Chicago's Best Ice Cream

In case you haven't noticed, it's hot in Chicago in summer. Ice cream is one of the better ways to cool down, and the city has much more to offer than the national chains. Some of the best scoops come from shops that have been open for a century. Others are newer and a lot more inventive.

Most of the shops on our 2010 list are gone. Paciugo, the gelato shop that led the original page (we once wrote up its maple bacon gelato), closed all its Chicago shops in 2018. Bobtail, the old-fashioned parlor on Broadway in Lakeview, has closed too. Here's where to go now.

The old-timers

Margie's Candies
Margie's has been at the corner of Western and Armitage (1960 N. Western Ave.) since 1921. It still makes its own candy, and sundaes come in big shell-shaped dishes. Our Bucktown page has the rest of the story. The Bucktown shop stays open until midnight Monday to Thursday and until 1am the rest of the week, and it's across the street from the Western stop on the Blue Line's O'Hare branch. There's a second Margie's at 1813 W. Montrose Ave. in Ravenswood.

The Original Rainbow Cone
The Original Rainbow Cone has been in Beverly, on the far South Side, since 1926, and the shop at 9233 S. Western Ave. is the one to visit. The cone is still the same five flavors stacked together: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio and orange sherbet. They're sliced onto the cone, not scooped. If you can't get to Beverly, there's a counter at Navy Pier. The Beverly shop is a drive from downtown, so pair it with a burger at Top-Notch, from our best burgers list.

Mario's Italian Lemonade
Technically not ice cream, but it's the city's best summer cup. Mario's (1068 W. Taylor St.) is a walk-up stand in Little Italy that the DiPaolo family has run since 1954. The ices are made from real fruit, and lemon is the one to try first. It's seasonal, open from May into September, so don't show up in January.

Frozen custard

Scooter's Frozen Custard
Scooter's (1658 W. Belmont Ave., Lakeview) has been making frozen custard since 2003. It makes vanilla and chocolate every day plus at least one flavor of the day, and the concretes (custard blended with mix-ins) are the move. It's open Wednesday to Sunday from the afternoon until 9pm, three blocks south of the Paulina Brown Line stop.

Lickity Split
Lickity Split (6056 N. Broadway, Edgewater) is a frozen custard and candy shop near the Granville Red Line stop. It's open every day from noon to 10pm, and there's a second shop at 7000 N. Western Ave. that opens on weekends.

The newer shops

Pretty Cool Ice Cream
Pastry chef Dana Cree opened Pretty Cool in Logan Square in 2018 with Michael Ciapciak of Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits. It specializes in handmade frozen novelties, like ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches that take after the ones from the ice cream truck, only better. The shop at 2353 N. California Ave. is open daily from noon and is a short walk from the California Blue Line stop.

Black Dog Gelato
Black Dog (859 N. Damen Ave., Ukrainian Village) makes gelato each morning using local dairy, with unusual flavors you won't see at other shops. It only serves what it made that day, so popular flavors can run out. It's closed Mondays. The #50 Damen bus stops nearby.

Annette's Italian Ice
Annette's (2009 N. Bissell St., Lincoln Park) is a neighborhood stand for homemade Italian ice and ice cream, and the brownie sundae is its best-known order. It's around the corner from the Armitage stop on the Brown and Purple Lines, and it's seasonal, open from the Friday before St. Patrick's Day through the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It's a good stop after a day at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

If the heat is the problem, our guide to beating the heat in Chicago has more ideas, and our food and drink guide covers everything else worth eating.

Photo by yuan2003