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Start a Top 5 for Ice CreamEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Washingtonian. Updated August 2026.
Dolcezza Gelato & Coffee · H Street NE
A gelateria that has expanded across the city over two decades, with a rotating case around flavors like peanut-butter stracciatella and roasted strawberry. The H Street location added soft-serve, including a sweet-and-salty pistachio blend and single-origin Ecuadorian chocolate. It is the homegrown name locals reach for when gelato comes up.
Ice Cream Jubilee - Georgetown · Navy Yard
A DC-founded scoop shop built on bold, playful flavors, from fruit-forward sorbets to a dense vanilla loaded with cookie dough and crushed Oreos. It uses super-premium cream and keeps a solid vegan lineup alongside the classics, a reliable stop whether you want something rich or something lighter.
Malai · 14th Street
A transplant from a well-regarded NYC creamery, Malai builds its menu around South Asian flavors rarely found elsewhere in the city, among them lemon cardamom, apricot mace, and rose with roasted almonds. It took over the old Ice Cream Jubilee space on 14th Street and became a quick destination for something distinct.
The Charmery Walter Reed · Petworth
A Baltimore import in Petworth known for Maryland-rooted flavors. Its cookies-and-milk scoop is built with Otterbein sugar cookies, a regional brand many Baltimore-area natives grew up on. A dependable pick for anyone wanting a scoop with a specific sense of place rather than a generic flavor lineup.