The Best Ice Cream Shops in NYC, in GIFs

A quality scoop of ice cream isn't difficult to find in this city. And, it's a good thing—a respite from these steamy streets is so necessary, particularly when that respite comes in the form of dairy and sugar. 

With beloved creamery Ample Hills expanding to a second location (and releasing a new book on how to recreate their goods at home), Hay Rosie ice cream factory opening in Brooklyn, and the debut of Morgenstern's stunning new parlor on the Lower East side, there's never been a better time to get down on a scoop—or several. 

If you needed an excuse to forgo Mr. Softee for new horizons, here it is: A guide to some of NYC's best ice cream spots, in crave-inducing GIFs.

Words by @ShanteCosme
Images and GIFs by @LizBarclay

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Hay Rosie Craft Ice Cream Co.

Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens
Address: 204 Sackett St., Brooklyn
Website: hayrosie.com
What to order: Pretzel Roll Barnburner with Mexican muscovado caramel ice cream ($8)

There's an ice cream sandwich, and then—in a league entirely of its own—is Hay Rosie's ingenious barnburner. A "shell" (in this case, a buoyant pretzel roll) is filled with a flavor of your choice and pressed, sealing cool ice cream inside its warm shell. Hay Rosie is not a parlor; it's an actual ice cream factory, and each of the flavors (everything from Sriracha Popcorn to Sage Chocolate Chip) are made completely from scratch. Owner Stef Ferrari, a veteran of the craft beer business, originally planned to open a brewery, but opted to bring her urge to innovate to ice cream instead, quipping that she merely traded "one pint for another." Hay Rosie's tasting room is open to the public Thursday through Sunday.

L'Arte Del Gelato

Neighborhood: Chelsea 
Address: 75 9th Ave. (with seasonal locations at the High Line and Lincoln Plaza)
Website: lartedelgelato.com/en/index.html
What to order: Panna Cotta Gelato ($4.50)

There are many, many delicious things to eat in Chelsea Market, but few are as decadent as a scoop of L'Arte's wonderfully rich gelato. Their Panna Cotta gelato, with thick swirls of nutty caramel, is silky and satisfying. If you're looking for something more subtle (which—why?) opt for one of their lighter gellati ala frutta flavors. The Variegato all’Amarena, a fior di latte gelato strewn with bitter Italian cherries, is tart and refreshing, and will be on offer for the remainder of July.

Big Gay Ice Cream

Neighborhood: West Village / East Village 
Address: 61 Grove St. / 125 East 7th St. 
Website: biggayicecream.com
What to order: The Salty Pimp ($6)

When Big Gay Ice cream moved their frozen creations from their oft-frequented truck to their (now equally as popular, if the lines are any indication) East Village brick-and-mortar shop, New York dairy fiends won a small victory. Both whimsical and tasty, Big Gay's soft serve cones are the platonic ideal of an ice cream, a perfect swirl of silky vanilla topped with anything from Nilla wafers to pretzels (See the "American Globs" cone below). Technicolored sprinkles are always a respectable choice, but the Salty Pimp is an excellent departure from your childhood go-to. Both the ice cream and cone are doused in a sizeable squeeze of dulce de leche and the vanilla swirl dusted with freshly ground sea salt before being dipped in a vat of chocolate. It's surprisingly difficult to be mad at a Salty Pimp. There, we said it.

OddFellows Ice Cream Co.

Neighborhood: Williamsburg / East Village
Address: 175 Kent Ave. / 75 East 4th St.
Website: oddfellowsnyc.com
What to order: The Banana Split

Sam Mason is a pastry chef-cum-condiment man (shout out to Empire's Mayo's A+ spreads), but he's truly found his forte at Oddfellows. Flavors here range from delightfully kooky (Manchego Pineapple & Thyme) to tweaked classics (Coconut Dulce de Leche); each uses an in-house pasteurization process that allows Mason to infuse each scoop with subtle inventiveness. To straddle the realm of nostalgia with a spirit for adventure, order a Banana Split prepared with three scoops you've never imagined existed, let alone tried.

Momofuku Milk Bar

Neighborhood: Midtown
Address: 15 West 56th St. (and other locations throughout NYC)
Website: milkbarstore.com/main
What to order: Cereal Milk Soft Serve ($4.50)

Before creating confections like the crack pie for David Chang's empire, Christina Tosi was cutting her discerning sweet tooth at Bouley and WD-50. Save for Compost cookies and Birthday Cake truffles, Tosi's greatest contribution to the dessert panthenon is the Wonka-esque cereal milk soft serve. A child's fantasy come to life, Tosi aimed to recreate the salty-sweet flavor of the final slurps after a bowl of Lucky Charms. The result, when paired with corn flake topping, is a buttery, subtly sweet swirl of ice cream that Mr. Softee just can't compete with. 

Ample Hills Creamery

Neighborhood: Prospect Heights / Dumbo
Address: 623 Vanderbilt Ave. / Brooklyn Bridge Park
Website: amplehills.com
What to order: Salted Caramel Crack Ice Cream

Ample Hills owners Brian and Jackie Smith champion small batch, truly homemade ice cream, churning out flavors that are legit made from scratch, base and all. This unmatched control over the process results in full-flavored, unique and sometimes zany ice creams, everything from "Snap Mallow Pop" (Jet-puffed marshamallow ice cream with rice crispies) to the crazy satisfying salted caramel crack. The intensely flavorful burnt caramel is further heightened by the addition of crumbled saltines that are coated with chocolate, sugar and butter. It's the shop's most beloved flavor—and with good cause.

Brooklyn Soda Farmacy

Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens
Address: 513 Henry St.
Website: brooklynfarmacy.blogspot.com
What to order: Mr. Potato Head ($12)

For a refreshing return to the 1920's—egg creams and all—turn to the throwback  confections of Brooklyn Soda Farmacy. The Farmacy forgoes novelty, and instead offers well-done iterations of classic flavors and toppings. An exceptional example of this is the Mr. Potato Head sundae, which blankets dense vanilla ice cream with generous amounts of homemade peanut-butter, thick caramel, and feather-light whipped cream punctuated by the salty crunch of North Fork potato chips. Your barely-concealed inner child will have a field day.

Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream

Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Address: 2 Rivington St.
Website: morgensternsnyc.com
What to order: The New God Flow ($12)

Before opening his handsome ice cream parlor on the Lower East Side, Nick Morgenstern was a pastry chef at both Daniel and Gramercy Tavern, and his sophisticated technique shows. Ice creams are silky and ethereal; eeclectic flavors range from durian banana to chocolate Szechuan peppercorn. Morgenstern's aesthetic, meanwhile, settles somewhere between nostalgic and decidedly modern. Take the New God Flow, which sets two wildly rich scoops of raw milk ice cream atop a torched slice of honey-slicked Japanese white bread. Beneath the slowly melting scoops lies a thin, crunchy center reminiscent of creme brulee. It's enough to make a grown woman cry.