Your guide to the best ice cream shops in metro Phoenix
With temperature staying above 100 degrees, there is only one thing on all of our minds: how to keep cool. Of course, you can head for the hills or jump in the pool if you have one, but my personal preference is a refreshing scoop of ice cream on a hot day. Thankfully, metro Phoenix is home to a number of unique and delicious ice cream shops.
From classic scoops to creative creations like ice cream waffles and cookie cup sundaes, iconic flavors like a mint chocolate chip, to newfangled concoctions like lavender honey and matcha, there's something for everyone.
Here are 17 of the best places to get ice cream in metro Phoenix.
Churn
Churn's sizeable menu includes a rotating selection of ice cream flavors and sundaes like the strawberry shortcake with vanilla and strawberry ice cream, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce, shortcake and whipped cream; caramel apple pie and cherry cola floats; fresh baked cookies and pastries; and nostalgic candy like old fashioned taffy and sour cherry balls.
Details: 5223 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-279-8024, @churnicecream on Instagram.
The City Creamery
This delightful little Cave Creek ice cream shop sells rotating flavors of old-fashioned ice cream. The City Creamery's hot fudge sundaes include three scoops of ice cream of your choice, homemade hot fudge, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a waffle cone bowl.
Details: 6268 E. Cave Creek Road, Suite 8, Cave Creek. 480-397-1130, citycreameryicecream.com.
Creamistry
Creamistry's liquid nitrogen ice cream flavors include matcha green tea, milk coffee and strawberry. One of the shop's specialties is the croffle, or croissant waffle, topped with ice cream and other toppings such as cookie crumbs, fruit or cereal.
Details: 335 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-292-8651. Also, 15345 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-912-5100, creamistry.com.
Crispy Cones
Crispy Cones is a European-style ice cream shop that specializes in trdelníks, or Eastern European chimney cakes made from pastry dough that's cooked rotisserie-style, filled with ice cream and sprinkled with cinnamon or sugar.
Details: 180 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Also, 420 South Mill Ave., Suite 106, Tempe. 208-479-7238, thecrispycones.com.
Fatty Daddy's
Fatty Daddy's is best known for its cookie cup, which comprises a scoop of gelato topped with a macaron and a toasted marshmallow. The shop also sells coffee and boba tea.
Details: 1608 N. Miller Road, Suite 5, Scottsdale. 480-634-6460. Also, 888 N. First Ave., Suite 105, Phoenix. fattydaddys.com.
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Ohio-based Handel's Homemade Ice Cream shop offers over 45 flavors, like chocolate raspberry truffle, black cherry, cinnamon graham cracker, peppermint bark and cheesecake with Oreo.
Details: Multiple locations, handelsicecream.com.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Ohio-based James Beard Award-winner Jeni Britton brought her ice cream to Scottsdale in 2023. Jeni's menu features flavors like salted peanut butter and chocolate and rainbow frozen yogurt, plus a few dairy-free ice creams and sorbets. Each bowl comes with a triangle of buttercrisp waffle.
Details: 7051 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale. 602-835-6691, jenis.com.
Melt
Melt Ice Cream is known for its unique ice cream flavors served inside Chinese takeout containers and topped with a fortune cookie. Flavors range from Vietnamese coffee to mango?ada to jalape?o lime cheesecake. Located inside Jobot Coffee, Melt is a popular stop during First Fridays.
Details: 333 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. @meltphx on Instagram.
Milk Run
Milk Run opened in 2017 and serves boba tea and house-made ice cream — or combine the two in a milk tea float. Unique ice cream flavors include matcha, Thai tea, taro, honey vanilla and Vietnamese coffee.
Details: 1702 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-795-1863, milkrunboba.com.
Novel Ice Cream
Novel Ice Cream offers 12 flavors, and once or twice a month, they roll out a limited batch of a seasonal flavor that usually sells out quickly. Novel’s secrets are using the highest quality ingredients, using a higher percentage of butterfat in the ice cream and working with a seasoned ice cream chef and baker. The honey is from a local producer, the lavender is from an Arizona farm and all the flavors are small batch.
But the best thing on the menu is the Dough Melt, which is an ice cream stuffed doughnut.
Details: 1028 Grand Ave., Cottage 6, Phoenix, 602-579-7773. Also at 40 N. Macdonald St., Suite 2, Mesa. 602-579-9198, novelicecream.com.
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Peace Cream
Peace Cream serves classic ice cream flavors like sea salt caramel and chocolate chip as well as unique flavors like bubble gum, mocha crunch and peaches and cream. They also offer house-made crepes, waffles and milkshakes.
Details: 15414 N. 19th Ave, Phoenix. 602-354-4661, @peacecreamaz on Instagram.
Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw, a popular Portland-based ice cream shop, opened its highly-anticipated first Arizona location on July 26 at Epicenter at Agritopia in Gilbert. Salt & Straw's unique flavors include chocolate gooey brownie, sea salt with caramel ribbons, pear and blue cheese, cinnamon snickerdoodle and strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper.
Details: 3150 E. Ray Road, Gilbert. 623-256-7552, epicenteratagritopia.com and saltandstraw.com.
The Screamery
The Screamery offers more than two dozen rotating ice cream flavors, including coffee toffee, sweet cream honeycomb, fudgsicle, raspberry cheesecake and peppermint chip. Other Screamery creations include ice cream nachos made with waffle chips drizzled with hot fudge and topped with a single scoop of your flavor choice and traditional milkshakes and floats.
Details: 10625 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 136, Phoenix. 602-368-1362. Also, 140 N. Arizona Ave., Suite 106, Chandler. 480-597-3322. More locations at thescreamery.com.
Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl is perhaps best known as an Instagrammable Old Town Scottsdale destination, but the adorably retro pink diner is also a great place to enjoy delicious ice cream sundaes like pineapple mint, caramel marshmallow or black raspberry, or an old-fashioned soda with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Details: 4005 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-946-0051, sugarbowlscottsdale.com.
Sweet Provisions
The daily rotating menu at Sweet Provisions offers varieties like coconut cream pie, salted caramel, birthday cake and Kitchen Sink — yummy leftover baked goodies mixed into vanilla ice cream. Or choose your favorite ice cream flavor to turn into a milkshake, float or a la mode on a baked good of your choice.
Details: 8120 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. 480-275-2676, sweetprovisionsaz.com.
Sweet Republic
Sweet Republic's three locations serve rotating ice cream flavors like banana toffee pudding, Cortez cold brew, creme brulee, dill pickle and strawberry buttermilk, plus a handful of vegan sorbets. The toffee banofi sundae comes with two scoops of vanilla bean, almond toffee brittle, fresh bananas, salted caramel sauce and whipped cream in a waffle bowl. Or choose any ice cream flavor to turn into a hot fudge sundae.
Details: 410 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe. 480-292-8557. Also, 9160 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. 480-248-6979. Other locations at sweetrepublic.com.
The Yard Milkshake Bar
The Yard serves eye-catching milkshakes in mason jars topped with warm baked pastries and lots of whipped cream. Menu highlights include the Cookie Monster, which is made with blue monster ice cream, chocolate and marshmallow drizzle, whipped cream, Cookie Crisp and a cookie dough sandwich. Or try the Phoenix exclusive Camelback Mountain with orange swirl ice cream, vanilla, blue sprinkles, orange and yellow whipped cream and a chocolate star.
Details: 50 W. Jefferson St., Suite 120, Phoenix. 602-296-4473. Also, 9402 W. Westgate Blvd., Glendale. theyardmilkshakebar.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best ice cream shops in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler
