From vintage delivery trucks to bicycles, these are not the ice cream trucks of your childhood. Focusing on artisanal and local ingredients, these select ice cream trucks may not have that familiar jingle, but they are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
1. Coolhaus, Multiple Cities
The art of the ice cream sandwich is perfected at Coolhaus. Originally an LA truck, it now rides through Austin, Dallas, Miami, and New York serving up out of this world sandwiches completely up to you. Choose your cookie, then pick an ice cream from the dizzying list.
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2. Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, New York, NY
Specializing in all-natural ice cream sourced from local ingredients, Van Leeuwen is all about wholesome treats. They do more than ice cream as well, offering high-quality coffee on their truck, and opening an Indonesian restaurant this past October.
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3. Parfait, Seattle, WA
After an inspired sejour in France, owner Adria Shimada returned to the U.S. with a passion for good food. Combining the quality of a fine French bakery and ice cream, Shimada opened her Parfait truck in Seattle selling organic artisanal ice cream. Keeping in Seattle tradition, Parfait makes a coffee ice cream using beans from nearby Caffè Fiorè.
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4. Sweet Lucie’s, Los Angeles, CA
When owner Geri Czako was pregnant she craved organic ice cream but couldn’t find many options, so she started making her own. Refurbishing a 1959 ice cream truck, Czako named the truck Sweet Lucie’s after daughter Lucie. The husband and wife team offer dreamy flavors like pistachio with truffle-caramel swirl.
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5. CreamCycle, Washington, DC
Yep, it’s ice cream sold on a bicycle. DC chef Carlos Delgado decided to take the idea of ice cream bicycles from his native Peru and make gourmet ice cream sandwiches. With freezers built into tricycles, CreamCycle is selling truly unique sweet and savory flavors, like Banana Java Habanero.
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6. Sweet Republic, Scottsdale, AZ
Like Sweet Lucie’s, Sweet Republic sells their ice cream from a vintage truck, but the similarity stops there. Based on the travels of owners Helen and Jan, Sweet Republic’s wildcard flavors include honey blue cheese. Visit either their original location in Scottsdale or grab a cone from their bright orange truck.
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7. Ice Cubed, Chicago, IL
Enter the gourmet ice pop. At Chicago’s Ice Cubed, they don’t make ordinary pops. One such flavor is Sweet and Sour, made with pickled watermelon rind, cider vinegar, lime and tabasco. For the adults, the cubed flavors read like a list of cocktails, like lemon orange martini and white peach whiskey.
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8. Scoop, Portland, OR
Amanda Rhoads, former Portland city planner turned ice cream maven, took an ice cream making course and was on her way to success. Utilizing seasonal ingredients like fresh berries and sweet corn, her mainstays include Oatmeal and Brown Sugar. And in true Portland fashion, you can have your ice cream delivered right to your door every month through a CSA.
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9. Westside Creamery, Atlanta, GA
From a re-purposed parcel-delivery truck comes some of Atlanta’s best frozen treats. They stay true to their southern roots with flavors like sweet mint tea and blackberry cobbler. The best part? You can get their ice cream in a cup, cone or sandwiched between homemade cookies.
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10. Hello! Ice Cream, Ann Arbor, MI
You won’t find gelato like this in Italy; their chocolate espresso stout gelato uses a stout from a local brewery. Yet Hello! offers more traditional flavors, too, alongside Italian treats like affogato. Buon appetito!
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Am I missing any? Leave your comments below!
Briana Seftel
A native Californian, Briana Seftel is an all-around food enthusiast, whose most favorite thing to do is travel and eat. She attends Boston University, studying journalism and French.
