Best ice cream in Philadelphia: Where to get the best scoops, soft serve, water ice and other frozen treats

You don’t have to check the weather reports to know that Mother Nature has turned on the oven and doesn’t plan to turn off the switch for a while. This is a sure sign that ice cream season is underway in Philly.

And whether you like it in a cone, slathered with hot fudge in a sundae, or made into an insane milkshake, there are plenty of locally-owned shops ready to help you beat the heat with a sweet frozen treat.

Here are some of the best places in the area to commemorate:

No city, currently, has claimed the title of Ice Cream Capital of America. Obviously, that title should go to Philadelphia. From swirls of sprinkle-festooned cones to gooey, cake-topped sundaes, here are 14 of the best places to find ice cream in Philadelphia, the reigning ice cream capital of America.

An essential part of being down the shore? The ice cream. Is any summer really complete without drippy, sprinkle-coated cones of soft serve, cherry-topped shakes, and homemade waffle sundaes? The beach is hot. These are the best places along the Jersey Shore to grab a cool cone. Just be careful of the seagulls.

From Bassetts, considered to be the oldest ice cream parlor in the country, to small-batch artisans like Harper’s, Philadelphia’s ice cream landscape is vast and highly talented. Stroll down South Street, through Midtown Village or Old City, and you’ll find purveyors of some of the best dense custardy creams and lighter, refreshing frozen treats. Whether it be the presentation, expansive flavor menus or sourcing of ingredients, here are a few of the best spots in Philly to pick up a pint of ice cream.

Perhaps nothing embodies summer quite like soft-serve. A tower of fluffy-smooth vanilla ice cream coiled on a cone or in a cup — maybe dipped in rainbow sprinkles or a chocolate shell — is irresistible on a sticky summer day. Here are more than 25 shops to get old-school and new-school soft serve, whether you’re after chocolate-vanilla twist or honey-butter in a cone.

Ice cream sandwiches are as American as corn dogs, or at least the vanilla ice cream and wafer version. But ice cream sandwich makers in Philadelphia aren’t beholden solely to tradition. From their use of different flavored ice creams, creative ice cream sandwich “breading,” or their overall style, here are the best ice cream sandwiches served in Philly.

Getting your hands a little sticky when enjoying swirls of your favorite ice cream is a price worth paying. In Philadelphia, there’s no shortage of spots to get messy with soft-serve, ice cream, kulfi, and water ice. But as we embrace a summer of cold, sweet treats, we can’t forget ice cream’s Italian cousin, gelato. Unlike ice cream, gelato leans heavy on the milk, is kept at a higher temperature and churned at a slower speed, creating a product that can feel heavier but lighter in the sense of fat. Here are a handful of shops whipping up sweet, savory gelato and sorbettos — gelato’s non-dairy sibling.

Ice cream: It’s the quintessential summer dessert. Fortunately, Philly’s got plenty of places to find it, even if you don’t eat dairy. Coconut, soy, oat, banana: From soft serve to creatively flavored scoops to double-layered cakes and milkshakes, we’ve rounded up where to get vegan ice cream.

The Italian dessert is a tradition in itself within the Philadelphia region, where its roots are traced back to Italian families who brought the recipe with them when they moved from Italy. While it’s similar to shaved ice and Italian ice, water ice is different. It’s creamier than shaved ice yet icier than Italian ice. Whether you’re craving a classic cherry cup, a gelati (which combines layers of water ice with ice cream), or a combination of water ice flavors in one cup, there are many, many places for excellent water (wooder) ice in Philly and the surrounding towns.

Three scoops of ice cream — vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry — cradled by a split banana and topped with pineapple and strawberry sauces, hot fudge, whipped cream, cherries, and nuts. It boasts a variety of flavors and textures, ingredients shipped in from around the world, and varying temperatures ranging from hot fudge to frozen ice cream. Every bite is a sensory overload. Here’s where to get some of the city’s finest banana splits.

In Philly, the suburbs, and South Jersey, ice cream shops and restaurants are infusing soft serve base with increasingly imaginative flavors: brown sugar, sweet cream, German chocolate, hazelnut, graham cracker, blueberry, chocolate-tahini, ube, and even avocado. Here’s where to try them.