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Closeup of a metal ice cream container with caramel ice cream scoops on top.
Rahm Haus ice cream.
Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA

14 Cool Ice Cream Shops in New Orleans

The best places to get a scoop this summer

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Rahm Haus ice cream.
| Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA

New Orleans isn’t famous as an ice cream town — sno-balls and frozen daiquiris get us through the dog days of summer. And thanks to the city’s Sicilian heritage, gelato is part of the local vernacular. But ice cream still qualifies as a special treat, and there is some amazing ice cream (and gelato and sorbetto) to be found this summer in New Orleans. Here are the coolest ice cream spots in town.

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Creole Creamery (Multiple Locations)

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Ice cream chef Bryan Gilmore and team have been turning out insanely good ice cream at this 50s-inspired Uptown shop since 2004, with a rotation of creative flavors like black and gold crunch, lavender honey, Creole cream cheese, and Thai basil coconut. Summer usually brings blueberry pie ice cream and winter marks the arrival of king cake ice cream. For the bold, there’s the Creole Creamery’s Tchoupitoulas Challenge — an eight-scoop sundae — to get your name on the hall of fame wall.

A sundae from Creole Creamery
Brasted/Eater NOLA

Ice Cream 504

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Michael Southall crafts small-batch ice cream without gum or preservatives at the cozy little Ice Cream 504 just off Freret Street. Plus, he makes his own waffle cones. He calls it “sitting on the porch ice cream,” and that’s the darned truth.

Piccola Gelateria

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Now in its new Uptown home, the much-loved Piccola offers 18 different gelato, dairy free 

gelato, sorbet, and dairy free vegan sorbet flavors every day it’s open. Not to mention the stellar crepes, piadina (Italian flatbread), and coffee. Traditional flavors and others: sea salt caramel, tiramisu, licorice, blueberry, rose petal, king cake, biscotti, and stracciatella. Savory and sweet crepes also an option.

Angelo Brocato's

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This iconic family-run Italian bakery and gelateria has been pleasing ice cream fanatics for more than 100 years with classic flavors like Sicilian pistachio, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and salted caramel. Also home to a great spumoni, freshly piped cannoli, and variety of Italian cookies.

Mandorla abbrustolito gelato (roasted almond)
Angelo Brocato’s/Facebook

Pandora's SnowBalls

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This sweet spot near City Park is known for its sno-balls, but it also has some ragingly delicious soft serve and sundaes. Plenty of outdoor seating. Dogs are welcome at Pandora’s — and treated to a sno-ball selection of their own.

This Magazine Street pastry shop is back with new owners but just as much style; New Orleans’s answer to, “what’s the city’s most Instagrammable bakery?” Sucré might be best known for macaroons, but gelato is a close second — flavors include turtle cheesecake, pistachio, and nectar cream, and sorbets include coconut basil, mango, and raspberry. The French Quarter location is now (re) open.

This soft serve chain started five years ago in Sydney, with franchises now in Texas, Virginia and here in New Orleans, the second U.S. location. Aqua S dishes Instagrammable soft serve in flavors like cappuccino, Arnold Palmer, and cotton candy that look and taste just like how they sound. This location is owned by sisters Loan Le and Yen Truong, who fell in love with the place in Houston.

Parish Parlor

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Like a number of hugely popular local ice cream kitchens, Parish Parlor was born during the pandemic, contributing to what has become one of the best handcrafted ice cream scenes imaginable. The LGD shop has become best known for its waffle cone varieties and ice cream flavors like bananas Foster, baklava, and king cake, but don’t miss the mint chip or lemon ricotta honey. Best of all, it’s open daily, and late — until 9 p.m. during the week and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Rahm Haus

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Rahm Haus, the small-batch ice cream kitchen from Jillian Duran and team, serves its wares out of Courtyard Brewery on Camp Street, Wednesday through Sunday — what began as a pop-up is now a permanent presence. Duran’s ice cream, sherbet, and sorbet is the ultimate treat: textural, beautiful, and using unexpected and high quality ingredients, with flavors like Fall Bread Pudding (bronze fennel fronds, miso ice cream, caramel swirls, and sweet potato brioche bread pudding pieces) and Black and Gold (local black garlic, honey ice cream with salted dark chocolate and honeycomb candy).

