| Shop | Address | How it is made | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bebe Zito | 704 W. 22nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55405 (Uptown) | Handmade, per the shop’s own tagline | Choose it when you want a handmade scoop and are already in Uptown. |
| Sonny’s Ice Cream | 3403 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis | Small-batch; over 1,000 flavors of ice cream, gelato and sorbet | Best for flavor range, and the clearest gelato and sorbet option here. |
| Sebastian Joe’s | 4321 S Upton Ave, Minneapolis | All-natural, zero artificial ingredients | Suits anyone who cares about the ingredient list more than novelty flavors. |
Addresses and handmade claims come from Bebe Zito’s own site, while the Sonny’s and Sebastian Joe’s details come from a Twin Cities ice cream roundup.
The best ice cream in Minneapolis depends on how you like it made: Bebe Zito, Sonny’s and Sebastian Joe’s make their own, while Fletcher’s suits a cozy parlor stop with vegan options. Some shops run seasonally, so confirm hours before you go.
Ice cream is one stop among the best desserts in minneapolis. The timeline below sorts shops by season first, then by how the ice cream is made.
Summer: lake days and evening scoops
Summer is when seasonal parlors run and when a scoop pairs naturally with a walk. Plan the outing around the walk or the water, then pick the shop that sits closest to it.
- Start in the Mill District. Izzy’s sits in the heart of the Mill District, and a downtown press feature suggests taking a stroll around Gold Medal Park and Stone Arch Bridge with your cone.
- Head to the water for a lake day. Adele’s Frozen Custard, at 800 Excelsior Blvd in Excelsior, is the lake-side option in this guide. A regional roundup frames it as a break after a day at or around Lake Minnetonka, so treat it as a trip out of town rather than a stop at the Minneapolis lakes themselves.
- May-Sept. and closes to ice cream in the winter off-season.
Booms suits a planned afternoon outing, not a spontaneous craving, because its window is limited to the warm months. The Mill District route is the easiest to combine with other downtown plans.
Fall and winter: checking what is open
Seasonal parlors go quiet when the weather turns. Booms is the clear example: the parlor runs in spring and summer, and the ice cream side is closed for the winter off-season.
For year-round planning, treat winter opening as something to confirm shop by shop. The shops’ own pages, such as Bebe Zito’s site and Fletcher’s site, are the best place to check cold-weather hours and any changes before you set out.
Fletcher’s pairs homestyle ice cream with coffee and pastries, which gives it more to offer on a day when a cone is less tempting. If you would rather skip ice cream entirely, our guides to the best bakeries in minneapolis and the best donuts in minneapolis cover baked treats and donut shops.
Choosing by how the ice cream is made
Minneapolis ice cream shops that make their ice cream in-house are easy to separate from shops that mainly scoop or serve parlor-style. Shop statements and press descriptions give a usable split for planning.
In-house makers in Minneapolis
- Bebe Zito. The shop’s tagline calls its product handmade Minneapolis ice cream, which makes it the most direct in-house claim among the shops here.
- Sebastian Joe’s. A downtown press feature says its ice cream is made every day in Minneapolis, so freshness is the draw.
- Sonny’s Ice Cream. The shop specializes in imaginative, small-batch ice cream and makes ice cream, gelato and sorbet, so it is the one to pick if you want gelato from a local maker.
Parlor-style stops
Fletcher’s describes homestyle ice cream, coffee and pastries in a cozy setting. Its wording does not say where the ice cream is made, so ask at the counter if production matters to you. Choose it for the atmosphere and the wider menu rather than a maker claim.
Worth the trip across the river
Two St. Paul shops make strong in-house claims. At Grand Ole Creamery, all ice cream is homemade at the Grand Avenue location. At 2 Scoops, fresh waffle cones are made in-house and the shop serves 18 flavors.
Classic parlors and sundaes
It suits a sit-down visit more than a grab-and-go cone.
Longer-established parlors sit in St. Paul. The Grand Ole Creamery, established in 1984, was the first retail ice cream parlor in St. Paul to manufacture super-premium ice cream. It is at 750 Grand Ave, St. Paul, and the listed hours are every day from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
For a sundae, Cold Front in St. Paul offers sundaes, ice cream drinks and a full coffee bar, plus made-to-order fountain drinks. That makes it the better fit when you want a dessert to linger over.
Dairy-free and vegan options
Dairy-free choices exist at local scoop shops, but they are concentrated in a few places. Fletcher’s lists dairy and vegan options on its site, so it is the easiest parlor to bring a mixed group to.
For a fully vegan focus, Crepe and Spoon in northeast Minneapolis is both an ice cream parlor and a creperie that specializes in vegan treats. Check any shop’s current menu before you go, because flavors rotate.
Troubleshooting a trip
- The shop is closed when you arrive. Seasonal parlors such as Booms close their ice cream operation in winter, so look up current hours first and keep a backup from the list above.
- You cannot tell whether a shop makes its own. Go by the shop’s own wording. Bebe Zito says handmade, while Fletcher’s describes homestyle ice cream without naming where it is made.
- You want one stop for different tastes. Use Fletcher’s for coffee, pastries and vegan choices, or Sonny’s when the group wants a wide flavor range.
- You want a scenic outing, not just a scoop. Build the trip around Gold Medal Park and Stone Arch Bridge, or around Lake Minnetonka if you are willing to leave the city.
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest ice cream parlor near Minneapolis?
Selma’s ice cream parlor in Afton is described as the oldest ice cream shop in Minnesota, opening in 1913. It is outside Minneapolis, so it works as a day trip.
What does an Izzy Scoop include?
Izzy’s serves a waffle cone with one or two large scoops of ice cream and an extra mini scoop.
Where can I find gluten-free ice cream?
Fletcher’s lists gluten-free options alongside dairy and vegan ones. In St. Paul, Nellie’s has gluten-free cookies and ice cream flavors.
