Summertime in L.A. means high temperatures and long days. What better way to take advantage of our unbeatable weather than with ice cream? There’s no shortage of amazing ice cream shops to choose from in this bustling city, but finding one that suits moms, dads, caregivers, and kids alike can be tricky. When you’re tasked with satisfying everyone’s sweet tooth, sometimes your corner shop just won’t do anymore.
From scoops to sundaes, cones to sandwiches, dipped to plain, ice cream in L.A. goes way beyond your garden-variety vanilla with jimmies. We’ve narrowed down the overwhelming list the 10 best ice cream shops in Los Angeles to visit with your family, and every shop is sure to please. Whether you’re looking for a gourmet double scoop on a hand-rolled waffle cone or want to try something new (macaron ice cream sandwich, anyone?), we guarantee every member of your family will walk out with a smile on their face, ready for round two!
McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams
Locations:
- Grand Central Market: 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013 | P: 213-346-9722
- Studio City: 12073 Ventura Place, Studio City, CA 91604 | P: 818-308-7789
- Los Feliz: 4634 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027 | P: 323-407-6245
Hours: Vary by location. Click here to check them out.
McConnell’s is a longtime Santa Barbara favorite that has taken over the ice cream game in L.A., with shops now open in Downtown L.A., Studio City, and Los Feliz. For 70 years, McConnell’s has been churning out delicious desserts, made form scratch using only the freshest local ingredients. While their process is about as straightforward as it gets, their flavors are anything but ordinary and include eureka lemon and marionberry, banana and salted caramel, and the ever-popular sweet cream. But you don’t have to try to narrow it down to one flavor. A single scoop at McConnell’s is about the size of two regular scoops of ice cream anywhere else. You’re even encouraged to split your scoop and pick two different flavors.
Crème & Sugar
Address: 6312 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim Hills, CA 92807
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Closed Monday
Contact: 714-941-9059
While Crème & Sugar isn’t technically an ice cream shop, we included it on this list for their signature item that’s sure to blow any kid’s mind: the Unicorn Shake.
If you happened to miss out on the Unicorn Frappucino craze that took over a few weeks ago, have no fear! Crème & Sugar comes through with a milkshake of such decadence and whimsy, you’ll forget that that other one ever existed. These vanilla-based shakes can be customized to your color preference and are topped with mounds of whipped cream, marshmallows, edible glitter, candy, and a unicorn horn lollipop. At 32 ounces, they are definitely meant to be shared, so they make the perfect indulgent treat for the whole family.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Locations:
- Los Feliz: 1954 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027 | P: 323-928-2668
- Venice: 540 Rose Ave., Venice, CA 90291 | P: 310-314-2024
- Larchmont Village: 123 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004 | P: 323-745-0407
Hours: All locations open daily, 11 a.m – 11 p.m.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams have long been available in your local grocer’s freezer, and now you can grab a scoop straight from the source. Jeni’s focus on the customer experience is evident as soon as you walk into any of their three L.A. locations. It’s not just about the ice cream; it’s also about making sure you thoroughly enjoy yourself.
Kids will be blown away by the large selection of ice creams and other treats, like sundaes and sandwiches. Parents will appreciate the attention to detail that goes into every one of Jeni’s unique flavors, such as goat cheese with red cherries, and Riesling poached pear sorbet. If you’ve ever had a pint of Jeni’s from the grocery store, you won’t want to miss taking a trip to one of their scoop shops for a true ice cream lover’s experience.
Sweet Rose Creamery
Locations:
- Brentwood Mart: 225 26th St. Ste. 51, Santa Monica, CA 90402 | P: 310-260-2663, ext. 2
- Santa Monica: 826 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405 | P: 310-260-2663, ext. 4
- Mid City: 7565 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | P: 310-260-2663, ext. 3
- Pacific Palisades: 970 Monument St. #103, Los Angeles, CA 90272 | P: 310-260-2663, ext. 5
- Studio City: 4377 Tujunga Ave., Studio City, CA 91604 | P: 310-260-2663, ext. 6
Hours:
- Brentwood Mart, Mid City, Santa Monica, and Studio City: Open daily, noon – 11 p.m.
- Pacific Palisades: Open daily, noon – 10 p.m.
If you’ve ever taken a stroll through Brentwood Mart in Santa Monica, chances are you’ve wandered right by Sweet Rose Creamery. Long considered one of L.A.’s original artisan ice cream shops, Sweet Rose still wows the crowds with its menu of classic and gourmet flavors, all made with fresh and local ingredients.
With sundaes, splits, and even chocolate-covered frozen bananas, Sweet Rose truly does have something for everyone! Their menu changes every month but always includes classics like old-fashioned vanilla, salted caramel, and strawberry. They also have a selection of dairy-free ice creams and sorbets, making their menu more accessible than most.
Salt & Straw
Locations:
- West Hollywood: 8949 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069 | P: 424-288-4818
- Arts District: 829 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 | P: 213-988-7070
- Studio City: 12180 ½ Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604 | P: 818-358-2890
- Venice Beach: 1357 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 | P: 310-310-8429
- Larchmont: 240 N. Larchmont Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90004 | P: 323-466-0485
Hours:
- West Hollywood, Arts District, Venice, and Larchmont: Open daily, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Studio City: Open daily, noon – 11 p.m.
