The hot weather’s coming, and if you live in a cramped, windowless walk-up cave in the East Village like many of the NYU Local staffers, you’ll be looking for a good way to cool down this summer. We’ve got the nearby beaches covered, but for a quick fix, stop by one of these ice cream, gelato, or frozen yogurt places and treat yourself.

Big Gay Ice Cream—If you haven’t already been here a million times, then your life is probably sad and empty. Luckily, you have the whole summer to frequent this wonderful place, or to stalk the truck on Twitter like we do. The flavors, besides being delicious, have some of the best names ever—our favorites are Salty Pimp, Bea Arthur, and Mexican Affo’gay’to. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a celeb sighting while you’re there. 

Location: 7^th Street, between 1^st Ave and Ave A

Grom—To all you former study-abroad Florentines out there, your in luck! Grom, Florence’s famed gelateria has a satellite in NYC. If you’re nostalgic about the Florence fifteen you gained, don’t worry, the NYC Grom is just as delicious and will definitely help you pack the pounds back on. Their monthly selection is always fresh, ridiculously delicious, and gives a little taste of the old country right here at home.

Location: 223 Bleecker Street, at Carmine Street

Coolhaus—This one’s less of a store, and more of a food truck. But it can’t be left out. Coolhaus specializes in ice cream sandwiches—that’s right, the ice cream is between two cookies like the ones the ice cream man hands out, but so, so much better. These giant beasts are nothing short of amazing, and even come gluten-free and vegan. Best of all, they have a flavor called ‘Brown Butter Candied Bacon.’

Here’s the truck’s schedule.

Van Leeuwen—This place is for when you’re feeling irresistibly fancy. Van Leeuwen takes the term ‘artisanal’ to the extreme: their gourmet flavors are made with the best ingredients, like locally sourced red currants, Tahitian vanilla aged in vodka, and organic peppermint from Oregon. The Earl Gray is a classic, but be sure to try their fun flavors like basil and black pepper. There’s a Van Leeuwen truck too, check out its schedule here.

Location: (There’s 3 of them!) E 7^th Street and 2^nd Ave, 632 Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint, and 81 Bergen Street in Brooklyn.

Momofuku Milk Bar—No list would be complete without the mention of Momofuku. Milk Bar is one of those quintessential NYC experiences, and for good reason. Grab an iced Stumptown coffee and indulge in Crack Pie, Birthday Cake Truffles and Cereal Milk. The cookies are Milk Bar’s real specialty—the compost cookie is a famed East Village favorite. As far as ice cream goes, Milk Bar has a rotating cast of soft serve flavors that range from untraditional to wacky. Right now they are serving the staple cereal milk flavor, as well as blueberry miso soft serve.

Location: E 13^th Street and 2^nd Avenue

Happy eating!

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