Every great summer day ends one of two ways: with ice cream or with the realization that you should’ve gotten ice cream. These Elm City favorites are putting their own spin on ice cream, and trust us, it’s anything but vanilla. From inventive soft serve and authentic Italian gelato to bold liquid nitrogen creations, these local scoop shops are well worth the splurge. Skip the cup. Go for the cone.
Arethusa Farm Dairy – 1020 Chapel St. (Downtown): Rich, farm-fresh ice cream made with milk from the family’s award-winning dairy herd in Litchfield. The Coconut with Dark Chocolate Chips is the one people come back for, and the shop doubles as a market for cheese, yogurt, and pints to go.
Ashley’s Ice Cream – 280 York St. (Broadway District): A New Haven original since 1979, and Connecticut’s reigning Best Ice Cream for good reason. The house-made bittersweet hot fudge is the star, and the frisbee-covered walls are half the charm.
Elena’s on Orange- 831 Orange St. (East Rock): A neighborhood soft serve shop with three flavors at a time and a test kitchen menu that changes every Wednesday. Come for the chocolate-dipped, sea-salt-finished signature; stay for whatever surprise flavor is running that week.
Gioia Gelateria – 25 Brown St. (Wooster Square): The gelato window of a full Italian restaurant and market on Wooster Street, made fresh daily with a proper Italian gelato machine. The olive oil gelato is the sleeper hit worth a taste before you commit.
MilkCraft – 280 Crown St. (Downtown): Every scoop here is frozen to order with liquid nitrogen, resulting in a noticeably denser, smoother texture. Blue Cookie Butter has a cult following, and the caramelized Bubblecone is the vessel to order it in.
Vía Láctea – 2 Whitney Ave, Unit 103A. (Whitney-Audubon): A plant-based gelateria and James Beard Award semifinalist rooted in Puerto Rican dessert traditions. The Guava Panetela is the standout, and everything — including the dyes — is made from scratch.
Six shops, six completely different ways to cool down. Whichever one you start with, New Haven’s ice cream scene makes it easy to find a new favorite.
