For a city with three months of true ice-cream weather, the Twin Cities has more good scoop shops than is probably reasonable. From small-batch artisans to a 1945 family operation that has outlasted everything around it.
A Linden Hills institution making small-batch ice cream on the premises since 1984. The Pavarotti, with caramel and banana, is the order. Stronger flavors, real cream, lines around the corner all summer.
One of the oldest continuously running ice cream shops in the state, on the corner of 34th and Lyndale. Small batch, organic cream, no corn syrup. The kind of place that has not needed to change much.
A tiny shop turning out flavors that swing from nostalgic to slightly weird. The lineup rotates often, the burgers from the same kitchen are quietly excellent, and the room stays open later than most.
Sameh Wadi’s ice cream concept, leaning hard into bold base flavors and unusual mix-ins. Black is the signature, a charcoal-colored coconut number that has outlasted the trend.
A south Minneapolis shop quietly making ice cream from Minnesota dairy and seasonal ingredients. The flavor list is short on any given day and reads like a farmers market summary.
A Grand Avenue institution running for more than three decades. House-made waffle cones, a deep flavor list rotating through the case, and a back patio for the warm months.
The pastry and gelato side of the Cossetta complex, with an imported Tuscan marble bar and a rotation of about a dozen gelato flavors. Pair it with an espresso and one of the big plate cookies.