25 Of Indy’s Coolest Ice Cream Shops
Here’s the scoop: classic ice cream shops are sprinkled all over Indiana, and the season for waffle cones, whipped cream, and hot fudge is upon us.
Alexander’s On The Square
THE LONG COUNTER and tin ceiling immediately bring to mind an old-timey soda shop. Adding to the charm, this downtown Noblesville favorite serves its frigid treats—crowned with whipped cream and a cherry, if you prefer—in thick, fluted glassware. Milkshakes whip up thick enough to require a spoon. The old-fashioned chocolate sodas, assembled with meticulous care, deliver the perfect, Grandpa-approved fizz. And some say the creamy, Sprite-inflected Sherbet Freeze tastes just like baby-shower punch. 864 Logan St., Noblesville, 317-773-9177, alexandersicecream.com
The Scoop
Source: Velvet Ice Cream and Blue Bell Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: No
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 36
Dairy-free options
Amelia’s Bakery
LAST MONTH, Windsor Park’s favorite scratch bakery endeared itself even more to the community when it started serving housemade gelato. The rollout of decadent delights, which had always been part of the original plan at this location, began with four simple flavors. Or rather, not-so-simple flavors, since the lineup includes Lavender-Lemon Shortbread, Fresh Strawberries and Cream, Dark Chocolate, and Gianduja (a dark chocolate–hazelnut combo). The scoops, served in biodegradable cups with flat wooden gelato spoons, are best enjoyed on Amelia’s deck. 1637 Nowland Ave., 317-686-1583, ameliasbread.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 4
BRICS
A CHEERY STOP along the Monon Trail since 2010, this tidy cottage, whose name is an acronym for Broad Ripple Ice Cream Station, resides in a refurbished train depot, the first one built along the Monon line. Fans of the shop’s extra-creamy Chocolate Choo Choo (dark chocolate with chocolate fudge), Monon Tracks (BRICS’s peanut butter cup–dotted take on Moose Tracks), and Broad Ripple Blackberry can order their cones at the very window where passengers once purchased their train tickets. 901 E. 64th St., 317-257-5757, bricsindy.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade and Sherman’s Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 40
Dairy-free and sugar-free options
Cone + Crumb
CAPPING OFF Westfield’s Restaurant Row, this cheerful turquoise bungalow provides a meal’s sweet, gourmet finale. That might come in the form of Sugar Cream Pie ice cream, lightly spiced with hunks of buttery crust; Lemon Lavender Shortbread, with lemon curd and a subtle herbal zing; or the ultra-creamy Blueberry Buttermilk. Or you might choose a slice of slab pie, such as coconut cream or apple brown butter crumble, best crowned with—you guessed it—a scoop of vanilla. Across the street, lively Grand Junction Plaza provides the people-watching while you dig in. 205 Park St., Westfield, 317-399-7878, conecrumb.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 12
Dairy-free options
Crave Ice Cream Social
MANY OF the flavors are alluringly complex and chunky at this Geist Reservoir–adjacent shop with outdoor tables that overlook the Fall Creek Road boat ramps. Zesty, sweet Lemon Poppyseed and a luxurious Rocky Road veined with chocolate and marshmallow cream are among the breakout hits. The self-serve freezer cases are packed with jumbo embellished cones and ice cream sandwiches made with fresh-baked cookies (in combinations ranging from oatmeal-raisin with butter pecan to white-chocolate macadamia bookending a scoop of Vanilla Cherry Chocolate Chip). You can get a super-premium, housebaked ice cream cake on your birthday, but every day feels like a treat when you can nurse your double-dip from a sunny Adirondack chair, as if you are waterfront royalty. 11691 Fall Creek Rd., 317-288-7791, craveicecreamsocial.com
The Scoop
Source: Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 29
