Time to cool down! Whether you’re craving gelato, soft serve, frozen custard, ice cream or something else that is just sweet and cold enough, 草莓传媒 has a list focused on the most reliable neighborhood spots for a scoop, sundae or something truly inventive.
Across the D.C. region, frozen desserts go well beyond the standard chocolate-and-vanilla cone. Local shops and restaurants are serving everything from Filipino halo-halo and Japanese kakigori to Afghan sheer yakh, mango kulfi, fruit-blended New Zealand-style soft serve and ice cream infused with unexpected ingredients such as Old Bay, black sesame and saffron.
Some of these destinations are longtime neighborhood institutions, while others are newer shops, restaurant-only offerings or pop-ups worth tracking down before they disappear. Here are 30 places to find ice cream, gelato, custard and other frozen treats throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
Classic scoop shops and neighborhood favorites
Found in Virginia and Maryland, proves that sometimes it鈥檚 the simple things in life that result in the most comfort. Along with flavors like “Super Oreo” and “Pralines and Honey,” there are also more unique flavors like ube, Thai iced tea and lychee sorbet.
For something seasonal, head to to order the summer peach Melba, which has a raspberry puree mixed in, or the Key West key lime with graham cracker bits for an extra dose of happiness. Find Sarah’s in various locations in Maryland.
For fleeting flavors, is known to collaborate with local businesses, farms and even artists and musicians to create limited-time sweets that are as memorable as they are temporary. One of the quirkier flavors is a caramel ice cream base flavored with Old Bay seasoning. Don’t just expect pints, but ice cream pies as well. Find The Charmery across several sites in Maryland, plus one location at Walter Reed in D.C.
As one of the oldest-running, continuously-operated ice cream shops in the D.C. region, is a local favorite in Virginia’s Old Town neighborhood. While the location has been on King Street for 50 years now, founder Ray “Pop” Giovanni has been in the ice cream and dessert business since the 1940s, even famously serving first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
When 草莓传媒 visited in D.C.’s Mount Pleasant, it was made known by an employee that no tasters are allowed. It’s a lesson in learning that sometimes diving in blind to new experiences and flavors can be a good thing 鈥� with flavors like butterbeer, black sesame and cosmopolitan. The company is based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with additional locations in Japan.
草莓传媒 草莓传媒 has given you a look inside聽an ideal destination for Filipino ice cream flavors. Along with ube, the owners recommended their buko pandan, calamansi and Philippine mango ice cream as well. Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream has three locations in Northern Virginia, in Arlington, Vienna and National Landing.
Find over-the-top milkshakes at in Bethesda, Maryland. The founders of the shop named it after their son, Max, who has Down syndrome. The small business’ staff is composed of employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to , who listed the shop as one of the “coolest ice cream shops” in the nation.
Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, is a worker-owned cooperative that’s been in business more than 15 years. The shop and its delivery truck are known for bold flavors like black cherry chunk, honey graham and “Keep Ya Head Up,” a flavor reminiscent of blackberry crumble, while the name is a nod to artist Tupac Shakur.
Spectacular frozen custard, soft serve and sundaes
In Alexandria, Virginia’s Del Ray neighborhood, lines are common in the summer months at the frozen custard shop, , and for good reason. Every few days, the changes with specials like Samoa, inspired by the seasonal Girl Scout cookie with coconut custard topped with caramel syrup, toasted coconut flakes and chocolate syrup. The shop is also home to Just Fine Donuts, which sells vegan and nut-free doughnuts.
Inside a , opened in 2021 with Wisconsin-style frozen custard and “donut-wich” flavors like peach cobbler and the “Cinnamon Rollwich.” Note that the Old Town Alexandria shop is cash-only.
For more sundae goodness, hasn’t been around for a long time 鈥� having just opened in Arlington in June 鈥� but it’s already gone viral thanks to their over-the-top sundaes. The Clarendon shop is the first Virginia location for Scoop ‘N Scootery, which has locations in Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas.
is an Asian-inspired taiyaki ice cream shop with locations in Vienna and Chantilly, Virginia. Taiyaki is a fish-shaped waffle that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with optional fillings like ube, vanilla, pandan and Nutella. Here, toppings are unlimited for the soft serve, which comes in few but punchy flavors like mango sticky rice or peach milk tea.
For adults only, in D.C.’s Chinatown has infused its ice cream flavors with different liquors. Consider the dark chocolate whiskey salted caramel or the cake batter vodka martini. For a deeper dive into the shop, check out
Gelato worth seeking out
has made a name for itself as one of the best local gelato shops around. The business is focused on sourcing ingredients from , so the rotating flavor selection is always perfectly seasonal. While Dolcezza has various locations around the region, customers can also find the gelato at local businesses, such as Teaism, which offers affogato desserts like hot matcha poured over mascarpone berry gelato or hot hojicha poured over dulce de leche gelato.
Self-described as “the most authentic Argentine dessert experience” in the D.C. area, is an intimate, family-owned gelato and sorbet shop with flavors rotated daily. Casa Rosada first opened in 2014 in Alexandria. Consider the “Malambo,” or coconut with dulce de leche.
