Best ice cream in Washington? I tried 12 shops in two weeks to find out. (2024)

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I’ll begin by admitting my bias here: The Dairy Godmother was my childhood ice cream shop. Alexandrians love to brag that President Barack Obama used to bring his daughters there (in fact, there was once a chair in the restaurant whose seat was engraved with the date he sat on it), and I used to beg my parents for the glitter-slathered and star-topped — but distinctly not edible — “fairy wands” for sale next to the cash register.

The Dairy Godmother specializes in frozen custard in addition to dairy-free sorbets and “standard” scoops of ice cream. Notably, its only plain chocolate flavor is chocolate custard, the texture of which is more akin to soft serve than “hard” ice cream because it is made with egg yolk. The chocolate custard was rich and smooth and came in a generous single scoop; even though the day was a temperate 70 degrees, it melted almost completely before we could finish it, but that didn’t stop us from scraping the bottom of the cup to get as much as possible.

The Dairy Godmother also offers a rotating flavor of the day, which is available to view on its website or, if you’d prefer to be surprised, on its massive chalkboard upon entry. On the day I visited, the flavor was Breakfast in Bed, a maple-flavored ice cream sprinkled with bacon bits and chunks of waffle cone. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this flavor — it was the bacon that gave me pause — but for the salty-and-sweet lovers of the world, this was a grand slam. The ice cream itself looked as though it could’ve been vanilla, which made its perfect maple syrup flavor a pleasant surprise, and the salty crunch of the bacon bits was a flavorful and welcome counterpart to sprinkles. A small scoop here is $5.80, regardless of whether you choose frozen custard, ice cream or sorbet.

Flavor: 4.5/5

Texture: 5/5

Scoop size: 4.5/5

Final score: 4.67

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Next on the tour was Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, which is squeezed into the first floor of a Mount Pleasant rowhouse, though it also has two locations in its home state of Maine and two in Japan. Venture up the stairs and you’ll find a takeout window with a chalkboard of flavors like hojicha (roasted Japanese green tea), cinnamon cardamom and blueberry sour cream crumble. Its interior is quite small, like many Mount Pleasant storefronts, with only about four seats at a bar by the window. Otherwise, you’ll have to venture outside to its patio benches or just walk and eat.

My guests and I opted for the classic chocolate, plus honey spice cake, spicy chai, and cookies and sweet cream scoops. The honey spice cake had real chunks of honey cake swirled into the ice cream, which was also flavored with honey. While the chai ice cream was not terribly spicy, its hue and flavor were spot on. And, of course, the classic cookies and cream had chunks of Oreo and tasted refreshingly unprocessed. That’s because MDI makes all its ice cream in-house. All three of my guests remarked about how fresh and flavorful their respective cups and cones tasted.

The chocolate here was denser and harder to scoop than at the Dairy Godmother, though I chalked that up to the difference in variety — custard tends to be smoother. Still, it was rich and chocolaty, though the flavor was more subdued than a chocolate bar. The classic flavor was delicious, but I’ll go for one of the more unusual options when I return.

Besides its expansive and creative flavor menu, one of our favorite parts about MDI is its scoop size. Its “single” is actually a scoop and a half, and you can choose to mix and match your flavors — which I would recommend here, though I’m usually a single-flavor purist. A single scoop is $5.75, and a kiddie scoop, which is truly just one scoop, is $5.

Flavor: 4

Texture: 3.5

Scoop size: 5

Final score: 4.17

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904 Palmer Alley NW; 1704 Connecticut Ave. NW; 2905 District Ave., Fairfax; 7111 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda. dolcezzagelato.com.

Originating from its Union Market-based factory, Dolcezza Gelato is one of the most well-loved gelato shops in the D.C. area. I visited its CityCenterDC location in Palmer Alley on the third day of my quest and began by spending a good deal of time staring at its minimalist menu board before selecting the black sesame gelato in addition to a paddle (not so much a scoop, as gelato spoons are famously flat and small) of its dark chocolate, which is as close as it offers to our control order. And, indeed, the chocolate here was more bitter, but it was also exponentially richer than anything I’d tried thus far. It tasted more like melted chocolate than any of the other scoops, instantly marking it as a 5/5 on the flavor scale.

