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Your Guide to Frozen Desserts this Summer

by Eater Staff May 22, 2014, 11:29am CDT

6 comments / new

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by Eater Staff May 22, 2014, 11:29am CDT

6 comments / new

With the sun beginning to shine and the temperatures rising, it's clear that Mother Nature is showing signs of summer just in time for Memorial Day weekend. From waffle ice cream sandwiches, funnel cake sundaes, gelatos or even the classics, what better way to stay cool than with a frozen dessert? So kick back and check out the map to see where your chilled treat is located this summer.

Eater Chicago intern Aimee Gasior contributed to this story.

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Cone Gourmet Ice Cream

Opened las summer, this family-owned West Loop creamery with a great patio serves its hand-crafted frozen treats with a side of sassy Irish flair. Cone uses only Irish dairy in untraditional flavors like the "Arthur Guinness," made with Guinness and Irish soda bread, "Bailey's irish cream," and the "Irish breakfast" served with Jameson and cornflakes.

1051 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Waffles

This neighborhood favorite whose sister restaurant created the Wonut recently constructed a waffle ice cream sandwich. Offering four flavors (bananas foster, red velvet, sweet potato, and a pumpkin waffle ice cream sandwich), Chicagoans are in for a treat.

Open in Google Maps

1400 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Visit Website

Ice-Cubed Truck

Specializing in small batch ice cream, hand-crafted ice pops, and frozen desserts, this frozen ice cream truck was developed by ice cream connoisseur, Erika Stone-Miller, to entice the Chicago-land taste buds with new and nontraditional flavors. Curious to try the "fancy pepperoni sausage," "gunpowder sesame," or "kung pao cashew?" Follow their facebook page to track the truck's whereabouts.

Open in Google Maps

Moving Target!, Chicago, IL 60602

Visit Website

Little Goat Diner

Stephanie Izard's diner dishes up fascinating frozen combinations such as smoked pork and toffee crunch shake, the "choco taco," the "peppermint mattie," and her personal favorite, "the cheez-it."

Open in Google Maps

820 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Visit Website

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

From brambleberry crisp, banana french toast, wildberry lavender, to even whiskey and pecans, the possibilities in this Lakeview ice cream expansion from Ohio seem never-ending. However, if you havie trouble deciding on which to settle on, Jeni's will let you taste test as many as your heart desires.

3404 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Firecakes

Merging both worlds of savory and sweet, this River North doughnuttery delivers a ice cream donut sandwich containing its daily, homemade flavors of gelato.

68 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Sugar Shack

Owned and operated in the Bridgeport neighborhood, Sugar Shack still owns the title of offering the only loaded, "funnel cake sundae" in the city. In addition, this local creamery shack serves a plethora of soft-serve and hand-scooped ice cream flavors, blizzard concoctions, and the traditional banana split sundaes.

Open in Google Maps

1400 S. Lynn White Drive, Chicago, IL 60605

Visit Website

Tanta Chicago

Besides the "la tapioca de coco," made with pineapple compote, pineapple sorbet, vanilla crunch, coconut foam, this modern Peruvian go-to offers its "el queso helado," four milk ice cream topped with cinnamon and coconut, rice tuile. Both desserts can be enjoyed inside the restaurant or overlooking River North on the roof.

118 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Margie's Candies

In business since 1921, Margie's Candies is a Chicago treasure. The ice cream sundae variations are timeless, tasty, and massive. If you've never been, get there right this instant.

1960 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Eataly

Merging high-quality ingredients and the milk of pasture-fed Bianca Piemontese cows, Chef Alciati pioneered a technique that produces a rich and creamy soft-serve gelato. Signatures flavors include, "fior di latte," "nocciola," "pistacchio," "crema vaniglia," "cioccolato", and seasonal dairy-free sorbets.

Open in Google Maps

43 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

Visit Website

Longman & Eagle

Cool off and enjoy pastry chef Jeremy Brutzkus's "apple pudding pop tart," made with foie gras ice cream, almond custard, poached pear, vanilla jello, caramel syrup, and vanilla powder. There's also the "fernet-hot chocolate affogato," topped with Turkish coffee ice cream and Sicilian fernet-dipped cornmeal cookies.

Open in Google Maps

2657 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Rainbow Cone

No list would be complete without the Original Rainbow Cone. A delicious creation of strawberry, Palmer House (New York Vanilla with cherries and walnut) and pistachio ice cream topped with orange sherbet, it’s a Chicago classic that never fails to please.