Ice cream from Rahm Haus
Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA

Fat Boy Pantry

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A one stop shop for coffee, ice cream, breakfast, and sandwiches, Fat Boy is a great LGD option — perfect for grabbing a cone or cup before a stroll up Magazine. In addition to small batch ice cream, the shop serves affogato, shakes, floats, and sundaes, as well as an ice cream sandwich panini — hell yes. Ice cream flavors have included buttermilk salted lime, semolina/cannoli filling, and lemon cookie, but change seasonally.

Amorino

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This newish gelato spot on Canal at Royal is a game changer for the French Quarter, an artisanal, organic chain founded in Paris in 2002. Amorino is located all over the globe, from Casa Blanca to Abu Dahbi, a Euro-style shop with flavors like caramel, chocolate and passionfruit, along with coffee, macarons and other treats.

Roule Rolled Ice Cream Gretna

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This Thai-inspired ice cream chain is earning raves in Gretna, with its creative mash up of 24 different flavors along with a bevy of mix-ins, toppings, and sauces. Roule Rolled Ice Cream puts you in the drivers seat, and choices are mouth-watering. Then it’s showtime, with picks poured on a freezing plate for chopping and rolling.

Nola Mia Gelato Cafe

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Homemade gelato flavors abound at Nola Mia, a family-owned shop on St. Claude Avenue, with regular offerings like mascarpone, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and tiramisu, as well as specials like strawberry cheesecake, wild fruit, and hazelnut. Rich and bright Italian ice flavors like cherry and watermelon are the perfect consistency, and with sorbets, milkshakes, and other Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannoli. Chef/owner Raffaele Iorio makes terrific pizza too.

Sundae Best

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Every day they’re open is Sundae Best at Hotel Peter & Paul in the Marigny, the sweet spot founded by ice cream whisperer Erica Buher. Situated in the hotel’s former convent space, the cozy little shop spotlights her handmade custard-style ice creams in spunky flavors like peanut crackle and jam, lemon bar, and honey and chocolate covered Zapps. There are vegan options too — a range of sorbets and best of all, homemade hot fudge.

Peanut Crackle & Jam from Sundae Best
Sundae Best/Official

Creole Creamery (Multiple Locations)

Ice cream chef Bryan Gilmore and team have been turning out insanely good ice cream at this 50s-inspired Uptown shop since 2004, with a rotation of creative flavors like black and gold crunch, lavender honey, Creole cream cheese, and Thai basil coconut. Summer usually brings blueberry pie ice cream and winter marks the arrival of king cake ice cream. For the bold, there’s the Creole Creamery’s Tchoupitoulas Challenge — an eight-scoop sundae — to get your name on the hall of fame wall.

A sundae from Creole Creamery
Brasted/Eater NOLA

Ice Cream 504

Michael Southall crafts small-batch ice cream without gum or preservatives at the cozy little Ice Cream 504 just off Freret Street. Plus, he makes his own waffle cones. He calls it “sitting on the porch ice cream,” and that’s the darned truth.

Piccola Gelateria

Now in its new Uptown home, the much-loved Piccola offers 18 different gelato, dairy free 

gelato, sorbet, and dairy free vegan sorbet flavors every day it’s open. Not to mention the stellar crepes, piadina (Italian flatbread), and coffee. Traditional flavors and others: sea salt caramel, tiramisu, licorice, blueberry, rose petal, king cake, biscotti, and stracciatella. Savory and sweet crepes also an option.

Angelo Brocato's

This iconic family-run Italian bakery and gelateria has been pleasing ice cream fanatics for more than 100 years with classic flavors like Sicilian pistachio, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and salted caramel. Also home to a great spumoni, freshly piped cannoli, and variety of Italian cookies.

Mandorla abbrustolito gelato (roasted almond)
Angelo Brocato’s/Facebook

Pandora's SnowBalls

This sweet spot near City Park is known for its sno-balls, but it also has some ragingly delicious soft serve and sundaes. Plenty of outdoor seating. Dogs are welcome at Pandora’s — and treated to a sno-ball selection of their own.

