National Ice Cream Day is this Sunday, July 18 — and there's nothing like delicious frozen desserts to distract us from, well, all of the things during this very strange summer (ahem, year and a half). And if there's anything to be expected from a city that enjoys perpetual sun, it's that Los Angeles is filled with no shortage of passionate ice cream makers who've dreamed up everything from classic flavors with a twist to activated charcoal soft serve to globally-inspired sweets topped with the works.
That's why we've rounded up some of L.A.'s best ice cream shops and gelato counters for treating your sweet tooth to one-of-a-kind cold creations. And since a "holiday" doesn't truly exist unless our participation is documented on social media, these sweet spots offer plenty of photogenic, FOMO-inducing scoops and swirls for every palate.
Most — if not all — of these eateries offer contact-free curbside pickup, take-out, or delivery if you prefer a socially-distant sugar fix. We've opted for L.A.-born shops and one-of-a-kind spots (think an ice cream bar within a cult-fave streetwear haven) as well as a mix of cult-favorite gourmet chain names.
From small-batch ice creameries to locally-beloved gelato spots, see our picks below in A to Z order, and feel free to share your favorites in the comments.
Afters
Afters (multiple locations): Famed for its #milkybun, the stylish, SoCal-bred chain is debuting its first plant-based flavors (Chocolate Chip Cookie and Java Chip) that will available for free with any ice cream purchase Sunday. The creative menu includes Vietnamese coffee, jasmine milk tea, açai blueberry, and more, which can be topped with your fave cereal, cookies, sweet sauces, and more.
Pricing: $4.50 for one scoop, $6.50 for two scoops, $8 for three scoops, $6.50 for milky buns with toppings, $0.50 for cones and toppings
Where: Alhambra, Hollywood, Pasadena, Venice, Sherman Oaks, and many other locations
Bae
Bae (Little Tokyo): Located in Japanese Village Plaza, this made-for-the-'gram soft serve shop is known for its colorful cones (like matcha, black, and red valentine) and swirly combos, like Mixed Feelings (charcoal pineapple/vanilla), earl grey/Cocoa Puffs, and the Lakers- and Philippines-inspired ube/mango, to name just a handful. There's also a toppings bar stocked with cereal, fruit, and other photogenic (and flavorful) finishes.
Pricing: $6+ for cones
Where: 369 East 2nd St., Little Tokyo
Dear Bella Creamery
Dear Bella Creamery (Hollywood): Formerly Cocobella, this 100% vegan ice cream parlor features options like Cookie Monsta, Moose Tracks, the Elvis (vanilla with fresh banana bread and sunflower seed butter swirl), Strawberry Fields, and other decadent and dairy-free flavors. The menu also offers floats, sundaes, sammies, and ice cream cakes.
Pricing: $5.50 for one scoop, $7.25 for two scoops, $8.75 for three scoops, $7 for sammies, $11 for sundaes and pints
Where: 1253 Vine St., Suite 12, Hollywood
Coolhaus
Coolhaus (Culver City): There's something for every palate at the Coachella-born dessert brand's Culver City flagship, where you can order up scoops, ice cream sandwiches, or pints in experimental flavors like Aunt Gladys Yellow Cake Batter, Street Cart Churro Dough, Milkshake & Fries, and more.
Pricing: $3 for one scoop, $5 for two scoops, $5 to $20 for sandwiches
Where: 8588 Washington Blvd., Culver City
The Dolly Llama
The Dolly Llama (multiple locations): Beloved for its bubble waffle cones, this L.A. dessert chainlet offers a menu of loaded creations like the Dolly's Dream (Ultimate Cookie Monster ice cream topped with strawberries, brownies, and nutella) and the Sugar 'n' Spice (horchata ice cream with a Speculoos cookie, CTC, and caramel), to name just a few.
