The Best Ice Cream Shops Around Rochester
These top ice cream shops in charming villages and city neighborhoods turn a simple scoop into an artisanal delight.
There’s nothing quite like the pure bliss of savoring a cold, creamy scoop of ice cream on a warm summer day. Whether it’s a simple dish of velvety vanilla, an elaborate sundae, or an unusual flavor combination, ice cream has a way of transporting us back to the carefree joys of childhood.
Looking for a delicious scoop of ice cream that’s worth day-tripping to? These top ice cream and frozen dessert shops in charming villages and city neighborhoods turn a simple scoop into an artisanal delight.
Celebrate National Ice Cream Day on the third “Sundae” in July.
City of Rochester
Abbott’s Frozen Custard
Lake Avenue, seasonal: original location and inside the Port of Rochester building. Serves frozen custard.
Forno Tony
University Avenue. Serves handcrafted gelato.
Grandma Gail’s Ice Cream Shoppe
Winton Village. Serves Turkey Hill.
Hedonist Artisan Ice Cream
South Wedge. Handcrafted.
Pittsford Farms Dairy
Park Avenue. Handcrafted.
Monroe County
Abbott’s Frozen Custard
Gates, Henrietta, Greece, Bushnell’s Basin, and inside Bill Gray’s restaurants. Serves frozen custard.
Anthony’s Ice Cream
Spencerport. Serves Perry’s.
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
Webster and Irondequoit. Handcrafted.
Byrne Dairy
Brockport, Chili, East Rochester, Gates, Greece, and Irondequoit. Handcrafted.
Colby’s Ice Cream & Bake Shop
Rush. Serves Hershey’s.
Creamcredible Ice Cream & Desserts
Henrietta. Handcrafted.
The Creamery
Hilton. Serves Perry’s.
Dipper Dan
Honeoye Falls. Serves Upstate Farms, Honey Hill Farms’ Frozen Yogurt, and over 40 flavors of ice cream locally sourced from Perry’s, Purity, Byrne Dairy, and more.
Drip Ice Cream Shop
Greece. Serves Perry’s.
Frank’s Italian Ice
Spencerport, inside LuGia’s. Serves Italian ice.
The Front Porch Ice Cream Shoppe
North Greece. Serves Gifford’s and Turkey Hill.
i-Scream for Ice Cream at I-Square
Irondequoit. Serves Purity.
iKON Ice Cream
Scottsville. Serves Perry’s and 3,000 custom ice cream and milkshake flavors.
Lift Bridge Ice Cream
Fairport. Serves Perry’s.
LuGia’s Ice Cream
Spencerport. Serves Perry’s and Frank’s Italian Ice.
Mill Creek Cafe
Honeoye Falls. Serves Hershey’s.
Moonlight Creamery
Fairport. Handcrafted.
Netsins Ice Cream
Irondequoit. Serves Perry’s.
Neutral Ground Coffeehouse
Pittsford. Serves Purity.
Oriens Cafe
Greece. Serves gelato.
Pittsford Farms Dairy
Henrietta and Pittsford. Handcrafted.
Rita’s Italian Ice
Brighton. Serves Italian ice.
Roc City Ice Cream
Greece. Serves Hershey’s.
Royal Cafe Gelateria
Fairport. Serves gelato.
Russell’s
Chili. Serves a variety of brands.
Scoop ‘n Twist
Brighton. Serves Perry’s.
Sprinkles
Chili. Serves Perry’s.
Village Ice Cream Shop
Spencerport and North Chili. Serves Gifford’s.
What’s ‘Ur Scoop
Penfield. Serves handcrafted, Ashby’s Sterling, and Giffords.
Yolickity
Greece, Henrietta, and Webster. Serves frozen yogurt.
Yotality
Pittsford. Serves frozen yogurt.
Greater Rochester
Genesee County
Blondie’s Sip-n-Dip
Batavia. Serves Hershey’s.
Dave’s Ice Cream
Batavia. Specializes in creative soft-serve combinations.
Oliver’s
Batavia. Handcrafted.
S’mores Ice Cream Shoppe
LeRoy. Serves Perry’s.
Livingston County
Kish-a-wa Creamery
Nunda. Serves Upstate, Gifford’s, Perry’s, Turkey Hill, Ashby’s Sterling, and several other brands.
Minnehan’s
Lakeville. Serves Gifford’s.
Moonie’s Two Scoops
Leicester. Serves Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream.
Six Sprouts Farm Market
Avon. Serves Twisters.
Twisters
Livonia. Handcrafted.
Zeppo’s Creekside Creamery
Mount Morris. Handcrafted.
Ontario County
A’s Diner & Desserts
Canandaigua. Serves Gifford’s.
Cheshire Farms Creamery
Canandaigua. Handcrafted.
Lynnie Lou’s
Naples. Handcrafted.
MELT Ice Cream on Main
Phelps. Serves Purity.
Molly V’s
Victor. Handcrafted.
Papa Jack’s Ice Cream
Victor. Serves Perry’s.
Scoops
Canandaigua. Serves Perry’s.
