The summer continues to take its toll on Alexandria. Luckily, residents have no lack of options to combat the heat.
Looking for a place to find a cold treat? Here’s a list of every ice cream shop in Alexandria.
Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream
109 King Street, Old Town
Boasting White House roots, the recipes of Pop’s have drawn fans since the 1940s. Popular flavors include yellow cake, peanut butter chocolate pretzel and choco-banana. The shop also carries a few dairy-free Italian ice options.
The Dairy Godmother
2310 Mount Vernon Avenue, Del Ray
Boasting “frozen custard and nostalgic treats,” The Dairy Godmother features vanilla and chocolate flavors as well as a rotating specialty menu. This week, salted malted cookie dough will be available through Tuesday, followed by peppermint stick through Thursday and then coffee almond fudge through Saturday.
The Creamery
110 King Street, Old Town
Founded in 1984, the family-owned shop is one of the oldest in Alexandria. The Creamery offers a variety of ice cream flavors — like black raspberry cheesecake and toasted almond — as well as sorbet and soft-serve custard.
Casa Rosada Artisan Gelato
111 S. Payne Street, Old Town
Come for artisan gelato and stay for a variety of flavors ranging from the traditional to the unusual. Some of the unique options at Casa Rosada include chai latte, malbec and sweet corn.
Lil’ Cakes & Creamery
1014 Madison Street, Braddock
Ice cream, milkshakes and other sweets are available at Lil’ Cakes and Creamery, which often combines ice creams with cupcakes to produce versatile options. Offerings include cupcake milkshakes, blending “moist cupcake and velvety ice cream,” and cake-n-cream cups, which consists of one cupcake and two scoops of ice cream.
Ben & Jerry’s
103 S. Union Street, Old Town
A staple of the grocery store’s ice cream aisle, Ben & Jerry’s has a brick-and-mortar storefront in Alexandria just steps from the Potomac River. The store offers widely popular options like Cherry Garcia, The Tonight Dough and more, as well as sundaes, shakes and smoothies.
Dolci Gelati
107 N. Fairfax Street, Old Town
Dolci Gelati offers nearly 90 different options, ranging from the traditional — vanilla bean and chocolate chip — to the unique — kettle corn and rice pudding. The Old Town location also offers locally-brewed coffee and affogato dishes.
Kilwins
212 King Street, Old Town
Kilwins’ Alexandria location is currently the only one for the franchise that is up and running in Northern Virginia. The brand’s small batch ice creams come in a variety of flavors, including blueberry waffle cone, Georgia peach and much more.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
102 S. Patrick Street, Old Town
Sold by the scoop to amplify a customer’s options, Jeni’s flavors go further than the basics. Offerings include fluffernutter pie, brown butter almond brittle and super moon — “almost like cereal milk.”
Dolce & Bean
2003A Mount Vernon Avenue, Del Ray
Dolce & Bean offers a variety of gelatos and sorbets, but many more desert options are available. The menu is littered with chocolates and pastries, plus coffee allows for affogato dishes.
Cold Stone Creamery
239 Hoffman Street, Eisenhower Valley
The national chain is known for its creations, allowing customers to combine a variety of flavors and toppings to create hundreds of different options. At least 11 flavors of ice cream are available, as well as a variety of sweet and fruity toppings.
Pitango Gelato & Coffee
115 S. Union Street, Old Town
Pitango’s Old Town location is the second for the D.C.-area chain. It offers 20 rotating gelato and sorbet flavors, supplemented by a slate of coffees and pastries.
Baskin-Robbins
3325 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Potomac Yard & 1701 Centre Plaza
Known for their original 31 flavors, Baskin-Robbins’ flavor library now consists of more than 1,400 options. Current flavors include cherries jubilee, cotton candy and Beach Day — July’s flavor of the month featuring caramel sea turtles, crushed graham crackers and other ingredients.
The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar
716 King Street, Old Town
The national chain is known for its “Crazy Masons,” extreme milkshakes packed high with a multitude of toppings. The menu also features “Lil’ Less Crazy Sundaes,” as well as non-dairy and gluten free options.
Goodies Frozen Custard and Treats
200 Commerce Street, Old Town
Goodies offers Wisconsin-style vanilla custard using locally-sourced dairy products. A variety of toppings are available, as are other options like floats and other seasonal items.
Dairy Queen
1470 N. Beauregard Street, West End
Dairy Queen features more than a dozen options of its widely-popular Blizzard. Traditional sundaes, as well as simple cones and other novelties are also available.
Any glaring omissions? Let us know in the comments. Note that the list intentionally omits businesses where ice cream is not a primary food option.
