Ice Cream Atlanta - So, who has the best ice cream in Atlanta? I set out to find out because what can be better on a hot summer day (or a cold winter day, or a mild fall day, or just about any day) than ice cream. It's my favorite food. My go-to sweet treat. See if you agree with our selections, and if not, let us know your favorite.
Some of these places are outside of Atlanta - like the famous Leopold's in Savannah, Georgia.
Read on for Downtown Atlanta and beyond ice cream shops with the best-frozen treats.
My love of ice cream may stem from the memories I associate with the dessert. Birthdays and milestones were always celebrated in my family with a Carvel ice cream cake. Carvel had the best cakes because they never bothered with the cake part, it was just pure ice cream, and those amazing chocolate crunchies that separated the vanilla and chocolate flavors.
When I was younger, my mother let me play hooky from school one day every year and we'd go shopping. I don't know that we ever bought anything except an ice cream cone from Friendly's, a chain in the mid-Atlantic. It's one of my favorite childhood memories.
Now when we travel to Maryland for my boys' lacrosse tournaments, I always make them stop with me for a mint-chocolate chip cone with chocolate sprinkles at Friendly's. If I feel a little crazy, I'll go with the rainbow sprinkles. They never complain.
Ice cream has matured since I was a kid. It's not just simple vanilla or chocolate cones anymore. Atlanta has some A.MAZ.ING places with lots of different flavors and types of ice cream. So without further ado, here are some of our favorites. Did we miss yours? Let us know your favorite(s) and why.
To be fair, I have not been to all of these places. Some are recommendations from other people. If I've been, I'll tell you what I liked best.
Butter and Cream
416 Church Street | Decatur, Georgia 30030 | 404.378.7272
According to Katie Christof of Explore Georgia, Butter and Cream is her favorite super creamy, rich ice cream, with a consistency close to frozen custard. The butter pecan and bourbon toffee are favorite classic flavors they have year-round. A local favorite is the Honeycomb Forest, honey ice cream with their house-made honeycomb candy.
Butter & Cream is located on the square in downtown Decatur and on the BeltLine in the Old Fourth Ward. Locally crafted in small batches from real cream with only the freshest ingredients, they make ice cream the way it should be made!
Their offerings have unique, modern twists yet are still reminiscent of the classic ice cream flavors you've grown up with. And they make all of the inclusions in their ice cream, including brownies, cookies, toffee, and sauces.
Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop
4600 Roswell Road | Sandy Springs 30342 | 404.975.3822
OMG, this is totally on my list to try. Pie and ice cream are such an awesome combination, but the problem with pie a la mode is you end up finishing one or the other first. Not with a Cloud 9 pie a la mode treat from the Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop. First pick one of nine mini-pie flavors that are made from scratch daily. The server flips it upside down into a big scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream, and then hand mixes it until the concoction comes together with a little pie and a little ice cream in every bite.
CheeseCaked
50 Lower Alabama Street #110| Atlanta, GA 30303 | 404.907.4282
Word has it this Buckhead cheescake cupcakery also does amazing milkshakes. Hmmm, that would be something to know about.
Cremalosa
2657 E College Ave, Decatur, GA | 404-578-2739
Even Food and Wine magazine thinks Cremalosa in Decatur is the best in the state! Cremalosa, the gelateria from gelato master and acclaimed Atlanta food writer Meridith Ford, was selected as the best ice cream in Georgia on Food & Wine Magazine's 2021 "The Best Ice Cream in Every State" list!
Opened in February of 2020, Cremalosa showcases a dozen rotating flavors of gelato and sorbetto, all spun in-house on a gelato machine imported from Italy. Crafted from local cream and simple, farm-fresh ingredients, flavors include a mix of traditional Italian options, such as stracciatella and hazelnut, and creative offerings inspired by Southern desserts and iconic American cakes and treats! Yum!
Honeysuckle Gelato
675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 | 404.228.7825
Located at Ponce City Market - I had a sample of Honeysuckle Gelato at an Atlanta Magazine Taste of Atlanta event. There were several ice cream places there, but I can't remember any of them. Once I tasted Honeysuckle, it was all over. I felt bad for the ice cream booth a few spaces down from Honeysuckle. I'm sure they were good, but nothing even came close to these guys. My son asked for a pint as a birthday gift. All that goodness doesn't come cheap.
Queen of Cream701 Highland Ave NE #1 | Atlanta, GA 30312 | 404.331.0807
Located in Inman Park - Lesli recommends going early on weekends. They may run out of ice cream and close their doors. You don't want to be stuck on the outside looking in.
There are no pre-made ice cream mixes here! Starting with local grass-fed dairy, Queen of Cream makes the small-batch ice cream you've been dreaming about. Every flavor is handcrafted in-house using fresh and local ingredients. They serve some of the richest, most decadent ice cream around - and that's not lip service.
Zestos Drive-In2469 Piedmont Rd. NE | Atlanta, GA 30324 | 404.237.8689
If you like your ice cream a little more old-school, try Zesto's Drive-In (you can also eat-in). Zesto's is a local family-owned business that has milkshakes, malts, floats, and sundaes, but most kids get soft-serve vanilla or chocolate ice cream cone. My favorite is a Nut Brown Crown, your choice of vanilla, chocolate or twist soft serve ice cream dipped in rich milk chocolate that hardens on the ice cream. I like to get mine rolled in nuts too. In addition to good ice cream, I like to support Zesto's because owners Jimmy and Leigh Ann Lividitis are friends of mine and just good people who give a lot to their community. Plus you won't need to take out a loan to buy the family an ice cream here.