The black sesame, which my tasting partner and I noted resembled edible concrete, led with sweetness and then kicked us with its nutty, almost savory back end. If you like sesame, you’ll love this, but if your flavor palette leans fruitier or sweeter, I would opt for a flavor like mascarpone and berries or milk chocolate chip.

Dolcezza also sells its gelato by the pint in its own freezers and Whole Foods, Fresh Market and other high-end grocery stores. Look for its clear containers emblazoned with a periodic-table-inspired flavor logo — the aforementioned mascarpone and berries flavor is stylized as “Mb,” for example.

Flavor: 5

Texture: 3

Scoop size: 4

Final score: 4

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I celebrated the quarter-way mark of my ice cream odyssey at Georgetown classic Thomas Sweet, whose pale yellow and forest green facade screams old-school just as much as the multicolored tile interior, the green diner tables and the seemingly endless chalkboard of menu options. But Thomas Sweet doesn’t just dish out scoops of ice cream and frozen yogurt — including dairy-free options — in plastic and foam cups; it also offers its own homemade fudge, chocolate bonbons and a variety of other sweet treats (hence its name).

Our non-chocolate flavor here was tiramisu, which we noted tasted more like the cream layer of the cake and less like the ladyfingers — that is to say, more cinnamony and less coffee-y. The ice cream was good, but the real charm of Thomas Sweet, I found, came from its relaxed, unpretentious ambiance and truly local and family-oriented feel. The humongous slate of options leaves little to be desired, though the ice cream’s texture was a bit firm for my taste, and the scoops — especially the chocolate, which tasted like a vivid childhood memory of ice cream — were generous.

Flavor: 3.5

Texture: 3

Scoop size: 4

Final score: 3.5

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Next, I swung by the Union Market district to visit the only other shop on this list that I’d tasted before. The Creamery boasts dairy from farms in Maryland and Virginia, which it also sells in the form of glass milk bottles in its refrigerators. It also rotates through a handful of seasonal flavors, though it has far fewer options and a much smaller operating space than Thomas Sweet or Dolcezza, especially given its location in the back corner of the Union Market building. Its chocolate ice cream, my companion and I noted, began by tasting like store-bought chocolate ice cream but quickly morphed into a bittersweet chocolate bar flavor. My guest also ordered two unique flavors: Nutella Biscoff Cookie and Grape Nut, both of which played on reviving a vintage flavor. The Nutella Biscoff flavor shined the most with its ribbons of Nutella and cinnamon, though the Grape Nut flavor was surprisingly accurate to the cereal — which, I must admit, I haven’t eaten since I was a child. Both incorporated the crunch of their respective source flavors, which eliminated the need for texture-adding toppings like sprinkles.

Flavor: 3.5

Texture: 4

Scoop size: 3.5

Final score: 3.67

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720 C St. SE; 8030 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. moorenkos.com.

Moorenko’s marked the halfway point of my quest to find the D.C. area’s best ice cream — or, as my friends and I had come to call the undertaking, “Democracy Dies in Dairy.” The downtown Silver Spring shop’s orange walls and metal tables felt nostalgic and warm, almost like an art classroom. Also, as at Thomas Sweet, Moorenko’s list of flavors was extensive; today’s partner and I had to decide among milk chocolate, swiss chocolate and bittersweet chocolate ice cream. Luckily, the staff made the second selection easy, as its cherry stracciatella flavor was marked on the board with “fan favorite” and “staff pick.” The employee behind the counter even told me that I’d made a good choice as he handed over the baby pink scoop.