Dairy-free and sugar-free options
Danny’s Mexican Ice Cream
GO AHEAD and marvel at the range of options, from the familiar butter pecan and chocolate Oreo to the unexpected guava, tequila, corn, and salty-sweet queso. Once you have absorbed the prism of densely flavored ice creams on display in the freezer cases, consider one of Danny’s specialty concoctions, like a churro ice cream sandwich, an ice cream bouquet, or a Brownie Overload. And find out for yourself why every other customer in line leaves with an icy, fruity mangonada—a brilliant parfait of sorbets, fresh fruit, and chili sauce garnished with a tamarind straw. 7730 E. Hwy. 36, Avon, 317-268-4663, dannysmexicanicecream.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: No
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 27
Dairy-free options
Frazier’s Dairy Maid
ON A WARM summer night, the line will snake away from Frazier’s stuck-in-time striped awning and pink-and-green neon exterior, back toward the rush of Anderson’s Main Street. That gives newbies plenty of time to study the menus illustrated in delightfully outdated clip art along the windows of this frosty landmark that just opened for its 68th season. The place is a gem, preserved right down to the clunky vintage trash cans. You can go big with a Flurry or Slushy, but if you want to feel like a kid again, get a Twist Cone dandied up with the housemade crunchies or dipped in one of several hard-coat options, including chocolate, cherry, and birthday cake. 3311 Main St., Anderson, 765-644-5406
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Soft serve
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: No
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 8
Frost Bite
TUCKED OFF a busy highway, this Avon landmark has been serving up delightful shivers for more than three decades. Be forewarned that the outdoor tables fill up quickly when temperatures soar, populated by families chilling over peanut butter shakes, banana splits, classic Krunch-Kote cones, and generous scoops of triple-chocolate ice cream. The best-selling Frosts blend candy bar bits, chunks of apple pie, cookie dough, and other mix-ins into the soft serve. Deeply rooted in the local community, Frost Bite offers appreciation-day discounts for teachers, police officers, and firefighters, and hosts classic car cruise-ins on Thursday summer nights. 7025 Galen Dr. W., Avon, 317-272-2483
The Scoop
Source: N/A
Format: Scooped and soft serve
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: No
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 13
Sugar-free options
Frosty Boy Drive-In
FROSTY BOY is the walk-up ice cream window you always wished your hometown had, and its annual March opening is a spring rite of passage more reliable than a groundhog without a shadow. The ice cream offerings are a just-the-facts-ma’am choice between chocolate and vanilla (or go crazy and order a twist), but Frosty Boy lives large with a soft serve mixture that uses less air and higher fat content for a thicker, more flavorful silky treat. Also on the menu: crinkle fries, tenderloins, shakes (an extra 25 cents makes it a malt), and a rotating cast of fruity, nondairy whip flavors. Frosty Boy is located along the main drag in New Palestine, just across Main Street from New Palestine High School, so wear your Dragons red if you want the full, official experience. 40 W. Main St., New Palestine, 317-861-5433, frostyboydrivein.com
Extremely Over the Top Milkshakes
Since the invention of the blender at the turn of the 20th century, milkshakes have been wholesome, straightforward combinations of ice cream and milk. With the age of social media and the bigger-equals-better mentality that came with it, milkshakes—like these three stunners—have evolved into Insta-worthy concoctions dressed from top to bottom with bells and whistles that challenge the laws of gravity.
