by Kate Slate | Aug 28, 2025 | Eat, July/August 2025
Go beyond the freezer aisle and savor the rest of summer with quirky + delicious local frozen desserts.
As Selena Gomez sings in her 2020 pop ballad with BLACKPINK: “Baby, you deserve a treat.” And why settle for all those average store-bought ice cream pints? As summer slips slowly away—yet temps remain high—it’s only right to ride out the rest of the season with more unique and decadent versions of your favorite frozen desserts. Because, as we all know, the only thing cooler than being cool is ice cold (!).
While Raleighites know you can’t go wrong with classics like Two Roosters, Howling Cow or Andia’s—to name but a few local favorites—ice cream shops around the world are getting creative with how they serve the summer classic.
For instance, viral Hong Kong shop Gelato Messina was featured in The New York Times for its distinctive flavor pairings, showcasing combos ranging from salted tequila and lime sorbet to olive oil gelato with pistachio fudge and black sesame crunch.
For those seeking comparable mix-and-match flavor profiles nearby, stop into Simons Says Dip This, with locations in both Raleigh and Durham. The shop features numerous “dips” to coat your soft-serve cone with—and, as a bonus, there’s a handful of dairy-free and gluten-free options on offer as well. Close your eyes and pretend you’re on a tropical vacation with the Key lime dip, or fast-forward to the annual NC State Fair with the caramel cotton candy.
If you’re really looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, you’re gonna wanna load up at Seaboard Station’s The Yard Milkshake Bar, which specializes in over-the-top milkshakes—think the Butterfinger Cheesecake Crunch, a Brookie Monster Butter Crunch milkshake topped with a whole slice of cheesecake, whipped cream, crushed Butterfinger pieces, and chocolate and peanut butter drizzle; or the Brookie Monster, topped with a brownie, Oreo cookie, whipped cream, a scoop of cookie dough, and blue marshmallow and chocolate drizzle.
Looking for a nightcap instead? Drinks and dessert meet at Dos Taquitos, where an uberpopular soft-serve margarita steals the show—choose from the raspberry flavor made with Stoli raspberry vodka or a vanilla Pinnacle whipped vodka version. All in all, these delish local ops prove that sometimes more is more. So get scoopin’, sippin’ and slurpin’ before summer bids goodbye.
by Anna Beth Adcock | Jun 28, 2024 | Eat, July 2024/August 2024
It’s no secret summer in NC is sweltering—er, borderline unbearable—leaving many a Raleighite to seek a reprieve from the heat in the form of a chilly treat. The *cool* news? Our city flaunts oodles of ice cream + milkshake outposts that’ve earned both local and national acclaim—not to mention the industry rakes in millions of moo-lah (get it?!) for the state. Here, six go-to ice cream oases around town to channel your summertime chill.
Andia’s Ice Cream | Our pick: Cake batter
Taste local sweetness “scooped with love” and garnering national attention (hey, Good Morning America!) via this family-run shop’s small-batch Insta-worthy creations. Inside scoop: We’re softies for the Mason jar shakes. Raleigh Iron Works, @andiasicecream
FRESH. Local Ice Cream | Our pick: Sweet honey sea salt
Serving locally sourced and produced farm-fresh ice cream till the cows come home, this dreamy dairy destination keeps the innovative flavors coming across its four Wake Co. locales—NTM its ubercool lime green on-the-go truck! Northwest Raleigh, @freshlocalicecream
Howling Cow | Our pick (and DJ Burns’): Wolf Tracks
To be ~utterly~ clear, as bball top wolf Kevin Keatts says, “Who doesn’t love ice cream?” We all scream (er, howl) for NC State’s signature scoops and shakes sating sweet teeth straight on the farm. We ~got to be~ on Dairy Lane, y’all! Southwest Raleigh, @ncstatehowlingcow
Raleigh Rolls | Our pick: Benelux Biscoffee
I’d stop the world and melt with you for some aesthetically pleasing rolled ice cream creations inspired by travels throughout Southeast Asia that promise to have ya slurping the bowl to the last bite. Morgan Street Food Hall & Wakefield Commons, @raleighrolls
Two Roosters | Our pick: Sola cinnamon donut—or any rotating monthly flavor
Launched on an old truck and a dream to serve up joy via ice cream, these cult status homegrown classic and rotating flavors first churned up on granny’s porch under the watch of two black wooden roosters (!) prove the best pick-me-up is always ice cream. Period. North Raleigh, West Raleigh & Person Street District, @tworoosters
The Yard Milkshake Bar | Our pick: The Cheerwine Float
Over-the-top milkshakes are the name of the game—and sure to bring all the boys (and girls) to The Yard to consume a day’s worth of calories in one fell scoop (worth it!). Seaboard Station, @theyardmilkshakebar
by Lindsey Hyde | May 2, 2022 | Eat, May 2022
Bold Batch Creamery is serving up one-of-a-kind ice cream flavors.
We know you’re busy, so we’ll get straight to the pint. You’re gonna wanna set a recurring alarm for 11:58am on (most) Fridays to hop online and head to Bold Batch Creamery’s website—because once noon rolls around, you’ll be competing with a slew of others to secure a pint of this local scoop shop’s limited batches of super-premium artisan ice cream (think bold flavors like coffee lemonade and ube cheesecake).
“That’s been the culture of our ice cream from the first week,” says owner Maura McCarthy.
McCarthy started experimenting with this creamy treat at home as a creative outlet during the pandemic, making most of her bases and mix-ins from scratch. Once people outside her friend group started making requests and raving about the unique flavors, she secured a space at Raleigh’s Kitchen Archive in August 2020, naming her business 12 Paws—but rebranded to Bold Batch this year to avoid being confused with pet desserts. (Guilty.)
More than once, her weekly batches of 200 to 400 pints have sold out in under two minutes. As in 120 seconds! Um, holy cow (had to). And as far as getting the pints in hand, customers can choose from a list of pickup times and locations throughout the Triangle when placing their online orders.
So while at the moment you have to scream (internally) for ice cream via the internet, McCarthy says a more physical location is on the horizon—adding, “We’re working on something creative!” We’ll let you know when we get the scoop. boldbatchcreamery.com