9233 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60643

Visit Website

Also featured in:

iCream

The combinations are limitless at iCream as you mix and match to your heart’s desire. Choose from regular, light, soy and organic ice cream flavors and add toppings like fresh fruit, candy and other things like Nutella, cookie dough and white chocolate. If you’d rather switch it up, create your own frozen yogurt treat or try one of the hot puddings.

1537 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Nico Osteria

Pastry chef Amanda Rockman's pristine creative desserts are wowing Gold Coast diners. However, the subtle surprise comes through in the homemade gelato and sorbet selections, all representing the rustic elegant flare in this coastal Italian escape.

Open in Google Maps

1015 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

Visit Website

Black Dog Gelato

Jessica Oloroso’s beloved gelato café offers intriguing flavors like Mexican hot chocolate, cocoa nib with toasted pecans, goat cheese cashew caramel and sesame fig chocolate chip. The ultimate treat though comes in the Whiskey Gelato Bar—whiskey gelato dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in candied bacon.

859 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Lindy's Chili & Gertie's Ice Cream

A Southside staple since 1901, head to Gertie's for throwback ice cream sundaes, floats, malts, banana splits, phosphates, and more.

3685 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60609

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Parachute

If you're up for something other than the traditional ice cream sandwich, stop into this newly unveiled Avondale Korean-American concept from Top Chef Beverly Kim for a different experience. The "Pat Bing Su," containing cucumber ice, red bean, kiwi, lovage, and pomelo sherbet and the warm tapioca custard are guaranteed to quell your creative frozen cravings.

Open in Google Maps

3500 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Visit Website

Stan's Donuts & Coffee

Stan's Donuts has started to roll out varying flavors of homemade gelato at the newish bustling shop in Wicker Park.

Open in Google Maps

1560 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Boka

The newly revamped Lincoln Park Boka presents a simple, yet complex dessert menu that will cool off any heat that hits Chicago this summer. An almond custard including sour cherry, olive oil cake, and ginger ice cream, along with rhubarb, coconut, angel food, buckwheat frozen yogurt are only a few of the treasures that await your tasting.

Open in Google Maps

1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614

Visit Website

25 Degrees Restaurant

With the sun beginning to shine, head over to 25 Degrees' to slurp on their boozy ice-cream shake lineup. Contenders such as the "cinnashake," "NOLA," "turkish latte," "guinness shake," are only some of the grown-up drinks at this River North hangout.

736 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60610

Visit Website

Also featured in:

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Cone Gourmet Ice Cream

1051 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607

Opened las summer, this family-owned West Loop creamery with a great patio serves its hand-crafted frozen treats with a side of sassy Irish flair. Cone uses only Irish dairy in untraditional flavors like the "Arthur Guinness," made with Guinness and Irish soda bread, "Bailey's irish cream," and the "Irish breakfast" served with Jameson and cornflakes.

1051 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607

Visit Website

Waffles

1400 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

This neighborhood favorite whose sister restaurant created the Wonut recently constructed a waffle ice cream sandwich. Offering four flavors (bananas foster, red velvet, sweet potato, and a pumpkin waffle ice cream sandwich), Chicagoans are in for a treat.

Open in Google Maps

1400 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Visit Website

Ice-Cubed Truck

Moving Target!, Chicago, IL 60602

Specializing in small batch ice cream, hand-crafted ice pops, and frozen desserts, this frozen ice cream truck was developed by ice cream connoisseur, Erika Stone-Miller, to entice the Chicago-land taste buds with new and nontraditional flavors. Curious to try the "fancy pepperoni sausage," "gunpowder sesame," or "kung pao cashew?" Follow their facebook page to track the truck's whereabouts.

Open in Google Maps

Moving Target!, Chicago, IL 60602

Visit Website

Little Goat Diner

820 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Stephanie Izard's diner dishes up fascinating frozen combinations such as smoked pork and toffee crunch shake, the "choco taco," the "peppermint mattie," and her personal favorite, "the cheez-it."

Open in Google Maps

820 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Visit Website

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

3404 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

From brambleberry crisp, banana french toast, wildberry lavender, to even whiskey and pecans, the possibilities in this Lakeview ice cream expansion from Ohio seem never-ending. However, if you havie trouble deciding on which to settle on, Jeni's will let you taste test as many as your heart desires.

3404 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Visit Website

Firecakes

68 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

Merging both worlds of savory and sweet, this River North doughnuttery delivers a ice cream donut sandwich containing its daily, homemade flavors of gelato.

