Denver, COIce Cream

A University-neighborhood institution on South University Boulevard since 1986, known for the red-and-white striped awning and a rotating roster of well over a hundred flavors like banana cream pie and gingersnap. The lines out the door are part of the ritual, and it remains one of the most recognizable scoop shops in the city.

The 28-foot milk-can stand in LoHi has become a neighborhood landmark, scooping handcrafted flavors like salted Oreo next to the classics. It has since grown to additional locations including one in Congress Park, while the original milk can remains a photo-worthy anchor and a fixture of the LoHi streetscape.

Started in Hilltop about a decade ago and now runs shops in RiNo, Berkeley, and Central Park. The draw is gourmet seasonal flavors built with care, from Salty Dog Chocolate to Earl Grey and Shortbread, that lean more inventive than nostalgic.

A Baker-neighborhood scoop shop with additional counters in Uptown, Washington Park, and Jefferson Park. It leans on locally sourced dairy and fruit with housemade mix-ins, rotating creative flavors through the seasons, and every location runs on wind power, a small sustainability touch that has followed the shop since it opened in 2009.

A family-owned Capitol Hill parlor on East 13th Avenue since 1976, with a second location in Conifer. The rotating lineup of roughly thirty flavors leans into childhood favorites like cotton candy and s'mores, and the old-fashioned parlor feel has kept generations of neighborhood regulars coming back for decades.