Breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night snack… there’s really no bad time for our favorite cold summer treat. We basically live for it. And Western New York has got some of the best spots to grab a cone (or shake, or sundae, or taco- it’s a real thing).
Here are a few spots that just do things a little differently, making them worth a visit:
Did one of these places close? Send us a note!
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1. Frosty’s
- 5500 Broadway St, Lancaster, NY 14086 / More Info
- 2424 George Urban Blvd, Depew, NY 14043 / More Info
If you like a classic ice cream stand, serving up Buffalo’s own Perry’s with all the extras, this one’s for you. When I tell you that they have literally every single flavor/combination/sundae/milkshake/form of ice cream out there, I mean L-I-T-E-R-A-L-L-Y. You will find something new on the board every single visit, even after staring at it for 20 minutes everytime (guilty). They have some of the best milkshakes around, and if you’re going for something thicker, the arctics are fantastic (specifically the graffiti arctic-it’s a classic there). FYI: there are two locations- the one in Lancaster looks like a super cute fairytale gingerbread house, and the one in Depew is a bit more average but still has all the same goods.
2. Main Street Ice Cream
35 Main St, Hamburg, NY 14075 / More Info
This adorable little ice cream shop has a small indoor space consisting of a few tables and a cooler full of homemade goodies and an outside window for quick service. It’s right on – you guessed it, Main Street – in the Village of Hamburg and serves killer house-made hard ice cream, a variety of sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and more. What makes them different? They have a rotating menu of special house-made flavors.
3. Lake Effect Artisan Ice Cream
Lake Effect makes their own small-batch ice cream right here in WNY with unique flavors that we promise you won’t find anywhere else. Each flavor and sundae is crafted meticulously with a Buffalo spin- and that’s why we’re so in love with it (like they even have a sundae that combines Buffalo’s famous Paula’s donuts with Public’s espresso). And they always keep us on our toes by adding new flavors.
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4. 2 Scoops Ice Cream
4626 Camp Rd, Hamburg, NY 14075 / More Info
This little Hamburg ice cream stand has got it goin’ on. They’ve got basically every flavor of Perry’s ice cream (including Fireball) and their own homemade custards (w/ new flavors. Every. Single. Week.), homemade waffle cones, sundae-on-a-sticks, nutty buddies, ice cream sandwiches, cakes AND TACOS- ICE CREAM TACOS. Do you really need anything else in life? The answer is no.
5. Green Acres Ice Cream
4357 Broadway, Depew, New York 14043 / More Info
Prepare to be overwhelmed. This place has SO much to offer, not only in terms of ice cream, but life itself. Green Acres triples as a mini-golf course, driving range, and ice cream stand house (& ice cream truck), so you can golf your little heart out, and then treat yo self after (it also makes for a super cute date night). AND, they have FREE outdoor movie night on Wednesday nights, glow-in-the-dark mini-golf on Thursday nights, and LLoyd’s taco truck on Monday nights in July. Oh, and the ice cream options are endless- from Perry’s to Chocolate Shoppe to Dole Whip (peep the *gluten free* options) to Wow Cow!- served in sundaes to milkshakes and everything in between.
6. Churn Soft Serve
1501 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, NY 14216 / More Info
If you’re into Lloyd (or delicious, homemade & natural ice cream) at all, keep reading. The same Lloyd serving up those one-of-a-kind, to-die-for tacos are now serving you ice cream- so you know you can expect nothing less than incredible. And they’re bringing the same unique Buffalo twist on Mexican to their ice cream as they do to their tacos. Obviously, that means churros. Churros AND ice cream. Why not? In addition to sundaes they also have plain ‘ole cones, sundaes and ice cream sandwiches with some vegan options too!
7. Hertel Ave Poutine & Cream
1488 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, New York 14216 / More Info
What makes this Hertel Ave shop different is not only the fact that they also serve a huge variety of delicious poutine dishes, but that their ice cream menu doesn’t stop at cones. Made from scratch daily, their ice cream is 18% milk fat and offered in classic flavors, including Nutella, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter, cake batter and a vegan option. And they use the good stuff to make unique treats like Creamy Buns – homemade donuts filled with ice cream and topped with toppings, and Freak Shakes – big, crazy milkshakes filled and topped with candy, cookies, cupcakes, you name it. Visit, you won’t be disappointed.
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8. King Condrell’s Candy and Ice Cream
2805 Delaware Ave, Kenmore, NY 14217 / More Info
King Condrell’s has been around for 50 years, and it’s known as a Buffalo classic. It’s all homemade at this old-fashioned ice cream and soda bar. Anything there is fantastic. If you’re daring enough, get yourself the kitchen sink sundae- it’s exactly what it sounds like- 16 (!!!) whopping scoops of ice cream with your choice of toppings. Object of the game is… try not to kill yourself. FYI: they also make and sell delicious chocolates (and sponge candy!!).
9. The Pink Cow Ice Cream and Eatery
13119 Broadway St, Alden, NY 14004 / More Info
This pink and cow-patterned stand (w/ super cute matching picnic tables) is absolutely adorable, and they’re serving up some delicious sweet treats! They’ve got all the flavors you need (Perry’s & Upstate Farms), with a great selection of sundaes, and most importantly, they have DOGGY SUNDAES (yes, you can bring your dogs🐶)! And probably the best part about this place is the drive-thru- okay tell me another place serving ice cream through the window that *isn’t* a fast food chain… I’ll wait. Good stuff going on here. Good. Stuff.
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10. Cookies & Cream
- 2114 Seneca Street, Buffalo / More Info
- 929 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo / More Info
- 1111 Fuhrmann Blvd, Buffalo / More Info
This shop differentiates themselves In the ice cream shop crowd by including cookies in pretty much every order – yum! Not only can you find their signature cookies in sundaes and such, but they offer ice cream sandwiches made with giant cookies on top and bottom. Also out of the norm, Cookies & Cream serves Giffords Ice Cream, a brand from Maine instead of the WNY usual – Perry’s. Check out their growing list of locations on their website!
Did one of these places close? Send us a note!
This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated.
