clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Ice cream cones and bowls from High Point Creamery
Ice cream cones and bowls from High Point Creamery
High Point Creamery/Facebook

Essential Denver Ice Cream Shops for Savoring the End of Summer

I scream, you scream

View as Map
Ice cream cones and bowls from High Point Creamery
| High Point Creamery/Facebook

The unofficial end to summer that is Labor Day has come and gone. But if this week’s string of 90 degree days are any sign of temperatures to come, Denverites still have plenty of time to indulge in that quintessential experience of slowing down at an ice cream parlor on a hot day (yes, you really will feel like a kid again).

Whether your tastes run to the classic (a hot fudge sundae never disappoints) or the cool (vegan Thai iced tea ice cream, anyone?), these spots all offer plenty of top-notch scoops. Among them, you’ll also find trendy rolled ice cream, rich gelato, and old-fashioned soda fountains, as well as plenty of good cones.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Sweet Cow Ice Cream

Copy Link

With the original location in Louisville and multiple more in metro Denver, not to mention a truck, Sweet Cow covers a lot of geographical bases. It offers lots of classics but also quirky flavors like bourbon corn flake.

Facebook

Magill's World of Ice Cream

Copy Link

After more than 35 years in Lakewood, Magill’s opened a scoop shop onsite in 2016. More than 100 flavors are made there each week, with about 40 rotating in the store. Chocolate banana oreo, caramel cashew, and Guinness stout are just a few of the good ones,

Magills/Facebook

Scrumptious Ice Cream And Candy Shop

Copy Link

Scrumptious is Olde Town Arvada's old-time gem. This sweet shop offers 80 different flavors, and customers can even make requests for new flavors.

Facebook

Inside Scoop Creamery

Copy Link

A small-town classic (even if its been a long time since suburban Littleton qualified as such), Inside Scoop has a newer a location on Platte Street in addition to its Littleton original.

Facebook

Little Man Ice Cream

Copy Link

There is always a line outside the iconic Little Man Ice Cream can in LoHi, with some 60 different flavors as well as special toppings. New locations have recently opened under unique names from Fort Collins to Stapleton.

Rachel Greiman/Eater

Sweet Action Ice Cream

Copy Link

Sweet Action uses natural Colorado ingredients to make daily changing flavors that range from Thai iced tea to ginger lemon cookie. This is the place to get a delicious and eccentric ice cream. Some even come in vegan varieties.

Facebook

Frozen Matter

Copy Link

A family-run operation, Frozen Matter offers carefully created varieties with seasonal options like the lemon blueberry swirl. A new location just opened on Gaylord Street, though all the ice cream is produced at the Uptown original, which features a rare on-site pasteurizer (not to mention the Frozen Matter speakeasy located behind an unassuming freezer door).

Facebook

Ice Cream Riot

Copy Link

Small-batch ice cream flavors and Philadelphia-style water ices, all made onsite, are all the rage here. Just don't dare ask for dairy-free or egg-free options.

Facebook

Liks Ice Cream

Copy Link

Four decades old, Liks delivers a delicious scoop and a great neighborhood atmosphere. There are classics but also adventurous flavors, including almond roca, amaretto peach, caramel Irish stout, and PB&J. Bonus: There is a location in Conifer, too, that makes a perfect stop for long trips home from the mountains on Highway 285.

Facebook

Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato

Copy Link

This Boulder-based favorite opened there in 2001 and then expanded around Denver with locations in Englewood, Greenwood Village and Lowry. Sundaes, milkshakes, malts, and gelato are all available.

Glacier/Facebook

Bonnie Brae Ice Cream

Copy Link

This throwback neighborhood spot has been around since 1986. It features more than 30 flavors, from banana cream pie to gingersnap and pistachio, plus all the classics. There's something for the kids and the more mature ice cream palate.

Facebook

Sweet Cooie's

Copy Link

With a retro soda shop look and fun details like the colorful jars of candy that appeal to young and young-at-heart, this new addition to Congress Park comes courtesy of the Little Man team. On offer are a variety of unique ice cream flavors, plus the must-have gooey cooie, a donut filled with ice cream (pictured).

Rachel Greiman

Milkroll Creamery

Copy Link

Vietnamese coffee, matcha, and milk & cereal are a few of the flavors at this rolled ice cream shop. Customers can choose base flavors, mix-ins, toppings, and drizzles, as well as fun drinks to match.

Milkroll/Facebook

Nuggs hit the spot in this densely residential neighborhood bringing housemade ice creams, shakes, malts, and sundaes. The waffle cone is a must have and the patio is one of the best for summer nights.

High Point Creamery

Copy Link

From its brick and mortar in Hilltop to its fuchsia food truck and outposts in the Denver Central Market and on Tennyson Street, High Point Creamery offers some 18 flavors regularly — a mix of traditional and unique, like fresh basil with blackberry.