Pricing: $4 per scoop ($7 for vegan); signature options are $9; mini sandwiches are $6; build your own prices are $3 for ice cream, $4 to $5 for waffles, and $0.50 for sauces and toppings
Where: 611 South Spring St., Downtown; 273 South Western Ave., Koreatown; 14545 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks
Edoughble Sweet Shop
Edoughble Sweet Shop (Beverlywood): What began as a line of edible cookie dough is now a brick-and-mortar parlor offering the brand's egg-free, non-GMO scoops, which you can top with McConnell's ice cream, soft serve, candy, and other sweet finishes.
Pricing: $4 for a single scoop; $7.50 for double, soft serve, or sammies; $0.25 for toppings
Where: 2625 South Robertson Blvd., L.A.; (424) 326-9123
Gelato Festival
Gelato Festival (West Hollywood): Born from the internationally-renowned Gelato Festival, the WeHo café offers award-winning gelato and sorbet flavors like fig mascarpone & honey, Texas pecan salted caramel, the spice-infused Sassy Sea Turtle, and more alongside plenty of vegan options, popsicles, sandwiches, gelato cakes, and more.
Pricing: Cups are $6 for small, $7 for medium, and $9 for large; cones are $8; a flight of five small cones is $15
Where: 8906 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood
Ginger's Divine Ice Creams
Ginger's Divine Ice Creams (Culver City): Literally dozens of options (and unlimited samples) await at this Westside artisanal ice cream shop, where inventive flavors range from Vegan Pickled Strawberry & Boysenberry Pie and Irish Whiskey Dream to Unicorn Cotton Candy and Billionaire Brownie. In addition to all of the classics, there are also baked goods and ice cream pops in options like mocha, lemon cake, and Jolly Rancher.
Pricing: $5.65 for one scoop, $7.65 for two scoops, $5.50 for pops, $8 for sandwiches, $8.75 for sundaes, $12.50 for pints
Where: 12550 West Washington Blvd, Culver City
Happy Ice
Happy Ice (Fairfax): Open as of just last year, the celebrity-beloved truck-turned-IRL shop serves vegan-friendly, dairy-free smooth ice flavors like watermelon lush, mango madness, cherry bomb, and its signature World Famous Rainbow Rocket (among others) — all of which can be mixed and matched to your tastes.
Pricing: $4 for small, $5 for medium, $6 for large
Where: 7324 Melrose Ave., L.A.
Holy Roly Ice Cream
Holy Roly Ice Cream (multiple locations): If you prefer your iced treats rolled and not churned, this Koreatown-born shop (which will soon open outposts in Anaheim and on Melrose Avenue) offers organic, low-sugar flavors such as tiramisu, French toast, Ferrero, strawberry graham, and others topped with marshmallows, syrup, and more.
Pricing: $5 for one scoop, $7 for two scoops, $8.50 for rolled ice cream
Where: 3450 West 6th St. Suite 109A, Koreatown; Westfield Santa Anita, 400 South Baldwin Ave., Suite 2220, Arcadia; 7226 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood
Kith Treats
Kith Treats (West Hollywood): Sweet-toothed sneakerheads flock to the streetwear brand's ice cream and cereal bar, which churns out mouth-watering (and equally pricy) frozen desserts. Come here for ice cream swirls, milkshakes, or bowls of creative flavors dreamed by industry heavyweights and stars like Virgil Abloh, LeBron James, Ronnie Fieg, Karrueche Tran, and others.
Pricing: $6.50 for a commuter bowl to $13 for a shake
Where: 8500 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 90069
Van Leeuwen
Van Leeuwen (multiple locations): What started in pastel yellow ice cream truck in Brooklyn over a decade ago has grown into a national gourmet scoops shop chain offering inventive flavors for the bold (think Kraft mac and cheese) and classic palettes (brown sugar chunk, royal wedding cake, and more).
Pricing: $5.75 for one scoop to $9.75 for three scoops
Where: Culver City, DTLA Arts District, El Segundo, Los Feliz, Silver Lake
Little Damage
Little Damage (DTLA): The Singapore-born soft serve bar is known for its activated charcoal-infused waffle cones and small-batch flavors— think purple taro, vegan coconut almond, black cookie butter, and Kiki & Cream.
