Best Ice Cream Restaurants in Long Island City (11101)
5 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: January 2026
Our Top Pick
Soft Swerve
Flavor-forward soft serve (especially ube) with smart topping contrast.
Notable Picks
#1
Soft Swerve
8.6
A Long Island City soft-serve staple built around bold flavors like ube and black sesame, with a topping bar that lets you go subtle or fully maximal. Best when you commit to one signature swirl and let the contrast (salty, crunchy, fruity) do the work instead of stacking everything at once.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ube soft-serve swirl, Black sesame swirl, Seasonal fruit swirl with crunchy topping
What makes it special: Flavor-forward soft serve (especially ube) with smart topping contrast.
8.5
An Asian-inspired dessert bar where ice-cream-and-sorbet elements show up as part of composed plates rather than just cones and cups. This is the move for late-night sweets with structure—warm cake or toast paired with a cold, creamy counterpoint and a little theatricality.
Must-Try Dishes:
Matcha Lava Cake with matcha ice cream, Golden Toast with condensed milk ice cream, Soda float with house-made ice cream
What makes it special: Dessert-plate format where ice cream is part of the full build.
8.3
A waterfront café that delivers classic Italian gelato with enough flavor range to keep repeat visits interesting. Best used as a walk-and-reward stop—pick two complementary scoops (one nutty, one chocolate or fruit) and keep the order clean and focused.
Must-Try Dishes:
Pistachio gelato, Gianduia gelato, Affogato (espresso over gelato)
What makes it special: Italian gelato done with proper texture and balance.
8.0
Vibes:
Sweet Treats Escapes
Family Friendly Favorites
Quick Bites Champions
Instagram Worthy Wonders
A playful scoop shop known for rotating flavors and the cereal-rim cone move that turns a simple order into a full-on dessert. Best when you go one classic plus one wild-card flavor so the cone doesn’t overwhelm the ice cream itself.
Must-Try Dishes:
Toasted S'moreo, Oreo (or cookies-and-cream lane), Cereal-rim cone with a rotating seasonal scoop
What makes it special: Rotating flavors plus the signature cereal-rim cone experience.
Worthy Picks
#5
Taku Parlor
7.7
A small, niche stop where soft-serve leans Japanese-influenced and more restrained on sweetness, making it an easy add-on rather than a sugar bomb. Best for a quick hit when you want something cold and clean-tasting, not a full dessert production.
Must-Try Dishes:
Matcha soft serve, Black sesame soft serve, Seasonal soft-serve special
What makes it special: Japanese-leaning soft-serve flavors that stay balanced and not too sweet.