Local Ice Cream Shops in Atlanta

By Grant Merkel

Published on May 24, 2024

On hot summer days in Atlanta, there are many great places to cool off with ice cream, popsicles, and other cold treats. Pick a favorite or two from this list of local ice cream and dessert shops.

Big cuddly toy

Soft serve ice cream is a local favorite at Big Softie. (Photo by Daniela Cintron)

In Summerhill, Big Softie offers Sammies (ice cream between two freshly baked Little Tart Bakery cookies) and ice creams in classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate. However, what sets Big Softie ice cream apart are the toppings, such as the crunchy milk chocolate pearls and the passion fruit hard shell.

Butter and cream

The Decatur shop offers flavors such as Midnight Snacks (sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese ice cream with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, chocolate covered cake pieces and a dulce de leche swirl) and Honeycomb Forest (honey ice cream with honeycomb candies). Try an ice cream sandwich or buy a honey pumpkin puppy cup for your furry friend.

Honeysuckle gelato

Stop by the Ponce City Market for a treat from Honeysuckle Gelato, with flavors like red velvet cake, salted caramel brownie, and pistachio. Honeysuckle Gelato also offers seasonal flavors. When you shop at Honeysuckle Gelato, you’re giving back to the community as the local store donates a portion of its profits to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Visit the test kitchen for a first taste of new flavors at Lee+White, located on the Westside Atlanta Beltline.

Jake’s

Jake’s will soon open a new location inside Village Provisions on Highland Avenue, planned for mid-June. Some of the flavors include Brown Shugah Vanilla, Key Lime Piescream and Chocolate Slap Yo Mama, and a special Juneteenth flavor, Brown Shugah Vanilla with chocolate and caramel swirls. The local store has an outdoor patio next to the Freedom Park Trail so you can buy ice cream and get right back on the trail. Another location is located in Hapeville, near the airport.

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King of Pops

King of Pops is an Atlanta tradition with flavors like chocolate, sea salt and strawberry lemonade. You can find King of Pops at events like festivals and Atlanta Braves games as well as in local stores. No surprise, there’s a King of Pops Bar at Ponce City Market.

PanPaleta

Off Buford Highway is a small store on Northeast Plaza that sells bread, cakes and paletas, Mexican frozen treats on sticks. PanPaleta offers flavors like Coffee, Chili Mango, and Kiwi Strawberry. Enjoy your treats at a table in the store with lively music and colorful pinatas hanging from the ceiling.

Signia by Hilton Atlanta

You wouldn’t expect a hotel to have great local frozen treats, but at Signia by Hilton Atlanta Downtown you can find homemade ice cream at Capolinea Restaurant and gelato and sorbet at Friendship Market. At Capolinea, try flavors like straciallea, cherry amarenna and dolce gorgonzola ice cream. At the market, discover even fresher flavors like lemon lavender sorbet, passion fruit mango sorbet and strawberry mascarpone ice cream. The flavors change every three to four months, which adds more incentive to come back.

Sweet Stack Creamery

Visit Sweet Stack when you’re in downtown Atlanta. (Photo by Aubrée Dumas)

Check out Sweet Stack Creamery in downtown Atlanta. The little shop serves ice cream and donut sandwiches (Sweet Stacks) with crazy flavor combinations such as Cuban Coffee Cream (made with Café Bustelo espresso ground coffee) and Birthday Cake (ice cream with cake flavor with sprinkles and blue icing). Sweet Stack also offers fun toppings and vegan options such as the French Press.