Pricing: $6 and up
Where: 700 South Spring St., Downtown
Magpies Soft Serve
Magpies Soft Serve (Silver Lake & Tarzana): Choose from handcrafted soft serve dairy options like malted milk chocolate and sweet cream alongside a variety of vegan flavors such as passion fruit coconut, birthday cake, corn almond, Golden Grahams, and more. You can also pick up soft serve pies in apple, rocky road, mint chip, and others.
Pricing: $5.50 for one scoop, $0.75+ for toppings, $8.95 for pints (prices may vary in-store)
Where: 2660 Griffith Park Blvd., Silver Lake; 18971 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana
Mateo's Ice Cream & Fruit Bars
Mateo's Ice Cream & Fruit Bars (multiple locations): In addition to classic scoops and cones, this beloved family-owned business offers authentic Mexican paletas in tropical and exotic flavors, such as smoked milk with cactus fruit, yellow cherry, coco loco, mezcal cream with dried fruit, cucumber with chile, and many others.
Pricing: $3+ for popsicles, $3 for one scoop, $5 for two scoops, $6.75 for three scoops
Where: Culver City, Mid-City, Pico-Union, and Santa Monica
Milk
Milk (multiple locations): In addition to its best-selling macaron ice cream sandwiches, the L.A. bakery and frozen treats shop offers scoops like banana dulce de leche, peanut butter brownie, thai tea, and classic vanilla bean along with ice cream bars in strawberry shortcake and tres leches, to name a few.
Pricing: $4.50 for a single scoop, $6.50 for a double scoop, $7 for a sandwich, $12 for a pint; additional $1.50 for a cone
Where: 7290 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Grove; 1639 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake
Pazzo Gelato
Pazzo Gelato (Silver Lake & DTLA): This locals-beloved Sunset Junction shop offers artisanal gelato and sorbetto in classics like Madagascar vanilla bean, Mexican chocolate, and strawberry as well as halo halo, key lime pie, cookies and cream, and much more. Vegan options include cactus fruit, blood orange, and double dark chocolate chip, among other tasty options.
Pricing: $5.25 for two flavors, $6.25 for three flavors, $7.25 for four flavors, $1.25 for homemade waffle cones, $0.75 for toppings
Where: 3827 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake; Fig@7th, 735 South Figueroa St., Downtown
Pop's Artisanal Creamery
Pop's Artisanal Creamery (The Valley): Born in the valley's namesake city (and formerly named Helados Pops), this artisanal ice cream parlor features specialty flavors like almond avocado, Kriole sweet corn, and honey lavender as well as lucuma, tamarind, cherimoya, and rum & raisin. You can opt for a standard cup or cone, or upgrade to a coconut sundae.
Pricing: $4 for two flavors, $6 for three flavors, $7.50 for four flavors, $9.50+ for a coconut sundae
Where: 450 North Maclay Ave., San Fernando; 15355 Sherman Way, Suite E, Van Nuys
Project M
Project M (West L.A.): This isn't your average matcha tea cafe — expect organic green tea or vanilla soft serve (also available in vegan options) and add-ons like warabi mochi, Pocky, azuki, dried strawberries, and more. You can also get order them as iced latte floats.
Pricing: $4.50 to $5.50 for cups, $5.50 to $6.50 for cones/bowls, $6+ for latte floats
Where: 11301 West Olympic Blvd. Suite 122; West L.A.
Rori's Artisanal Creamery
Rori's Artisanal Creamery (multiple locations): The independently-owned SoCal chain's menu features gourmet flavors such as brown sugar banana, malted milk ball, lemon curd, vegan tropical wild berry, matcha green tea, and more. There are also sammies and options for dogs, too.