Shark’s Ice Cream
Bloomfield. Handcrafted.
Zoe’s Ice Cream Parlor
Farmington. Serves Perry’s and Gifford’s.
Orleans County
Hojack Ice Cream Shack & Snack Shack Grill
Lyndonville. Serves Perry’s.
Partyka Farms
Kendall. Serves Perry’s.
Red, White, and Moo
Holley. Serves Perry’s.
Tinsel
Albion. Serves Perry’s.
Seneca County
Cayuga Lake Creamery
Interlaken. Handcrafted.
Wayne County
Bee Tee’s Drive-In
Newark. Serves Perry’s.
Chill & Grill
Palmyra. Serves Perry’s.
Doyle Farms Creamery
Wolcott. Handcrafted.
Hot’s Point
Sodus Point.
Mr. Coolee’s
Newark. Serves Ashby’s Sterling.
Orbaker’s Drive-In
Williamson.
Pulcini’s Ice Cream
Palmyra. Serves Gifford’s and Turkey Hill.
Yia Yia’s Ice Cream Shoppe
Williamson. Serves Hershey’s.
Wyoming County
Charcoal Ice Cream Parlor
Perry. Serves Perry’s.
Vintage Cow Farmers Market
Attica. Handcrafted.
Yummies
Warsaw. Handcrafted.
Yates County
Seneca Farms
Penn Yan. Handcrafted.
Spotted Duck
Penn Yan. Handcrafted.
Shtayburne Farm Creamery
Rock Stream. Handcrafted.
Surrounding Counties
Cayuga County
Reese’s Dairy Bar
Auburn. Handcrafted.
Erie County
Nick Charlap’s Ice Cream
Hamburg. Handcrafted.
Rosie’s Ice Cream
East Aurora. Handcrafted.
Sweet Jenny’s Ice Cream
Williamsville. Handcrafted.
Niagara County
Goodies at the Beach
Olcott. Homemade.
Lakeview Village Shoppes
Lakeside Ice Cream
Olcott. Serves Perry’s.
Olcott Carousel Park
Barbara Ann’s Carousel Concessions
Olcott. Serves Perry’s.
Lake Effect Ice Cream
Lockport. Handcrafted.
Hibbard’s Original Frozen Custard
Lewiston. Serves frozen custard.
The Silo Caboose
Lewiston. Serves Perry’s.
Schuyler County
Glen Dairy Bar
Watkins Glen. Serves Gifford’s, Gilligan’s, and handcrafted.
The Great Escape Ice Cream Parlor
Watkins Glen. Serves Hershey’s.
Steuben County
Crooked Lake Ice Cream Parlor
Hammondsport. Dippity Do Dahs
Dippity Do Dahs
Corning. Handcrafted.
Old World Cafe & Ice Cream
Corning. Serves Purity.
Tompkins County
Cayuga Lake Creamery
Ithaca. Handcrafted.
Purity Ice Cream
Ithaca. Handcrafted.
Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream
Ithaca. Handcrafted.
Regional Ice Cream Brands
These popular ice cream brands originated and gained popularity in and around Western New York. They use locally sourced dairy ingredients, which are made in large quantities.
New York
Byrne Dairy – LaFayette
Dippity Do Dahs – Corning
Gilligan’s – Sherburn
Honey Hill Farms – Livonia
Perry’s – Akron (also makes Wegmans private-label ice cream)
Purity – Ithaca
Twisters – Avon
Upstate Farms – Buffalo
Other
Ashby’s Sterling – Michigan
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream – Wisconsin
Gifford’s – Maine
Hershey – Pennsylvania
Turkey Hill – Pennsylvania
Frozen Dessert Descriptions
Handcrafted ice cream is made in small batches using quality ingredients and techniques that incorporate less air, resulting in a dense, velvety texture. Flavors can range from classic vanilla and chocolate to creative combinations using fresh fruits, baked goods, candies, and more. You can try various ice cream flavors by searching for shops that offer ice cream flights.
Frozen custard is a luxurious and creamy dessert made using egg yolks. It is freshly prepared in small amounts and churned continuously while freezing to prevent the formation of ice crystals. It has a smooth, velvety texture and a distinctive, rich flavor that sets it apart from other frozen treats.
Frozen yogurt, also known as fro-yo, is a frozen dessert made by combining yogurt and milk instead of cream. It is churned to incorporate air, giving it a lighter and fluffier texture than ice cream. Many consider it a healthier option as it contains less fat and calories. The flavors of frozen yogurt range from traditional yogurt flavors to fruity varieties.
Gelato is an Italian frozen treat that’s richer and denser than ice cream. It has a velvety, elastic texture because it’s churned at a slower speed, incorporating less air. It’s made with milk rather than cream and has an intense, concentrated flavor because it uses less fat and sugar.
Italian ice is a frozen dessert prepared using water, sugar, and fresh fruit purees or juices. It has a smooth and icy texture and is packed with an intense fruit flavor in every spoonful. My favorite way to enjoy Italian ice is by layering it with frozen custard to make a Gelati.
