Philly’s best ice cream sandwiches, from refined to softball-sized

Ice cream sandwiches are as American as corn dogs, or at least the vanilla ice cream and wafer version is.

Originally sold in New York City at the turn of the century for a single penny as a “hokey-pokey” — ice cream served between two pieces of paper (can you imagine?) — the treat evolved over time, according to a 2019 Boston Globe interview with Jeri Quinzio, author of Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making and an editor of The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. The ice cream sandwich popular in the U.S. today — vanilla ice cream served between two chocolate wafers — has supposed origins dating back to the ‘20s, ‘40s, and ‘70s, according to Tasting Table, but the exact origins aren’t confirmed.

What can be confirmed is that different takes on ice cream sandwiches can be found all over the world, from the brioche con gelato in Italy to a brick of ice cream nestled between rainbow-colored toast in Singapore to ice cream rounds in buns in the Philippines. In Thailand and Vietnam, an ice cream sandwich is often served using a long roll, writes Thrillist. (Some of these styles are rare in Philly, but let us know if you find them!)

Ice cream sandwich makers in Philadelphia aren’t beholden solely to tradition. With their creative use of ice cream flavors or sandwich “breading,” or their overall style, here are the city’s best...

Coco’s Cookies and Creamery has been churning out marvelous ice cream and carnival desserts since 2020 near Lancaster Avenue in Poweltown Village. Its menu spans far and wide with funnel cakes, fried Oreos, and water ice milkshakes, and its ice cream sandwich calls in a heavy hitter: Reading Terminal Market’s Famous 4th Street cookies to pair with soft-serve ice cream in vanilla, chocolate, or twist flavors. To switch it up, order it with wafers instead of cookies. Pick up one for $4.50 or $16 for a four-pack; order online or get delivery through UberEats.

📍 3632 Powelton Ave. 📞 267-353-8059 🌐 cocoscookiesandcreamery.com

Franklin Fountain, a Philly ice cream powerhouse that’s half top-tier ice cream parlor, half time machine, will make you feel like you’re in a 20th-century malt shop. Despite its throwback appeal, the ice cream desserts don’t just stick to the classics. Enjoy cookies, brownies, or pretzels sandwiching a thick slab of ice cream — all handmade. Order these treats at both of Franklin’s storefronts, Franklin Fountain and Franklin Ice Cream Bar, right next door to each other. Premade sandwiches include vanilla and chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter ice cream and double chocolate cookie,and snickerdoodle and sea salt caramel ice cream. Grab an $18 gourmet sandwich at Franklin Fountain or a $12 premade one at Franklin Ice Cream Bar; order online for pickup or local delivery.

📍 116 Market St. 📞 215-627-1899 🌐 franklinfountain.com

Gran Caffe L’Aquila serves an award-winning gelato made fresh daily by Italian gelato champion Stefano Biasini. Its variation of the Sicilian classic features a freshly baked sweet brioche roll filled with gelato. According to Gran Caffe L’Aquila’s culinary director Riccardo Longo, the key to making the brioche con gelato is an Italian-made press that warms the brioche on the outside while maintaining the ice-cold gelato on the inside, leaving guests with a euphoric hot and cold sensation. Choose from 24 daily gelato flavors for $8.50. .

📍 1716 Chestnut St. 📞 215-568-5600 🌐 grancaffelaquila.com

» READ MORE: Where to find the best gelato in the Philly area

Harper’s in Brewerytown starts its journey at local farms across the region before its ingredients are transformed into ice cream sandwiches, milkshakes, and scoops in its scoop shop. What makes Harper’s ice cream sandwich stand out is its use of a homemade doughnut. Order the doughnut sandwich with any of its rotating flavors of ice cream, from cookies and cream and vanilla bean to salted caramel, for $7. Pick up one at its Brewerytown storefront; you can order ahead online.

📍 2827 W. Girard Ave. 📞 215-789-6597 🌐 harpersicecream.com

Scoop DeVille’s ice cream sandwich deserves to be in the record books for being an absolute unit. The “Scoopwich” features two large cookies and an enormous slab of ice cream, with such classics as vanilla with sprinkles on chocolate chip cookies, or mint chocolate chip on double chocolate chip cookies. At the parlor, famous for being able to create any flavor of soft-serve ice cream, you can choose any ice cream flavor to slap between the warm cookies. Grab one for $6 to $8 at the South Street or Midtown Village storefronts; order online for pickup or delivery.

📍 1109 Walnut St. / 538 South St. 📞 215-988-9992 / 267-639-4565 🌐 scoopdevilleicecream.com

One of the top choices for an ice cream sandwich in Philly has to be Weckerly’s — its entire business was built on the dessert. You can now find the sizable premium ice cream sandwiches at two scoop shops and at local retailers. With dairy from Seven Star Farms in Phoenixville and all ice cream mixes made in-house, Weckerly’s specializes in a French-style custard cream that delivers a super thick, rich ice cream.Core flavors include a “black and white” vanilla and chocolate ice cream sandwich, but sandwich flavors rotate frequently at the West Philly and Fishtown scoop shops. For $5, you can’t get much better than Weckerly’s.

📍 9 W. Girard Ave. / 265 S. 44th St. 📞 215-423-2000 / 215-222-5829 🌐 weckerlys.com

After one of Zsa’s fruity ice cream sandwiches, you might be singing, “Berries and cream, berries and cream. I’m a little lad who loves berries and cream.” Currently on offer is a strawberries and cream with brown sugar ice cream sandwich, and sweet cream vanilla bean ice cream with brown sugar chocolate chip cookies sandwich. All of its rotating and seasonal flavors are like eating a pie in ice cream form. Zsa’s uses a homemade ice cream mix that pulls inspiration from American-style ice cream, which is lighter, balanced with gelato-making techniques that produce a rich density. Each sandwich comes with one giant scoop of ice cream and two three-inch cookies. Grab one for $7.75 at Zsa’s Mount Airy scoop shop; order ahead online.

📍 6616 Germantown Ave. 📞 215-848-7215 🌐 zsasicecream.com