The Cannonball
Big Hoffa’s Freezery starts with an already-decadent peanut butter–chocolate milkshake, and then tucks Nutty Bars and a chocolate-covered ice cream bar into mounds of whipped topping. Reese’s Cups, Reese’s Pieces, and malted milk balls join the party, along with sprinkles and chocolate syrup. 800 E. Main St., Westfield, 317-867-0077, bbqindianapolis.com
Cookie Dough Freakshake
Cookie Dough ice cream forms the base of this monster of a shake served in a chocolate-dipped glass at Fundae’s. Its whipped-cream crown supports a miniature ice cream sandwich, an entire chocolate chip cookie, cookie dough bites, and a tiny cone filled with edible cookie dough. 7165 Whitestown Pkwy., Zionsville, 317-732-5046; 1515 N. Main St., Speedway, 317-941-7185; visitfundaes.com
The Campfire Smores Insane Milkshake
A shell of gooey ganache adheres sections of chocolate and graham cracker to this towering inferno (with optional booze) from Sugar Factory. A housemade brownie and two layers of toasted marshmallows add to its impressive stature. 49 W. Maryland St., 463-217-0383, sugarfactory.com
Libby’s Ice Cream and Gifts
LIBBY WYATT decided to reduce her retail inventory and add an ice cream counter to her eclectic Fortville gift shop in 2019, after watching customers pine forlornly for the closed parlor across the street. (A seasonal Libby’s walk-up window joined the mix along the Pennsy Trail in Greenfield last summer.) Thanks to her pioneering efforts, locals can once again contemplate a menu of year-round treats, including scoops of Raspberry Rumble and Espresso Chip, ice cream cookie sandwiches, themed milkshakes, and whimsical Cutie Pies—individual-sized waffle shells filled with ice cream and drizzled in hot fudge. 11 S. Main St., Fortville, 317-747-4434
The Scoop
Source: Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: No
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 16
Dairy-free options
Lick
THE GARAGE Food Hall is the obvious location for Lick, a gourmet ice cream stall tinkering with flavors like they’re reinventing the wheel: Rosemary Olive Oil, Cedar and Whiskey, and Gorgonzola Candied Pecan are just a few tuneups from pedestrian flavors. The line runs long on weekends, but flavors like the bright and subtly floral Lavender Lemon Poppyseed (or Munchies—a custardy vanilla ice cream folded around chocolate-chip cookie dough and pretzel pieces) are worth the wait. The Garage Food Hall, 317-979-0237
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 40
Dairy-free and sugar-free options
Liftoff Creamery
THE SKY is the limit when it comes to flavors at this Old Northside aviation-themed ice cream spot. The 7700 (pilot code for emergency) is a thick and fudgy triple chocolate. The bright Canary sings with dense chunks of strawberry cheesecake. And Cirrus is a cotton candy–inspired scoop that is no child’s play. Fans of bubble tea will want to try a boba shake, and they won’t go wrong with blended vanilla ice cream resting on a bed of blueberry pearls. Whether you sit outside in an Adirondack chair or belly up to a table inside made to resemble a plane’s wing, you’re in for first-class treatment. 111 E. 16th St., 317-426-2641, liftoffcreamery.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 40
Dairy-free and sugar-free options
Lizton Dairy Bar
OPEN SEASONALLY at the stop-and-go intersection of U.S. 136 and State Road 39 on the far-west side, this Hendricks County landmark serves nostalgia along with its flurries, floats, and freezes. Its low-slung profile and faux red roof give off vintage Dairy Queen vibes, but the front windows are mosaics of picture menus categorizing the many ways that the Dairy Bar’s soft serve flavors (extruded in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and twisted variations) can be whipped into thick shakes and specialty sundaes, such as the signature strawberry shortcake. As a bonus, Dippin’ Dots are in the house. 102 W. Main St., Lizton, 317-994-5399
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Soft serve
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: No
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 3
Mrs. Curl
WHEN THIS Greenwood walk-up opens for the season in March, customers who have gone all winter without a Blackberry Razzle or Peach Mrs. Sippy join the long queue for some soft serve refreshment. The signature move here is a streak of Flavor Burst—a sweet goo that shoots straight out of the ice cream machine—that Mrs. Curl adds to its twist cones. Whether you enhance your vanilla ice cream with a stripe of green apple or give your chocolate a shot of Banana Ripple, the resulting pin-striped cone is nearly too pretty to eat. 259 S. Meridian St., Greenwood, 317-882-1031, mrscurl.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Soft serve
