DC’s Best Ice Cream Spots
Lifestyle
Few things scream summer more than ice cream, and luckily for you, DC’s got quite a sweet tooth for the coolest spots in town. From the tried-and-true favorites to newcomers on the frozen treat scene, we’ve got your sugar fix covered in style (with sprinkles on top). Keep reading to discover the inside scoop on the best ice cream around the DMV today!
#1 Moorenko’s Ice Cream Café: This respected scoops chain, a DMV fixture since 2002, gets its dairy from grass-fed cows raised on family-owned farms in Pennsylvania; there’s also a newer location on Capitol Hill!
Craving more summer-themed inspo? Dig into our latest post on the things to do and places to see this month.
#2 Mount Desert Island Ice Cream: Partners Brian Lowit and Melissa Quinley brought the uber-creamy Maine favorite to Mount Pleasant in the summer of 2018. Here, you’ll find one of the best cookies and cream varieties in town, along with a Vietnamese coffee and vegan caramelized pear varieties.
#3 Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams: The Ohio-based ice cream chain with a cult following is known for flavors like brambleberry crisp, gooey butter cake, and a buttermilk rainbow sorbet. Stop by any of the many area scoop shops (14th Street NW, Old Town, Bethesda, Barracks Row, Tysons, and Navy Yard) for takeout, or go the delivery route for pints delivered right to your door.
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- How to Stay Cool in DC this Summer
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#4 Happy Ice Cream: Happy Ice Cream serves a solid selection of frozen pints inside its shop, plus scoops outside from their ice cream cart when weather permits. Offerings include freshly spun olive oil gelato with cocoa crumble, strawberry-buttermilk ice cream with polenta crumble, popcorn with corn cake, and caramel with handmade sourdough cones.
#5 Thomas Sweet: Thomas Sweet is a regional chain with four locations in New Jersey, but its Georgetown shop is considered a local mainstay. Part of the allure is the commitment to classic flavors — there’s no funky stuff here — as well as the option to fold in candy and additional sweeteners.
#6 Dolci Gelati (multiple locations): With a steady stream of seasonal flavors created by pastry chef and owner Gianluigi Dellaccio, Dolci Gelati always has something new to try. Its dedicated storefront in Shaw sends out vegan flavors and cakes from a takeout window, but you’l also stumble upon Dolci outposts in Old Town, Takoma Park, and National Landing.
#7 The Creamery at Union Market: Daniel Burdge, the longtime retail manager for Trickling Springs’s now-defunct area shops, made a comeback with the opening of this dairy-driven stand inside Union Market.
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#8 Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: NYC’s cult ice cream company Van Leeuwen debuted in DC this spring in Union Market with over 30 dairy (and vegan) flavors like Earl Grey tea, Sicilian pistachio, and Marionberry Cheesecake made with vine-ripened berries from Oregon’s Stahlbush Island Farms.
#9 Pitango Gelato (multiple locations): Homegrown chain Pitango prides itself on serving traditional gelato flavors, such as hazelnut and pistachio, as well as more modern interpretations including dark chocolate sorbet, green tea, and more. Their gelato is made out of organic milk and cream from grass-fed cows on an organic farm in Pennsylvania, and locations are set in Penn Quarter, Adams Morgan, Bethesda, Reston, and Fells Point, Maryland.
#10 Peterson’s Ice Cream Depot: This quaint window in Northern Virginia is the go-to spot for locals to grab soft-serve and scooped ice cream with toppings. There are a dozen homemade flavors on tap each day, like tiramisu and a bourbon-infused variety with crunchy chocolate clusters.
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