Locally Owned Ice Cream Shops in Atlanta

By Grant Merkel

Published May 24, 2024
Last Updated May 20, 2025

On hot summer days in Atlanta, there are lots of great places to cool off with ice cream, Popsicles and other cold treats. Pick a favorite or two from this list of locally-owned ice cream and dessert shops.

Big Softie

In Summerhill, Big Softie offers Sammies (ice cream between two freshly baked cookies from Little Tart Bakery) and ice cream in classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate. However, the thing that makes Big Softie ice cream different is the toppings, such as milk chocolate crunch pearls and passionfruit hardshell.

Butter and Cream

The Decatur shop offers flavors such as Midnight Snacks (sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese ice cream with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, chocolate-covered cake pieces and a dulce de leche swirl) and Honeycomb Forest (honey ice cream with honeycomb candy). Try an ice cream sandwich or purchase a pumpkin honey pup cup for your furry friend.

Honeysuckle Gelato

Stop at Ponce City Market for a treat from Honeysuckle Gelato, with flavors such as red velvet cake, salted caramel brownie and pistachio. Honeysuckle Gelato also offers seasonal flavors. When you buy from Honeysuckle Gelato you give back to the community as the local store donates a portion of its proceeds to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Visit the test kitchen for a first look at new flavors at Lee+White, located on the Westside Atlanta Beltline.   

King of Pops

King of Pops is an Atlanta tradition with flavors such as chocolate sea salt and strawberry lemonade. You can find King of Pops at events such as festivals and Atlanta Braves games as well as at local shops. No surprise, there is a King of Pops Bar at Ponce City Market.

PanPaleta

Off of Buford Highway is a little store in Northeast Plaza that sells bread, cakes and paletas, which are Mexican frozen treats on sticks. PanPaleta offers flavors like coffee, mango chile and strawberry kiwi. Try out your treats at a table in the store with lively music and colorful pinatas hanging from the ceiling.

Signia by Hilton Atlanta

You wouldn’t expect a hotel to have good, local frozen treats but at Signia by Hilton Atlanta downtown, you can find homemade gelato at Capolinea restaurant and ice cream and sorbet in the Friendship Market. At Capolinea, try flavors such as straciallea, amarenna cherry and gorgonzola dolce gelato. At the market, discover even more fresh tastes such as lemon lavender sorbet, passion fruit mango sorbet and mascarpone strawberry ice cream. Flavors change every three to four months, giving an extra incentive to visit again.

Sweet Stack Creamery

Check out Sweet Stack Creamery in downtown Atlanta. The small shop serves ice cream and doughnut sandwiches (Sweet Stacks) with crazy combinations of flavors such as Cuban Coffee Cream (made with Cafe Bustelo espresso ground coffee) and Birthday Cake (cake-flavored ice cream with sprinkles and blue frosting). Sweet Stack also offers fun toppings and vegan options such as French Press.

Atlanta Ice Cream Festival

For family fun and ice cream treats from all around the city, visit the Atlanta Ice Cream Festival, which takes place July 27 at Piedmont Park.