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Where to eat ice cream in Philly

Ready to get your hands on some ice cream already? Visit these Philly staples for a scoop (or two) of the good stuff:

Arctic Scoop
1812 E. Passyunk Ave., South Philly

Bassetts Ice Cream
45 N. 12th St., Reading Terminal Market

C & C Creamery
5461 Ridge Ave., Roxborough

The Chilly Banana (for frozen banana whip)
932 E. Passyunk Ave., Bella Vista

D’Emilio’s Old World Ice Treats
1928 E. Passyunk Ave., South Philly

Dre’s Water Ice and Ice Cream
1 S. 15th St. (Dilworth Park) and pop-ups throughout summer 2022, Center City

Float Dreamery (for vegan ice cream, Saturdays only)
1255 E. Palmer St., Fishtown

Franklin Fountain
116 Market St., Old City

Gran Caffe L’Aquila (gelato)
1716 Chestnut St., Rittenhouse

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
1322 Frankford Ave., Unit 101, Fishtown
1901 Chestnut St., Rittenhouse

Sweet Charlie’s (rolled ice cream)
711 Walnut St., Society Hill
1601 Race St., Center City

Weckerly’s Ice Cream
9 W Girard Ave., Fishtown
265 S. 44th St., West Philly

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream
119 S. 13th St., Gayborhood
115 S. 18th St., Rittenhouse

Zsa’s Ice Cream
6616 Germantown Ave., Mt. Airy/Germantown

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How Philly Invented Ice Cream (As We Know It)

It was African American chefs who created the summertime treat we consume by the gallons, right here in the city where America was born

How Philly Invented Ice Cream (As We Know It)

It was African American chefs who created the summertime treat we consume by the gallons, right here in the city where America was born

BY Tonya Hopkins

Jul. 25, 2019

Print

Ice cream is complicated.

We love it. We didn’t invent it in America, but we eat it more than any other nation on earth. We perfected it right here in Philadelphia, and made it available to the masses.

We did it through the toil of Black food professionals and the ingenuity of African American artisans — enslaved and free — who have been long overlooked by history.

At least until now.

Listen here for the true and inclusive history of American ice cream:

Tonya Hopkins, aka The Food Griot, founded the nonfiction story-telling platform, “The Food Griot: Sharing Savory Stories on The Makings of American Cuisine, (Cocktails) …” She has researched and written for several scholarly and consumer publications and appears regularly on radio and television. Her work in culinary history activism aims to help disenfranchised, mostly Black and Brown food/drink industry professionals achieve greater inclusion, equity and wholesome empowerment. Follow @TheFoodGriot on: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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