip mall off Olympic, the consistent line out the door exemplifies the love and devotion that loyal customers and foodies feel toward this stop. The recipes are made of all-natural ingredients, and though there are nightly flavor rotations, there is always an option that includes no-sugar-added Carbolite, fat-free and dairy-free varieties and low-fat baked goodies. The topping bar includes a range of candies and sweets but specifically specializes in its vegan cookie dough, which comes in all sorts of flavors such as chocolate chip, birthday cake, peanut butter, Oreo, sugar cookie and s’mores!
This is the place where aesthetics and appetite go hand in hand. Saffron & Rose is a family-owned and operated ice cream shop with unique Persian ice creams in a range of aromatic flavors, such as saffron pistachio, white and pink rose, almond, cucumber, taro and more. Located in Irvine and Westwood, this is a destination for ice cream connoisseurs to discover quality and creativity, unlike any other ice cream in Los Angeles.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HOKEY POKEY
As the unofficial ice cream flavor of New Zealand, Hokey Pokey ice cream is highly coveted outside of the land down under. New to Los Angeles, three brothers have created the brand based on the unique New Zealand style of soft serve. With each flavor made freshly in store, be sure to stop by the Westfield Century City Mall for a rich and creamy treat.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CREAMY BOYS
South Bay residents are just around the corner from this New Zealand-style ice cream shop. Creamy Boys in Hermosa Beach offers a limited menu of fresh ingredient-filled flavors such as mixed berry, strawberry, banana, vanilla, Hokey Pokey (an NZ specialty with honeycomb toffee) and a seasonal selection that all taste great in a cup—or a cone!
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