After discovering the treasure trove of ice cream flavors at Westside Market, the grocery store right across from Third Avenue North residence hall, I set out on a mission to sample as many as I could. Last semester, I began to try one new flavor every week. Now, I’m happy to report that my pint count has increased to more than 30. From chocolate crunches and berry blitzes to carrot cake and buttercream, here are my winners for a variety of occasions.
Best Flavor Profile: Jeni’s Boston Cream Pie
Price: $10.19
Overall rating: 8/10
Trying to mimic an established dessert in an ice cream flavor is a tall order. But as a die-hard Boston cream pie lover, I can confidently say that Jeni’s take on the classic cake is spot-on. The ice cream contains a layer of creamy salted vanilla custard mixed with yellow cake pieces and chocolate fudge. What really sends this flavor over the top is a surprise layer of chocolate filling at the bottom of the pint — a fun twist on Boston cream pie’s rich, velvety ganache. The hidden layer also makes finishing the pint even more satisfying.
Best for Fall: Van Leeuwen Honeycomb
Price: $9.49
Overall Rating: 8/10
Van Leeuwen’s Honeycomb Ice Cream might seem like an unexpected pick for a fall favorite, but its decadent and heartwarming flavor makes it perfect for the season. I love pumpkin and chai just as much as the next person, but there’s more to fall than those mainstream flavors. This ice cream blends salted caramel with caramel wafer, which, to me, evokes the feeling of walking through fallen leaves in Central Park. Just because this pint doesn’t have an traditional fall theme doesn’t mean it won’t make you feel cozy.
Best Sorbet: Talenti Roman Raspberry Sorbet
Price: $7.79
Overall rating: 9/10
Talenti’s Roman Raspberry Sorbet is the perfect refreshment for any time of year. The raspberry flavor isn’t too sour, and the consistency is smooth throughout — even right out of the freezer. As fresh raspberries become pricier in the fall, this frozen treat provides a cost-effective and delicious way to enjoy the fruit.
Best for a Budget: Haagen Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter
Price: $5.99
Overall Rating: 7/10
Any Haagen Dazs pint will keep you satisfied on a budget, but the chocolate peanut butter flavor is a bolder option than most others offered by Haagen Dazs. Salty peanut swirls balance the sweetness of the ice cream’s rich, chocolatey base. While Haagen Dazs is best known for its tried-and-true flavors like vanilla and strawberry, the chocolate peanut butter will give you both a flavor bomb and the most bang for your buck.
Best Dairy-Free: Ben & Jerry’s Dairy-Free The Tonight Dough
Price: $6.99
Overall Rating: 9/10
There are many brands that sell exclusively dairy-free ice cream, but few taste like regular ice cream the way Ben & Jerry’s The Tonight Dough does.
Adding to the many reasons why Ben & Jerry’s is my favorite brand of ice cream, the dairy-free version of this iconic flavor — named after Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” — features a caramel and chocolate base, swirled with chocolate cookies and chunks of chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie dough. While Ben & Jerry’s offers a full line of dairy-free flavors made with oat milk, almond milk and SunButter, but The Tonight Dough remains my top choice. You won’t find a flavor like it anywhere else.
Best for Chocolate Lovers: Milk Bar Chocolate Mint Cookies N’ Cream
Price: $6.99
Overall rating: 8/10
You probably know Milk Bar — chef Christina Tosi’s East Village bakery turned dessert giant — for its cereal milk-flavored ice cream. Another one of the brand’s home runs is the Chocolate Mint Cookies N’ Cream. This flavor has a chocolate mint base swirled with cookies-and-cream crunch, mint cream and chocolate-cookie batter. The mint flavor, though slightly overwhelming, brings me back to the vibrant-green mint chocolate chip scoops I used to get at my childhood ice cream parlor. Unlike many artisan ice cream flavors, this one is filled to the brim with mix-ins instead of a few cookie chunks thrown in throughout the pint.
Contact Bella Simonte at [email protected].