Eighty7sweets
56 Broad St NW | Atlanta, GA 30303 | 404.939.2745
Atlanta's vegan ice cream company. Now you can enjoy your ice cream in an even BIGGER way with so many vegan options. Who would turn down vegan cookies AND vegan ice cream? Now you can indeed have it all with top quality!
Sweet Stack Creamery
25 Piedmont Ave NE | Atlanta, GA 30303 | 404.205.5002
This sweet spot has an odd but fun-inspired dessert bar in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn Historic District. Their dessert bar offers a focused menu of handcrafted ice creams, cookie, and doughnut ice cream sandwiches with innovative and traditional flavors.
They always use the freshest, most local and seasonal ones to create a delicious selection of handcrafted desserts. Don't forget to try their famous salted caramel.
Did we mention they also offer vegan options?
Jake's Ice Cream 660 Irwin Street | Atlanta, Georgia 30312 | 678.705.7945
Stop by while you're enjoying Atlanta's Beltline for a sweet treat at Jake's. Their most popular flavor is Chocolate Slap Yo Mama. Made with their signature chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, and Oreo cookies. Ummmm Yum!!
Big Softie
66 Georgia Ave SE | Atlanta, GA 30312 | They don't have a phone
Big Sofie's soft serve is made with the best ingredients, including local Georgia dairy and organic cane sugar. Toppings and waffle cones are all made in-house by the amazing baking team at Little Tart Bakeshop, their sister company.
8 Degrees Fahrenheit
Various Locations
Rolled ice cream is the hot new thing. Lesli tried it out at 8 Degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to good ice cream, she and her boys really enjoyed the show. Check out her review here.
The ice cream menu features a rich selection of standard flavors that you would expect to find in a regular ice cream joint, such as strawberry and chocolate, as well as rare flavors such as Thai tea and matcha.
One of the most popular ice cream selections on 8 Fahrenheit's menu is the espresso-flavored ice cream which goes well with whipped cream and strawberries. Another popular selection is the Nutella crepe which forms a fantastic combination of bananas and strawberries.
Sweet Charlie's Rolled Ice Cream
3872 Roswell Road | Atlanta 30342
In June 2017, Philadelphia-based Sweet Charlie's rolled into Buckhead with its first-ever franchise location. After mixing in toppings, the ice-cream chef spreads the sweet, creamy concoction out on a stainless steel plate, and then uses a spatula to curl the ice cream into rolls. We hear the Tall Charlie, an ice cream roll of your choosing on a warm, long, glazed donut that is oven-baked fresh daily, is a favorite, but we have yet to try it.
I love to travel through Georgia, and I break for ice cream. In addition to my own experiences, I polled the folks at Explore Georgia. They travel the state even more than I do, and have some great out-of-the-way recommendations.
Leopolds
212 E. Broughton St. | Savannah, GA | 912.234.4442
Leopold's is a Savannah classic. The ice cream melts just enough to truly taste the flavors. The secret could be the cream they use. Leopold's is very picky about their cream. They also use premium local ingredients, like honey from the Savannah Bee Company, and chewies from Gottlieb Bakery. Here's what you need to know before you head to Leopolds.
Southern Belle Farm
1658 Turner Church Rd | McDonough, GA 30252 | 770.288.2582
Southern Belle is a favorite place to pick fresh strawberries. They use those fresh strawberries in their homemade ice cream too - YUM!
Plains Peanut Company
128 Main St. | Plains, GA 31780 | 229.824.3462I don't know what Bobby Salter puts into his soft-served peanut ice cream, but it is wonderful and I'm not really a huge peanut fan. I go back to Plains just for the ice cream.
Dickey's Peach Farm
3440 Musella Rd, Musella, GA 31066 | 478.836.4362
Dickey's is a recommendation from someone at Explore Georgia that is from Musella. I recently tasted this gem myself. Pull up a rocker in this old fashion peach stand and watch them sort the crop on the assembly line, or turn your chair around and watch the cars go past on the country road. Either way, the homemade peach ice cream here is worth a stop. It's even worth the drive. (Musella is just west of Macon) Here's more from our visit.
The Ice Cream Stop
920 Morgans Corner Rd. | Pooler, GA 31322 | 912.450.1049
This family-owned and operated shop offers a flavor of the month. Check out the banana split!
Lawson Peach Shed8545 Valdosta Hwy. | Morven, GA 31638 | 229.775.2581
Stop by and try their homemade ice creams! Made from their fresh seasonal fruits: peaches, blueberries, and more! They also offer hot peach cobbler (with a scoop of ice cream this is heavenly). Also try their lemonade, tea, shakes, and malts.
Mitcham Farm
797 W Macedonia Church Rd. | Oxford, GA 30054 | 770.597.6346
The strawberry slushy is what you want to get here. It's like the best virgin strawberry daiquiri you'll ever have.
Lane Southern Orchards
50 Lane Rd, Fort Valley, GA 31030 | 800-277-3224
Although they have peach and strawberry here, get the blueberry. And maybe some pecans. Mmmm.
Sunny Day Farms
6353 US Highway 1 North | Louisville GA 30434 | 706.360.5051
In the spring and summer, they offer u-pick berries and seasonal vegetables. Stop in to try their homemade ice cream and frozen lemonades made from their own delicious strawberries, blueberries, and peaches.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EXPLORING ATLANTA'S "SWEET" SPOTS