High Point Creamery High Point Creamery/Facebook

Gelato Boy

Copy Link

Though the Zeppelin Station outpost of this gelato shop recently closed, it’s more than worth the trip to one of the two Pearl Street locations in Boulder. The flavors range from classics (pistachio and cookies and creme) to more unique concoctions (blackberry lime coconut and white chocolate cherry) and even the vegan options are worth trying.

Scoops of gelato from Gelato Boy
Scoops of gelato from Gelato Boy
Adam Larkey/Eater

Sweet Cow Ice Cream

With the original location in Louisville and multiple more in metro Denver, not to mention a truck, Sweet Cow covers a lot of geographical bases. It offers lots of classics but also quirky flavors like bourbon corn flake.

Facebook

Magill's World of Ice Cream

After more than 35 years in Lakewood, Magill’s opened a scoop shop onsite in 2016. More than 100 flavors are made there each week, with about 40 rotating in the store. Chocolate banana oreo, caramel cashew, and Guinness stout are just a few of the good ones,

Magills/Facebook

Scrumptious Ice Cream And Candy Shop

Scrumptious is Olde Town Arvada's old-time gem. This sweet shop offers 80 different flavors, and customers can even make requests for new flavors.

Facebook

Inside Scoop Creamery

A small-town classic (even if its been a long time since suburban Littleton qualified as such), Inside Scoop has a newer a location on Platte Street in addition to its Littleton original.

Facebook

Little Man Ice Cream

There is always a line outside the iconic Little Man Ice Cream can in LoHi, with some 60 different flavors as well as special toppings. New locations have recently opened under unique names from Fort Collins to Stapleton.

Rachel Greiman/Eater

Sweet Action Ice Cream

Sweet Action uses natural Colorado ingredients to make daily changing flavors that range from Thai iced tea to ginger lemon cookie. This is the place to get a delicious and eccentric ice cream. Some even come in vegan varieties.

Facebook

Frozen Matter

A family-run operation, Frozen Matter offers carefully created varieties with seasonal options like the lemon blueberry swirl. A new location just opened on Gaylord Street, though all the ice cream is produced at the Uptown original, which features a rare on-site pasteurizer (not to mention the Frozen Matter speakeasy located behind an unassuming freezer door).

Facebook

Ice Cream Riot

Small-batch ice cream flavors and Philadelphia-style water ices, all made onsite, are all the rage here. Just don't dare ask for dairy-free or egg-free options.

Facebook

Liks Ice Cream

Four decades old, Liks delivers a delicious scoop and a great neighborhood atmosphere. There are classics but also adventurous flavors, including almond roca, amaretto peach, caramel Irish stout, and PB&J. Bonus: There is a location in Conifer, too, that makes a perfect stop for long trips home from the mountains on Highway 285.

Facebook

Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato

This Boulder-based favorite opened there in 2001 and then expanded around Denver with locations in Englewood, Greenwood Village and Lowry. Sundaes, milkshakes, malts, and gelato are all available.

Glacier/Facebook

Bonnie Brae Ice Cream

This throwback neighborhood spot has been around since 1986. It features more than 30 flavors, from banana cream pie to gingersnap and pistachio, plus all the classics. There's something for the kids and the more mature ice cream palate.

Facebook

Sweet Cooie's

With a retro soda shop look and fun details like the colorful jars of candy that appeal to young and young-at-heart, this new addition to Congress Park comes courtesy of the Little Man team. On offer are a variety of unique ice cream flavors, plus the must-have gooey cooie, a donut filled with ice cream (pictured).

Rachel Greiman

Milkroll Creamery

Vietnamese coffee, matcha, and milk & cereal are a few of the flavors at this rolled ice cream shop. Customers can choose base flavors, mix-ins, toppings, and drizzles, as well as fun drinks to match.

Milkroll/Facebook

Nuggs

Nuggs hit the spot in this densely residential neighborhood bringing housemade ice creams, shakes, malts, and sundaes. The waffle cone is a must have and the patio is one of the best for summer nights.

High Point Creamery

From its brick and mortar in Hilltop to its fuchsia food truck and outposts in the Denver Central Market and on Tennyson Street, High Point Creamery offers some 18 flavors regularly — a mix of traditional and unique, like fresh basil with blackberry.

High Point Creamery High Point Creamery/Facebook

Related Maps

Gelato Boy

Though the Zeppelin Station outpost of this gelato shop recently closed, it’s more than worth the trip to one of the two Pearl Street locations in Boulder. The flavors range from classics (pistachio and cookies and creme) to more unique concoctions (blackberry lime coconut and white chocolate cherry) and even the vegan options are worth trying.

Scoops of gelato from Gelato Boy
Scoops of gelato from Gelato Boy
Adam Larkey/Eater

Related Maps