Here’s the scoop on Charm City’s tastiest ice cream.
Ice cream is a year-round thing, but it’s particularly welcome during Baltimore’s unbearably furnace-like summers. Fortunately, you can find sweet heat relief almost anywhere in the city — so, if you’re in the mood for a sundae, sandwich, milkshake, cone, or dish, just know that there’s a place for you.
We’ve narrowed down the list to the five best ice cream shops in Charm City. While Baltimore does have its fair share of ice cream chains, this list focuses on local establishments (with one small chain represented because of its unique offerings!). It’s also worth noting that we haven’t included the nine creameries on Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail, located from Berlin and Pocomoke to Smithsburg, and we haven’t included snowball stands. (Although, one shop on our list does offer snowballs.) That said, two locations on our list serve national-brand ice cream, one uses national and local brands, and two make their own in-house. Take a sample taste and try to decide which flavor is the best!
Whether you’re a parent, babysitter, or nanny looking for a fun outing to do with the kids, these five ice cream shops should be at the very top of your list. The hours listed for the locations below are summer hours. Just make sure to check their websites for different operating hours throughout the year.
The Charmery
Address: 801 W. 36th St., Hampden, Baltimore, MD 21211
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, noon – 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, noon – 11 p.m.
Phone: 410-814-0493
Parking: Paid; bicycle racks are available
The Charmery boasts “Happiness through ice cream,” and they make that happen daily at the corner of 36th Street and Chestnut Avenue, about two blocks west of Wyman Park and four blocks east of Falls Road. The location makes it a Hampden mainstay.
You can’t miss this shop, with blue and white trim and ice cream cones over the door. They offer hand-crafted ice cream, with a different selection of flavors offered every day. However, they almost always have such fun Charm City-inspired flavors as Maryland Mud, Salty Caramel, and Old Bay Caramel, in addition to standard vanilla and a dairy-free flavor. They’re also known to create new flavors according to the seasons, holidays, sports team victories, and other Baltimore events. Beyond cones, they offer sundaes (also a changing menu), sodas, milkshakes, and root beer floats (with the root beer from the tap). Their temperature-sensing, color-changing spoons are another cool touch. Indoor tables and chairs and outdoor benches are available for sitting and enjoying your treats.
Established in 2013, the Charmery has grown enough that in the spring of 2018, they’ll be moving production and opening a second shop at Union Collective (1700 W. 41st St.) The store name there will be the Ice Cream Factory.
Fell’s Point Creamery
Address: 821 S. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231
Hours: Monday – Friday, noon – 9:30 p.m. | Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. | Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Phone: 410-342-8399
Parking: Metered parking
The creamery is a Fell’s Point favorite and known for making its ice cream and waffle cones in the store daily. Sample as much as you want, and be sure to try the Nutella flavor if it’s available. Watermelon is another favorite. Lots of toppings are available to mix in or sprinkle on top. Browse the ice cream cakes and know that Kathryn will make any kind of birthday cake you want. She even creates one that looks like a lattice-top apple pie and has some apple pie filling in the middle.
The place is tiny, but there are planters to sit on outside the store, and it’s convenient to the water taxi and other areas for strolling and savoring. This was a Maggie Moo’s store a few years ago, if you were here then and remember something different.
Ice Cream Cottage
Address: 1348 Stevens Ave., Arbutus, MD 21227
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. | Sunday, noon – 9 p.m.
Phone: 410-247-3620
Parking: Free
The Ice Cream Cottage is just as cute as its name sounds. White picket fence, a little tree-shaded bench, picnic tables, and a sign out front that says “Hand Dipped & Soft Serve, Snoballs, Lunch, Checkers.” Yep, checkers. Each booth table has a checkerboard, which lets you know they want you to come, visit, and spend a little time. They sell Hershey’s ice cream, snowballs, chocolate-dipped cones, and luncheon goodies. The servings are huge and the prices are low.
In the summer, they have weekend BBQ and a free monthly family movie projected on an outdoor screen. Movie options in 2017 have included “Moana,” “Despicable Me,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Bring your chairs and blankets, but please do not bring outside food or beverages. The cottage is adjacent to the Arbutus Town Hall, so they’re part of the Christmas tree lighting, Santa’s arrival, and other town activities. The Ice Cream Cottage doesn’t accept credit cards, although they do have an ATM machine.
Little Baby’s Ice Cream
Address: 301 W. 29th St., Baltimore, MD 21211
Hours: Open daily, 11:30 a.m – 10 p.m.
Phone: 443-681-1909
Parking: Free and paid; bicycle racks are available
Little Baby’s is a branch of a small Philadelphia creamery known for its unusual and one-off flavors that are made with locally sourced Trickling Springs Creamery (Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania) dairy products or a coconut milk base. (Great news for vegans!)
It shares a space with the microbakery Blk//Sugar in the relatively new R. House, a food hall that’s located in the old Anderson Body Shop in Remington. A food hall is like a food court at the mall without the mall. It has seating for 350, with Papa Bear- and Baby Bear-size seats and tables.
Some of Little Baby’s flavors are chocolate salt malt, cucumber dill, peanut butter maple tarragon, and buttered popcorn. The prices are fairly high at $5 for a single scoop and $3 for a baby scoop, but the ice cream is dense, and a single scoop should be more than enough.
Uncle Wiggly’s Ice Cream
Address: 6911 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Phone: 410-377-3373
Parking: Metered parking
Uncle Wiggly’s uses Edy’s and Taharka Bros. ice cream. Edy’s is Edy’s, and your favorite flavors are sure to be in the ice chest. Favorite flavors from the Taharka Bros. selection are honey graham, salted caramel, coconut chunk, and mint chip. They also serve hot and cold sandwiches and sides. The staff has started a bulletin board with photos of families eating ice cream at their shop. There are seven little tables inside and another seven tables on the tree-shaded patio, with more than enough room for your little ones to spread out while they enjoy their treats.
Uncle Wiggly’s has been around for nearly three decades and reportedly is named for its original owner, whose last name was Wigglesworth, and after the popular Uncle Wiggily children’s books. The other Uncle Wiggly’s stores have new owners and new names. Credit cards are accepted, with a minimum of a $5 purchase.
Did we list all your favorite ice cream places in town? Let us know in the comments below!
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