Pricing: $5.90 for one scoop cup, $7.95 for a double scoop cup, $11.75 for a pint
Where: Kitchen United Mix, 55 South Madison Ave., Pasadena; Westfield Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; 910 Montana Ave., Santa Monica
Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw (multiple locations): Founded by two cousins in Portland, Salt & Straw's classic and monthly flavors are inspired by everything local neighborhoods to celebrity chefs. Just a sampling of L.A.'s regular menu includes honey lavender, cold brew coffee cashew praline, strawberry and coconut water sherbet and more.
Pricing: $4.90 for a single scoop to $6.90 for a double scoop
Where: Culver City, DTLA Arts District, Larchmont, Pasadena Studio City, Venice, West Hollywood
Sliders Bakery & Ice Cream Factory
Sliders Bakery & Ice Cream Factory (Burbank): At this newly-opened ice creamery, expect concoctions like Unicorn Poop (peach, pomegranate, watermelon, and black cherry), Hollywood Nights (Woodford Reserve whiskey bourbon reduction with butter crunch cookies), Jack N' Coke, and Cotton Candy Cap'n Crunch, among others.
Pricing: $4 for one scoop, $6 for double scoop, $8 for triple scoop; $7.50 for sliders
Where: 3118 West Burbank Blvd., Burbank
Saffron & Rose Ice Cream
Saffron & Rose Ice Cream (Westwood): From fruity (banana, coconut, passion fruit, watermelon) to floral (orange blossom, pink rose, lavender, poppy seed slush) to chocolate and nutty (saffron & pistachio, caramel crunch), this family-owned Persian ice cream parlor has an organic, non-GMO flavor for everyone. Don't forget to try the faloodeh (frozen crunchy noodles with rose water)
Pricing: $4.50 for small, $6 for medium, $7 for large
Where: 1387 Westwood Blvd., Westwood
Sonny's Handcrafted Ice Cream
Sonny's Handcrafted Ice Cream (Sherman Oaks): Founded by two veterinarians-turned-ice cream makers, this neighborhood-beloved spot offers handmade artisanal creme ice, Italian ice, and vegan options in over 50 old-fashioned and one-of-a-kind flavors — think Cookie Monster, Strawberry Balsamic, Graham Cracker Crunch, the Cowboy, and others. Get them in waffle cones, sundaes, sandwiches, shakes, floats, and poffertjes.
Pricing: $5.25 for small scoop, $6.25 for medium, $7.25 for large
Where: 15030 Ventura Blvd., Suite 17, Sherman Oaks
Sweet Rose Creamery
Sweet Rose Creamery (Westside): The Santa Monica-based ice cream shop offers handmade, small-batch flavors like blueberry muffin, chocolate, vegan Caffe Luxxe coffee, and vegan stone fruit sorbet (among others) and a variety of sundaes, from brownie to cookie lovers and more.
Pricing: $4.85 for one scoop, $7.95 for double, $0.75 to $1.50 for cones, $1.50+ for toppings, $11.65 for a pint
Where: Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., Suite 51, Brentwood; 2726 Main St., Santa Monica
Wanderlust Creamery
Wanderlust Creamery (multiple locations): You don't need to travel far to get a taste of the world at this vegan-friendly, globetrotting-inspired L.A. ice cream chainlet. Its six locations serve up signature flavors like Vietnamese Rocky Road, Sticky Rice + Mango, Ube Malted Crunch, and Japanese Neopolitan alongside seasonal offerings including Yuzu Cheese Tea Boba, Persian Nougat, and Australian Pavlova.
Pricing:
Where: Atwater Village, DTLA (temporarily closed), Fairfax, Pasadena, Tarzana, and Venice
Yoga-urt
Yoga-urt (Echo Park & Glendale): The eco-friendly sweets shop offers plant-based frozen yogurt flavors like Strawberry Serenity, Cookies & Cream, Salted Caramel Zen, Maple Banana Cake (Glendale only), and more alongside smoothies, waffles, kombucha floats, and other vegan-friendly bites and sips.
Pricing: $7.75+ for soft serve, $1+ for toppings, $13 for a pint (prices may vary in-store)
Where: 2211 West Sunset Blvd., Echo Park; 1407 West Kenneth Rd., Glendale
