For Atlantans, Ice cream serves many purposes: cooling you off when the city's hitting asphalt-melting levels, providing a needed sugar spike after spending 90-minutes to go half a block in Atlanta traffic, and saving you during the early “I don't know if this is worth spending $35 on a cocktail” first-date phase. Lucky for us, Atlanta has plenty of ice cream spots—from chic and summery to old school and cost-friendly—to make your ice cream dreams come true, no matter how simple or grand they might be.

THE SPOTS

Voga Italian Gelato

If you’re a gelato fan, Voga Italian Gelato in Inman Park should be your first stop since it has the best in Atlanta. This place serves gelato so rich that we feel compelled to eat it wearing a monocle and pocket watch. We especially like that the mood at Voga is understated elegance, with dark wood finishes, dim lighting, and plush leather seating—perfect for a chill romantic meet-up or walking around the square.

Morelli's Gourmet Ice Cream

Creamy, rich, and full of flavor, a scoop of anything at Morelli’s feels like a smart life choice. The ice cream shop (we love the original Moreland location) is known for their unusual flavors like Grapenuts, blueberry corn cake, or coconut-jalapeño, so when life feels a little too vanilla, this is the place to shake things up. But we also love the classics like the standout hot fudge sundae with its velvety ice cream, rich fudge trickling over the top, and a soft fudge brownie at the bottom.

Aiskrimu Ice Cream

Stop by Aiskrimu in Cascade Heights (Aiskrimu means “ice cream” in Swahili) for smooth, earthy matcha ice cream that’s better than almost everywhere else. Aiskrimu’s ice cream is super smooth, flavorful, and rich, so whatever you get is a win. The menu changes all the time, but if you see the oatmeal cookie sandwich on there, do yourself a solid and get it. Their creamy vanilla ice cream gets sandwiched between soft, sweet oatmeal cookies, and it's now our shining prototype for the ice cream sandwich. Bring your vegan homies too because the dairy-free options are also fantastic.

Cremalosa

If you’re looking for a cold treat and a chill place to enjoy it, Cremalosa in Decatur is your spot. It’s a small family-owned ice cream shop that sells silky small-batch gelato. And there’s a huge patio, big enough for you to ease away from the crowd. And you’ll be thankful for that extra privacy when you feel compelled to close your eyes to savor bites of your smooth salted caramel cup or velvety sweet peaches and cream.

Butter & Cream

After dinner in Decatur Square, walk around the corner to Butter & Cream to extend your evening with their delicious sweet treats. There’s a high chance you’ll be greeted by a line, but it moves quickly, and you’ll have your rich cooling mint chocolate chip cone in minutes. We love hitting this small batch creamery for their seasonal flavors, which are usually full of fun surprises like their Munchies mix with chocolate-covered potato chips and peanut butter. And many of the mix-ins, like toffee and brownies, are made in house.

Jake's Ice Cream

Anyone old enough to remember the Hawk’s Pac-Man logo will more than likely have a fond memory of Jake’s Ice Cream, an Atlanta classic that opened its doors in Old Fourth Ward back in 1999.  Now it’s situated in a corner of a small plaza near downtown Hapeville, but it remains a great place for cones and cups in standard flavors that don’t venture too far into the wild but strike the perfect balance of sweetness and flavor. Try the Kiss of the Leprechaun—mint ice cream with chocolate chips—when you're wanting something refreshingly cool, or the Brown Shugah Vanilla—a delicious city treasure that deserves its own Georgia historical marker.

Paolo's Gelato Italiano

Another long-standing dessert staple, Paulo’s has been a go-to in Virginia-Highlands for several decades. Don’t be surprised if you have to dodge kids rushing ahead of their parents to stare wide-eyed at the shiny gelato display in the tiny shop, which rotates more than 60 flavors, including stracciatella, biscotti, dark chocolate, egg custard, fig, and peach. All are handmade and change seasonally. If you have questions about your smooth avocado gelato or any flavor, the owner is more than happy to share the details—and samples. With Pielands right next door, the gelateria and pizza shop make one of the best duos in the city since Dre and Big Boi or Dominique and Doc Rivers.

Cereal And Cream

This very pink and very flowery East Atlanta ice cream shop should be on your bucket list if you’re a person who always downs their leftover cereal milk. At Cereal And Cream, you can mix your cereal (they’ve got all the classics: Trix, Froot Loops, etc.), candy, and cookies with any flavor of their smooth ice cream. Get your creation served in a cone, cup, or as a milkshake that you’ll eventually have to eat with a spoon once all the sugary cereal settles.

Sweet Stack Creamery

If you’re a night owl with a sweet tooth, SweetStack Creamery on Auburn Avenue is your spot since they’re open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Fair warning, if you order anything blue, you might sport a Smurf-like mouth for the next 36 hours. For a less intense sugar rush, opt for mellow flavors like butter pecan or vanilla. If you really want to reach the peaks of Mt. Glucose, get the ice cream donut sandwich—your choice of ice cream pressed between two glazed donut halves that are gently warmed in a panini maker and then drizzled with caramel syrup and cereal topping.