Though named after a famous hilly neighborhood in northwest Harlem, Sugar Hill Creamery is located in the vicinity of Mount Morris in southeast Harlem. It has been open seven days a week scooping its fancifully named ice creams (like “sweet socialism,” which is made with Madagascar chocolate), including some seasonal choices like Don Cartagena, combining guava and cheese in a tip of the hat to East Harlem. Open Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Soft serve with a side of sass is found at this proudly gay-owned ice cream shop from Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint. The most popular flavor perhaps is the Bea Arthur, or vanilla soft serve injected with dulce de leche and topped with Nilla wafers. Expect long, long lines. The Upper West Side location is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and is the company’s only scoop shop serving ice cream for takeout right now.

This pint-sized kosher ice cream shop is filled with kids at all times of day, lined up for the chain's wacky cereal- and candy-covered cones and endless, complicated flavors. It may all be a bit much, but the ice cream itself is a proper destination for NYC. Emack and Bolio’s is open from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

This always-mobbed Brooklyn parlor now has several locations throughout the city, with its made-from-scratch custard base with local eggs and dairy. In June, former owners Jackie Cuscuna and Brian Smith sold off the struggling cult-favorite ice cream chain to manufacturing company Schmitt Industries for $1 million. Following the sale, several Ample Hills locations across the city have reopened their doors, including its cozy Astoria corner store, which is open daily from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

With affogato sundaes, pints to-go, and a daily selection of takeout scoops, there’s lots to choose from at Caffe Panne. Whatever you get, though, there’s a good chance it’s going to be topped in panna, the lighter-than-air Italian whipped cream. Keep an eye on the cafe’s Instagram for its list of daily flavors, which include more experimental desserts like gooseberry sundaes, sweet corn affogato, and panna topped with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and tomatoes. Open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At Fany Gerson’s Mexican-American ice cream shop, popular Mexican dishes like arroz con leche, horchata, and chile-covered fruit are packed into popsicles and scoops of ice cream. Don’t skip the Chamoy hot sauce and bottles of Tajin on your way out the door. La Newyorkina’s West Village outpost is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays.

Michael "Mikey" Cole is the man behind the city’s popular Mikey Likes It ice cream shops. The NYC restaurateur got into the ice cream business in 2014 after discovering a recipe for homemade vanilla ice cream from his aunt. Try the Southern Hospitality — pecan-flavored ice cream with praline pecans and pecan pie. Open Thursday through Sunday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Monday through Wednesday.

Ex-Del Posto pastry chef Brooks Headley has been focusing his energy on the veggie burgers at Superiority Burger in the East Village, but the ice cream and gelato here are worth the trip alone. Flavors rotate almost daily, but have included lime labne, corn tortilla, extra-virgin olive oil, and pineapple-rhubarb. Superiority Burger is currently only available for pre-orders, which can be reserved starting on Monday at noon and are available for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday.

The owners of ice cream hit Van Leeuwen serve up solid versions of classic ice cream flavors like mint chip, pistachio, and vanilla bean. Various locations of the quickly growing Greenpoint-based chain also offer seasonal specials too, such as a strawberry rhubarb tart. The ice cream shop has a robust menu of well-regarded vegan flavors, as well as newer oat milk-based ice creams. It’s expanding like crazy, and there are now more than a dozen outposts, plus trucks. The Greenpoint outpost of Van Leeuwen is open from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Painstakingly made gelato is the focus at this lab-like store, with experimental flavors such as wasabi and cheddar cheese. There are also tons of classics, plus an extensive sorbet variety. The same flavor is never guaranteed twice. Il Laboratoria del Gelato is open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and opens an hour later on Sundays.

Ice cream magician Nick Morgenstern is the brains behind this popular LES parlor. His ice cream is known for its unique production method that ups the taste by decreasing butterfat and sugar content. In warmer weather, the line is always out the door for flavors like raw milk, Vietnamese coffee, and four types of vanilla. There’s also now a bigger location on Houston Street, where there are more flavors, as well as a weekend bar with cocktails and dessert specials like black-and-white profiteroles. The LES outpost of Morgenstern’s is open from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The historic Chinatown ice cream shop, run by the Seid family since 1978, specializes in flavors that are more common in Chinese cuisine, such as lychee, egg tart, black sesame, and red bean. The must-get is the zen butter, a peanut butter ice cream with toasted sesame seeds that’s the ice cream version of sesame noodles. Western flavors like rocky road and Oreo cookie are on deck too. The (original) Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Korean chain Milkcow made its way to NYC in 2019, bringing with it a tight menu of soft serve with various toppings. Options range from simple, like the soft serve with raw honeycomb, to more whimsical, like one with cotton candy, sea salt, and jelly beans on top. The base is all the same: a creamy milk-flavored soft serve, so flavorful that it’s good on its own, too. Milkcow is open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and stays open an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Dumbo outpost of this popular Williamsburg creamery serves up a rotating roster of eclectic ice creams, the creation of pastry chef Sam Mason, formerly of Wd~50. Options have included miso cherry, black pepper fig, Thai iced tea, and olive oil, though more classic flavors such as cookies and cream and vanilla bean make appearances, too. Open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Earlier in the pandemic, the team behind Clinton Hill’s popular neighborhood bakeshop the Good Batch Bakery opened an ice cream shop right across the street. The Good Batch Creamery offers seven flavors of ice cream, two vegan sorbet options, hot sundaes, and the bakery’s popular ice cream sandwiches, which previously debuted at Smorgasburg. The scoop shop is open for takeout from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Eggless ice cream with strongly spiced flavors from around the world are the signature of Malai, a food festival vendor-turned-Cobble Hill parlor from Pooja Bavishi. Masala chai, Turkish coffee, carrot halwa, and baklava are among the options, with specials every month. Rose with cinnamon-flavored almonds is the stand-out, and pints are available at many grocery stores, too. Scoops, pints, and cakes are available for takeout from Malai, Monday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sorrel, soursop, and papaya are channeled into ice cream flavors at this Caribbean-American scoop shop from owner Astrid Thorpe. In total, Creme and Cocoa Creamery has close to 30 flavors, including non-dairy, seasonal, and alcoholic varieties. Don’t miss the Hennessy Ice Cream, available from the Prospect Lefferts Gardens ice cream shop from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

Sweet Dynasty’s scoops are creamy, delicious bites that don’t fall into overly-sweet territory. The range of flavors — all concocted in the back of the tiny shop, as the owner will proudly say — include taro, milk tea, and a nutty black sesame that’s a crowd-favorite all year long. The shop is open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.