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: No
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 3
New Age of Ice Cream
TIDY ROWS of jewel-toned popsicles and pans brimming with voluminous folds of gelato and ice cream (several of them vegan) beckon from the display cases at this colorful Fountain Square shop. Employees outfitted in crisp white jackets are eager to chat about their housemade lineup of unexpected flavors, such as Cookie Butter, Carrot Cake, and Whisky Cream. Try the Tiramisu, a cocoa-dusted marriage of mascarpone gelato, espresso ice cream, and whole, espresso-soaked ladyfingers. Or the Mint Oreo, aromatic and swirled with cookie chunks. Take a seat on the front deck under a turquoise umbrella and plan your return trip for an iced coffee or horchata, a crepe, or another scoop (or two). 1325 Shelby St., 317-384-1093
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: No
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 28
Dairy-free options
Ohana Donuts & Ice Cream
NEVER MIND the decadent sprinkle- and candy-topped doughnuts tempting you from the display case. Focus, please. You’re here for ice cream, remember? The cold treats are equally indulgent. Consider the dense, fudge-like Chocolate Peanut Butter with a ribbon of nutty spread snaking through, and Cake Batter, a spot-on interpretation of licking the spoon in the midst of baking. If you must, go ahead and squish your scoop between two doughnut halves, or opt for a doughnut sundae. Soft serve enthusiasts come for towers of fruity, creamy Dole Whip by the cone or cup. 11640 Brooks School Rd., Fishers, 317-288-0922, ohanaindy.com
The Scoop
Source: Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream
Format: Scooped and soft serve
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 22
Dairy-free options
The Old Custard Stand
CUSTOMERS START counting down the days until the annual spring reopening of this Noblesville walk-up window as soon as it closes for the year in October. Mother-daughter team Tiphany Leppert and Kay Harvey whip up all the silky frozen custard on site daily, based on a recipe cribbed from Tiphany’s favorite childhood haunt, the Sycamore Drive-In in Logansport. Creamy vanilla, chocolate, and butter pecan are always on tap, rounded out with two rotating additions that include strawberry on Saturdays and mint chip on Sundays. When Peach Truck season rolls around, the team stocks up for their highly anticipated peach cobbler sundaes. 9270 E. 141st St., Noblesville, 317-776-3800
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: No
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 5
Red Line Frozen Treats
CONNECTING TO its Chicago’s Pizza sister operation next door through a subway-style hallway, this frozen treat station brings the L to Greenwood, with a recreated Windy City skyline along one wall and a mini automated train that chugs around a ceiling track. Customers can help themselves to swoops of Tahitian Vanilla, Chocolate Custard, or Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel fro-yo from a line of wall dispensers, then embellish with more than 50 different toppings, from fresh fruit to sprinkles. 5920 E. Stop 11 Rd., 317-881-1717
The Scoop
Source: Honey Hill Farms
Format: Self-serve
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 10
Dairy-free and sugar-free options
Scoop Shack
THE AROMA OF warm waffles wafting out of this strip-mall sweets shop holds the promise of ice cream nachos—crispy broken bits topped with scoops of ice cream and accoutrements. Cup and cone traditionalists are spoiled for choice with a rotating selection that might include super-sweet Graham Central Station, Key Lime, Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Lem-Oreo, and Hoosier Buckeye flavors on any given day. In addition to making their own chocolate-dipped ice cream nutty cones, Scoop Shack’s owners use baked goods from Hot Toddy’s in Noblesville to create cookie sandwiches and ice cream–layered cake bites. 7002 Lake Plaza Dr., 317-662-0061, scoopshackindy.com
The Scoop
Source: Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 24
Dairy-free options
Square Scoop
SITUATED IN a darling Fountain Square storefront with black-and-white awnings, Square Scoop does a brisk business from foot and bike traffic off of the nearby Cultural Trail. But friendly counter staff are here for it. They offer samples without an eye roll—they get the weightiness of this decision—and dish out perfect orbs of frozen goodness at a clip. Though every flavor in the case tempts, consider a waffle cone topped with decadent, fresh-from-the-batter-bowl Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie, or refreshing Peach Pie, spun with peaches and tender chunks of pie crust. Then grab a seat at a window-facing three-top, peruse shelves stocked with nostalgic sweets (think Tootsie Rolls and Charleston Chews), or head to the trail for a lazy stroll and what we can only assume is great advertising for Square Scoop. 1028 Virginia Ave., 317-426-3320, sqrscoop.com
