Ice cream is one of life’s few pure joys. What’s not to love about ice cream? It’s nostalgic, delicious, full of calcium to make our bones strong (very important for old biddies such as myself), it goes with EVERYTHING, is cold (this doesn’t seem like an important quality but last week I shredded the roof of my mouth on some off-brand Chex Mix and ice cream was the only thing that didn’t cause me agony). Because I love ice cream, and I love you, I put together a list of some of my favorite local ice cream treats. Put them all on your to do list immediately!
Think globally, eat ice cream locally. JP Licks was born in Jamaica Plain (duh) back in 1941, someone’s got a fortieth birthday coming up! There are seventeen JP Licks stores, and it’s THE ice cream shop for options. Dozens of flavors (made from scratch) with dairy free, vegan, and gluten free options, as well as sundaes, specialty iced coffees, cakes, and cupcakes. Personally, I’m a long time JP Licks Black Raspberry fan!
You may think it can’t get any better than a Blackbird doughnut, and to that I would say “have you ever cut a Blackbird doughnut in half and filled it with ice cream?” Blackbird will make you a GD amazing ice cream sandwich with chocolate, vanilla, or M&M ice cream and your choice of ANY of the doughnut flavors available that day. Let’s go right now.
Chill on Park is everything a small local business should be, strong community roots, support of local charities with a focus on children and education, and local products. Coffee from Sudbury, tea from Watertown, baked goods from Roxbury and Hyde Park, and most importantly, ice cream from Roslindale! Whether you’re an ice cream minimalist who enjoys a good ol’ plain vanilla in a cone, an ice cream maximalist who wants a sundae with ALL the toppings, Chill on Park and their thirty two flavors of ice cream have something for you. My tip is to get there quick so you can try Orange Pineapple ice cream before it’s gone.
Do you know what I love? Skillet cookies. Do you know what I love on them? A giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. If I didn’t find the process of seasoning and cleaning cast iron skillets so terrifying, I’d make one myself, but I do so I have to rely on The Playwright for my fix.
See above but replace “cookies” with “brownies”.
The Ice Cream Bar at Landmark Public House
The Ice Cream Bar is officially open for business! Cones, cups, and toppings! Banana splits! Build your own sundae including the illusive marshmallow topping! Frappes and floats! S’MORES SUNDAE!! I don’t know if I have ever been as excited as when I learned The Ice Cream Bar would have s’mores sundaes, it’s both happy and sad. See you there!
Maybe it’s the “Beyoncé is really an Italian woman posing as an African American woman conspiracy theory” talking, but I have really been craving gelato. As a serious researcher who has personally taste tested 132 flavors of Capo’s gelato over the years, I can confirm its straight aces. Their selection of flavors is constantly rotating, but regulars Nutella and salted caramel are very safe and delicious choices.
Ok, Sully’s may no longer carry the banana soft serve I loved in my youth, but I have mostly forgiven them. Sullivan’s serves hard and soft ice cream, as well as sundaes and floats…on top of the French fries, hot dogs, onion rings, cheeseburgers, and lobster rolls we love so much. Well not literally on top of, but I bet chocolate soft serve on top of their fries would be pretty incredible. Caught In Southie HBIC Maureen Dahill loves to tell a tale about a man she saw in Sully’s eat a brownie sundae while he waited for his number to be called. Whoever that man was, and wherever he is now, we salute you.
In high school I had a science teacher who warned against drinking anything other than water. “Empty calories” she would shout to a room full of impressionable teenage girls. Well, I have news for that teacher, drinking empty calories is awesome! And one of the best, most delicious ways to drink empty calories is Lincoln’s mudslide; vanilla vodka, coffee liquor, Irish cream, housemade mocha ice cream, whipped cream, and an Oreo crumble. Science being so wrong has never tasted so right.
The Ice Creamsmith is a Lower Mills institution! Opened in the Bicentennial summer of 1976 (have I ever told you guys about my grandparents Bicentennial kitchen, it was AMAZING), The Ice Creamsmith serves thirteen flavors of 14% milkfat (mmmmm, milkfat) ice cream at a time, with three special flavors of the month, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and thirteen mix-in options. I’m not a mathematician, but that’s like a lot of possibilities.
While these are my favorites, I would love to know yours because you can never have enough ice cream treat options! Make sure you tag us in your ice cream photos!
Heather has been writing for Caught In Southie since pretty much the beginning and for that we apologize. She can often be found on her couch with a log of raw cookie dough. Her biggest fear is being on an episode of Dateline and her wildest dream is being a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Feel free to let her know if there’s something you think she should write about, unless it’s stupid.
