9 best ice cream spots in Atlanta

July is National Ice Cream Month. What a great opportunity to take a moment to cool down with a scoop — or swirl — from one of Atlanta’s locally owned ice cream shops. Whether you like classic flavors, soft serve or inventive combinations, these nine spots provide sweet relief from the hot, muggy Southern summer.

Butter & Cream's Trick or Treat ice cream. (Courtesy of Butter & Cream)

Butter & Cream

A certain national chain may be just around the corner in Decatur, but that doesn’t stop lines from snaking out the door at Butter & Cream. The original has since grown to four metro Atlanta locations, thanks to inventive takes on classic flavors. Cookie Monster gets its vibrant blue hue from butterfly pea powder and is packed with chocolate chip cookies and cookie butter swirl, while Midnight Snacks combines condensed milk and cream cheese ice cream with brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate-covered cake pieces and ribbons of dulce de leche. Dairy-free and vegan options mean everyone can get a scoop.

Multiple locations, butterandcream.com

Good Vibes

The name isn’t kidding: This cheerful Dunwoody Village shop, from restaurateur David Abes, pairs scoops with a disco ball, arcade games and plenty of nostalgia. Their ice cream comes from Michigan-based Ashby’s Sterling, with flavors like cherry and kid-favorite play dough, a vanilla ice cream swirled with colorful cookie dough pieces. Looking for an even bigger sugar rush? Order one of the shop’s fizzy drinks — sodas mixed with flavored syrups and cream.

5503 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-676-5617, goodvibesicecream.com

A cup of soft serve topped with cornflake streusel from Big Softie. (Lia Picard for the AJC)

Big Softie

Prefer a swirl over a scoop? Big Softie, the frozen dessert sibling to Little Tart Bakeshop, gives soft serve the same thoughtful treatment that made its bakery counterpart a local favorite. Every location serves chocolate, vanilla and a rotating seasonal flavor (currently basil vanilla), along with dairy-free options like vegan oat vanilla and seasonal peach sorbet. The real fun comes from piling on toppings like cornflake streusel, brownie bites or Cheez-It brittle, then finishing it off with a crackly chocolate or strawberry hard shell.

Multiple locations, bigsoftieatl.com

Gene’s

When it comes to dessert, Gene’s is best known for its decadent Biscoff banana pudding. However, they’ve recently started offering vanilla soft serve, and it’s the perfect finish after a meal of Viet-Cajun barbecue. It’s served with brown butter Ritz cracker crumble because everything’s better with a little crunch.

2371 Hosea L. Williams Drive SE, Atlanta. 404-975-3495, genesgenesgenes.com

Chocolate sundaes from Southern Custard. (Lia Picard for the AJC)

Southern Custard

Southern Custard keeps things simple. This Brookhaven shop specializes in frozen custard, a richer, denser cousin to ice cream made with egg yolks for an exceptionally creamy texture. Chocolate and vanilla are always available alongside a rotating daily special, with recent flavors like chocolate-covered banana and rainbow cookie swirl. While the sundaes and cones are excellent, save room for an order of poffertjes, fluffy Dutch mini pancakes that complement the cold custard perfectly.

3575 Durden Drive NE, Brookhaven. 404-402-1570, southerncustard.com

Morelli's Ice Cream has opened a location in Virginia-Highland. (Courtesy of Morelli's Facebook page)

Morelli’s

Since opening in Ormewood Park in 2008, Morelli’s has become one of Atlanta’s defining ice cream shops. While the original location remains a neighborhood favorite, additional outposts have spread its cult following across the city. Rumor has it that Conan O’Brien is a fan of the salted caramel, while other standouts include banana cream pie, guava cheesecake and coffee fudge brownie. Dairy-free options are available, too.

Multiple locations, morellisicecream.com

The ice cream shop the Frosty Caboose is shown near the railroad tracks, Monday, July 8, 2024, in Chamblee, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Frosty Caboose

Ice cream tastes even better when it’s served from a converted train car. Frosty Caboose has been delighting Chamblee families for years with classic scoops from Ashby’s Sterling and Hershey’s, plus sundaes, banana splits and milkshakes. Grab a cone outside and keep an eye on the nearby Norfolk Southern tracks — you’ll likely catch a freight train rolling past while you eat.

5435 Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 770-451-4556, frostycaboose.com

Vanilla bean gelato from Cremalosa. (AJC file photo)

Cremalosa

Every scoop at Cremalosa reflects owner Meridith Ford’s years of perfecting the craft of gelato. Ford first developed a loyal following while creating the gelato program at Novo Cucina in Dunwoody before opening her own shop in Decatur in 2020. The business has since relocated to a larger space in Avondale Estates, where the silky gelato remains the star. Stick with timeless flavors like stracciatella and pistachio, or lean into Georgia flavors with peaches and cream or banana pudding.

70 N. Avondale Road, Avondale Estates. 404-578-2739, cremalosa.com

WowBooza

Booza is one of the world’s oldest styles of ice cream, originating in the Levant, including modern-day Syria and Lebanon. Unlike the ice cream most Americans grew up with, booza is made with mastic, a natural tree resin, and sahlab, a flour from orchid tubers, ingredients that give it a dense, stretchy, chewy texture that melts remarkably slowly. At WowBooza in Duluth, enjoy a scoop on its own or paired with the shop’s hot, crispy kunafa, where the contrast of warm pastry and cold ice cream is part of the experience. While you’re there, don’t miss the flaky baklava, Dubai chocolate or a cup of rich Turkish coffee.