Cherry ice cream can lean medicinal, but not this one — it incorporates pieces of red cherries to make sure it tastes like the actual fruit, in addition to chocolate chips. Think Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia if it were homemade. The milk chocolate ice cream here was perfectly fine, though it wasn’t as rich or chocolaty as many of the other contestants — a classic is still a classic, especially when done right, like this fluffy scoop. Moorenko’s also had among the least expensive single scoops among our candidates at only $3.75 each.

Flavor: 3.5

Texture: 3.5

Scoop size: 3

Final score: 3.33

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Petworth classic Everyday Sundae immediately makes you feel like family, from the well-known warmth of its employees and owner to the photos of smiling parents and children — ice cream in hand, of course — on the wall of the entryway. In fact, the space is reminiscent of a family room, if a family room were bedecked with live houseplants and had a metal park bench.

Everyday Sundae had among the most intriguing flavor options; aside from our classic chocolate, we also tasted Fruit Loops, Oatmeal Cookie, and Peaches and Cream, plus raspberry sorbet. Fruit Loops, which had crushed-up Froot Loops cereal mixed into a bubblegum-pink scoop, tasted exactly like childhood. Peaches and Cream, too, tasted exactly as advertised, with slices of peach in every bite. The least interesting was our standard chocolate, though it was one of the most classic and crowd-pleasing chocolates we’d tried thus far — not too rich, but complex enough to be worth the trip.

Flavor: 5

Texture: 5

Scoop size: 4

Final score: 4.67

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301 Water St. SE No. 105; 3333 M St. NW; 4238 Wilson Blvd. Level C, Arlington. icecreamjubilee.com.

The first impression of Ice Cream Jubilee: bright. Outside, its Navy Yard sign is lit in white neon. Inside, the entire space is cream-colored, aside from some eye-popping orange tables.

I’m sorry to report, Jubilee fans — and I know you are legion — that this location had my least favorite chocolate ice cream; it was a bit too icy and hard to scoop, and its taste was nothing unique. What redeems the chic young ice cream joint is its creative flavors, many of which are East Asian-inspired. We tried Jubilee’s Almond Cookie and Red Bean and Strawberry Matcha Latte flavors, both of which outshined the chocolate by millions of watts. The almond and red bean was heavy on the former and light on the latter — if you enjoy marzipan, you’ll enjoy this flavor. The Strawberry Matcha Latte, though, took the crown; my taste-testing partner and I agreed that the gustatory roller coaster of a flavor began tasting like strawberry ice cream, then matcha, then, somehow, both at once. With that said, the matcha was a bit bitter, and I was hoping for a smoother flavor. And, among all the spots I’d tried up to this point, it had the smallest scoops for the relatively highest price tag — a small costs $5.95. Also worth noting: Ice Cream Jubilee sells its pints prepackaged for pickup and delivery at $8.95 each.

Flavor: 3

Texture: 2.5

Scoop size: 2.5

Final score: 2.67

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By Day 9, it was time for our wild card pick: Salumeria 2703 in Brookland. This cozy spot off Rhode Island Avenue isn’t an ice cream shop, though it does sling gelato delicious enough that several X and Reddit users suggested I pay a visit. Indeed, it offers only a handful of relatively popular flavors, which are accessible by its gelato window or by entering the shop itself. Today, our non-chocolate flavor was coffee, with espresso beans mixed in for crunch. Each scoop is about $3.75, placing it among our least expensive and most flavorful competitors. However, the scoops are about the same size as those at Ice Cream Jubilee — that is to say, not very large. Other flavors available the day I visited included lemon and stracciatella, though you may end up with a slightly different menu. Like the gelato at Dolcezza, Salumeria’s chocolate was particularly rich, though not as bitter, and much denser than regular ice cream. The coffee flavor was particularly dynamic given its texture and powerful flavor — coffee ice cream fans, look no further than Brookland to satisfy your cravings.

Flavor: 4

Texture: 5

Scoop size: 3

Final score: 4

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1633 Connecticut Ave. NW.