Perennial Portland favorite Salt & Straw opened its first shop in L.A.’s Larchmont neighborhood in 2014, and since then has taken the ice cream scene by storm with unique flavor profiles and use of local ingredients.
The menu changes monthly and is focused on the season of the year. For May, the theme is flowers, with seasonal offerings like naked sage tea and roses, as well as rainbow flower sherbet. They also have a permanent menu of flavors like Stumptown coffee, honey lavender, and black olive brittle and goat cheese.
While the menu definitely skews toward the adventurous ice cream eater, Salt & Straw combines flavors that will appeal to even the youngest ice cream aficionados. The avocado and strawberry sherbet is one of their most popular flavors among kids.
Magpies Softserve
Address: 2660 Griffith Park Blvd., Silver Lake, CA 90039
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Contact: 323-486-7094
One of two soft serve shops we included on our list, Magpies sets itself apart with its constantly changing menu and wide selection of homemade toppings and sauces. Their ice cream is made from scratch on site and focuses on classic flavors highlighted by the amazing toppings they create every day, like sweetened cream soft serve coated in butterscotch Rice Krispies. You can also get your ice cream on a stick, dipped in one of their homemade sauces and coated in toppings for an out-of-this-world ice cream bar you won’t find anywhere else!
Magpies also has a respectable selection of vegan and dairy-free ice cream and toppings, so dietary restrictions are no problem here.
Honeymee
Locations:
- Downtown Los Angeles: 120 Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | P: 213-908-8019
- Sawtelle: 11303 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064 | P: 424-442-9302
- Koreatown: 3377 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010 | P: 213-380-4663
- Other locations throughout Southern California
Hours:
- Downtown Los Angeles: Open daily, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Sawtelle & Koreatown: Open daily, noon – midnight
Sometimes simple is the way to go, and Honeymee has the delicate simplicity of ice cream and honey down to a sweet science. Known for their “true milk ice cream,” Honeymee uses only fresh Californian milk and honey sourced from local bees.
The menu isn’t extensive and the choices won’t leave you pondering what you want for 10 minutes, but you can’t go wrong with any of the flavor combinations Honeymee offers. Parents, indulge in the honey affogato (true milk ice cream drizzled with honey and coffee poured over the top) while the kids split a babee (true milk ice cream served open-face-sandwich style on a soft sweet bun).
Diddy Riese
Address: 926 Broxton Ave., Westwood, CA 90024
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – midnight | Friday, 11 a.m. – 1 a.m. | Saturday, noon – 1 a.m. | Sunday, noon – midnight
Contact: 310-208-0448
Diddy Riese has been serving up its delicious and affordable ice cream sandwiches for more than 30 years and remains one of L.A.’s best spots for ice cream and cookies. Where else can you get a freshly baked cookie and ice cream sandwich for $2? The lines are always a little long, but it’s well worth the wait.
The formula is simple: Pick your cookie, pick your ice cream, and watch as they’re smushed together to form one of the best desserts in Los Angeles. Diddy’s is a particular favorite among families, as the sweets are cheap and kids love to design their own sandwich. One of the best parts of a visit to Diddy Riese is watching the strange and unusual combinations your kids will come up with!
Milk
Locations:
- Milk Beverly: 7290 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | P: 323-939-6455
- Milk Silverlake: 1639 Silverlake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 | P: 323-913-9911
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, noon – 11 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, noon – midnight
Ice cream doesn’t have to be limited to cones and cups, and the geniuses at Milk Beverly and Milk Silverlake have opened our eyes to a whole new world of desserts! Milk offers a menu full of classic ice cream treats, like drumsticks, sundaes, floats and malts, and brownies a la mode. But their signature item, the macaron ice cream sandwich, is what kids will flip for. It’s a generous block of gourmet ice cream sandwiched between two crispy, chewy, giant macarons. You can get them plain or dipped in white or milk chocolate and toppings like Fruity Pebbles or toasted coconut. The colorful creations are almost too pretty to eat, but once you get your hands on one, we don’t think you’ll be able to resist taking a big bite!
Cool Haus Awesome Ice Cream
Locations:
- Culver City: 8588 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 | P: 310-838-5559
- Pasadena: 59 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105 | P: 626-486-2700
- Cool Haus Truck schedule can be found here.
Hours:
- Culver City: Open daily, noon – 10 p.m.
- Pasadena: Sunday – Thursday, noon – 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, noon – 11 p.m.
The name of the final shop on our list really says it all: Cool Haus is just a cool place to grab a treat. They sort of go against everything that we’ve come to expect from an ice cream shop. Their outrageous flavor combinations will leave you scratching your head until you try a spoonful, and then you’ll find yourself a Cool Haus convert for life.
One of their most popular ice creams, brown butter candied bacon, will tantalize your taste buds in a way you’ve never experienced! We recommend it sandwiched between two snack-food-chip cookies for a sweet and salty punch. In addition to the sandwiches, their menu is chock-full of shakes, drinks, bars and pints to take home.
