If you’re craving a cold treat, here are 19 of the best ice cream shops in O.C.
1. Afters Ice Cream
Afters is anything but your typical ice cream shop. Here, creativity and culture blend together in a unique array of flavors like Jasmine Milk Tea, French Toast Churro and Cookie Monster. Devour stacked scoops on homemade waffle cones or the Milky Bun, a glazed bun stuffed with your favorite flavors. Multiple locations, aftersicecream.com
2. Atomic Creamery
This 50s-inspired spot blows minds with freshly made to order liquid nitrogen ice cream. Ingredients are hand selected by the veteran-run team who created a profile of unique, premium flavors. Organic dairy or non-dairy bases are flash frozen with elements such as birthday cake, house made lemon zest, Madagascar bourbon and more, culminating in a creamy consistency. Newport Beach, 949.630.5884, atomiccreamery.com
3. Bacio di Latte
This gelato is as authentic as it gets. Two Italian brothers bring you recipes and raw materials straight from Italy to Newport Beach. Enjoy the highest quality ingredients, from Sicilian pistachios to Belgian chocolates, and see your gelato made before your eyes for a true Italian experience. Newport Beach, 949.520.7538, baciodilatte.us
4. Blue Scoop Creamery
Blue Scoop Creamery serves handcrafted ice cream infused with classic and creative mix-ins, as well as Yorba Linda’s neighborhood favorites. Locally sourced cookies, candies and sauces come together in an array of flavors including Lavender Honey, Purple Rain, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and Vegan Rainbow Sherbet, just to name a few. Yorba Linda, 714.729.3419, bluescoopcreamery.com
5. Cauldron Ice Cream
If you’re looking for a picture-perfect treat that tastes even better than it looks, Cauldron Ice Cream is a must-see. The liquid nitrogen technique creates a creamy consistency in 14 flavors from Matcha Red Bean to Peaches and Cream. The spot is famous for inventing the Hong-Kong inspired Puffle Cone, which is the perfect vessel for your ice cream. Multiple locations, cauldronicecream.com
6. Chunk-N-Chip
Keep it simple, delicious and real with Chunk-N-Chip. Adhering to old-fashioned values, the shop keeps craft, quality and care top of mind while creating each indulgence. Savor scrumptious cookies, perfect scoops and delicious pints, or combine these specialties with the popular Frozen Sammich. Santa Ana, 714.450.6800, chunknchip.com
7. Dear Bella Creamery
Upscale ice cream shop Dear Bella Creamery is expanding its chef-designed plant-based ice cream to Orange County with a location at The Lab, an unconventional strip mall with a variety of boutiques and vegan spots. The brand’s Taiwanese-American co-founders take an all natural approach to frozen treats, with imaginative flavors such as Cookie Monsta and Taiwanese Pineapple Cake to satisfy your sweet tooth. Costa Mesa, dearbellacreamery.com
8. Dolce Gelato
Whether you’re in the mood for refreshing sorbet or creamy gelato, Dolce Gelato adds character and flair to each of its scoops. The shop picks monthly themes for its menu, creating eight new flavors each month with at least two new ones every Friday. Multiple locations, gelatobydolce.com
9. Frost Gelato
With 64 imaginative gelato flavors and 25 types of sorbet, Frost Gelato has tastes for all palates. Its digital flavor picker generates your dream gelato serving, like cinnamon apple pie and vanilla swirl or a strawberry Champagne scoop, so you can enjoy the handcrafted treat you’ve been waiting for. Irvine, 949.932.0631, frostgelato.com
10. Gelato Paradiso
Artisan cakes and handcrafted gelato are made daily at Gelato Paradiso, which satisfies taste buds all across O.C. Expect small-batch gelato in more than 30 authentic Italian flavors, from nocciola to stracciatella, plus a variety of sorbets and specialty drinks. Multiple locations, gelatoparadiso.com
11. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
A go-to since 1945, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is a classic spot across the country. With a menu boasting over 100 flavors of ice creams, yogurts, sherbets and ices, the shop is sure to please anyone that walks in. Multiple locations, handelsicecream.com
12. Hans’ Homemade Ice cream
Fresh, rich and creamy, Hans’ Homemade Ice Cream has been a fan favorite for generations. Devour the classic flavors of butter pecan and cookies & cream within seconds, or add a scoop of the constant influx of new tastes like Nutella Krunch. Switch up your classic cone or cup by trying its handmade ice cream sandwiches, munchies and hand-dipped frozen bananas. Multiple locations, hanshomemade.com
13. Saffron & Rose
Authentic Persian-style ice cream is mastered at Saffron & Rose, where traditional recipes are reimagined with a modern twist. Its various fruit, floral and nutty flavors are all organic, made from scratch and of the highest quality. Saffron & pistachio is the star of the menu, showcasing two signature Persian flavors in the most spectacular way. Irvine, 949.333.3938, saffronroseicecream.com
14. Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw takes an innovative and artisanal approach to ice cream, churning their delectable delicacies from high quality, locally-sourced ingredients. The tried and true shop is opening its second Orange County shop in Newport, further expanding the reach of its farm-to-cone philosophy. Take a leap of faith and try their classic Honey Lavender or Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper for a unique and delightful tasting experience. Anaheim and Newport, saltandstraw.com
15. South Swell Hand Dipped Ice Cream
Never settle for average ice cream after trying South Swell. The shop specializes in making one-of-a-kind creations in the form of ice cream bars where the vanilla or chocolate fillings are dipped in warm, smooth chocolate and customized with toppings. The menu is on a constant rotation, pushing you to try new things and get creative. San Clemente, 949.388.4984, southswellicecream.com
16. Stella Jean’s Ice Cream
This small-batch ice cream shop creates great quality ice cream to treat its devoted guests. Its values of community and class translate to its work ethic, as its team uses real ingredients for chef-made, handcrafted ice cream. Choose from classic flavors like brown butter pecan and s’mores or specials like olive oil and coconut macaroon and strawberry oat crumble. Costa Mesa, 949.791.8133, stellajeans.com
17. Rollin’ Creamery
The rolled ice cream trend is here to stay, and Rollin’ Creamery is making sure of it. Each treat is one of a kind and extravagant with complementary drizzles, toppings and add-ons. If you can’t decide on one flavor, choose two from the double roll menu, and enjoy your rolls in a cup, in a sugar taco or even in your coffee. Bakersfield, 661.885.9266, rollincreamery.com
18. Vedder’s Sweets
Quality takes precedence at Vedder’s Sweets, where “nice” ice cream tastes good and makes customers feel good. Dates and maple syrup are used as healthy alternatives to sweeten each staple flavor and seasonal specialty. To top it off, sandwiches made from scoops smashed between two freshly baked cookies can be ordered in-store. San Clemente, 949.338.9199, vedderssweets.com
19. Wanderlust Creamery
Wanderlust Creamery, renowned in Los Angeles for its distinctive and eccentric creations inspired by travel, is establishing its first Orange County branch in Irvine. The globally-inspired ice cream shop has flavors evoking childhood nostalgia and an insatiable wanderlust, and continues to be a trendsetter in the ice cream industry, with flavors like Ube Malted Crunch and Vietnamese Rocky Road. The shop offers a set of signature selections as well as new seasonal flavors every month, so ice cream lovers can explore the flavors of the world without leaving the comfort of Orange County. Irvine, wanderlustcreamery.com
Photography by: Kenta Kikuchi/Unsplash
