Best Ice Cream in Brooklyn

[demigodh]

Hoping to get some new ideas for places to try. My favorites in order are:

1) Blue Marble
2) Van Leuwen
3) General Green

I haven't been to the ice cream factory by Grimaldis. Is there another place that you would recommend above those listed?

**Interesting flavors a plus but not necessary.

[boccalupo]

One Girl Cookies in Boreum Hill serves Il Laboratorio del Gelato's ice cream. Might be worth a try.

Tried the Ice Cream factory once and it was nothing special.

[goodhealthgourmet]

have you tried Uncle Louie G? sounds promising - huge selection of ice cream and Italian ice flavors...

http://www.unclelouiegee.com/index.html

[janie]

that place is in forest hills, absolute poison. Ralph's was much better and they went under.
Thought Torres Choc just started with ice cream.

[Jack_]

Uncle Louie G's is a franchise with many places

[jen kalb]

not so good IMO

[BklnChicken]

Nothing above that, but the chocolate ice cream at the Chocolate Room is pretty darn good. They also have a chocolate sorbet.

[boccalupo]

Chocolate Room's ice cream sandwiches are also wonderful.

[elecsheep9]

That chocolate sorbet they give at Chocolate Room as an amuse bouche is among the best chocolate things EVER!

[Amy Mintzer]

I think the Ice Cream Factory (Brooklyn Bridge Park) is terrific ice cream, but the flavor selection is very limited.

Lia's Ices in Windsor Terrace carries some very good gelato: the stracciatella is a favorite.

[jinx]

I tried the Jacque Torres ice cream this weekend and wow--it was really dense and creamy and I'm glad its not around the corner from my house. Although I did see you could take home pints for $7.50.

[jimmyjazz]

agree with the rec for the homemade gelatos at Lia's. (look for the asterisk...they are supposedly made by some old school guy in Bensonhurst) the espresso is my favorite

[Jack_]

If your venturing that far into the borough you should try NYC ICY on Church at Coney Island Avenue lovely fresh fruit ices and think better than Lia's or Uncle Louie G's but they are all three within a mile walk of each other So try em all and get some exercise

[JackS]

Chalk me up as another fan of NYC ICY who's named Jack. To be technical about it, NYC ICY makes ices and "cream ices," which I guess us sherbet. They make some unique and awesome flavors, like mango basil ice, peanut butter/reese's pieces creamy ice (soudns gross, but it's heavenly), Mexican chocolate creamy ice (pretty spicy for ice cream), and more standard flavors that are done well, like cookies and cream or vanilla malt.

[gnosh]

I like the sweet tea ice (@NYC ICY).

They don't ever seem to have mango basil anymore, which is odd since it is their most praised and remarked-upon flavor -- and they do have mango ice and lemon basil ice (which didn't taste as interesting as it sounds) so clearly have the ingredients for mango basil.

[Amy Mintzer]

Has anyone tried the ice cream at Sweet Melissa's?

[BGRose]

Yes, it's Bassett's from Philadelphia, and it's nothing special (despite the cachet of an "out-of-town" somewhat hard-to-find brand. Go across the street to the Chocolate Room's homemade ice cream.

[Fleur]

We absolutely love the Gelato at VILLABATE in Bensonhurst. Sold by the Cornetto, the Italian breakfast way in a brioche, and by the pint. They also make terrific Ice Cream Cakes. Great for a Birthdays or Anniversaries.

BROOKLYN ICE CREAM FACTORY in DUMBO has excellent real, fresh, American style Ice Cream. Home made with all natural ingredients. Classic flavors only.

[rd135]

My sweetooth vote goes to Blue Marble. Their Strawberry is the best. And it gets even better if you add balsamic vinegar on top. Might sound strange but it's amazing. The Butter Pecan is also great.

[rootytootyfreshnfrooty]

The ice cream sandwiches at Bierkraft are INSANE. Unfortunately. I think Alba/Villabate gelato is pretty great at times- especially on the brioche- i find that it depends on the flavor- I like the gelato at the tanning salon on 86th st better. Also, the spumoni (not spumoni ice, but spumoni ice cream, old style) atCourt St. Pastry. Blue Marble IS very good. I also like the mint at the Chocolate Room- especially in a cup of hot chocolate. haven't made it to Jacques Torres' new ice cream yet,

[Wet Towel]

Another vote for Villabate. I like Blue Marble, but Villabate's gelato is just another level.

The gelato place in the tanning salon on 86th has closed, and reopened as Piattini Ristorante in Bay Ridge, 9824 Fourth Ave/at 99th St. 718-759-0009

[janie]

Villabate gelato is very good, but better is Baci in Roslyn, LI, if you can believe it.

[Fleur]

VILLABATE gelato is the best, most authentic I have tasted outside of Italy.

The frozen Ice Cream Cake is delicious. Tiny bit of cake, lots of Gelato. It holds up very well in the freezer.

[jinx]

sounds like a trip to Villabate is in order. I don't think I've been there in years, sort of forgot about it. Definitely never had their gelato, and having just returned from Italy, I am missing real Italian gelato!

[Fleur]

If you haven't been to VILLABATE since they moved( to the corner), you are in for a treat.

It is just like walking into a Pastry Shop in Sicily. And just as tempting.

BTW the Cappucino and Espresso are terrific.

[elecsheep9]

Went to Villabate over the weekend and it was terrific. The gelato was great, and we got a tremendously rich and delicious chocolate cake and italian cheesecake for fathers' day. They are not my go to bakery. Glad I learned of it here.

[oolah]

I haven't had Villabate or the General Greene, but of all the others listed here, Blue Marble far exceeds them in quality. It's literally the best ice cream I've had anywhere on the planet, not just in Brooklyn.

