No matter how young or how old, eating ice cream is one life’s greatest joys. This summer, be sure to check out these cool confection spots set to satisfy any sweet tooth. Whether you keep it classic or are a glutton for elaborate, adventurous flavors and toppings, as the saying goes, “you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream, and that’s kind of the same thing.” We couldn’t agree more.
Sip ‘N Soda (40 Hampton Road, Southampton, 631-283-9752) Since 1958, this old school, soda fountain and luncheonette — operated by third generation Mark Parash — has been offering homemade ice cream since Day One. Famous for their Lime Rickey and with over 40 different options, summertime flavors include cantaloupe, lemon, peach and raspberry chip. Get it on a cone, in a cup, as a banana fudge sundae or in a hand-packed, to-go pint or quart container for your at-home ice cream needs.
BuddhaBerry (125 Main St., Sag Harbor, 30 Hampton Road, Southampton, 631-808-3888) For just over a decade now, BuddhaBerry’s been a build-your-own-cup-of-fro-yo-adventure mainstay. While a second location just opened at the end of June in Southampton, both sweet spots offer a plethora of smoothies, fancy coffee drinks, and handmade crepes. Featuring a dozen artisanal frozen yogurt and sorbet flavors, including vegan and gluten-free options, it’s really all about the toppings, as the walls at BuddhaBerry are adorned with large cylindrical vessels containing over 100 sweet treats ranging from Fruity Pebbles cereal and gummy worms to goji berries, chia seeds and nearly every chocolate candy possible.
Tuck Shop (75 North Menantic Road, Shelter Island, 631-749-1548) The nearly 45-year-old Tuck Shop features pints, quarts, and scoops of ice cream and frozen yogurt, available in both cups or cones, along with floats, egg creams and milkshakes. House specialties include half a dozen signature sundaes, a vast selection of hand-crafted ice cream cakes, flying saucers and cookiewiches.
John’s Drive-in (677 Montauk Highway, Montauk, 631-668-5515) Owned by David and Maureen Rutkowski, this super casual, little bit vintage, no-frills burger joint has been serving up comfort eats in downtown Montauk since 1967. Serving homemade ice cream, options range from classic and unique flavors available in both cups and on wafer cones, as well as soft serve by the pint or quart plus Dole Whip and milkshakes. They also have specialty ice cream cakes available that would easily put any Carvel-crafted confection to shame.
The Sweet Spot (106 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, 631-604-6500) Open since Memorial Day of last year and owned by lifelong East Hampton resident Tom Cooper, the Sweet Spot specializes in pull-your-own soft serve, consistently offering at least 10 flavors of ice cream and frozen yogurt. Additionally, there’s milkshakes, cold brew coffee, bagged and scoopable candy and chocolates, homemade cookies, and donut holes baked onsite, cheekily dubbed “the spots.”
Candy Kitchen (2391 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton, 631-537-9885) The Hamptons OG luncheonette, this cash-only, classically old-fashioned eatery’s been serving classic diner fare for just shy of a century. Armed with a grab-and-go freezer section containing pre-packaged half pints, full pints, quarts and half gallons of over 20 house-spun, seasonally flavored ice cream (get you some peach ice cream before the summer is over), specialty items include hot fudge sundaes, build-your-own sugar cones and milkshakes.
Big Olaf (8 Wharf St., Sag Harbor, 631-725-7505) Tucked back inside the Long Wharf Promenade is Big Olaf’s scooping over 30 flavors of ice cream, fro-yo and non-dairy sorbets. In addition to the usual suspects, more avant-garde flavors include ‘Blueberry Oat Crumble’ and ‘Mississippi Mudpie.’ The real house specialty here is the oversized housemade waffle cone, hand-pressed to order. Get there early, as a line usually forms out the door and down the sidewalk in no time.
Sundae’s on Main (2414 Main St., Bridgehampton, 631-488-7692) Open since 2022, this cheery locale offers soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt, plus malts and floats made from a rotating 15 or so flavors, with options including coastal cookie — their take on a cookies and cream — to refreshing mango sorbet, to Amagansett apple pie. With a candy room stocked to the brim of both scoopable and bagged treats, other sweet snacks include custom-built candy boards sure to be a crowd-pleasing dessert at your next gathering.
Gemelli Gelato (139 West Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays, 631-594-5600) Specializing in authentically crafted artisanal gelato done in the style that originated in the Italian city of Bergamo, Gemelli’s two dozen gelato and sorbetto flavors include hazelnut, espresso chip, cannoli cream and chocolate elephant, their take on a peanut butter meets brownie confection. To hold the dense cool sweet treat, Gemelli offers specialty flavored waffle cones, ranging from red velvet to lavender to toasted coconut.
Shock Ice Cream (99 Main St., Westhampton Beach, 631-553-0155) Located down the alley behind Baby Shock clothing store on Main Street, specialties include Italian ices along with a baker’s dozen of homemade ice cream pies. But it’s the beloved signature item, the Carnival Cone — a generous portion of house-spun cotton candy topped with myriad ice cream flavors and whatever toppings your little heart desires — that keeps ‘em coming back.