It can be tricky to pick just one dessert on the menu at in CityCenterDC, with options like a vanilla souffle, with a Sicilian pistachio gelato or the tiramisu flambe with rum, but the soft serve is a worthwhile end to any meal there. There are two soft serve flavors to consider 鈥� the vanilla fior di panna gelato or the melon basil sorbet 鈥� but it’s ideal to choose the “swirl” option to get a taste of both. Don’t forget to ask to make the soft serve a sundae for the option to add lemon olive oil, crisp prosciutto and basil to the dish.
Flavors from around the world
For an icy escape from the summer heat, the Nikkei-style restaurant, known as , is offering a Japanese shaved ice dessert called kakigori. The Capitol Hill restaurant uses Kuramoto ice that鈥檚 harvested from Mt. Hakusan in Japan, while the ice is shaved in front of guests and topped with sweet, seasonal flavors.
For more kakigori, diners can also find the icy treat at in D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood. For a creamier option, the sesame soft serve is a nutty dish worth a bite.
Chef Suresh Sundas of Tapori made a name for himself at as a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s best chef in the mid-Atlantic region. And the food at the H Street restaurant speaks for itself with Nepalese and Indian flavors found in dishes like the slow-cooked goat biryani and the wagyu momo dumplings. Among the desserts, don’t miss the mango malai kulfi. It’s a popsicle that is made from saffron, pistachio and Kewra water, so it’s a floral, nutty, creamy treat that shouldn’t be missed.
The traditional Filipino dessert, halo-halo, can be found at several restaurants and shops in the D.C. region, but for some of the best versions, head to in Mount Pleasant or the various locations of . The layered desserts found at both use premium ingredients like shaved ice, fresh ube, leche flan and red mung beans, among several other toppings.
The Hyattsville, Maryland-based ice cream shop, known as , has turned heads at various pop-ups around the region by creating unique Japanese-inspired ice cream flavors with ingredients like kinako, or roasted soybean flour, and kuromitsu, a syrup made of unrefined black sugar. In late 2025, founder Takeshi Nishikawa told 草莓传媒 that he planned to open a brick-and-mortar shop this year. Until then, Snow Crane is joining a on Aug. 2. Tickets cost $200 per person. For those who want to be aware of the next pop-up, follow Snow Crane on .
For flavors found nowhere else, specializes in African-inspired ice cream. Imagine a Cape Verde-inspired concoction of creamy papaya ice cream with candied papaya pieces or the Moroccan-inspired treat of saffron and orange blossom ice cream with a honey-tahini swirl. While the Silver Spring, Maryland, location of Shuga x Ice closed last year, the ice cream shop is still hard at work with occasional, crowd-pleasing pop-ups in the D.C. area. Those interested in the next drop can sign up for updates on .
Restaurant desserts worth saving room for
Chef Michael Rafidi’s standout soft serve is a labneh soft serve, topped with pomegranate molasses, Palestinian olive oil and sea salt. It’s a tart, tangy, well-balanced treat perfect for the summer season. Find this treat at the Michelin-starred restaurant, , in Navy Yard and the Union Market and Georgetown cafe, .
is housed at Gemini in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. Gemini is a wine shop that serves both dinner and ice cream. The ice cream is made by hand in small batches and is only available on Tuesdays through Saturdays. It can be tricky to narrow down which scoops or pints to order, but consider the with Sungold tomato honey and polenta crumble or the mixed with a lemon shortbread.
The restaurant and bar at is teaming up with to debut a banana bread ice cream. The ice cream shop, which was featured in 草莓传媒’s “Matt About Town,” is not stocking the banana bread ice cream at its location as the flavor will be exclusive to Lyle D.C. The treat is expected to remain at least through the end of the year.
Those who indulge in the tasting menu at in Georgetown, can expect a sweet, limited-time finale that launches at the modern American tavern in August. It’s an horchata ice cream with sesame seed praline, candied pumpkin seeds, black sesame cake and a rice milk froth. It’s a highly textured and layered dessert inspired by halo-halo.
The Adams Morgan restaurant, , has two traditional Afghan desserts to cool down customers this summer. First up is the Sheer Yakh, which features vanilla ice cream topped with rose water and pistachios, while the Firnee is a milk custard infused with cardamom and finished with pistachios.
When considering in Capitol Hill, most may think of the rotisserie chicken and “tricked-out wings,” but don’t miss out the ice cream. Chef Rob Sonderman, previously of DCity Smokehouse, Federalist Pig and Honeymoon Chicken, has a New Zealand-style soft serve that involves blending fresh fruit into their vanilla base. The process involves using a spinning drill-like instrument to crush the fruit and mix it in for a fruity, naturally sweet bite. Summer flavors include blueberry, strawberry, mixed berry, peach-blueberry and peaches and cream.
For a sweeter take on the classic marg, has new soft serve margaritas made in-house with the restaurant’s margarita base spun into a dairy-free soft serve. Along with flavors like lime or strawberry 鈥� with Mexican morita chiles 鈥� a rotating series of flavors include watermelon tajin and guava hibiscus. Guests have the option to add a chamoy drizzle to their soft serve margarita. Taqueria Xochi has locations in Navy Yard, U Street, The Square in Downtown D.C. and Arlington.
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