Sucré

This Magazine Street pastry shop is back with new owners but just as much style; New Orleans’s answer to, “what’s the city’s most Instagrammable bakery?” Sucré might be best known for macaroons, but gelato is a close second — flavors include turtle cheesecake, pistachio, and nectar cream, and sorbets include coconut basil, mango, and raspberry. The French Quarter location is now (re) open.

Aqua S

This soft serve chain started five years ago in Sydney, with franchises now in Texas, Virginia and here in New Orleans, the second U.S. location. Aqua S dishes Instagrammable soft serve in flavors like cappuccino, Arnold Palmer, and cotton candy that look and taste just like how they sound. This location is owned by sisters Loan Le and Yen Truong, who fell in love with the place in Houston.

Parish Parlor

Like a number of hugely popular local ice cream kitchens, Parish Parlor was born during the pandemic, contributing to what has become one of the best handcrafted ice cream scenes imaginable. The LGD shop has become best known for its waffle cone varieties and ice cream flavors like bananas Foster, baklava, and king cake, but don’t miss the mint chip or lemon ricotta honey. Best of all, it’s open daily, and late — until 9 p.m. during the week and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Rahm Haus

Rahm Haus, the small-batch ice cream kitchen from Jillian Duran and team, serves its wares out of Courtyard Brewery on Camp Street, Wednesday through Sunday — what began as a pop-up is now a permanent presence. Duran’s ice cream, sherbet, and sorbet is the ultimate treat: textural, beautiful, and using unexpected and high quality ingredients, with flavors like Fall Bread Pudding (bronze fennel fronds, miso ice cream, caramel swirls, and sweet potato brioche bread pudding pieces) and Black and Gold (local black garlic, honey ice cream with salted dark chocolate and honeycomb candy).

Ice cream from Rahm Haus
Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA

Fat Boy Pantry

A one stop shop for coffee, ice cream, breakfast, and sandwiches, Fat Boy is a great LGD option — perfect for grabbing a cone or cup before a stroll up Magazine. In addition to small batch ice cream, the shop serves affogato, shakes, floats, and sundaes, as well as an ice cream sandwich panini — hell yes. Ice cream flavors have included buttermilk salted lime, semolina/cannoli filling, and lemon cookie, but change seasonally.

Amorino

This newish gelato spot on Canal at Royal is a game changer for the French Quarter, an artisanal, organic chain founded in Paris in 2002. Amorino is located all over the globe, from Casa Blanca to Abu Dahbi, a Euro-style shop with flavors like caramel, chocolate and passionfruit, along with coffee, macarons and other treats.

Roule Rolled Ice Cream Gretna

This Thai-inspired ice cream chain is earning raves in Gretna, with its creative mash up of 24 different flavors along with a bevy of mix-ins, toppings, and sauces. Roule Rolled Ice Cream puts you in the drivers seat, and choices are mouth-watering. Then it’s showtime, with picks poured on a freezing plate for chopping and rolling.

Nola Mia Gelato Cafe

Homemade gelato flavors abound at Nola Mia, a family-owned shop on St. Claude Avenue, with regular offerings like mascarpone, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and tiramisu, as well as specials like strawberry cheesecake, wild fruit, and hazelnut. Rich and bright Italian ice flavors like cherry and watermelon are the perfect consistency, and with sorbets, milkshakes, and other Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannoli. Chef/owner Raffaele Iorio makes terrific pizza too.

Sundae Best

Every day they’re open is Sundae Best at Hotel Peter & Paul in the Marigny, the sweet spot founded by ice cream whisperer Erica Buher. Situated in the hotel’s former convent space, the cozy little shop spotlights her handmade custard-style ice creams in spunky flavors like peanut crackle and jam, lemon bar, and honey and chocolate covered Zapps. There are vegan options too — a range of sorbets and best of all, homemade hot fudge.

Peanut Crackle & Jam from Sundae Best
Sundae Best/Official

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