68 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Sugar Shack

1400 S. Lynn White Drive, Chicago, IL 60605

Owned and operated in the Bridgeport neighborhood, Sugar Shack still owns the title of offering the only loaded, "funnel cake sundae" in the city. In addition, this local creamery shack serves a plethora of soft-serve and hand-scooped ice cream flavors, blizzard concoctions, and the traditional banana split sundaes.

Open in Google Maps

1400 S. Lynn White Drive, Chicago, IL 60605

Visit Website

Tanta Chicago

118 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654

Besides the "la tapioca de coco," made with pineapple compote, pineapple sorbet, vanilla crunch, coconut foam, this modern Peruvian go-to offers its "el queso helado," four milk ice cream topped with cinnamon and coconut, rice tuile. Both desserts can be enjoyed inside the restaurant or overlooking River North on the roof.

118 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Margie's Candies

1960 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

In business since 1921, Margie's Candies is a Chicago treasure. The ice cream sundae variations are timeless, tasty, and massive. If you've never been, get there right this instant.

1960 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Eataly

43 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

Merging high-quality ingredients and the milk of pasture-fed Bianca Piemontese cows, Chef Alciati pioneered a technique that produces a rich and creamy soft-serve gelato. Signatures flavors include, "fior di latte," "nocciola," "pistacchio," "crema vaniglia," "cioccolato", and seasonal dairy-free sorbets.

Open in Google Maps

43 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

Visit Website

Longman & Eagle

2657 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Cool off and enjoy pastry chef Jeremy Brutzkus's "apple pudding pop tart," made with foie gras ice cream, almond custard, poached pear, vanilla jello, caramel syrup, and vanilla powder. There's also the "fernet-hot chocolate affogato," topped with Turkish coffee ice cream and Sicilian fernet-dipped cornmeal cookies.

Open in Google Maps

2657 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Rainbow Cone

9233 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60643

No list would be complete without the Original Rainbow Cone. A delicious creation of strawberry, Palmer House (New York Vanilla with cherries and walnut) and pistachio ice cream topped with orange sherbet, it’s a Chicago classic that never fails to please.

9233 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60643

Visit Website

iCream

1537 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

The combinations are limitless at iCream as you mix and match to your heart’s desire. Choose from regular, light, soy and organic ice cream flavors and add toppings like fresh fruit, candy and other things like Nutella, cookie dough and white chocolate. If you’d rather switch it up, create your own frozen yogurt treat or try one of the hot puddings.

1537 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Nico Osteria

1015 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

Pastry chef Amanda Rockman's pristine creative desserts are wowing Gold Coast diners. However, the subtle surprise comes through in the homemade gelato and sorbet selections, all representing the rustic elegant flare in this coastal Italian escape.

Open in Google Maps

1015 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

Visit Website

Black Dog Gelato

859 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Jessica Oloroso’s beloved gelato café offers intriguing flavors like Mexican hot chocolate, cocoa nib with toasted pecans, goat cheese cashew caramel and sesame fig chocolate chip. The ultimate treat though comes in the Whiskey Gelato Bar—whiskey gelato dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in candied bacon.

859 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Related Maps

Lindy's Chili & Gertie's Ice Cream

3685 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60609

A Southside staple since 1901, head to Gertie's for throwback ice cream sundaes, floats, malts, banana splits, phosphates, and more.

3685 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60609

Visit Website

Parachute

3500 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

If you're up for something other than the traditional ice cream sandwich, stop into this newly unveiled Avondale Korean-American concept from Top Chef Beverly Kim for a different experience. The "Pat Bing Su," containing cucumber ice, red bean, kiwi, lovage, and pomelo sherbet and the warm tapioca custard are guaranteed to quell your creative frozen cravings.

Open in Google Maps

3500 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Visit Website

Stan's Donuts & Coffee

1560 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Stan's Donuts has started to roll out varying flavors of homemade gelato at the newish bustling shop in Wicker Park.

Open in Google Maps

1560 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Boka

1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614

The newly revamped Lincoln Park Boka presents a simple, yet complex dessert menu that will cool off any heat that hits Chicago this summer. An almond custard including sour cherry, olive oil cake, and ginger ice cream, along with rhubarb, coconut, angel food, buckwheat frozen yogurt are only a few of the treasures that await your tasting.

Open in Google Maps

1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614

Visit Website

25 Degrees Restaurant

736 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60610

With the sun beginning to shine, head over to 25 Degrees' to slurp on their boozy ice-cream shake lineup. Contenders such as the "cinnashake," "NOLA," "turkish latte," "guinness shake," are only some of the grown-up drinks at this River North hangout.

736 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60610

Visit Website

Related Maps