20 of New York’s Best Ice Creams to Order for Dessert — Resy | Right This Way

Updated: June 17, 2026

We’re calling it now: The song of the summer (as always) is the Mr. Softee truck theme. Even so, if you need a break from listening to (or chasing down) that banger, we’ve got a list of the restaurants where you definitely need to save room for an ice cream dessert. Put your napkin politely over your unbuttoned pants and settle in — you won’t want to miss these.

P.S. For a list of our favorite restaurants where you should never skip dessert, head here.

Party Size

Date

Bong

Crown Heights
Should you be lucky enough to dine at this jewel box of a restaurant in Crown Heights, do not leave without ordering at least one — if not all — of their gelatos and sorbets for dessert; they’re that delicious, and worth saving room for. At the moment, they’ve got a silky mango gelato topped with spicy shrimp salt and a spritz of fish sauce, meant to emulate the experience of eating ripe mangoes in Southeast Asia. There’s also a toasted coconut gelato that comes with what chef and owner Chakriya “Cha” Un describes as a “peanut coconut crunch” and a caramel sauce made with palm sugar imported directly from Cambodia. Lastly, they’ve also got a seasonal fruit sorbet, and the current flavor features cantaloupe.

Smithereens

East Village
A celery ice cream float is garnished with coffee oil and marinated cherries, and finished with a celery soda. The celery ice cream float here might be polarizing, but we say it’s one of our favorite desserts in the city: an ideal combination of grassy herbaceousness, thanks to the celery root ice cream and celery soda, balanced with a garnish of ever-so-slightly-bitter coffee oil and sweet, luscious marinated cherries.

Sunday in Brooklyn

Williamsburg
Everyone’s favorite Brooklyn pancake house happens to serve a sundae version of that very dish, much to our delight. The pancake sundae has vanilla soft serve, hazelnut maple praline, and chunks of those pancakes.

Sip & Guzzle

West Village
Whether you’re here to sip or guzzle, you should end your evening with the Hokkaido milk soft serve, served here with a saffron magic shell.

Crevette

West Village
If you’re smart, you’re at Crevette for the seafood, but if you’re smarter, you’re ordering the soft serve to finish your meal. Theirs is fior di latte topped with a milk crumble and layered with a rotating topping like macerated strawberries.

Frena

Hell’s Kitchen
At Frena, theirs comes atop luscious vanilla ice cream, a caramelized granola-like concoction of rice Krispies, and almonds, and sweet date syrup.

Golden HOF – Korean Bar & Grill

Midtown
You can trust the Golden Diner team with a sweet, so it should come as no surprise that their Korean pub venture serves some killer soft-serve cereal milk ice cream.

Casa Enrique

Long Island City
The city’s first Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant has earned its flowers for many things, from the mole de Piaxtla to the tacos, but we’re here to tell you the ice cream is also not to be missed. It’s housemade and they update the flavors pretty much daily, so be ready to be surprised.

Penny

East Village
Everyone’s favorite East Village seafood counter also happens to have one of our favorite ice cream sandwiches. At Penny, soft ice cream comes nestled between two slices of pillowy brioche.

Serendipity 3

Upper East Side
We like to imagine that Eloise (of The Plaza) grew up eating the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity.

Misi

Williamsburg
When you think of Misi, it’s likely pasta that comes to mind first, or maybe that famous squiggly ricotta toast. We’re here to let you know that the gelati is just as much of a draw.

Shukette

Chelsea
If we ever say no to soft-serve ice cream, call the police, because it’s not us; it must be an imposter. This is especially true at Shukette where the soft-serve ice cream is creamy, dense, and perfect.

ovelia

Astoria
Ovelia handles a Greek classic, Kaimaki, with grace.

Barbuto

West Village
We know, you’re here for the chicken, but do not under any circumstances skip the dessert.

Keens Steakhouse

Herald Square
There’s nothing we like more after a hearty steak dinner in one of New York’s best chophouses than a drippy sundae.

Leo

Williamsburg
The soft-serve ice cream at Leo comes just how we like it.

Sofreh

Prospect Heights
The traditional Persian ice cream at Sofreh has us reconsidering everything we thought we knew about ice cream.

Bonnie's

Williamsburg
This could be yours very soon. The chow nai sundae at Bonnie’s is an unmatched update to the sundaes we begged our parents for.

Bonus: Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain

Carroll Gardens
Finally, this Brooklyn-based reporter would be remiss if she didn’t mention the classic soda fountain and after-dinner sundae spot beloved by everyone in the general area.

Bonus: Eddie’s Sweet Shop

Forest Hills
For more than 100 years, Eddie’s Sweet Shop has been delighting New Yorkers from its corner storefront on a stretch of Forest Hills.