Restaurants

All the Sodas, Floats, and Sundaes You Need to Eat at the Country's New-School Ice Cream Parlors

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Dylan + Jeni

There’s nothing old-fashioned about today’s throwback ice cream parlors, where sprinkles make way for Aleppo pecans, floats get a splash of house-made lemongrass soda, and that cherry on top is pickled. We took a peek inside three of the country's best new spots—Morgenstern's in NYC, Small Batch in Los Angeles, and Cold Front in Minneapolis—to see how the magic happens.

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    Alex Lau
    1/21

    Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream, NYC

    Oh-so-stylish Morgenstern's on Manhattan's Lower East Side is the dream-come-true of owner Nick Morgenstern (pictured here, hard at work), who is obsessed with ice cream and figured (rightly) that other people are, too.

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    Alex Lau
    2/21

    The place doesn't just offer the classics like vanilla and chocolate. The shop offers four kinds of each classic (i.e. chocolate, bitter chocolate, salted chocolate, Szechuan pepper chocolate).

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    Alex Lau
    3/21

    Morgenstern's, NYC

    When it comes to toppings, Morgenstern says "texture is super important." Crunchy pretzels, housemade coffee crisp, gooey sesame caramel, and Picosos peanuts sit at the ready, all set for scooping onto a sundae.

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    Alex Lau
    4/21

    Ah, the Picosos peanuts. "They're the best salted peanuts," Morgenstern says. "Everyone eats them like candy. They're always fresh, perfectly roasted and seasoned, and perfect with ice cream."

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    Alex Lau
    5/21

    The parlor is known for crazy collaborations with even crazier chefs. This one is an ice cream sandwich on an actual brioche roll, which comes from the joint genius of Morgenstern and Caroline Fidanza of Saltie in Brooklyn.

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    Alex Lau
    6/21

    The cash register comes from Faerman Brothers in New York, a father-son operation that has been repairing cash registers for more than a hundred years, and the last of its kind in the days of Square-equipped iPads. Morgenstern got the only white register the brothers have ever seen.

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    7/21

    How does Morgenstern achieve the ultimate whipped cream consistency? It's shaken, not whipped, agitated like a cocktail in a quart container until thick but still pourable.

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    Alex Lau
    8/21

    Morgenstern worked with artist Jessica Che, who also designed the shops t-shirts and the iconic "Cash Only" sign on the series of pen and ink drawings. Look for the one of King Kong flying on a banana split.

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    Dylan + Jeni
    9/21

    Small Batch, L.A.

    L.A.'s Small Batch ice cream counter is tucked inside the mixed-use space Playa Provisions, which also houses a whiskey bar, a steak-and-seafood restaurant, and an all-day café. Photo: Dylan + Jeni

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    Dylan + Jeni
    10/21

    At Small Batch, ice cream floats are made with craft brews.

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    Dylan + Jeni
    11/21

    ...And sundaes are served in hand-thrown ceramics.

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    Dylan + Jeni
    12/21

    Nothing like marshmallow ice cream with oatmeal cookies after a big Little League win.

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    Dylan + Jeni
    13/21

    The must-order at Small Batch: Pasty chef Kristin Feuer's riff on kid-favorite Choco Tacos (here, dubbed Waffle Tacos) with a homemade waffle cone, vanilla or chocolate malted crunch ice cream, dark chocolate magic shell, and crushed candied peanuts or sprinkles on top.

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    Dylan + Jeni
    14/21

    Now, that's a flattering angle.

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    Ackerman + Gruber
    15/21

    Cold Front, Minneapolis

    Cold Front in Minneapolis is an old-fashioned soda shop, but one where the affogato is fueled by growlers of local chai and the root beer comes on tap. Photo: Ackerman + Gruber

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    Ackerman + Gruber
    16/21

    Co-owners Laurie and Steve Willis opened Cold Front in February of 2015, taking over from an existing retro shop.

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    Ackerman + Gruber
    17/21

    They go from classic and cherry-topped to chef-driven and house-made.

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    Ackerman + Gruber
    18/21

    The soda tasting flight, from left to right: Strawberry Balsamic, Chai Vanilla, and Pomegranate Ginger.

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    19/21

    An adorable tasting flight of tiny tutti-frutti cones.

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    Ackerman + Gruber
    20/21

    Willis swears by his 1947 Hamilton Beach milkshake mixer. "It works better than a traditional blender," he insists. "That circulation of ice cream and milk makes for the perfect fluffy froth." Check out eBay, and see for yourself.

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    Ackerman + Gruber
    21/21

    And on that note, we're off to find some whipped cream.

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