The Scoop
Source: Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: No
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 22
Dairy-free options
Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream
CRAFTING ICE CREAM on premises with locally sourced ingredients, Sundae’s is the real deal. Churning out one award-winning batch at a time, this family-owned institution sits on the border of Lawrence and Geist. Among the dense delectables are a not-too-sweet Key Lime Pie chunked up with graham crackers, a supremely creamy Strawberry Cheesecake, and a delicately floral Honey Lavender. Sundae’s, which also provides the creamy goods for many of Indy’s top ice cream shops, has frozen yogurt, malts, ice cream pies, and, of course, a slate of sundaes. And Sundae’s offers more than memorable frozen confections; they’ve aced coffee roasting as well. Java junkies will want to take home of bag of their specialty whole beans. 9922 E. 79th St., 317-570-0533, sundaeshomemade.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: No
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 12
Dairy-free options
Teejay’s Sweet Tooth
OPENING AN ice cream store seems a strange venture for a pair of licensed dental hygienists, but that’s exactly what Jerome Tiah and Taylor DeBruce did in 2018. Today, the business is known for its sugary inventions, like two scoops of ice cream wedged between warm glazed doughnuts or Fruity Pebble treats (think colorful Rice Krispie squares), milkshakes rimmed with crushed Oreos, and ice cream–filled cotton candy burritos. Just don’t forget to brush and floss afterward. 8660 Purdue Rd., 317-744-9764, teejayssweettooth.com
The Scoop
Source: Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: No
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 16-20
Dairy-free options
Traders Point Creamery
YOU CAN’T GET any closer to a farm-to-table experience than this Zionsville dairy farm that supplies the organic, 100-percent grass-fed ice cream for its onsite restaurant, The Loft. Pre-game your frozen treats with a tour of the bucolic property to meet the resident herd, then belly up to the Dairy Bar (staffed year-round) to sample the hand-dipped wares. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice creams are mainstays, augmented by Salted Caramel, Coffee Chocolate Chip, and other rotating seasonal flavors available by the cup, waffle cone, sundae, root beer float, or extra-thick milkshake. During the summer months, the dairy opens a walk-up window on its front patio for al fresco ice cream enjoyment. 9101 Moore Rd., Zionsville, 317-733-1700, traderspointcreamery.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: Yes
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: Yes
Flavors: 4
Wyliepalooza Irvington
ICE CREAM meets anime at this perpetually popular haunt on the busiest strip in Irvington. Ownership changed hands late last year, but the shop maintains its whimsical vibe with a colorful mural along the main wall and vibrant turquoise and hot-pink seating. Flavors range from refreshingly fruity (Lemon Poppyseed and no-sugar-added Pomegranate Swirl) to more indulgent, chocolatey concoctions. This $&@! Just Got Serious, for example, features a base of salted-caramel ice cream studded with sea-salt fudge and cashews. The parlor also serves traditional milkshakes, boba shakes, sundaes, banana splits, ice cream nachos, mochi, and Japanese snack foods. 5535 E. Washington St., 317-351-0275, wyliepalooza.com
The Scoop
Source: Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: No
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 18
Dairy-free options
Zaharakos
AS MUCH an elegant museum as it is an ice cream parlor, Zaharakos has made downtown Columbus a sweeter place since three brothers from Greece opened it in 1900. (Old-timers might even recall the days when the popular hangout was known colloquially as The Greeks.) Ancient syrup dispensers are on display behind the white-marble counter, and the grand dining room brims with Tiffany-style furnishings. Sip an old-fashioned ice cream soda or a tongue-staining Green River, or work your way through one of the most satisfying banana splits you have ever tasted—one scoop each of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream—while the resident 1908 Welte orchestrion provides the booming soundtrack. 329 Washington St., Columbus, 812-378-1900, zaharakos.com
The Scoop
Source: Housemade
Format: Scooped
Outdoor seating: No
Indoor seating: Yes
Walk-up Window: No
Flavors: 8