My 10th stop was Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream in Dupont Circle, which was among the most heavily reader-recommended shops on both Reddit and X. The space is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it small, located downstairs from a waxing and threading salon in a Connecticut Avenue rowhouse. Its walls are tiled with black-and-white checkers and decorated with old photos, and what space isn’t dedicated to the metal high-top tables is given to the ice cream itself, plus cookies, baklava and other baked treats. When I visited in late May, several Pride flags sat on the windowsill — possibly a permanent fixture, or perhaps an early welcome for June.

Several readers directed me to its Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough variety, so, out of Larry’s long list of options, that was my non-chocolate flavor for the day. I described this ice cream to my companion as the sort of thing you’d want on a hot September day when you’re wishing for fall weather, with its cinnamony freckles and chunks of oatmeal cookie mixed in. The chocolate ice cream here was among the my favorites: smooth, not too cloying and rich enough to be interesting while still keeping that classic taste.

Flavor: 4

Texture: 5

Scoop size: 3.5

Final score: 4.17

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5849 A Washington Blvd., Arlington; 510 14th St. South, Arlington; 280 Cedar Lane SE, Vienna. tobysicecream.com.

Second to last on the list was Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream, one of the younger and trendier spots, located next to Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington. This particular storefront was tiny — almost like an open-air inlet with no doors — and as glassy and minimalist as the surrounding office buildings. Our unique flavor today was Coconut Chocolate Crunch, which was so heavy on the coconut that it consumed the entire flavor of the scoop — not necessarily an issue for my tasting partner and me, though we would have enjoyed more chocolate crunch. It also created a coconut-induced sandiness that wasn’t unpleasant but did mean that the ice cream melted faster than we hoped. The chocolate was creamy, with excellent consistency and a solid balance of richness and lightness. Still, among the chocolates we tried, this one landed solidly in the middle. However, Toby’s Philippine-inspired flavors, like calamansi sorbet, have garnered lots of love on social media and will warrant a return.

Flavor: 3.5

Texture: 2.5

Scoop size: 3

Final score: 3

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10219 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda; 14929 Shady Grove Rd. Suite I, Rockville; 5241 River Rd., Bethesda. sarahshandmadeicecream.com.

Last among the Handmade and Homemade crowd, and indeed last of all, was Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream in Bethesda. This mirror-bedecked, mother-daughter-owned shop is long and narrow, with limited seating outside and a bench with four seats inside. It also dishes out candy at the cash register, alongside its bevy of creative and interesting flavors. These include locally inspired names like Rocky Rockville Road and Bethesda Brownie Brickle, as well as caffeine- and alcohol-infused flavors like Bailey’s Irish Chip and the final special flavor of the day I tried, Earl Grey Speculoos. This was among the best-received unique flavors, with today’s tasting partner (who also accompanied me to the Dairy Godmother, Mount Desert Island, Dolcezza and Thomas Sweet) rating it highest among any of the unique flavors. The ice cream, which was blue-gray and dotted with speculoos cookie crumbles, was fragrant and almost floral, with the speculoos crumbles reminiscent of the Creamery’s Nutella Biscoff flavor. The chocolate here, as one of my co-workers had warned me, rocketed itself to the No. 1 chocolate ice cream we tried. Its creamy, almost brownie-batter-like consistency and flavor left us scraping the bottom of the cup. If you’re craving more like we were, Sarah’s also sells select flavors by the pint to take home.

Flavor: 5

Texture: 5

Scoop size: 4

Score: 4.67

So, what are my takeaways, aside from the need for a month-long break from any frozen dessert? As expected, DMV creameries put up a stiff competition, hence the three-way tie for first among the Dairy Godmother, Everyday Sundae and Sarah’s Handmade: maybe the perfect outcome, since they represent the “D,” “M” and “V.” Tied for the next tier were Mount Desert Island and Larry’s, both in Northwest Washington.

Still, you can’t go wrong with any of these choices. I visited the cream of the area’s ice cream crop — every spot on this list epitomizes what an ice cream shop should be: the perfect combination of delicious and delightful