Van Leeuwen is also really great stuff, and I'm partial to the mint at the Chocolate Room.

As for the rest:
Ice Cream Factory and Sweet Melissa are nothing special, Laboratorio del Gelato is good, but not fantastic, the Jacques Torres stuff is creamy but too sweet, and Louie G is just gross.

[jeeg]

I second Lias on 16th st in Windsor Terrace. Good ice cream, ices and gelato and very reasonably priced. They'll make you a small kids size cone for $1

[Amy Mintzer]

Why doesn't Van Leeuwen strawberry have any strawberries in it? They are making extraordinary ice cream, granted, but I can't imagine why you would you strain out all the actual berries in favor of berry flavor.

[StheJ]

When I make my own I have found that when you don't use preservatives and chemicals etc... the strawberries tend to be very hard (like ice cubes) when the ice cream sets...

[research]

the trick, should you make your own, is to cook the strawberries in a sugar syrup for a bit so that they get enough sugar in them to not freeze solid.

[BonnieB.]

Amy, I have to agree with you there on the VL strawberry. I went to the Barnes and Nobels a few weeks back and happened to see their truck. I made the boyfriend hang a U'y, had to check it out. The vanilla was gone so I had the strawberry. It wasn't creamy, actually I thought it was a little on the icy side. For $3.50 a cone I thought it should have been better. Vanilla must be really good, it was gone. And I agree with the Villabate folks, I love to take a walk up 18th ave. just to get their gelato, really good.

[Peter Cherches]

I found Van Leeuwen terribly disappointing. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is fantastic, but yes, limited flavors. And Villabate is indeed the best gelato I've tried in Brooklyn. Uncle Louie G is mediocre. The best ice cream no longer in Brooklyn? Peter's on Atlantic Avenue--that was the best ice cream I ever had in Brooklyn.

http://petercherches.blogspot.com

[MShapiro]

Did you like it because of their name?

[Peter Cherches]

The name was merely the icing on the cake, as it were.

[nooyawka]

Recently tried Van Leeuwen's for the first time (in the Meatpacking District). They ran out of strawberry, so settled for the pistachio. It had a nice, rich nutty flavor, alright, but tasted more like,...ever have Chinese "almond" cookies? I found the ice cream to be of good quality but the pistachio name seemed a misnomer to me. Was really impressed with the plastic spoons they gave out though. So nice, I asked if they recycled them, and when told no, saved them and took them home.

I've also become a fan over the last 2 years of the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

[parkslopemama]

Thank you! Whenever I say that Van Leuwen is overrated, people think I'm crazy. The strawberry doesn't hold a candle to Blue Marble's.....

I also agree with Fleur that the Ice Cream Factory is good for classic, fresh American ice cream.

[demigodh]

just had villabate gelato for the first time. incredible! I'm generally more of an ice cream fan and prefer blue marble but if you like gelato, gotta recommend villabate for the best gelato i've had outside of italy.

[bklynpnut]

Just tried the gelato at Piattini in Bay Ridge. Incredible! Creamy and light as air -- sampled the hazelnut, cassata and licorice. You must try it!

[chezfredo]

Jacques Torres opened an ice cream shop down a few doors from his store in DUMBO which literally blew my socks off ... and I have enjoyed many of the places mentioned here!

[twiggles]

We've been to Jacques Torres' ice cream shop a few times now, and everything has been great. Particular favorites were the chocolate chip cookie ice cream (made with his signature cookies), and the blood orange sorbet. Sometimes they skimp on the portions though. I also love the Brooklyn Ice Cream factory for classic flavors, but the lines get painfully long in the summertime. JT's hasn't been too crowded yet.

[BonnieB.]

We went to JT yesterday, wonderful! I had the vanilla and the chocolate raspberry. I thought it was a little pricey, $6 for 2 scoops and some hazelnuts, am I wrong or just used to bensonhurst prices? But it was creamy, excellent icecream.

[dietndesire]

While the ice cream sandwiches are awesome, the ice cream itself is not that great. While JTorres and I are tight, I must tell this truth.
As for pricing, scoops are a joke anywhere(the lemmings of Grom, are they all minted royalty?) and like all basics that are priced out of control(pizza, ice cream, etc.) a pint is 7.50 which is far better than 2 scoops and actually reasonable for "gourmet" in Manhattan.

[BklnChicken]

Just tried a new flavor at The Blue Marble: blueberry-pomegranate sorbet. SO good.

[parkerbk]

I think trois pommes on 5th Avenue has incredible icecream. Homemade she only does a few flavors and it is incredible the mint chip is sublime.
I am not impressed with Van Leeuwens

[tabs]

I feel that same about Van Leeuwens. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is still my favorite.

[chowaholic]

Have you been to Fortunato Brothers' bakery in East Williamsburg (near Graham ave)? They have excellent pistachio gelato. It's not too sweet, and it's nice and dense and smooth (but not sickeningly rich, and I really like that about it). Sit down for table service and it will be brought to you, in a little metal dessert dish with a real spoon!

I found van leewen's from the truck to be sometimes great, but sometimes just ok. From the grocery store, the pints of Van Leeuwen's pistachio are always excellent.

[bosshogg]

No love for Taste The Tropics? Their rum raisin, rum nut, Guinness, Irish moss, and especially pineapple-mango (I think it was; pineapple-some-other-fruit anyway) all put a quantifiably larger smile on my face than anything else I've tried in Brooklyn over the years.

Villabate probably gets my silver medal. Haven't tried tanning salon gelato (and outside Brooklyn, in "the sixth borough", prefer Philly's Capogiro to anything else on this continent).